COACH
COACH: The One Step I Never Saw Coming
For most of my life, my strategy was simple: Spot the problem. Fix it fast. Power through.
It worked—until it didn’t. Looking back, I can see the collateral damage from my rush-to-the-finish approach. I never imagined that pausing—yes, pausing—could be the most powerful step in solving a problem.
But that’s exactly what I needed.
A pause to stop a reaction I’d regret.
A pause to let my best self speak.
A pause to give my brain’s problem-solving center time to show up.
My students learned it with me. I’d start class with, “Guess what I learned five minutes ago?” They’d grin—because they knew they’d be learning it next. We laughed about how quickly they picked up skills compared to their counselor, but learning to pause? That took real courage.
Together, we created COACH, a tool to help us in the heat of the moment:
Catch when you’re emotionally hooked.
Observe your body and self-talk.
Allow big feelings to sit for a moment.
See your Choices after the first three steps.
And most important: Heart—have one for yourself. Self-kindness changes everything.
It took practice, but COACH helped us find peace even in our roughest moments.
👉 Check out the complete lesson below –can’t wait to hear what you think!
I eventually wrote COACH—the story of a frustrated branch, the waves and sand that shaped him, and the Lake Michigan perch who helped him see his beauty as driftwood.
📚 You can get your copy at kelleypeel.com or Amazon. And if you’re an educator, check out the classroom slides to see COACH in action.
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