Phnxeq

Do you worry about where the line is when it comes to deeper conversations and client emotions?

Do you avoid conversations because you’re unsure about where your scope of practice is?

Back when I was a younger coach this was definitely a problem I had.

So I avoided certain conversations, but the had a detrimental impact of client results and my retention

The more challenging conversations about the emotions are where the coaching work is.

What do you think?

You can write the perfect training programme and still fail to help the person in front of you.

When I started working with Julie 10 years ago (still a client) I reinforced something that has shaped the way I coach ever since:

The physical problem isn’t always solved physically.

You can adjust the reps.
Change the sets.
Work on mobility.
Improve the programme.

But what if the thing stopping your client progressing has very little to do with the gym?

What if they’re overwhelmed?

What if they can’t protect their time?

What if they struggle to say no?

What if poor boundaries mean everyone else’s needs consistently come before their own?

What if stress, decision fatigue and the demands of the rest of their life leave almost nothing available for their health?

You cannot coach someone effectively while pretending the rest of their life stops at the gym door.

Sometimes sustainable progress means helping a client develop:

→ Better boundaries
→ A more assertive voice
→ Greater emotional regulation
→ Better decision-making
→ More ownership over their time
→ A stronger sense of who they are becoming

Because eventually, this becomes bigger than adherence to a programme.

You’re helping someone become the person capable of sustaining the behaviours they originally came to you for.

That’s where identity starts to shift.

And that’s why the future of health and fitness coaching requires us to understand more than training and nutrition.

We need to understand the person trying to implement them.

If you’re a coach who wants to develop the skills to work at this deeper level without pretending to be a therapist - stick around

When your client starts crying, your job isn’t to fix it.

And it isn’t to reach for the tissue and quickly redirect back to the plan.

I’ve seen this repeatedly working with coaches and in supervision, and I’ve experienced the freeze myself.

A technically excellent coach suddenly doesn’t know what to do when the session becomes emotional.

That isn’t a personality flaw.

It’s a skills gap.

Most coaches were taught how to build programmes, set goals and create accountability.

Very few were taught what to do in the 90 seconds after a client says something real.

So we reach for safety.

The tissue.
The reassurance.
The solution.
The subject change.

It can look like professionalism.

But sometimes it’s avoidance wearing a boundary’s clothes.

Because professional boundaries don’t mean removing emotion from coaching.

They mean knowing how to respond to emotion without stepping outside your scope.

You don’t need to become a therapist to hold a moment.

Sometimes you simply need to acknowledge what’s happening:

“That sounds really hard. I’m glad you told me.”

Then pause.

Let it land.

And ask:

“Would you like to stay with this for a moment, or would you prefer to move forward?”

That small shift gives the client something incredibly important:

The experience of being seen rather than managed.

So ask yourself:

When emotion entered your last coaching session, did you sit with it…

or did you redirect because you were uncomfortable?

If you’re a coach who wants to become more confident working with the emotional layer of coaching — without trying to become a therapist — follow PHNX and save this for your next session.

AI isn’t going to replace good coaches, we know this already. Not yet anyway

But it will expose coaches whose value is built almost entirely around information and giving access to this to their clients

Training plans.
Macros.
Meal ideas.
Exercise selection.

They are all important but…

Clients can increasingly access all of that in seconds.

The bigger opportunity for coaches is understanding what happens after someone knows what to do.

Why don’t they follow through?

Why do they keep repeating the same patterns?

Why does confidence disappear under pressure?

Why do emotions override the plan?

Why does one client thrive while another resists, avoids or self-sabotages?

That’s where coaching becomes more human.

It’s also where coaching becomes more demanding, time consuming and honestly if you’re not careful can sap a load of energy

Coaching in the health and fitness industry is now becoming more about

Psychology.
Identity.
Emotional regulation.
Values.
Confidence.
Behaviour change.

And with that comes greater responsibility.

If coaches are going to work deeper, they need the competence, self-awareness and boundaries to do it well.

Training and nutrition may get you through the door.
Understanding the person in front of you is what will increasingly set you apart.

If you’re a coach who wants to develop that side of your practice, follow PHNX for more on emotional intelligence, behaviour change and the future of coaching.

Or DM me “PHNX” if you want to know how I help coaches build these skills.

Why Healthy Pride Builds Persistence, Not Ego

The Fantasy That Kills Follow-Through

The Difference Between Managing Emotions and Using Them

Is The fitness industry held up by people’s fear

The Hockey Team That Chose Joy

What Your Stress Is Actually Signalling

The Six Emotions Stress Produces

Why Repeated Failure Teaches People to Stop Trying

The Judge and the Accomplices

Leveraging emotions in ethical ways

The Coach’s Nervous System Is Also in the Room

The Real Cost of Feeling Like a Fraud

Burnout Has Three Faces, Not One

Self-Compassion Isn’t Soft

Should Your Clients Be Your Friends?

Understand the Client Before the Tool

Why Change Feels Like a Threat to Your Brain

One of the most rewarding parts of my work isn’t just seeing clients transform.

It’s helping coaches develop the skills to facilitate transformations like this themselves.

Henry didn’t need more motivation.

He needed the confidence to stop people-pleasing, set healthy boundaries, and trust his own decisions.

He already knew what he should do.

The challenge was creating enough emotional safety and self-belief for him to actually do it.

That’s where emotionally intelligent coaching makes the difference.

When you understand what’s driving a client’s behaviour beneath the surface, you stop relying on accountability alone.

Instead, you help them develop the awareness, emotional resilience, and confidence to create lasting change.

The outcome for Henry wasn’t simply becoming more disciplined.

It was learning to honour his own needs without guilt.

Choosing training over social obligations when it aligned with his goals.

Speaking with greater clarity.

Feeling mentally stronger.

Those are the kinds of changes that last because they come from identity, not external pressure.

This is exactly what I teach coaches inside the PHNX hub with the resources I’ve built - join link in bio

Not how to rescue clients.

Not how to become a therapist.

But how to confidently navigate the emotional layer of coaching so your clients can create sustainable change for themselves.

If you want to become the kind of coach who helps clients achieve breakthroughs like this, comment “PHNX” below or send me a message, and I’ll show you how.