Don’t Be Sad It’s Over

I wrapped up a 1-2-1 coaching engagement this week.

At the end, my client said they felt sad — but also proud.

And I did too.

When you’ve spent months thinking, reflecting, and experimenting together, it’s natural to feel that mix. The conversations stop, but the growth doesn’t. There’s pride in what’s been achieved — and a touch of sadness in letting go of the rhythm that made it happen.

This client’s goal was to become more strategic and less drawn to taking over the solution. That tendency hasn’t vanished — few of our patterns ever fully do — but they’ve built awareness and choice around it. They can now catch themselves in the moment, pause, and decide how to respond.

They’ve also got short-term plans for how they’ll continue to grow after coaching — and a healthy respect for how easy it can be to slip back into old habits. That combination of progress and awareness is what sustainable growth looks like.

They’ve also built a simple practice to stay on track post-coaching: two questions to journal on regularly.

1. How have I progressed today?

   This helps them notice small wins and reinforce momentum rather than fixating on what’s missing.

2. What might Geoff have pointed out to me?

   This keeps alive that gentle external perspective — the one that notices patterns, asks awkward questions, and invites reflection before reaction.

Those two questions act as a lightweight scaffolding for continued self-coaching.

This is useful because real growth isn’t about getting to the end of something; it’s about finding sustainable ways to keep going.

Coaching isn’t meant to create dependency. It’s meant to create momentum — to help people reach the point where they don’t need you to make progress, but might still choose to check in occasionally to stay honest with themselves.

When coaching works well, it ends with both people feeling that mix of sadness and pride.

Sad, because something real was built.

Proud, because something real has shifted.

As we finished our working together, I shared a phrase I’ve always liked (though I can’t remember where I picked it up):

That’s how this ending felt.

Sad because something meaningful had run its course.

Proud because the work had done what it was meant to do.

If you’re on your own journey of growth — trying to lead differently, act more strategically, or stay connected to what matters — you might try those same two questions yourself.

They don’t take long, but they can shift everything.

Cheers

P.S. If you would like to talk about some coaching for yourself, whatever your personal or professional goals are, just drop me a reply and we can have a quick chat.