Ep 100: Supporting your clients (and yourself!) in these messy times

How do you support your clients—and yourself—when the world feels like it’s falling apart? In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we’re talking about what it means to coach through chaos, uncertainty, and grief. When clients bring in overwhelm, despair, or real-world fears, many coaches feel unsure about how to respond. Should you stay “neutral”? Try to uplift them? Hold space without absorbing their pain? We explore how to stay grounded as a coach in messy times, how to support clients without bypassing their real emotions, and what it actually means to be present—without performing. You’ll learn how to simplify your approach, listen without fixing, and recognize when you need to pause and seek support. We also connect these practices to ICF Core Competencies like cultivating trust, maintaining presence, and evoking awareness. Whether you’re a new coach or a seasoned pro, this episode is your permission slip to be human. Because coaching in today’s world isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being real. Coaching + Courage + Community = CLCC. We're a life-changing program, for you to become a life-changing coach. Our Level 1 ICF-Accredited program has worked with graduates from around the world. The first life you change? It'll be your own. We're the Credentialed Life Coach Collective, or CLCC, and we're here to give you a powerful coaching skill-set mixed with profound personal and professional growth. Head to to get our catalogue and the free "Become a Coach" video series to learn more about becoming a life coach, choosing a coaching niche, how coaches make money, and more. Social: LinkedIn

You can listen to Ep 100: Supporting your clients (and yourself!) in these messy times online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ep 100: Supporting your clients (and yourself!) in these messy times is an episode from Craft of Coaching Podcast by Kate Swoboda.

This episode is 19:51 long.

This episode was published on Jan 13, 2026.

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