My First Week in My Coaching Apprenticeship: The Path to Self-Discovery

My first week of Coaching Professional Level 5 apprenticeship marks the beginning of both a formal learning programme and a personal journey of self-discovery. I entered the programme with clear intentions: to grow as a professional and leader, to build confidence, and to develop the skills and mindset needed to help others maximise their potential. What became clear very quickly is that coaching is not simply a new toolkit to learn: it is a way of thinking, being, and relating to others.

The focus of this week has been on understanding what coaching is, how it differs from other related forms of development, and what it requires of me, not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but also behaviours, mindset, and self-awareness. Very early on, I can already see how this journey is shaping not only my professional capability, but my identity.

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Starting with curiosity (and a little overwhelm)

The week began with the BPP induction, where I gained an overview of the structure, expectations, and professional standards of the programme. Alongside this practical grounding, I was introduced to a concept that immediately challenged me: the “Advice Monster”.

Watching Michael Bungay Stanier’s (MBS) How to Tame Your Advice Monster prompted an honest realisation. I am someone who often listens to respond rather than to truly understand. My instinct is to offer advice, solve problems quickly, and move conversations forward, a selfish habit that serves me as a manager, but can undermine individual empowerment. The simplicity of questions such as “What’s the real challenge here for you?” and “And what else?” highlighted how coaching requires curiosity and presence rather than expertise.

This learning strengthened my knowledge of coaching principles and directly linked to my development objectives around active listening and open questioning, which are core skills in coaching.

Learning to reflect

Reflection quickly emerged as a central theme. Through listening to Steve Johnstone’s discussion (Coaching Rambles) of reflective models of Gibbs, Rolfe, and Brookfield, I began to understand reflection as an ongoing professional discipline rather than a retrospective exercise.

I found myself reflecting not only on what I was learning, but how I process learning. At this stage, I am still exploring the best way to capture my reflections, whether through journals, audio, or video. What feels clear already is that reflective practice will be foundational to my growth as a coach.

This week has reinforced my understanding that coaching competence is built as much through reflection and supervision as it is through theory and practice.

Boundaries, presence, and not rescuing

Another significant area of learning this week was boundaries. Listening to Louise Presley Turner’s (Coaching Rambles) on boundaries in coaching prompted me to reflect deeply on what it means to create a safe, professional coaching space. I learned the importance of:

• Clear contracting around time, expectations, and confidentiality

• Navigating coaching relationships with friends or colleagues thoughtfully

• Allowing emotion without rescuing or fixing

• Recognising when referral to another professional may be appropriate

  
  

Perhaps most challenging was the idea that my role as a coach is not to rescue, advise, or absorb emotion, but to hold space. This requires self-awareness, emotional regulation, and strong ethical judgement, all of which align with expectations around professionalism, integrity, and self-management.

Seeing my managerial habits through a coaching lens

Reading The Coaching Habit by MBS led me to one of the most uncomfortable and valuable reflections of the week. I began to recognise how my managerial habits have contributed to dependency within my team. While I could rationalise this as inherited behaviour, reflection helped me see my own role in maintaining it.

Discovering that my “Advice Monster” is Control-It raised important questions about my relationship with outcomes. Coaching challenges my desire to be in control and invites me to trust both the coachee and the process. This sense of vulnerability is yet unfamiliar.

This thinking guided me to see coaching as an empowering practice and highlighted areas for behavioural development, particularly around letting go, listening deeply, and facilitating thinking rather than directing action.

From theory to structure

As I progressed through my readings, my understanding of coaching became more structured. I started to explore models such as GROW, scaling techniques, and the Dance of Insight, all of which provide a framework while maintaining the coachee’s ownership of the conversation.

What stood out most was the emphasis on the coachee summarising their own learning, actions, and commitments at the end of a session. This reinforced the principle that coaching is not about the coach demonstrating competence, but about enabling clarity and accountability for the coachee.

At the same time, I became aware of a key development need: in analysing questions and structure, I sometimes forgot to actively listen to the coachee. This insight has sharpened my focus on presence, listening, and feedback as priority skills to develop through practice and supervision.

Early takeaways and looking ahead

By the end of my first week, I felt more reflective and more grounded. I now have:

• A foundational understanding of coaching theory, models, and ethics

• Greater self-awareness around my habits, judgement, and control

• An appreciation of reflective practice and supervision as essential professional behaviours

• Clarity around my early development objectives: listening, questioning, confidence, and communication

  
  

Most importantly, my understanding of coaching has evolved. Coaching, for me, is a supportive, non-directive partnership grounded in trust, curiosity, and willingness to change. It is about creating space for insight while holding firm professional boundaries. As I move forward, my focus will be on integrating theory into practice, developing consistency in my coaching behaviours, and continuing to reflect honestly on who I am becoming as a coach.

Written by YS