What is coaching? Everything you need to know before you start

Confusing it with therapy, mentoring, or consulting? You're not alone. Here's what coaching is, what it isn't, and how to know if it's right for you.

In a nutshell

Coaching is a structured conversation where you think, and the coach asks questions that help you reach your own answers.

It's not therapy. It doesn't treat the past. It doesn't give advice.

It's a future-oriented process: clarity → decision → action.

What's the difference?

Focus
Coaching Future: what you want to build
Therapy Past and present: emotional healing
Mentoring Mentor's specific experience
Consulting Solution to a defined problem
Who has the answers
Coaching You (the coach helps you discover them)
Therapy The therapist (expert in diagnosis)
Mentoring The mentor (guides from experience)
Consulting The consultant (provides recommendations)
When it helps
Coaching You want change, but don't know how
Therapy You're going through emotional suffering or trauma
Mentoring You want to learn a specific industry or skill
Consulting You have a well-defined business problem
Duration
Coaching 3–6 months (regular sessions)
Therapy Variable: months or years
Mentoring Variable: 6–12 months
Consulting Defined project: weeks

If you're going through an emotional crisis or experiencing symptoms of anxiety/depression, I recommend consulting a psychotherapist. Coaching and therapy can complement each other, but they don't replace one another.

What coaching is NOT

Myth: “It's for people with problems”

Coaching is for functional people who want to be clearer about what they want or better at what they do. Most clients don't have a "problem": they have an unclear direction or a decision to make.

Myth: “It's like therapy, but more expensive”

They're different processes with different tools. Therapy works with the past. Coaching works with the present and future. They don't replace each other, and sometimes they complement each other.

Myth: “You need to know what you want to start”

That's exactly why you come. Many people arrive with a vague feeling that something isn't right, and that's enough as a starting point.

Myth: “The coach tells you what to do”

No. A coach doesn't give advice and has no agenda regarding your decision. They ask questions. You arrive at the answer.

Coaching is right for you if...

  • You feel something needs to change, but don't know where to start
  • You're facing an important decision and want to reach your own answer
  • You work hard, deliver results, but the meaning is missing
  • You're going through a life transition: career change, divorce, relocation, new chapter
  • You want to know yourself better and act more aligned with what truly matters to you

Questions I hear most often

Friends love you and want the best for you, which means they sometimes tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. A coach has no agenda regarding your decision. They ask questions without judgment, without advice, without ready-made solutions.
350 lei/session; package of 5 sessions: 1,500 lei. The answer to "is it worth it?" depends on what you're looking for. My clients say the biggest gain isn't the answer to a question, but the clarity with which they make decisions afterward.
Yes. Everything we discuss stays between us. There are no reports, no mentions to third parties. It's the basic condition of a space where you can be honest.
Sessions last 60 minutes, online (Zoom or Meet). At the beginning of each session, we establish what you want to clarify. I ask questions, you think, and usually you leave with a new perspective or a concrete next step.
Some clients feel clarity after the first session. A complete process usually takes 3–6 months. It depends on what we work on and what each person is ready to explore.
No. The fact that you're asking these questions means you're self-aware, which is already a step in the right direction.

When it's NOT the right fit

I believe in honesty, including about coaching's limits. It's not suitable if:

  • You're going through an acute mental health crisis (severe anxiety, depression, recent trauma); in this case, a psychotherapist is the first step
  • You're looking for someone to make decisions for you
  • You're being forced by someone else to do coaching: it doesn't work without your own willingness

Curious whether it fits?

The simplest way is to talk. 30 minutes, free, and you'll know for yourself.

Book a Discovery Session