Matt Thieleman is a transformational coach, speaker, advisor, and visionary. He works with leaders and change-makers to help them live more fully into their purpose and share their masterpieces with the world. This is Coaching is Matt’s first book, which he wrote to help readers unlock their full potential as a coach. This Is Coaching serves as the guidebook and an inspirational tool to help readers achieve their true potential.
In this exclusive interview, Matt answered questions about his journey, book, and future plans.
Q. What was your inspiration behind writing the book This is Coaching?
Matt Thieleman.
It’s the book I wish I’d had when I was a young coach and wondered whether I was even “coaching” while working with my clients. It’s also the book I will return to for the rest of my life to remind me what it means to be a coach, what my job and responsibilities really are, and how to hold humanity and infinite possibilities while working.
There aren’t many coaching books that talk in a straightforward way about what happens inside a coaching conversation and along the entire coaching journey. Most books are sets of steps or overviews of tools to use within that framework, but I found they lack the context for how to use them. I believe “This is Coaching” gives coaches a framework to let them play creatively within.
Q. What exactly is a transformational coach?
Matt Thieleman.
I’ll begin with a short quote from the book:
- Coaching is an act of love and service — to ourselves, our clients, and the world.
- Coaching is living from a particular way of being — some of which is captured throughout this book.
- Coaching is an inquiry — into what’s possible, who we are, and what either of those things even means.”
Transformational coaches support people in realizing the lives they want while, in the process, growing into who they really are. In my words, I remind people they’re God. (Folks can make that word mean whatever they want in the context of a larger force that holds, creates, and binds us all.) That means connecting to our infinite power, potential, creativity, love, and wisdom.
We do that by seeing our clients as their infinitely powerful selves and inviting them to articulate their desires, locate themselves in the current moment, and move between the two.
Q. After becoming a transformational coach, what difference can they make in the lives of their clients?
Matt Thieleman.
The first meaningful difference is the difference we make in the world simply by being committed to our own transformation. It’s like the saying, “A rising tide lifts all ships,” which is to say that as we embark on our own growth journey, the world opens and often comes along with us. We can make a more meaningful difference everywhere by working with our own coach, doing our own healing, and committing to living the life of a coach.
In terms of the difference our work makes for our clients, the answers tend to be banal without using specific examples. Work that is fun, meaningful, and abundant. Relationships that challenge us to be our best while healing our old wounds and inspiring us to grow closer in intimacy every day. Days filled with joy and purpose. All of those things together without one having to be traded or compromised upon. And all the while learning to fully feel and accept that life can be painful, that fear is present as we grow, and that we don’t often grow in a linear fashion. The difference is a more expansive life and a more beautiful world.
Q. What are the key takeaways for readers looking to read your book?
Matt Thieleman.
“This is Coaching” introduces a GPS navigation analogy to the coaching and transformation process. We use the same steps to get anywhere in life that we do when we pull out our phones and pull up maps. First, we enter our destination. Then, it tracks our current location. Finally, it gives directions between the two. Before any helpful directions can be given, the system needs to know the desired destination (as precisely as possible) and where we are right now.
That’s the first takeaway, and it’s counterintuitive to what I thought coaching was when I started. I used to think coaching was mostly the last part — giving directions. In reality, the majority of coaching happens in the first two steps. If the only thing that happens in a coaching conversation is that my client gets clear on what they want, it’s a huge success. Because many of us struggle to honor our intuitive desires and speak them aloud. We’re used to the world telling us what we want. In that way, coaching is a radical practice.
The other thing I hope coaches take away is how much of the work of coaching exists in the coach-client relationship. The interpersonal dynamic is undeniable and extremely powerful. For that reason, it’s critical that we, as coaches, work with our own coaches. Our clients are going to project on us and we on them. We’ll get hooked by something they say. We have to get supported, get clear, and unhook so that we can properly support our clients. The book is laden with examples of how that’s true.
Q. I am sure while reading the book, readers might have questions too. Is there any place they can go to get those answers?
Matt Thieleman.
Absolutely. Anyone with questions can go to https://goldenbristle.com and contact me there or email me at matt@goldenbristle.com. I’m also all over the socials, sharing more about what it means to be a coach and how to live an impactful life.
Doctor plans to regulate billion-dollar life coaching industry(Opens in a new browser tab)
Q. What can we expect in the future from you?
Matt Thieleman.
“This is Coaching” is just book number one. More will be coming over the years. Right now, I’m focused on supporting coaches in taking the principles of the book deeper both in their own lives and with their clients. My first mastermind, Master Your Coaching Game, launches in 2024 and I’ll be focused on my vision of a world in which every coach is world-class. The world is ripe for transformation, and I want to do my part.
People who want to explore This is Coaching by Matt Thieleman can visit the official Amazon page.