Coaching vs Advice: Two Different Lenses

Richard and Kate began by distinguishing between advice and coaching.

• Advice, as Richard often provides, offers tactical guidance: frameworks, practical steps, and tools.
  
  
• Coaching, as Kate described it, is about holding space and asking questions so the client can uncover their own answers.
  
  

Career transitions benefit from both. Advice supports the outer journey of job search tactics, while coaching unlocks the inner journey of self-awareness and identity shifts.

Takeaway: Successful transitions require both practical tools and space for deeper reflection.

The Inner Journey of Career Change

Kate stressed that the hardest part of career change is rarely polishing a CV or applying for roles — it’s the identity shift.

Moving from one professional self-image to another — say, a finance professional becoming a lawyer, or a high achiever choosing to slow down — challenges deeply ingrained definitions of success. Societal messages, internalised beliefs, and long-held habits often create invisible barriers.

Takeaway: Expect discomfort in transitions. It often signals the identity work that makes change meaningful.

Internalised Barriers and Limiting Beliefs

Many people carry internalised expectations about what they “should” do. Common examples include:

• Feeling irrelevant if they stop climbing the ladder.
  
  
• Fearing they’ve invested “too much” to make a change (the sunk cost fallacy).
  
  
• Believing they must pursue ambition at all costs.
  
  

Kate noted that acknowledging these beliefs, even writing them down, can be liberating. It allows people to address barriers one by one rather than feeling overwhelmed by a vague sense of being stuck.

Takeaway: Recognising your internalised barriers is the first step to dismantling them.

Four Steps to Effective Career Transition

Kate outlined a four-step process that guides clients through transitions:

1. Create Space
   Without intentional reflection, people risk jumping into a similar role and repeating the cycle. Space can be as small as 20 minutes daily in nature, or as big as a sabbatical.
   
   
2. Dream Big
   Most people have a seed of an idea. Writing three future stories, including one unconstrained by practical limits, surfaces genuine desires. Exploration through conversations with people in target roles adds reality-checks.
   
   
3. Address Inner Barriers
   List and confront fears, doubts, or constraints. From financial planning to tackling imposter syndrome, small clarifications can unlock surprising freedom.
   
   
4. Take Action
   Use the “Talk, Test, Stage” approach:
   
   
• Talk about your interests to enlist support.
  
  
• Test ideas with low-stakes experiments (courses, shadowing).
  
  
• Stage your transition — first internally, then externally, then professionally.
  
  

Takeaway: Space, vision, self-awareness, and small steps create momentum for lasting change.

Final Reflections

Kate closed with an important reminder: hold goals lightly. Career paths evolve as we learn, and being too rigid can close off new opportunities.

Richard reinforced the idea of breaking transitions into “baby steps” — manageable actions that reduce fear while building momentum.

Takeaway: Transitions are rarely linear. Stay open to shifts, and progress will compound over time.

Key Lessons from Kate Van Akin

• Career change involves an inner journey, not just external moves.
  
  
• Coaching complements tactical advice by surfacing deeper insights.
  
  
• Identity shifts are challenging but essential for growth.
  
  
• Internalised barriers like self-doubt and sunk cost fallacy can be reframed.
  
  
• Four practical steps (create space, dream big, address barriers, take action) provide a roadmap.
  
  

This conversation is part of our Career Transitions series in the OnUpBeyond library, designed to help you navigate pivotal career moments with confidence and clarity.