How I choose which clients to keep

When I took a brief coaching detour this past April, I stopped pursuing new clients.

As a result, I selected a small core of long-term clients that I chose to continue working with.

These are the clients that bring me the most joy. As I recommit to exclusively coaching, I am taking stock of why I chose these clients.

I know this will help me to build a strong and personally aligned practice going forward.

It feels good to be in this place of selectivity. It means I have honed a craft and I know who I can serve. I know what gets me energized and where I add the most value.

So what are these unicorn clients like?

1. They show up strong to coaching every session. They bring questions, scenarios, concerns—usually one to three major topics.

2. They let me see them. We have been building rapport for months and, for some, years. They are not afraid to show me their unfiltered thoughts. They say the quiet part out loud.

3. They don’t rush the process. Coaching isn’t about major transformations every week. Our best selves are on the other side of long-entrenched beliefs and behaviors. The same things show up over and over again. It isn’t boring. It’s practice.

4. We laugh together. Some things are serious. Many things are not. Our relationships are built on the good and the bad.

5. The most important quality: They are willing to experiment. They don’t JUST want to vent. They want to try new things.

As I look toward the fall, I’m carrying these lessons forward. The joy in this work has never been about cramming my calendar—it’s been about protecting space for the conversations that matter. The ones that stretch over months, that occasionally circle the same territory until the ground finally shifts.

I’ll keep building my practice with the same care I used when I pared it down—adding only the right fits, the people who feel both familiar and challenging in all the best ways. There’s no rush; the best work never starts in a hurry.

So if you’ve been quietly wondering whether coaching might help you navigate what’s ahead, this could be a good season to find out. I’ll be here, keeping the door open just enough for the right knock.

Live & LeadWell,

~E

Thank you Marty, Michelle, Amy, Jenna, Charisse, Joe & Kevin.