FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is professional coaching?

Coaching is a collaborative process that supports you to unlock your personal and professional potential. It’s thought-provoking, creative, and tailored to you.

I see each client as capable, resourceful, and whole — not someone who needs fixing, but someone with the answers already inside them. My role is to help you access those answers by:

• Clarifying what you want to achieve

• Supporting your self-discovery

• Helping you find your own strategies and solutions

• Encouraging accountability in a way that works for you

Coaching isn’t advice-giving or mentoring — it’s a partnership. Most people find that it shifts how they think, feel, and act at work and beyond. Often, it brings clarity, confidence, and a sense of direction that lasts well beyond the sessions.

What are some typical reasons I might work with a coach?

People come to coaching for all sorts of reasons — sometimes because something exciting is on the horizon, and other times because something just isn’t working.

Some of the reasons clients choose to work with me include:

• Aiming for promotion or stepping into a new leadership role

• Returning to work after maternity or extended leave

• Wanting to feel more confident, focused, or effective at work

• Facing challenges or conflict in their team

• Feeling stressed, anxious, or out of balance

• Exploring career transitions or considering the “next step”

• Wanting to raise their performance or prepare for a review

• Needing support through a grievance or difficult work situation

• Leading a team or business and valuing a confidential sounding board

Some are clear on what they want; others are still working it out. Coaching offers a space to pause, reflect, and move forward with more clarity and intention — whatever your starting point.

What is your style of coaching?

Clients often describe my coaching style as supportive, grounded, and focused — a balance of empathy and structure.

I’m open, non-judgemental, and ask questions designed to expand your thinking, unlock insight, and create new possibilities. I value flexibility and creativity — which might show up in sessions as mind-mapping, role-play, or even building with LEGO. At the same time, I’m naturally process-oriented, so I help you stay on track, make decisions, and move from A to B with clarity and focus.

Like many of my clients, I care about navigating work and life in a way that feels authentic and sustainable. I understand the pressure architects, designers, and leaders are under — and how easy it is to get caught in other people’s definitions of success. I offer a confidential space where you can reflect, recalibrate, and shape your own way forward — especially in a world that doesn’t always make it easy.

How clients describe my style:

“Karen provided a coaching environment in which I was both supported and challenged.”

“Her professional, ethical, no-nonsense approach helped me connect with her quickly.”

“Karen is very professional, reliable and friendly.”

“Karen sees clearly into the heart of the matter and elegantly emphasises what is important and why.”

Read more words from my clients.

What informs my coaching?

I draw from a wide range of tools and models — from coaching psychology and neuroscience to behavioural and leadership frameworks. These approaches are used to increase your self-awareness, re-energise your thinking, and help you make meaningful progress in your work and life.

Do you work with neurodiverse individuals?

Yes — I work with many neurodiverse clients, both diagnosed and self-identifying. This includes people with traits of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other forms of neurodivergence.

My intake questionnaire gives you the opportunity to share any traits, preferences, or adjustments that could support you. This might mean working face-to-face instead of online, using AI-assisted note-taking, taking regular breaks, or adjusting the structure of sessions.

We might focus directly on areas like communication, time management, organisation, or memory and concentration — or these may be woven into broader coaching goals.

Everyone works differently, and coaching is collaborative. Together, we’ll find the best way to work so you feel supported, understood, and set up to thrive at work.

How long do you usually work to coach an individual?

It depends on your goals, preferences, and what feels most supportive. Some clients work with me for a focused block of six sessions, especially when there’s a specific challenge or transition in mind. Others choose to continue over a longer period for deeper development or evolving goals.

We’ll talk about what feels right for you — whether that’s short-term focus or a more fluid, long-term partnership. Factors like your coaching goals, preferred pace, session frequency, and available resources all play a part.

To help track progress, we use visual tools so it’s always clear where we are and when we’re approaching closure or want to recontract. The process is designed to stay transparent and adaptable to your needs.

Where do you work?

For workplace coaching, I meet clients at their office, in a pre-booked meeting room, or nearby at an agreed location — as long as it’s quiet enough for a focused, private conversation. Some clients prefer not to meet in glass-fronted rooms or busy office spaces, so we’ve also met in hotel foyers, quiet cafes, or even parks. The important thing is that you feel comfortable and not distracted or overheard.

Personal client sessions are typically held via Zoom. Many people choose to book sessions on their working-from-home days to ensure privacy. I also offer evening appointments to accommodate those outside the 9–5 GMT window or based overseas.

Within the partnership, what does the coach do? What do I do?

Coaching is a partnership — we both have a role to play.

As your coach, I will:

• Listen deeply to understand your world and your goals

• Offer honest observations that help you see patterns and possibilities

• Ask questions that expand your thinking and challenge your blind spots

• Support you to plan, prioritise and take meaningful action

• Provide tools and models to help you understand yourself and others

• Encourage stretch where it’s needed, but always at a pace that suits you

• Maintain clear boundaries and confidentiality, and work to professional ethics

As the client, your role is to:

• Set the focus — bringing topics and goals that matter to you

• Reflect openly and use feedback to grow self-awareness

• Explore new perspectives and challenge your own assumptions

• Take ownership of your decisions, actions, and progress

• Try out new tools or ideas between sessions

• Stay curious and committed to your own development

Coaching works best when both of us are engaged and honest. You don’t have to arrive with all the answers — just a willingness to explore and take steps toward what matters to you.

How does Coaching differ from other service professions?

Coaching focuses on helping you create change — by setting goals, taking action, and building awareness of how you think, feel, and work. One of the simplest ways to understand coaching is to compare it with other types of support you might come across:

• Consulting
  A consultant is hired for their expertise. They assess the situation, identify the problem, and offer solutions — sometimes even implementing them. In coaching, you’re the expert in your life or work. My role is to ask the right questions, offer useful frameworks, and support you in uncovering your own answers.

• Mentoring
  A mentor draws on their own experience to guide you — sharing advice, contacts, and insights from their career. Coaching is different: it’s not about what I would do, but about helping you define success on your own terms and find your own way forward.

• Training
  Training is usually structured around a set curriculum, with objectives set by the trainer. Coaching is more fluid — you set the objectives, and we design the process around your needs. It’s not a linear course but an evolving conversation driven by what’s most relevant to you.

• Therapy
  Therapy often explores the past to help you heal, process emotions, or address psychological difficulties. Coaching is future-focused — helping you create actionable strategies to achieve your goals. It’s not about fixing, but about moving forward. While positive feelings may be a by-product, the primary focus is growth, not healing.

If coaching ever isn’t the right fit, I’ll always let you know — and where possible, help signpost you to other forms of support that might suit your needs better.

How can the success of the coaching process be measured?

Coaching success can be measured in different ways — both internally and externally.

Many of my clients notice success through internal shifts: increased self-awareness, greater understanding of others, a clearer mindset, and emotional changes like feeling more confident, calm, or capable. We often use simple self-assessments to track these changes and reflect on progress over time.

Externally, success might be seen in the achievement of your coaching goals, positive feedback from colleagues or leaders, or tangible improvements in performance — such as better focus, productivity, or decision-making.

We decide together what success looks like for you, and I’ll help you track it in a way that feels meaningful and useful.

Contact Karen Fugle today to learn how SleepingGiant can help you.
E. karen@sleepinggiant-consulting.com   M. +44 (0) 77628 11703