Coaching with Confidence and Care

Luba Diasamidze PhD, PCC
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About The “Coaching with Confidence and Care” podcast, hosted by Luba Diasamidze, offers weekly episodes that provide reflections, practical insights, and answers to common questions in coach training, mentoring, and supervision. I am Luba Diasamidze, the founder of UpThink Coaching, an ICF-accredited provider of coach training programs, mentoring, and supervision. I am passionate about helping coaches unlock their superpowers and be the best they can be for their clients. This podcast is designed to support aspiring and new coaches, as well as those engaged in ongoing professional development. If you’re looking for ways to grow, experiment, gain insights into delivering impactful coaching sessions to shape your own confident and caring coaching style, this podcast is for you! Please subscribe if you enjoy the content. Connect with me on LinkedIn to share ideas or suggest topics for future episodes. Explore Our Resources: • If you are new to coaching: download our Signature FREE Guide on coaching: https://upthinkcoaching.com/the-ultimate-guide/ • Coaches: download our reflective practice workbook: https://upthinkcoaching.com/for-coaches/ • Find our coach training programs at https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/ • Check out our YouTube channel – we post interviews with coaches coaching in different niches: https://www.youtube.com/@UpThinkCoaching/ • Connect with Luba as your mentor coach or coaching supervisor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luba-diasamidze/

  1. 6d ago

    Challenge as Coaching Intervention

    Being supportive is an essential part of coaching, and helping someone doesn't always mean agreeing, reassuring, or making the conversation comfortable. Sometimes the most useful thing we can do for a client is to be more courageous in how we interrupt patterns that are keeping them stuck. In this episode, I explore what it actually means to challenge a client productively without turning the conversation into confrontation. I share how I think about the relationship between support and challenge, what helps me decide when a client is ready for a stretch, and how I work with the relational risks that can come with being more direct. We also look at the difference between a courageous challenge that serves the client and a coach satisfying their own need to be insightful, useful, or right. Challenge only works well as an intervention when there is enough trust, presence, and genuine care underneath it. I’ll share my thoughts on: How to recognize moments when a client may benefit from being challenged; Different ways to challenge, from naming discrepancies to relational interventions; When challenge is more likely to be counterproductive; How to navigate rupture when a challenge lands harder than intended; How coaches can gradually develop more confidence with courageous and direct conversations. I hope this episode gives you some practical ideas for expanding your range as a coach and finding your own balance between support and challenge. Coming up next: The Power of Silence in Coaching. We’ll explore silence not simply as a pause between questions, but as an intentional intervention that can create space for reflection, deeper awareness, and insights that may not emerge through words alone. Let’s connect! Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that. DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs. Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot. Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

  2. Jul 28

    How to Prepare for the ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC-MCC Exam)

    Preparing for the ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC-MCC Exam) can feel overwhelming, especially when in scenario-based questions several answers seem reasonable. If you've ever wondered how to think your way through the exam instead of memorizing competencies, this episode is for you. In this episode, I share the approach and the way of thinking we've used at UpThink Coaching to help many of our graduates successfully prepare for their PCC credential. Rather than focusing only on what to study, we explore the logic behind the exam, the coaching mindset it assesses, and practical ways to develop the discernment needed to identify the most and least aligned responses. This is my personal opinion and experience, not official guidelines, so use your judgment to pick what’s most helpful to you. Whether you're preparing for the current scenario-based exam or the redesigned version that will include both knowledge-based and situational judgment questions, the principles discussed here will remain highly relevant. I’ll share my ideas about: Understanding the logic behind the exam; Preparing physically, mentally, and emotionally for exam day; Developing discernment to choose the most aligned and least aligned answer. I hope this episode helps you approach the exam with greater confidence and a clearer understanding of what the ICF is really assessing. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with another coach who is preparing for their credentialing exam. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you don't miss future episodes exploring most common topics that arise in coach training, mentoring and supervision. Coming up next: Coaching Courageously: Using Challenge as a Coaching Intervention. We'll explore how thoughtful challenge can deepen awareness, strengthen the coaching relationship, and become a powerful catalyst for meaningful change without becoming confrontational. Other Relevant Materials: FREE Mock Credentialing Exam: https://app.podia.com/products/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo Session (with markers identified): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9Layk-py8 Podcast episode about the ICF Core Competencies' Update: https://upthinkcoachingpodcast.podbean.com/e/icf-core-coaching-competencies-update-2025/ Let’s connect! Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that. DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs. Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in October of 2026, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November of 2026. Get in touch at info@upthinkcoaching.com to secure your spot. Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

  3. Jun 18

    Rethinking Marketing for Coaches: From Avoidance to Inspiration

    If the word "marketing" makes you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you're definitely not alone. Many coaches struggle with visibility, self-promotion, consistency, or the belief that marketing somehow requires them to become someone they are not. In this episode, I share some personal reflections on how my relationship with marketing has evolved over the years and what helped me approach it in a way that feels more authentic, sustainable, and aligned with how I want to show up as a coach. I'm not a marketing expert, and this is not an episode about strategies, funnels, or hacks. Rather, it's an invitation to view marketing through a relational lens and to see it as an extension of the same qualities we bring into coaching: curiosity, care, empathy, and genuine interest in people. You'll hear about: Why many coaches struggle with marketing and why I don't see those struggles as personal flaws; How viewing marketing as relationship-building changed the way I approach visibility and consistency; Why getting clearer about who benefits most from working with you can make articulating your value much easier; How thoughtful marketing can normalize clients' experiences and help them feel seen and understood; How visibility can become a developmental practice and an opportunity to cultivate the same capacities we often help our clients develop. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another coach who may be trying to find a more human and authentic way to approach marketing. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you don't miss future episodes, especially if you're interested in the deeper, relational, and emotionally informed side of coaching. Coming up next: Preparing for the ICF Credentialing Exam. Don't miss it if the exam is part of your development plan in the coming months. Let’s connect! Want to bring more presence, confidence, and clarity to your coaching? I am here for that. DM me on LinkedIn or visit upthinkcoaching.com to explore supervision, mentor coaching, or our accredited coach training programs. Our next PCC Path (Level 2) - "Beyond the Tools: Advanced Coaching in Emotional, Intercultural & Relational Spaces"- begins in September, and the ACC Path (Level 1) opens in November. Looking forward to supporting you on your journey.

  4. May 28

    Working with Resistant, Reluctant or Disengaged Clients

    In this episode, I’m talking about one of the more uncomfortable dynamics in coaching: working with disengaged, resistant, or uncooperative clients. Many coaches take client disengagement personally or immediately assume something is “wrong” with the coaching process. But very often, resistance communicates something important about the client’s experience, the organizational context, the coaching relationship, or the way change itself is being perceived. My perspective is that disengagement should be treated as process information rather than personal failure. I wanted to approach this topic with more nuance and compassion, especially in organizational coaching where sponsorship dynamics, psychological safety, performance pressure, and lack of choice can significantly influence engagement. I talk about: Why clients may resist or disengage in coaching sessions, especially in organizational settings; Why over-functioning as a coach can unintentionally increase client passivity; The importance of rapport, transparency, and clarifying coaching expectations early on; How coaches may unknowingly contribute to resistance; What relational dynamics may actually be communicating; How to address ruptures in the coaching relationship instead of avoiding them. I share reflections from my own coaching practice, including situations where clients openly questioned the value of coaching, struggled to trust the process, or participated without genuine buy-in. These moments can feel uncomfortable, but they often contain valuable information about how people experience support, authority, vulnerability, and change. This episode is also an invitation to approach resistance with more curiosity instead of defensiveness. Sometimes the most productive thing a coach can do is slow down, acknowledge what is happening relationally, and create space for an honest conversation about the process itself. If you work with leaders, organizational clients, or simply want to develop a more relational approach to coaching, this episode will give you practical ideas for navigating disengagement without collapsing into rescuing, over-control, or self-doubt. In the next episode, we’ll continue the theme of resistance from a different angle. We’ll talk about coaches’ relationship with marketing and why so many well trained and highly skilled practitioners still struggle to talk about their work openly. I’ll share some reflections on how marketing often becomes emotionally loaded, what helped me rethink it in a healthier way, and how to communicate your value without feeling fake, pushy, or transactional. Enjoy other free materials: Free Coaching Course for People Leaders: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth): ACC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/ PCC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

  5. Apr 23

    Working with Energy Shifts in Coaching

    In this episode, I’m talking about energy shifts in coaching and what it actually means to work with them in a grounded, non-mystical way. For many coaches, this can feel unclear or even a bit uncomfortable. You might notice something change in the session, but then question yourself: did something really shift, is it relevant, or am I overinterpreting? Let’s bring more precision to this. Energy shifts are not about guessing or intuition in a vague sense. They are part of process information — observable changes in how the client is engaging in the moment. This can show up in pacing, tone, pauses, level of engagement, or emotional activation. I talk about: What energy shifts actually are and how to recognize them through observable, in-the-moment cues; Why process information matters just as much as content for coaching outcomes; How working with shifts supports deeper awareness and emotional processing; The link between noticing shifts and strengthening the coaching relationship; What happens when shifts are missed or ignored in a session. I share a few practical principles and also walk through real examples of how subtle changes in a client’s energy can open up deeper, more meaningful work, if you stay with them. If you want to move beyond content-focused coaching and develop more precision in how you work with what is happening in the session itself, this episode will give you a clear and practical way to approach it. In the next episode, we’ll look at a different challenge: working with uncooperative or disengaged clients. Stay tuned.   Enjoy other free materials: Free Coaching Course for People Leaders: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth): ACC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/ PCC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

  6. Apr 3

    Coaching Effectiveness: Key Factors and Measurement

    In this episode, I’m talking about measuring coaching results and how to know if your work is actually effective. If you’re newer, this can be especially tricky. You don’t yet have a long track record, and it’s not always clear what you can confidently say about outcomes. So you hesitate or default to vague language, which does not sound convincing. Let’s look at what actually drives coaching effectiveness. It’s not just what the coach does. It’s a combination of client readiness, coach capability, the quality of the relationship, and the client’s real-life context. I talk about: What “ready for coaching” really means and how to recognise it during discovery calls; A range of factors that make a difference to results; The role of the working alliance (the coaching relationship); How context (timing, environment, support) can either support or block change; What levels of results you can observe. And I touch on how to use pre–post comparisons without turning coaching into evaluation, so you can track progress without losing the quality of the relationship. If you want a clearer way to talk about results and to understand what’s really changing for your clients, this episode will give you a practical structure to work with. In the next episode, we’ll talk about “energy shifts” in coaching: what that actually means and how to work with it. Enjoy other free materials: Free Coaching Course for People Leaders: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth): ACC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/ PCC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

  7. Mar 20

    Working with Metaphors

    In this episode, I am talking about working with metaphors in coaching — one of the most powerful ways to deepen awareness in a session. Metaphors show up naturally in how clients speak. We look at how to notice metaphors that actually matter, how to stay with them in a way that supports the client’s thinking, and how to use them to create meaningful shifts without turning the session into something abstract or disconnected from the client’s goal. I talk about: How to recognize which metaphors are worth exploring What makes a metaphor “alive” and useful in the moment How to explore a metaphor through simple, clean questions without leading the client Ways to deepen the metaphor using sensory detail and embodiment How to create shifts inside the metaphor and then connect them back to real action And where coaches may take a less effective path. I also share real question examples that support the metaphor work in different ways. If you’re a coach who wants to work at more depth without adding unnecessary complexity, this episode will give you a practical way to start using metaphors more intentionally and more effectively. In the next episode, we’ll shift the angle a bit and talk about the conditions that actually make coaching effective. I’ll bring in both research and field experience to explore what really drives impact in coaching conversations. If you want to watch an interview with an experienced Clean Language coach and watch a coaching demo that only uses metaphors, we have one on our YouTube Channel. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/V-rf5oZtdcE?si=7JbzWVUw0wB7eons Let's connect! Connect with me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luba-diasamidze/) or send an email at info@upthinkcoaching.com Enjoy other free materials: Free Coaching Course for People Leaders: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo: upthinkcoaching.podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth): ACC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/ PCC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

  8. Mar 9

    When and How to Interrupt in Coaching Sessions

    In this episode, I talk about interruptions in coaching — a topic that brings up a lot of questions and uncertainty for coaches. Many coaches were taught that good coaching means letting the client speak without interruption. So when a client talks for a long time, goes in circles, or drifts away from the goal of the session, coaches often hesitate. They wonder: Am I allowed to interrupt? Does that mean I’m not listening well enough? Will it damage the relationship? This episode looks at interruptions from the perspective of professional coaching competencies and real coaching practice. Interruption is not automatically a mistake. When it is done with a clear coaching purpose and in service of the client’s process, it can become a useful intervention. In this episode, I talk about: What core coaching competencies say about interruptions; What “a clear coaching purpose” for interruption actually means; How to contract with clients around interruptions so they understand when and why you might step in; How to navigate the relational side of interruptions, including fears about breaking rapport and why repair is a normal part of a strong coaching relationship; How to check your own internal motives before stepping in, so the intervention truly serves the client. I briefly walk through the most common questions I hear from coaches about interruptions: ethical concerns, fears about power dynamics, worries about damaging the relationship, and uncertainty about when the timing is right. If you’ve ever wondered whether interrupting a client is appropriate in coaching  and how to do it in a way that supports awareness and forward movement this episode will give you a clearer way to think about it. In the next episode, we’ll talk about metaphors in coaching. When a client says something like “I feel stuck” or “It’s like I’m carrying the whole company on my back,” what do you actually do with that? How do metaphors open insight, and when can they take the conversation off track?   Enjoy other free materials: Free Coaching Course for People Leaders: podia.com/basic-coaching-skills-for-new-leaders Mock ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) from UpThink Coaching: podia.com/mock-icf-credentialing-exam-pcc-mcc PCC Marker Demo: podia.com/pcc-marker-demo-session Next ICF-Accredited Coach Training Programs (for coaches who want to work at depth): ACC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/become-a-coach/ PCC Path: https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/the-path-to-excellence-for-certified-coaches/

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About

About The “Coaching with Confidence and Care” podcast, hosted by Luba Diasamidze, offers weekly episodes that provide reflections, practical insights, and answers to common questions in coach training, mentoring, and supervision. I am Luba Diasamidze, the founder of UpThink Coaching, an ICF-accredited provider of coach training programs, mentoring, and supervision. I am passionate about helping coaches unlock their superpowers and be the best they can be for their clients. This podcast is designed to support aspiring and new coaches, as well as those engaged in ongoing professional development. If you’re looking for ways to grow, experiment, gain insights into delivering impactful coaching sessions to shape your own confident and caring coaching style, this podcast is for you! Please subscribe if you enjoy the content. Connect with me on LinkedIn to share ideas or suggest topics for future episodes. Explore Our Resources: • If you are new to coaching: download our Signature FREE Guide on coaching: https://upthinkcoaching.com/the-ultimate-guide/ • Coaches: download our reflective practice workbook: https://upthinkcoaching.com/for-coaches/ • Find our coach training programs at https://upthinkcoaching.com/coach-training-development/ • Check out our YouTube channel – we post interviews with coaches coaching in different niches: https://www.youtube.com/@UpThinkCoaching/ • Connect with Luba as your mentor coach or coaching supervisor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luba-diasamidze/

Information

  • Creator
    Luba Diasamidze PhD, PCC
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Coaching with Confidence and Care