Everyone Needs a Coach: The Case for Coaching at Every Age

You Still Need a Coach, Sis

Picture this for a second:

LeBron out on the court, no coach, no game plan, just vibes. He’s dribbling, the crowd is screaming, and he’s out there like, “I guess I’ll just…see what happens?”

• Or imagine a surgeon in the ER. Patient on the table. The nurse asks, “Doctor, what’s the plan?” And the doctor shrugs like, “Welp, I’ll just wing it.”

• Or your kid’s soccer team, running in circles like caffeinated hamsters because there’s no coach yelling, “Kickkkkk the ball!”

Absurd, right? Because we know greatness doesn’t happen in isolation.

Nobody makes it far in sports, medicine, business—or life—without coaching.

So why do we think we’re supposed to?

Why We Still Need Coaching (Yes, Even at Our Big Age)

Let’s be clear: somewhere between mixtapes and menopause, we got sold a lie. The lie said:

“Strong women figure it out on their own.” And like good Gen Xers, we bought it. We wore it like an oversized flannel from 1992. We decided that if we couldn’t grind our way through, we weren’t strong enough.

But sis… let me ask you something.

How’s that working out for you?

Exactly.

We are the original latchkey kids. Keys around our necks on shoelace chains, microwaving TV dinners while watching DuckTales. We were raised on Kool-Aid, Columbia House scams, and fat-free Snackwell cookies. Nobody hovered. Nobody asked if we needed help with fractions or feelings. We learned survival, not support.

That scrappiness? It made us. But it also trained us to believe needing help is weakness. That asking for guidance is embarrassing. That coaching is for people who can’t handle their business. But let me tell you the truth: coaching is for people who want to win.

Think about it:

• Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson.

• Oprah has coaches.

• Serena had her dad and then professional trainers.

• Beyoncé? Whole team.

Yet here we are, running careers, raising kids and GlamKids, supporting parents, starting businesses, navigating menopause, keeping marriages alive—or figuring out life after divorce—all with no coach, no sideline, no covering.

Sis, that’s not strength. That’s slow-motion burnout.

Naked Conversations

Now let’s talk about what real coaching looks like. It’s not just strategy and accountability. It’s honesty. I call them naked conversations. And no, I don’t mean naked-naked. I mean soul naked. The kind of conversations where you rip the armor off and say:

• “This is my dream.”

• “This is what I’m scared of.”

• “This is where I feel stuck.”

• “This is what I really want—even if it sounds selfish or crazy.”

It’s the kind of honesty couples share in bed at the end of the day, when there are no filters left. Or the kind of spilling single folks do in their journals at 2am, praying nobody ever finds them.

That’s what a coach does: they create the space where you can stop performing, stop fronting, and just be nakedly honest. And here’s the gag: if you can’t say your truth out loud to someone, how are you ever going to get help moving toward it?

Naked conversations are where the breakthroughs live.

This is My Truth: I Want My Momma!

Let me confess something.

Sometimes I don’t want strategy. I don’t need another productivity hack or a color-coded planner. Sometimes I just want my momma. I want to hear, “You can do it.”I want her hand on my shoulder like, “Baby, I’m right here.”I want that hug that somehow resets my whole nervous system in 30 seconds flat. We joke about Adam Sandler’s Bobby Boucher—“My momma said…”—but tell me you don’t secretly want that.

We all do.

I am defintley NOT Bobby Boucher from Waterboy, but I do need my Momma!

Because life is hard. Even when it looks good on Instagram. And the most powerful thing in the world isn’t another checklist—it’s somebody in your corner, whispering, “I believe in you.”

Doing life without that is like running a marathon with no water stations. Sure, you might finish. But you’re gonna be dehydrated, limping, and looking half-dead when you cross that finish line.

I don’t know about you, but I want to finish strong—and fabulous.

The Day I Became the Coach

Let me tell you about my son. He was running track—lean, determined, and ready—but somewhere mid-race, I saw it in his face. That “I’m about to quit” look. You know the one. Shoulders slumping. Breathing heavy. Body language screaming, “I’m done.”

And something in me snapped.

I didn’t stay in the stands like a polite parent. Nope. I ran. I ran my grown behind right onto that track. On the inside lane, right beside him, hollering at the top of my lungs:

“GO! GO! GO! YOU CAN DO IT!”

We ran that final lap together. Him fighting with everything left in his legs. Me fighting for oxygen and already picturing myself laid out needing a tequila shot at the finish line. It was uncomfortable. It was inconvenient.

But it was necessary.

Why? Because coaching isn’t about comfort. Coaching is about love in motion. It’s about doing what’s required to make sure someone you love:

1. Doesn’t quit.

2. Learns to be a team player.

3. Knows they’re never alone.

That’s coaching, sis. And that’s what we all need—even us “grown” ones.

The Emotional Receipts (aka: Facts Don’t Lie)

Now, don’t just take my word for it. Let’s talk receipts.

• 70% of people who receive coaching report improved performance at work. (ICF Global Coaching Study)

• 80% say coaching boosts their self-confidence.

• Mentorship and coaching are linked to higher career satisfaction and better mental health.

• People with strong support systems literally live longer. Harvard studies show that good relationships are the single strongest predictor of happiness and health.

Translation: science is just catching up to what your grandma already told you:

“Baby, don’t try to do life all by yourself.”

The GlamMa Life Stance

Here’s where it gets generational.

As GlamMas, this isn’t just about us getting the help we need. It’s about what we’re showing our GlamKids. If they see us trying to do everything alone, never asking for help, burning out, crying in secret, suffering in silence—they’ll copy that. They’ll think independence means isolation. They’ll inherit exhaustion as normal.

But if they see us letting ourselves be coached—letting someone guide us, correct us, cover us—they’ll learn that strength doesn’t mean doing everything alone. It means knowing when to lean on your team. Every time you let yourself be supported, you are teaching your GlamKids something life-changing: Asking for help is not weakness—it’s wisdom.

Challenge

Now here’s where I stop preaching and start meddling.

By Monday, I want you to do three things:

1. Pick your coach.

   • If you can afford a professional one—amazing.

   • If you can’t, don’t trip. Your coach might be an associate you respect, a mentor at work, or someone you trust in your community.

   • And let me be clear—it’s probably better if it’s not your BFF from high school who still calls you “Pookie.” Objectivity matters.

2. Create your Dreams & Desires Chart.Break it into three columns:

   • Things I Want (Goals)

   • Things I Fear (Obstacles)

   • Things I Need (Support)

   Be nakedly honest. Write down the stuff you never say out loud.

3. Have one naked conversation.Pick your person. Share your chart. Tell them the truth—uncut, unfiltered.

Then check in with yourself. How did it feel to not carry it alone? How did it feel to be coached instead of just clapped for?

Because sis, clapping is cute. Coaching changes lives.

And listen—strength without support isn’t strength. It’s exhaustion. And at TGL, we don’t do exhaustion. We do fabulous. We do supported. We do unforgettable.