Lee’s Advice for new passionate coaches

Meet Lee.

Lee is a former ESL tutor who is deeply passionate about supporting students who are often labeled as “unmotivated”—especially video game–addicted students who don’t want coaching and don’t think they need help. What excites Lee most is helping these students discover their own competence, agency, and capacity for skill-building, even when they’re resistant at first.

Recently, Lee landed his very first coaching client, and we jumped straight into reflecting on what that experience was like. In the video above, you’ll hear Lee talk candidly about the emotions, questions, and self-doubt that can come with those early coaching moments—and you’ll also see me offer some on-the-spot coaching as we think together about how to meet this student where they are.

If you’re curious about what it looks like to mentor new academic coaches in real time, this conversation offers a clear window. There’s no polished script here—just honest reflection, curiosity, and the kind of back-and-forth that helps a new coach grow confidence while staying grounded in their values.

What stands out to me about Lee is his respect for students who don’t want to be “fixed.” Rather than trying to convince them to care, he’s interested in creating conditions where students can experience their own capability—sometimes for the first time. That mindset is especially powerful when working with neurodiverse learners and students whose identities have often been shaped by failure narratives.

If you’re exploring what it means to become a more reflective, student-centered academic coach—or you’re simply curious about how coaches grow into this work over time—you may find Lee’s reflections both grounding and encouraging.

If you’d like to explore more tools, perspectives, and free learning resources related to academic coaching and executive function coaching, you can visit the Visitor’s Center of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab here:
https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources

A version of the following article was originally published here on June 1st, 2022.