Change how you see, and what you can do changes too.

Ontological coaching is a way of working with how we listen, how we observe and how we see. “Ontology” is the study of being — so ontological coaching looks at the kind of observer you are, not only at what you do.

Two people can face the same situation and see completely different possibilities. The difference isn’t intelligence or effort; it’s the way each one observes. When the observer changes, new actions become available — and different results follow.

The three domains

Ontological coaching works with three connected domains of how we exist and act:

• Language — the stories, judgements, requests, offers and promises we make, often without noticing.
• Emotions and moods — the emotional states that open or close what we see as possible.
• Body — posture, breath and presence, which shape and reflect how we show up.

The kind of awareness I believe we should learn early: how to work with our emotions, our judgments, our limits.

What it’s useful for

Because it works at the root, ontological coaching is powerful for leaders, people in transition and teams that feel stuck. It helps you notice what you’re carrying that you no longer want, and choose what to keep building your future with.

How I use it

I combine ontological coaching with seven years of enterprise experience at Walmart, Accenture and EY. So the insight doesn’t stay abstract: we turn it into decisions, conversations, habits and systems.