Existential Coaching In Practice
I’ve always been curious about how existential coaching plays out in practice, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to watch a recorded session from Yannick Jacob’s Coaching Lab. Yannick is a leader in existential coaching and recently hosted a live conversation followed by a group discussion. After watching, I wanted to share a few reflections.
“There was no GROW model, no checklist of goals or fixed intentions”
The Lab offered a rare chance to observe real-time, existentially themed coaching. Although the video didn’t quite work as intended—we could only see the client, not Yannick as the coach—his presence was still strongly felt. The pace was slow and deliberate. There was no GROW model, no checklist of goals or fixed intentions. Silences were held with care. The coach didn’t rush in with interpretations or advice but simply asked what the client’s insights meant to them. And yet, the client still emerged with an authentic, resonant sense of purpose.
The “four givens” of existential coaching—freedom, meaning, isolation, and mortality—often show up in my work with missional leaders. Sometimes they’re named. Sometimes they’re just felt. Either way, they shape the conversations—and are a big part of what draws me to this approach.
This session was a timely reminder of something I’ve come to know: that often, less is more in coaching. Real transformation happens in spacious, safe moments—when we bring presence and offer radical, intentional listening.
“Real transformation happens in spacious, safe moments—when we bring presence and offer radical, intentional listening”
As someone still growing in existential coaching, I’m realising how much this applies to me too. I sometimes feel the tension of freedom—the internal pressure to bring more, do more, guide more. These pressures can be named, or simply sensed. But either way, they matter. I’m learning to stay with that discomfort, to explore it rather than suppress it—and to recognise that part of my work is to avoid projecting it into the coaching space. Instead, I take it to supervision, where it belongs.
My own coaching is typically with missional leaders, often with a focus on their wellbeing and in group coaching, and where the same existential themes often emerge. I’ve noticed that a compelling sense of meaning and purpose can become heavy—especially when shaped by external “should’s.” This can lead to a loss of felt freedom, where calling and duty begin to eclipse personal choice. When I’ve held space for these leaders to explore these experiences in group coaching—alongside others who share similar tensions—The powerful sense of “I’m not alone,” has often been deeply comforting.
I’ve also seen how an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, when not balanced with space to reflect, can contribute to burnout. And how time scarcity fuels a constant pressure to do, leaving little room to embrace the gift of being—and to trust that simply being oneself is enough.
So, watching this session reminded me to trust what I already intuitively know and value in my coaching practice: that slowing down, sitting with uncertainty, and holding silence are often the very conditions that allow a client’s deeper wisdom to surface. Plus, it’s interesting to consider how much more vital this is in group coaching spaces, where multiple layers of meaning, purpose, identity, and relationships with time are at play.
“slowing down, sitting with uncertainty, and holding silence are often the very conditions that allow a client’s deeper wisdom to surface”
I’m grateful to Yannick for this timely learning opportunity, and I’m looking forward to exploring these ideas more deeply by joining his existential coaching supervision group next month.
I anticipate this will benefit my own professional growth, by helping me remain open and curious, and give me space to think more about the heart of what it means to be human, and, most importantly, help me better serve the leaders I get the privilege of holding space with.
Wriiten by Niky Dix | 9th May 2025
