What It’s Really Like to Coach While Becoming a New Parent
A Personal Message - George Wilse
Becoming a father has shifted my world in ways I’m still learning to understand. There’s a sweetness to it - those quiet moments at 3 a.m. when the house is still, when the only light in the room is the soft glow of a baby noise machine, when I’m half-awake rocking my daughter and trying to memorise every second because everyone keeps telling me how fast it goes.
At the same time, this new chapter hasn’t paused life or work. My clients still have big goals. They still have doubts, breakthroughs, messy middle stages, unexpected setbacks, and big wins. They still need someone who listens without judgment, someone who can untangle things with them, someone who shows up fully.
So I’ve found myself coaching in a different rhythm lately.
Sometimes I’m replying to a WhatsApp message while pacing around the living room with a baby in one arm. Sometimes I’m sending a late-night voice note while warming a bottle. Sometimes I’m building long-term plans for clients on those nights when sleep just isn’t happening anyway. There’s a strange comfort in it. The sense that while my daughter is figuring out her place in the world, I’m helping other people figure out theirs.
People often imagine coaching as neatly structured hour-long sessions with tidy boundaries.
In reality, the work often happens in the in-between. When doubt hits out of nowhere. When a decision feels heavy. When someone is on the edge of quitting something that matters to them. When a step forward feels too risky.
That’s when I want my clients to feel me in their corner.
Whether it’s day or night, middle of the week or early Sunday morning, if something is weighing on them, I want them to know they aren’t carrying it alone. Being a dad hasn’t changed that, it’s made it even clearer.
I know what it feels like to step into something new and feel unsure. I know what it feels like to want to give the best of yourself while still wondering whether you’re doing it right. I know the pressure of trying to hold it all without dropping anything that matters.
Maybe that’s why coaching during this season feels more grounded than ever. I’m not chasing perfection, I’m choosing to be present. I’m choosing honesty, even when it means admitting I’m tired. I’m choosing to meet people exactly where they are, because I’m learning to do the same for myself.
And despite the chaos, despite the long nights, despite the adjusting and readjusting of routines, I still love this work. I still feel energised when a client realises they’re capable of something they’d written off. I still feel a deep pull to help people move forward with confidence they didn’t know they had. That hasn’t changed.
If anything, becoming a dad has made the work more meaningful.
Because if I’m going to teach people about growth, belief, direction, and self-trust, I have to live it first.
Even when I’m tired. Even when I’m figuring things out day by day. Even when the baby falls asleep on my chest and I’m typing a message with one hand.
This season is messy and tender and unpredictable and I think that’s exactly what makes the coaching deeper.
Real life is happening on both sides, mine and theirs, and we meet in the middle to build something stronger.
If you choose to work with me, you’re not getting a polished version of a coach who speaks from a perfect life. You’re getting someone who cares, someone who shows up, someone who answers when you need them, not just when it’s convenient.
And maybe that’s the kind of support we all need more of.
I’m allowing myself to feel proud of the kind of coaching I deliver, and it seems my clients are loving it too!
Here’s to your next journey and im here in your corner, every step of the way.
G