I remember coaching a talented leader who kept saying, “I’m just not ready for that level of responsibility.”

The interesting thing was that everyone around them thought they were ready.

Their experience said they were ready.

Their results said they were ready.

Their team believed they were ready.

 

But somewhere along the way, they had developed a story about themselves that said, “I’m not enough.”

And that story was quietly shaping their future.

That’s the power of limiting beliefs.

 

They’re rarely announced loudly. Instead, they show up in the background:

I’m not leadership material.

I always mess this up.

I’m terrible with conflict.

People like me don’t get opportunities like that.

 

Over time, repeated thoughts can become familiar mental pathways. We stop questioning them and start treating them like facts.

This is where coaching can be transformational.

At Certified Flourishing Coaching, we teach coaches to help people examine the stories shaping their choices, not by telling them what to believe, but by creating awareness and opening new

possibilities.

 

Three questions can begin that process:

1. “What are you believing about yourself right now?”

Awareness helps make the invisible visible.

2. “What evidence supports or challenges that belief?”

Sometimes an old story simply hasn’t caught up with who you’ve become.

3. “What becomes possible if that belief is no longer in charge?”

Possibility creates room for a different response.

 

Great coaching doesn’t replace one person’s thinking with the coach’s thinking.

It helps people examine their own thinking.

Because sometimes the biggest barrier standing between someone and their next level isn’t opportunity, talent, or ability.

It’s the story they’ve been telling themselves.

And when that story changes, new possibilities begin to emerge.

 Download our free guide, The Flourishing Framework, and discover practical tools for coaching people through change, uncertainty, and growth.

From the Tla’amin Nation on the Sunshine Coast in B.C., to the Mi’kmaq peoples of Atlantic Canada, to James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, to the O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, to the Samson Cree Nation and Sucker Creek First Nation, and over thirty others, Abe Brown has been fortunate to work with First Nations communities from coast to coast to coast. Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of Certified Flourishing Coaching™ and the Flourishing Coaching Program™, and the CEO of Wellness Innovate Corporation. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs, which is an accredited ICF Coach Training Provider. Abe is known as the Coach’s Coach and is people-first. He is passionate about supporting people, entrepreneurs, businesses, and non-profits to thrive. Flourishing people produce flourishing relationships, businesses, and workplaces, along with high performance and profound positive impact. Abe is also passionate about workplace mental health and changing the world by changing the workplace. Along with the team at Wellness Innovate, Abe is the creator of Flourishing Workplace™. Abe has started or led several businesses and non-profits into the tens of millions of dollars and has worked in the entrepreneur space, corporate space, and non-profit space at Senior Executive levels. As President of one of the largest Life & Executive Coach Training and Certification organizations in the world for 13 years, Abe trained and certified thousands of Life and Executive Coaches in over 20 different countries. Abe is focused on coaching leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs towards high-performance, resilience, and over-the-top results in both life and business. Abe has also been a professional speaker for over two decades, having spoken in 4 continents and over 20 countries, to audiences of tens of thousands. Abe and the global team are pioneering the very first evidence-based coaching model that taps into the psychology of flourishing with a certified coaching practitioner lens. Abe earned a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business and a Master in Education and Counselling. Abe is also a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (https://coachingfederation.org/) and was a registered therapist for 9 years.