Online Run & Mindset Coaching

The Many Hats I Wear as a Coach

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “wearing many hats,” coaching is a perfect example.

Some days it’s one hat. Other days it’s three, stacked, while I’m also holding a coffee and answering messages. And that’s just the coaching side of things. Add in the small business hats too such as marketer, sales rep, accountant, planner, content creator, and suddenly it’s a full wardrobe.

As comical of a juggling act as it can be sometimes, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I don’t wear all these hats because I have to. I wear them because every athlete who trusts me with their training deserves more than just a workout on a calendar. They deserve support, context, flexibility, and someone who actually cares about how this whole process feels, not just the end result.

So here’s a peek at the hats I’m wearing behind the scenes.

The Beret, Creative Director

This is one of my favourite hats. It’s where training stops feeling boring and starts fitting the real human-being behind the training plan like a puzzle piece. It's where a plan is created by a human for a human.

Sometimes building a plan is an art. It’s fitting workouts into busy schedules, working around injuries, and reshuffling sessions so we still get the outcomes we’re looking for without adding stress. It’s knowing when to adjust, simplify, or get creative so training works in real life.

It’s also about keeping training engaging. Workouts that make sense, but don’t feel flat. Adding themes, structure, and flow so training doesn’t turn into another chore on the to-do list.

And yes, it’s the fun stuff too. Themed workouts like the Reindeer Prance for christmas or Unleash Your Inner Speed Demon at Halloween. Because when training feels enjoyable, consistency comes easier.

Creativity matters. A purposeful plan, with a little fun built in, goes a long way.

The Deerstalker, Detective

This hat gets worn a lot.I’m constantly looking for patterns. Digging a little deeper to notice when fatigue might be creeping in, when motivation starts to dip, or when the same niggle shows up at the same point each week. Those details matter.

It’s not just the obvious stuff. It’s trends in effort, recovery, mood, sleep, and how workouts are feeling over time. The things that don’t always stand out day to day, but tell a story when you zoom out.

This hat isn’t about overanalyzing or micromanaging. I think this hat is really about having awareness of the athlete. I’m there to notice what an athlete might not see yet and make small adjustments before little issues turn into bigger setbacks. Sometimes that means pulling an athlete back and sometimes it means changing the order of workouts. Sometimes it’s starting a conversation that leads to better balance or better communication.

This hat helps keep training sustainable, healthy, and moving forward, one clue at a time.

The Chef Hat, Fuel Educator

This hat is about helping athletes fuel in a way that’s practical, sustainable, and personal. When I’m wearing this hat I'm looking at what type of fuel is going to support this individual's training needs, what is going to assist them with their recovery, and what is also going to fit into their real individual life.

The first step is always making sure athletes are fuelling enough and at the right times. Believe it or not, this is one of the first things I have to work on with endurance athletes. We NEED to fuel to perform. Not everybody is the same. Some people need fuel earlier in a run, others notice their energy dip at certain points, so we adjust timing to match what their body is telling us.

Sometimes it’s problem-solving. GI upset might mean changing the fuel source, adjusting amounts, or pulling caffeine off the table. Other times it’s working within dietary considerations like diabetes, food restrictions, or fasting during Ramadan. There’s rarely a one-size-fits-all answer. These are the moments where I might be wearing more than one hat to find a solution.

A lot of this work happens behind the scenes. Researching, testing options, and helping each athlete find what works best for their body and their goals.

Fuel isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning, experimenting, and building habits that will stick for the athlete.

The Hard Hat, Plan Builder

This is where structure lives. Long-term goals, short-term adjustments, and everything in between. It’s mapping out training blocks, building toward races, and knowing when to push and when to pull back.

This is a fun hat to wear most of the time. It’s where the individual component really comes in, paired with my training around building smart, periodized plans. I start with the outcome or race goal, then work backwards to construct a plan that makes sense for the athlete in front of me.

And when I have this hat on, I'm not building with steel beams and concrete. I’m working with Playdough because these plans need to flex and mold around the athlete as they adapt, grow, and navigate their life. Stress, sleep, work, weather, and curveballs all matter. Plans aren’t and can’t be rigid. They’re frameworks designed to evolve, so training stays effective, sustainable, and focused on the individual.

The Cheerleader Bow, Cheerleader

Some days athletes need data and some days they just need someone in their corner saying, “You’re doing better than you think.”

This is one of the hats, or rather full outfits, I think I wear best. It shows up on hard runs, bad weather days, missed workouts, and moments of self-doubt.

Sometimes when I'm wearing this “hat” it looks like encouragement when an athlete’s motivation is low. Sometimes it’s making sure they hear, “I’m proud of you,” especially if that’s something they’ve rarely heard before. Those words can land heavier than any metric their watch throws at them.

I’m finding the wins that matter of all sizes such as lacing up on a tough day, showing up when it would’ve been easier to skip, noticing progress in the data, like heart rate recovering faster between efforts, even when the run didn’t feel great.

And sometimes it’s literal (maybe not in the outfit sense… but I’ll be on the sidelines of a race cheering them on, pacing them on course or even shouting encouragement when I pass them in a race I’m also participating in.

This is one of those outfits I rarely take off, because sometimes athletes need someone to hold belief for them until they can fully believe in themselves and their own abilities.

The Ball Cap, Athlete

This hat keeps me grounded. It reminds me what it feels like to juggle training with real life, to miss runs, to doubt goals, and to keep going anyway.

I don’t coach from a pedestal. I coach from experience. I also have a coach. Sometimes that means taking my own coaching hat off and being told what to do, trusting the process, and showing up as an athlete instead of the one with the answers.

A lot of the time, my athlete hat blends with my coaching hats. I’m getting in my own speed workout before athletes arrive for track night. I’m racing alongside them. I’m feeling the nerves, the fatigue, the excitement, just like they are.

That lived experience matters as it shapes how I coach, how I support, and how I show up. Because I’m not asking athletes to do anything I’m not willing to work through myself.

The Graduation Cap, Educator

I want athletes to understand their training, not just follow it. Effort, pacing, recovery, mindset, fueling, all of it.

When an athlete knows why they’re doing a workout, or why sessions are placed in a certain order, everything changes. Buy-in goes up. Consistency improves. They stop feeling like they’re just executing instructions and start training with intention. We’re not robots checking boxes because we were told to. We’re making choices because we understand what our body needs.

This matters to me deeply. I come from a learning and development background, so helping athletes learn, not just perform, is a huge part of how I coach. Education builds confidence. It builds trust. It helps athletes read their own signals and make informed decisions.

And this isn’t only about becoming a better runner. It’s about growing as a human. Learning self-awareness, patience, and resilience.

The goal isn’t dependence. It’s confidence. Knowing your body. Trusting yourself. Carrying these skills far beyond training.

The Cowboy Hat, Trail Guide

This hat is about navigating the unknown. Whether it’s a first race, a comeback after injury, a mental block, or stepping into a new distance, I’m here to help guide the way. Not by dragging anyone forward, but by walking alongside them as they figure it out. Sometimes that means taking the scenic route. Sometimes it means rerouting entirely. Both are part of the process.

And sometimes it’s very literal. I’m planning routes for community runs, scouting locations for athletes to execute specific workouts, and finding terrain that matches the demands of a particular race. Elevation profiles, climbs, descents, technical sections, all of it matters.

The goal is preparation that feels intentional and confidence-building. Knowing where you’re going, understanding what’s ahead, and trusting that you have the tools to navigate it.

This hat is about guidance, not control. Helping athletes explore what they’re capable of, one path at a time.

Wearing More Than One Hat at a Time

The comical part of being a coach is that most days I’m wearing more than one of these hats at once. That’s because coaching isn’t just about outcomes or finish lines. It’s about the experience. How training fits into your life. How you feel showing up day after day. How supported you feel when things are going well, and when they’re not. It’s about building confidence over time. Learning to trust your body. Understanding what you need, physically and mentally, as the process unfolds.

I care deeply about your goals, absolutely. But I care just as much about the human chasing them. How you’re doing. How this journey feels. And making sure you never feel like you’re doing it alone.

Thinking About Working With a Coach?

If you’re curious about coaching, the best place to start is a conversation. No pressure. No expectations. Just a chance to talk about your goals, your history, and what kind of support you’re looking for.

If it feels like a good fit, great! If not, that’s okay too.

You can book a free discovery call with me anytime, and we’ll see what hat (or hats) might help you most right now.

Because you deserve more than just a plan. You deserve someone invested in the whole journey

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