Not Therapy, Not Hustle Culture: What Business Coaching Actually Looks Like

Pictured: Me, actively choosing not to believe in how badly I needed a coach in this moment at oVertone’s 5 year anniversary party.

When I was building oVertone, I didn’t think much about business coaches and what I did think wasn’t good. Every time I saw one online, it was some loud LinkedIn person promising another million dollars if you just "hustled harder" and followed his six-step blueprint.

None of it felt real, and more importantly, none of it felt like something I needed or even wanted.

I went to a couple of sessions with my co-founder’s business coach, mostly out of obligation. I didn’t expect anything. But by the end of those meetings, I realized I’d actually pulled a ton of value — I just didn’t have a framework to understand what was happening. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even really want to admit to myself that I’d learned something from a business coach.

After we exited the company, I started volunteering as a coach in an entrepreneur accelerator. That’s when it clicked: the thing I loved most about running a business wasn’t the spreadsheets (definitely not) or the product launches. It was watching people learn and grow. It was being the steady brain — and a steady nervous system— for people doing hard, courageous work. That’s what I do for my coaching clients. 

What I realized later was this: the right business coach isn’t someone trying to "fix" you, sell you on their course of best practices, or someone to grade your abilities. They’re the person in your corner when things get real.

And honestly? If I’d had that kind of support sooner, my journey would have been a hell of a lot healthier.

Misconception: Business coaching is only for people with eight-figure companies

A lot of people think business coaches are only for founders with teams of 40 and a P&L the length of a CVS receipt. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

One of my first coaching relationships was with Adiba, an author who had self-published a children’s book after seeing no representation for her daughter on library or bookstore shelves. She wasn’t an eight-figure founder. She wasn’t even running a "business" in the traditional sense. She was a passionate creator trying to find her way.

When her investor ended up in a coma before their paperwork was even signed, she was terrified and reached out to talk. We sat down over breakfast and started sorting through next steps. I didn’t give her a miracle cure. I didn’t have a magic Rolodex. I just sat with her, asked real questions, and connected her to a few footholds she could use to climb.

Today, she’s published multiple books, built a full-time writing career, and created a life her ex once told her wasn’t possible.

Business support isn’t just for tech CEOs and finance bros -You just have to want to build something real — and be willing to let someone in to walk alongside you.

Misconception: Coaching is just about crying and feelings.

Yeah, sometimes we cry.

And sometimes we troubleshoot your org chart.

And sometimes we spend an entire session yapping about industry gossip because that’s where the real pain is hiding.

Crying isn’t the goal. It’s not a "success metric." But emotions and business are not separate — in the same way that your business is not really separate from you as an individual. Your fears, your self-trust issues, your old patterns — they’re all baked into how you lead, hire, build, and sell. Your business will reflect you whether you want it to or not. 

If a client cries, it’s not because I’m trying to poke them. It’s because this shit matters. And when you're trying to build something that matters, sometimes the pressure cracks you open a little - and if you don’t have the support handy to help you release that pressure and do something with it, you end up bottling it. And that is more dangerous to you, your health, and your business than almost anything else.

One of my clients showed up for our first session with her blazer on and her P&L ready, trying to act like everything was fine — and ended up sobbing on the floor. I got down there with her, held her hands, and said, "I don’t know either. But we’re going to find the path forward together."

That’s business coaching, too.

Misconception: Coaching is just expensive therapy

I get this one a lot — and to be fair, I used to believe it too. But coaching isn’t therapy.

In therapy, you might explore the roots of your patterns. In coaching, we work with the patterns you have, and try to transition them into the patterns you want to have — right now, inside your business.

When I coach someone, I'm not trying to heal their childhood (even though we might bump into it). I’m here to help them move through the real decisions, real dynamics, and real opportunities in front of them — using their strengths, quirks, and values as a map.

You don’t have to be "fixed" to run a business you love. You just need someone to remind you of who you are when the pressure starts to blur your vision.

Misconception: You have to show up a certain way

There’s so much unspoken pressure around how you’re "supposed" to show up to coaching. Like you have to have an agenda, look polished, and know exactly what your problem is, name it neatly, and be ready to solve it in 60 minutes or less.

That’s not how I work.

Some of my clients collage during sessions. Some of them want to walk while they talk. Some of them send me giant rambling voice notes at weird hours. (And for the record: if you are neurospicy, you don’t have to pretend otherwise here.)

Coaching should be a place where you access the parts of your brain that actually work — not the parts you’ve been bullied into performing.

If time-blocking doesn’t work for you, we don’t time-block. If you need a visual tracker you’ll never check again but that still helps you internalize your goals, that’s fine. We’re not here to create a system that looks impressive. We’re here to create a life and business that feels like yours.

A business coach is like having a co-founder … without the shit that can come with having a co-founder

The best way I can describe what I do? Good business coaching is like having a co-founder — without the equity fights, weird power dynamics, or late-night Slack blow ups.

I’m the person in the room who’s 100% in your corner. I don’t want your business. I don’t want your prestige. I’m not self-interested in your outcomes. I just care about you: How you’re doing. How you’re making decisions. How you’re holding up through the hard stuff.

My clients text me, send me messy documents, leave me rambling voicemails - all of which I love! I’m the second brain in the room when everything feels like too much — and the person who holds the thread when you feel like you’ve lost it.

Our work isn’t about making the "right" choice. It’s about making a choice that aligns with who you are — and not having to figure that out in isolation or in an emergency.

When I was a founder, even with a business partner, I often felt completely alone. I was in fight-or-flight for years, making big decisions in the dark. I didn’t have someone whose only job was to have my back. Now I get to be that person for others.

That’s what a good business coach does. Not fix you. Not impress you. Just walk with you and help you figure it out as you go.

If this sounds intriguing, I’d love to chat!