My Best Coach Self Is Apparently an Owl

During my coaching training, we were asked to imagine our “Best Coach Selfie.”

This involved exploring our strengths and creating a character that represented how we wanted to show up as coaches. The creative process mattered: taking time to imagine, connect with the qualities, and make something ourselves.

My character was a Red Snowy Barn Owl.

Which feels appropriate. Quiet observation, thoughtful movement, and a slightly unusual description. I can work with that.

The exercise began by asking us to think about someone who had helped us feel supported, uplifted, or confident. What qualities did we appreciate in them?

That part came fairly easily. I could recognize patience, calmness, determination, care, and strong listening skills in someone else.

Then the attention turned inward.

What did I appreciate about myself?

There’s something about that question that makes me pause. I can recognize strengths in other people without much hesitation, but giving my own qualities the same attention takes a little more intention.

I wrote down warmth, care, loyalty, trustworthiness, independence, and determination. As I reflected, I also recognized that many of the qualities I admired in others were already present in me.

That felt grounding.

I was learning new skills and developing my coaching practice, but I was bringing something valuable with me, too. There were strengths I could recognize, trust, and continue developing.

The owl gave those qualities a shape.

For me, it represented intuition, wisdom, and transformation. I connected with the idea of supporting someone as one phase of life ends and another begins, with all the uncertainty, possibility, and mixed feelings that can come with that.

I pictured an owl observing quietly and moving with intention. Steady. Aware. Unhurried.

Those are qualities I want to bring into a coaching conversation.

I want to listen closely enough to notice what matters to the person in front of me. I want to give them room to think, explore, and find their own direction. I also want to support the movement they choose, without deciding that my pace or path should be theirs.

And when I think about intuition in that setting, I want to stay curious about what I notice. An impression can prompt a question. The client gets to tell me whether it fits their experience.

That feels important. The owl is a reminder to pay attention.

It also gives me an image I can return to. If I notice myself rushing, reaching for advice, or getting caught up in finding the perfect question, I can think about the qualities I gave that character.

What would it look like to be a little more steady here? To listen a little longer? To trust that I don’t have to fill every moment?

This helped me appreciate what metaphors can offer in coaching.

An image can hold meaning that takes a while to explain in ordinary words. Someone might describe feeling tangled, standing at a crossroads, or carrying a weight. Getting curious about that image can give them space to explore their experience in language that feels natural to them.

The meaning belongs to the person using it.

My owl represents something specific to me. Someone else might picture an owl and think of something entirely different. That’s why I want to ask about their metaphor before assuming I understand it.

There’s room for creativity there, and for discovering something unexpected.

What stayed with me most from this exercise was the recognition that my best coach self is someone I can return to. I can keep learning while also acknowledging the warmth, care, and determination that are already part of who I am.

I don’t have to wait until I feel completely accomplished to give those strengths some credit.

Here’s a question to explore for yourself:

If an animal, object, or character represented the qualities you value in yourself, what would it be, and what would it remind you of?

You can sketch it, describe it, or simply spend a moment imagining it.

Mine happens to have feathers.

Tegan