What Wellness Taught Me About Coaching, Meaning, and the Stories We Tell

“People live inside stories.
Those stories aren’t always true—but they feel true.”

A coaching colleague recommended Wellness by Nathan Hill to me. She said, “It’s not technically a coaching book, but it’s all about coaching.”

Now that I’ve read it, I couldn’t agree more.

This novel is big. 600+ pages. Expansive. Fictional. Not one reference to coaching techniques or models.
And yet—every page echoes with relevance to the work we do as coaches.

It’s a story about identity, love, and how humans make meaning.
Which, at its heart, is the story of coaching.

Why this book stayed with me

Clients often come to us wanting answers.

They want relief. A fix. A path.

But what Wellness reminded me—what coaching has always taught me—is that there is no singular “right” answer. No universal solution.
There’s only the client’s experience.
And the stories they’re telling themselves about it.

It can be uncomfortable—even painful—to look at those stories. But without that exploration, sustainable change just isn’t possible.

As coaches, we create a space where that kind of honest reflection becomes not just possible—but safe.

And Wellness shines a light on how deep and complicated that process really is.

What it revealed about coaching

1. Managing vs. Partnering

“He’s managing her entire experience, and she probably thinks she appreciates it.”

This line stopped me.

It’s a moment in the book where a character is trying so hard to “do it right” on a date—but in reality, he’s controlling the entire interaction.

It reminded me of something I’ve had to unlearn in coaching: the urge to manage.

Even with the best intentions, trying to manage a client’s process can subtly disempower them.

True coaching is partnership—not control.

2. The Many Selves of a Client

“She understood how many people a single person could, over a lifetime, be.”

Our clients are not one thing. They shift. Regress. Expand. Resist.
Even moment-to-moment in a session.

We’re not one thing either.

This quote reminded me that coaching is a space where every version of the client is welcome.
And that cultivating trust means honoring that complexity.

3. Storytelling as Meaning-Making

“They rush into the void and invent a story… even if the story isn’t true.”

Our brains must make meaning. It’s how we survive.

But so often, those stories are automatic. Unquestioned.

Coaching helps create a pause—a moment where a client can look at the story and ask: Is this helping me? Is it still true?

This is not about fixing. It’s about seeing.
And that seeing is everything.

4. Believing with Curiosity

“Believe what you believe, my dear, but believe gently. Believe compassionately. Believe with curiosity. Believe with humility.”

This might be the most “coaching” line in the entire book.

It’s about how we hold space.

Not with certainty.
But with presence.
Not with answers.
But with openness.

This line captured the very heart of coaching presence—where belief and humility are never opposites, but partners.

Final thought

Wellness surprised me.

Not because it said anything radically new—but because it held up a mirror to everything I already know to be true about this work.

That people live inside stories.
That those stories shape their lives.
That coaching is the sacred space where they get to examine those stories—and maybe, re-author them.

If you’ve read the book, I’d love to hear what stayed with you.
And if you haven’t, maybe this summer is the time.