How to Help a Stuck Client Move Forward in Just One Conversation
Every coach knows the moment.
Your client shows up to the session looking frustrated, drained, and maybe even a little embarrassed. They’ve been circling the same problem for weeks—or months—and now it feels like they’re glued to the spot.
You can sense the potential in them. You can see the way forward. But they? They’re spinning in place, buried under a pile of “I don’t know,” “I’ve tried everything,” and “nothing works.”
The good news? You don’t have to wait for a future breakthrough or a six-month transformation plan. With the right approach, you can help a client find clarity, create a plan, and take that crucial first step in a single conversation.
And today, I’m going to show you exactly how.
These strategies are drawn straight from The Life Coach’s Ultimate Toolkit, my collection of 30+ ready-to-use frameworks, prompts, and worksheets that coaches all over the world use to create powerful, actionable sessions. Let’s break it down so you can use this process with your very next client.
Step 1: Start by Naming the Stuck Point
A stuck client often talks around their problem. Your first job is to help them name it directly.
Instead of diving straight into solutions, slow things down with questions like:
- “What’s the specific decision or action you feel blocked on right now?”
- “If we could solve just one part of this today, what would it be?”
Naming the stuck point turns a vague “I’m overwhelmed” into “I’m unsure if I should take this promotion” or “I can’t decide whether to restart my business.” This gives you something concrete to work with.
Pro Tip: The act of defining the problem often shifts a client from emotional fog to a more analytical, solution-ready mindset.
Step 2: Explore the Reality—Without Judgment
This is where you step into curious, compassionate detective mode. You want to know what’s happening, not what they think is happening.
Ask:
- “What have you already tried?”
- “What’s worked even a little bit?”
- “What’s getting in the way?”
Listen for patterns: repeated strategies that aren’t working, hidden fears, or unspoken assumptions.
Sometimes just reflecting their own words back to them is enough to spark insight:
“You’ve mentioned three times that you don’t want to let people down—how is that influencing your decision here?”
Step 3: Break the Pattern with Fresh Perspective
Clients often stay stuck because they’re trapped in a limited frame of reference. Your role is to help them zoom out and see new options.
This could be as simple as using one of my favorite prompts from the GROW Model:
- “If you couldn’t fail, what would you do?”
- “What would you try if you didn’t have to get it perfect?”
- “What advice would you give a close friend in your exact situation?”
Changing the perspective bypasses old mental loops and engages more creative problem-solving.
➡️ This is where tools like the GROW Model from The Life Coach’s Ultimate Toolkit really shine—they give you a structure that keeps the conversation moving toward possibility, not just circling the problem.
Step 4: Shrink the Next Step Until It’s Unavoidable
Stuck clients often try to leap from “no clarity” to “perfect solution.” That’s overwhelming, so they freeze.
Your job? Make the first step so small and specific they can’t help but start.
Instead of “I’ll get back in shape,” it becomes “I’ll take a 15-minute walk on Tuesday after lunch.” Instead of “I’ll start my business,” it becomes “I’ll spend 30 minutes researching potential names.”
Ask:
- “What’s the smallest action you could take that would still move you forward?”
- “When will you do it, and how will you know it’s done?”
Step 5: Anchor It with Emotional Buy-In
Logic alone won’t get them moving—emotion drives action. Tie their small next step to a bigger “why.”
- “How will it feel to finally start on this?”
- “What will be different for you once this is in motion?”
When they feel it, they own it. That’s the difference between a nice idea and actual follow-through.
Putting It All Together
In practice, these steps can flow naturally in a 45–60 minute session:
- Name the stuck point
- Explore the current reality
- Shift perspective to open new options
- Define one small, unavoidable action
- Anchor it with emotion
By the end, your client has clarity, a plan, and a reason to take that first step immediately.
And here’s the real secret—when they leave a session feeling momentum, even if it’s small, they start to trust the process (and themselves) again. That’s when real transformation begins.
If you want to have a reliable process like this for any stuck moment, plus dozens more ready-to-use tools, you’ll find them in The Life Coach’s Ultimate Toolkit. It’s packed with frameworks for clarity, goal-setting, mindset shifts, and emotional breakthroughs—each with step-by-step instructions and coaching prompts so you can use them right away.
🎯 Imagine never having to worry about how to handle a stuck client again—because you’ve got proven tools ready for any conversation. That’s what this toolkit gives you.
Click here to get your copy on Amazon now and start helping your clients move forward in just one conversation.
