5 Ways to Structure a Powerful Coaching Relationship
Congratulations! You've done it. You've signed your first client (or maybe it's been a while and you're welcoming a new one). The contracts are signed, the payment is processed, and your first session is on the calendar.
And then it hits you: Now what?
If you're feeling that little flutter of "oh no, what do I actually DO with this human who's trusting me to help transform their life?" . . . you're in excellent company. That mix of excitement and mild panic? Totally normal. It's also a sign that you care deeply about doing right by your client.
The good news is you have options—more than you might realize. Here are five different approaches to structuring a powerful coaching relationship. Each option has its own strengths and there's no single 'right' choice, so this is your chance to explore! Notice what resonates with you and what best aligns with your client's unique needs and goals.
1. Trust Your Training and Keep It Simple
Between everything you learned in the Mods, your peer coaching sessions, and the student webinars, you already have a ton of tools and experience to draw on for working with clients!
As a Core Energy Coach you already know how to create the client agreement, ask empowering questions, follow the energy, and support your clients in moving through their blocks. You understand energy, and how to help people shift from catabolic to anabolic. That's not small stuff—it's the foundation for life-changing work.
Sometimes the most transformational coaching happens when you show up authentically with the foundational skills you've mastered, ask the right questions, and—you guessed it!—trust the process.
2. Start with an Energy Leadership Index® (ELI) Assessment
Want to hit the ground running with immediate impact? The ELI assessment creates incredible "aha" moments that can set the tone for your entire coaching relationship. It gives both you and your client a clear snapshot of how they currently show up under normal versus stressful circumstances, and provides a roadmap for where they want to go.
Starting with an ELI assessment accomplishes several things: it demonstrates the power of your coaching approach right away, gives you concrete data to reference throughout your work together, and establishes a shared language with your client around the 7 Levels of Energy (setting the stage for all the work you’re about to do together!) Plus, it positions you as a professional with sophisticated assessment tools at your disposal. And as your coaching relationship progresses, you can offer ELI Milestone Assessments to track their growth and celebrate the shifts they're making.
3. Design a Custom Coaching Journey
Maybe your client has very specific goals that don't fit into any pre-made structure. This is your opportunity to design something completely custom—drawing on your Core Energy Coaching™ training, your professional expertise, and your intuition to create a bespoke experience built around their unique needs, challenges, and aspirations.
This approach gives you maximum flexibility to meet your client exactly where they are and take them exactly where they want to go. The sky's the limit!
4. Use a Structured Client Kit
Sometimes what you (and your client) need is a proven, structured system that takes the guesswork out of "what should we work on this week?" That's where our client programs come in! They're like having a GPS for transformation.
When we talk about client programs or ‘kits’ at iPEC®, we're referring to collections of guided content that have been thoughtfully designed to help deepen your client's engagement with Core Energy Coaching™ concepts. These are comprehensive collections of guided activities, reflection exercises, and empowering questions designed to introduce Energy Leadership® and help your client integrate them into their life and work.
Of course, one kit isn't "better" than another—each has been thoughtfully designed to provide a Level 5 "win/win" experience for both you and your client. And while these resources are comprehensive, they're not a substitute for the value that you bring with your presence as a Core Energy Coach! They're simply tools that enhance and support the powerful work you're already equipped to do.
Here's how to think about which kit serves which type of client:
Law of Being (LOB)
The Law of Being is all about your client’s WHO, and guides them through a structured program to explore their deepest beliefs about themselves and the world. This 16-week journey of self-exploration (though you can personalize it to fit a shorter or longer timeframe!) is perfect for clients who feel stuck or like something's missing, but can't quite put their finger on what.
Listen for phrases like: "I wish I were happier with my life," "I wish I could 'make things happen' in my life," or "Something is missing, but I don't know what it is"—they’re often good indicators this kit might be a great fit for your client.
What your client gets: 12 consciousness-shifting audio lessons, plus a beautifully designed digital workbook with 200+ consciousness-expanding exercises to work through with you
What you get: a comprehensive program planning guide with flexible frameworks, checklists, and exercises to confidently guide both you and your client through this transformational work
Energy Leadership® Development System (ELDS)
The Energy Leadership® Development System focuses on the WHAT and HOW, offering a complete year of customizable coaching for clients and groups. It guides clients through things like goal-setting, getting clear on objectives, and putting things into action. Through ELDS, your client will develop their personal definition of leadership and learn to experience work, relationships, health, and wellness through the lens of high consciousness.
If you hear a client say things like: "I really need help with setting goals and sticking to them," "I feel stressed with all that I have to do and need better time management skills," or "I’d like to develop my leadership presence so that I can achieve my career goals," that's a strong signal this program could be perfect for their needs.
What your client gets: A fully digital manual crafted to maximize their growth and learning of Energy Leadership®. They'll move through 12 segments with your guidance, covering foundational concepts and the 8 Pillars of Highly Conscious Leadership.
What you get: The Coach's Manual with Coach's Notes, additional empowering questions, tips and tricks for delivering the material in a customized fashion, plus a handy guide showing the suggested number of sessions for each segment (taking the guesswork out of planning). You also get resources to help leverage ELDS in building your practice, including guidance on asking for recommendations and referrals.
ELDS is available in corporate, life, and teen versions with customized language and examples for each audience. You can mix and match the eight topic-specific segments based on your expertise and your client's needs, with enough content for up to a full year of coaching!
COR.E® Dynamics
You can think of COR.E® Dynamics as a master’s degree in coaching. The program offers structured systems allowing you and your clients to achieve their highest potential for performance with greater ease and success in a particular niche or area. Once you're certified as a COR.E® Dynamics Specialist in one of four niches (Life Coaching & Transitions, Leadership, Performance, and Wellness), you can pivot the program materials to become client-facing, and weave these teachings into your coaching practice.
The program comprises three comprehensive segments (Foundations, Influencers, and Disciplines) that guide clients through the Success Formula unique to COR.E® Dynamics, along with deep learning on the Six Influencers and Ten Disciplines.
These client statements are good clues that this kit could be exactly what they need: "I would like to perform better in my sport/art/craft when under pressure," "I need tools to help me..." or "I would like to feel more confident and have a clear definition of what success looks like for myself."
What your client gets: Fully digital, niche-specific workbooks containing three files: one each for Foundations, the Six Influencers, and Ten Disciplines.
What you get: You use the Coach's Manual you received during your COR.E® Dynamics certification as your "textbook," complete with notes, extra activities, additional empowering questions, and tips and tricks for delivering the material.
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The beauty of all these kits?
5. Blend Your Approaches
The possibilities are truly limitless here: you don't have to pick just one approach.
Maybe you start with an ELI assessment to establish baseline awareness, then move into a structured program like LOB or ELDS, while weaving in custom coaching around specific challenges that arise. Or perhaps you use the foundational segments of a client kit to establish a framework, then shift to custom coaching as your client's needs become clearer.
Over time, you'll develop the skill to fluidly move between different tools and approaches based on what your client needs in each moment—that's part of becoming an even more masterful coach.
The Bottom Line
Whether you keep it simple with your Core Energy Coaching™ fundamentals, leverage the power of assessments, create something completely custom, or use a structured program, the most important thing is that you're showing up authentically and trusting your ability to facilitate transformation.
Your client didn't hire you because you have the perfect system (though these tools certainly help). They hired you because something about your energy, your approach, or your story resonated with them. Trust that. Trust your training. And know that whatever approach you choose, you have the skills to create meaningful change.
Still feeling those first-client jitters? That's just evidence that you care. And that caring? That's exactly what your client needs.
Ready to explore how client kits might support your practice?
Browse our available programs in your student hub, or take our quick quiz to find the perfect fit for your next client's goals.
