What’s in a name? Coaching vs Mentoring
Shock and awe, but it’s incredibly hard to start a business. Harder still when you’re standing in your own way, obsessing over whether people will trust your expertise.
I spent months draped over my therapist’s couch, stressing about not having a certification or a badge or maybe some kind of PLAQUE to prove I was QUALIFIED. How could I possibly be trusted without a pile of letters after my name?
Then, in that quietly devastating way therapists talk (I swear that’s half of what they go to school for), she said:
“Haven’t you been doing this for years already? And when you get advice, do you really care about someone’s qualifications, or do you care about something else?”
Gut punch. Thank you, see you next week.
She was right. The biggest turning points in my life didn’t come from certifications, slick frameworks, or embossed credentials. They came from people who saw me clearly, respected me enough to tell me the truth, and pushed me to step into my potential when I couldn’t see it myself.
And not the soft truth that fades after five minutes. The kind of truth that sticks. The kind that makes you stop in your tracks because you know it’s exactly what you needed, and exactly what you were afraid to hear.
I can still hear it:
“Cut your bullshit.”
“I see something in you. You need to start seeing it in yourself.”
“You need to quit that miserable job and admit you deserve better.”
Those words weren’t part of a program. They weren’t packaged or polished. They were direct, honest, and rooted in care. Each one changed me.
That’s why I don’t get hung up on titles. Coach, mentor, advisor: none of them guarantee anything. A title won’t tell you if someone is safe, skilled, or right for you.
What matters is the relationship. Do you feel safe with them? Do you feel seen? Can you show up in your mess: the doubts, the pivots, the “I have no idea what I’m doing” moments- and trust that you’ll be met with curiosity instead of judgment?
That is what makes growth possible.
When I look back, the people who moved me forward weren’t the ones trying to make me more marketable or optimized. They were the ones who made me feel more like myself. The ones who reminded me I already had what I needed, I just had to stop standing in my own way.
That’s the work I want to build through The Threadsmith Group. Work grounded in respect, real conversation, and showing up for someone in their actual context. Not just their goals, but their whole picture: hesitations, wild pivots, half-formed ideas, hopes and fears. Because when someone invests the time to know you at that level, their guidance lands deeper. It lasts longer. It actually does something tangible and useful.
Anyone can give advice. Anyone can hand you a checklist or a playbook. But the moments that actually change your life come from people who pay attention, who tell you the truth, and who believe in your potential enough to push you toward it.
That is what I want to scale. Not a brand. Not a guru model. Not whatever trendy influencer thing is going on right now. Just real people, helping each other cut through the noise, see themselves clearly, and grow into what they’re already capable of.
So the question isn’t “Do I need a coach or a mentor?”
The better question is: “Does this person make me feel more like myself?”
If the answer is yes, that’s the person worth listening to, no matter what they call themselves.