Ep 245: Why Coaching Clients Get Stuck (And How to Fix It Immediately)

About this episode

In this episode, Ruth Kudzi explores why coaching clients often feel stuck and provides strategies for coaches to facilitate breakthroughs.

Why do coaching clients so often hit a wall with "I don't know", and how can you as a coach deal with it skillfully - without panicking or falling into quick-fix patterns? In this episode of The Coaching Hub Podcast, I explore what’s really happening when clients get stuck and offer practical strategies to turn these moments into breakthroughs. I break down the variety of reasons clients get stuck: nervous system activation, not feeling safe, not ready to share, a simple need for space, or even neurodiversity factors like alexithymia, which make describing emotions difficult. You’ll learn why piling on more questions rarely helps, and how offering space, naming patterns, and getting curious (rather than attached to an outcome) can help clients access their own insights. If you want to empower your clients (and yourself) to move forward from uncertainty, this episode will help you reframe those moments and support change more effectively. What’s inside: Why "I don't know" from clients shouldn’t be seen as a red flag but as a starting point for deeper exploration Giving clients space and allowing silence can lead to meaningful self-reflection and breakthroughs “I don't know" may…

People in this episode

Host: Ruth Kudzi

Topics covered

• coaching
• client engagement
• self-reflection
• neurodiversity
• coaching strategies
• emotional awareness

Keywords

• coaching clients
• stuck
• breakthroughs
• self-awareness
• neurodiversity
• alexithymia
• coaching strategies
• client safety

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• Ep 239: Neurodiversity Coaching: What You Really Need to Look For · April 30, 2026 · 13 min