Helen McLaughlin

I help people take small steps toward their big (even not-so-big) dreams.


Since 2015, I've worked with visual artists, stay-at-home parents, writers, small business owners, CEOs, fellow coaches, retirees, freelancers, photographers, recent college graduates, producers, child caregivers, and public servants.

Different though they might be, all of my clients have an undeniable commonality: a vision, an ambition, a project—something they feel compelled to create in their time on this earth—that's entirely uncharted territory for them. It's the wild card in their deck.

They might call it a novel or a pilot episode, a wildly lucrative business or a sustainable client acquisition process, a fundraising goal or a fitness metric.

I like to call it their Big, "Impossible" Thing.


Big, not because it's objectively big (although it might be), but because it's ever-present; for years, it's hovered in their periphery as a One Day Achievement. And while they haven't yet given it their full attention (or, in many cases, their all-in commitment), never realizing it would be painful beyond measure.

"Impossible" (air quotes are crucial here), not because it’s actually impossible (nothing is), but because they just haven't let it go—despite not having a clue as to how to make it happen. (Or: having some clues...and feeling equally overwhelmed by all of them.)

And what do I do? I help them create their how. Step by step (sometimes half-step by half-step). One action at a time. Together, we chart their course.

You are...

willing to take risks (you've taken them before—and found both awesome successes and spectacular failures on the other side), and you know fear is usually a sign you're on the right track. You're highly motivated, but you suspect you've got a habit of selling yourself short. You're fun and resourceful as all get-out. Prolific in thought, but unrelentingly perfectionistic in deed. You’re no stranger to high standards; in fact, you often believe you could’ve done better if only you’d had more time. From the outside, you appear to have achieved a great deal—but you’re not absolutely convinced you’re not fooling everyone. You believe you require permission to do what you really, really, really want…but what you actually need is a once-and-for-all commitment to your highest self. And a small-steps roadmap.

I am...

a catalyst. A curiosity enthusiast and a creative who believes in game-changing conversation. As a coach, I’m committed to asking what needs to be asked and saying what needs to be said—even (no, especially) when it feels uncomfortable or difficult. Throughout our coaching sessions, I’ll dig and plumb, and I’ll question anything about you that you present as fact. I believe everything can benefit from being treated as an experiment. I don't accept excuses, especially yours, because I see how you're actually extraordinary, and I will challenge any belief systems you're holding onto that preclude your seeing it, too. My aim, my objective, my mission, my angle is SERVICE, pure and simple. I want to help you to become the most you, the you-est you, and to discover, pursue, and achieve your Big, "Impossible" Thing (because the world needs you to realize it).

Together, we are...

a team that looks nothing like any of your other partnerships. We are oriented entirely around you and your Big Thing—why you want it, why it isn't already yours, and how to go about creating it. Together, we unlock the (usually small) distinction that changes absolutely everything going forward. No tiptoeing, no sugar-coating, no holds barred; we both play full-out every time. Our conversations might resemble jam sessions or creative investigations in some instances, relentless archaeological digs in others. We have fun (though you might, on occasion, hate me) because we're on the same team and we know there's alchemy when we put our heads together. What you want is closer than you know. Are you ready to get after it?