Transformative coaching is often associated with deep reflection, inner awareness, and profound shifts in perspective.
But as rich as that territory is, there’s a shadow side too — the risk of getting stuck in endless introspection.
A purely reflective process can become circular. Clients can uncover insight after insight, yet find themselves no closer to real-world change. That’s where pragmatism becomes not just helpful, but essential.
Pragmatism grounds transformation. It ensures that exploration leads to action, that self-awareness becomes behaviour, and that meaning-making translates into movement.
Why Pragmatism Matters in Transformative Coaching
At its heart, pragmatism is about usefulness. It asks not only, “Is this true?” but “Is this useful?”
In the coaching context, a pragmatic stance invites clients to experiment with what they’ve discovered — to test new perspectives in the real world, notice what happens, and learn from the results.
Transformative coaching without pragmatism risks drifting into abstraction.
With pragmatism, insight becomes embodied.
From Insight to Integration
Every coach knows the moment when a client lights up with realisation — the “aha” that reframes everything.
But transformation doesn’t end there. The question that follows is crucial:
“Now that you see this, what might you do differently?”
This question bridges reflection and practice. It honours the insight and challenges the client to bring it into lived experience. Pragmatism isn’t about rushing to solutions, but about ensuring that reflection remains connected to action.
What Pragmatism Looks Like in Coaching Practice
A pragmatic coach balances depth with direction. They hold space for inquiry but are also attuned to forward movement — helping clients translate awareness into tangible shifts.
Here are a few ways pragmatism might show up in practice:
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Experimentation over perfection – Inviting clients to test new ways of being, not commit to fixed outcomes.
“How might you try this and notice what happens?” -
Action as reflection – Treating action not as an endpoint, but as a way to keep learning.
“What did that conversation teach you about what matters most?”
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Feedback loops – Encouraging clients to observe results and refine their approach.
“What did you discover when you approached it that way?” -
Real-world anchoring – Bringing questions back to lived experience.
“Where in your life could this insight make the biggest difference right now?”
This pragmatic stance keeps the work grounded, dynamic, and relevant — ensuring that coaching remains a catalyst for evolution, not just contemplation.
When Coaching Loses Pragmatism
Without pragmatism, even the most insightful sessions can become unmoored.
Here’s how that might sound in practice:
🌀 Non-Pragmatic Approach:
“It’s interesting how that connects to your childhood story — what else does that make you think about?”
This question deepens reflection but may keep the client in conceptual territory. It invites more exploration, but not necessarily integration.
🌱 Pragmatic Approach:
“It sounds like that belief has shaped a lot for you. What would it look like to test a different belief this week — just as an experiment?”
Here, the coach connects insight to lived experience. The conversation moves from understanding to experimentation, from theory to life.
Pragmatism and the Philosophy of Transformative Coaching
Transformative coaching is phenomenological, working with lived experience; humanistic, believing in growth; systemic, aware of context; and integrative, drawing from multiple approaches.
But without pragmatism, these principles can remain philosophical rather than practical.
Pragmatism keeps the work alive. It ensures that coaching doesn’t become navel-gazing, but remains a creative partnership where awareness and action inform one another.
As the philosopher William James wrote,
“The truth of an idea is not a stagnant property inherent in it. Truth happens to an idea. It becomes true, is made true, by events.”
In transformative coaching, truth becomes real when it’s lived.
In Practice: A Client Example
Imagine a client who realises, through deep exploration, that they’ve been driven by a need for approval.
A non-pragmatic session might end there — the client leaves with insight but no change in behaviour.
A pragmatic coach, however, might say:
“What’s one small way you could act from self-approval this week, even if it feels unfamiliar?”
The client returns the next session having made a new choice — maybe declining a request that didn’t align with their priorities — and together they explore what that experience revealed.
Insight becomes integration.
Conclusion: Transformation Needs Both Depth and Direction
Pragmatism doesn’t mean rushing the process or reducing coaching to problem-solving. It means staying tethered to life as it is lived.
It’s the balance between being and doing, reflection and action, meaning and movement.
A pragmatic transformative coach recognises that growth is proven not in words or awareness alone, but in the gentle, persistent shifts that happen when insight meets reality.
Because transformation isn’t just something you think about. It’s something you live.
