From Clarity to Courageous Action

How the Owl & Fire Coaching Model Came to Life

It took me a long time to understand what truly sits at the core of my coaching.

Not in terms of tools or methods — I have learned many of those, and I use them consciously and responsibly. What took longer was naming the stance I take as a coach. The inner place from which I work. And the path my clients tend to walk, regardless of the topic they bring into the room.

This article is my attempt to make that core visible. Personally. Clearly. And without dressing it up in unnecessary language.

Where most journeys begin

Most people don’t come to coaching because they lack solutions.

They come because they have too many.

Too many thoughts. Too many options. Too many expectations — from others and from themselves. Often they are capable, reflective, successful people. And yet something feels off. Not dramatically broken, but no longer aligned.

Sometimes there is a concrete transition: a new role, a difficult leadership decision, a conversation they keep postponing. Sometimes it is vaguer: a quiet sense that “this can’t continue like this,” without knowing what should replace it.

What all these situations have in common is this: speed doesn’t help. More tools don’t help. Pushing forward doesn’t help.

That’s why my coaching almost always starts with a deliberate step downward.

The Clarity Zone: arriving in reality

I call this first space the Clarity Zone.

This is not where change happens yet. It is where attention returns. Where we slow down enough to notice what is actually present — thoughts, emotions, tensions, contradictions. Including those parts people usually edit out because they don’t seem useful or presentable.

For many clients, this phase feels unfamiliar. Not because it is complex, but because it is quiet. No one rushes them. No one jumps to solutions. No one performs expertise.

Here, clarity doesn’t emerge from clever analysis alone. It emerges from connection. Connection to values. To what matters. To what has been overridden for a long time by roles, expectations, and momentum.

I work here primarily through presence. Through listening. Through asking questions that are not designed to impress, but to open space. Through reflecting back what I hear — often including what hasn’t yet been said explicitly.

At some point, many clients say something like:“I knew this already — but now I can actually see it.”

That moment matters.

The Owl: presence, clarity, truth

In the Owl & Fire model, the Owl represents this dimension of the work.

The owl stands for awareness and perspective. For the ability to see in low light. Not in a mystical sense, but in a very practical one: being willing to look where things are unclear, uncomfortable, or unresolved.

The owl is not passive. It is alert. It doesn’t rush. It waits until something essential becomes visible.

Without this part of the process, coaching often stays on the surface. People move, but they don’t quite know why — or where they are actually going.

Clarity, in this sense, is not about certainty. It is about alignment.

The Integration Zone: when insight takes responsibility

Clarity alone does not change anything.

The transition happens in what I call the Integration Zone. This is where insight begins to carry weight. Where awareness turns into choice. Where understanding slowly becomes commitment.

This is often the most delicate part of the journey.

Questions emerge such as:

What does this mean for me now?

What am I willing to let go of?

Where will I need to take a risk?

Integration does not mean immediate action. It means taking oneself seriously. Taking responsibility for what has been recognised.

In this phase, I often work with small, realistic steps. With experiments rather than final answers. With the question: What would be a truthful next step — not the perfect one?

This space connects inner clarity with outer reality. It is where reflection prepares movement.

The Fire: courage, decision, movement

Only now does Fire come into play.

Fire stands for action, courage, and decision-making. For conversations that have been avoided for too long. For boundaries that need to be set. For roles that need to be reshaped. For choices that are not without risk.

What matters to me here is this: fire is not aggression. It is not pressure. It is not forcing outcomes.

It is grounded action.

When fire is fed by clarity, something changes in how people lead and decide. They don’t become louder, but clearer. Not faster, but more deliberate. Not harder, but more congruent.

Many clients notice that their presence shifts. They show up differently — not because they learned a new technique, but because they are no longer acting against themselves.

Fire without the owl is directionless. Fire with the owl is purposeful.

The Future Self: orientation, not perfection

Above all of this sits what I call the Future Self.

Not as a fixed vision or ideal identity, but as an orientation point. The guiding question is not “Where do I want to be in five years?” but rather:

Who do I want to be when I face these situations?

How do I want to make decisions under pressure?

What do I want to stand for when it matters?

Coaching, for me, is not about reinventing people. It is about helping them live more consistently with who they already are — especially when it would be easier not to.

Why this model matters to me

I didn’t create this model to package my work. It emerged from experience. From many conversations. From leadership roles. From transitions that forced me to slow down and listen. From moments when clarity was missing — and moments when courage was required.

Owl & Fire describes how I work, and how I try to live: first understand, then act. First align, then move.

For my clients, it is a map. Not a prescription. A way to orient themselves without losing their own agency.

If you find yourself at a point where functioning is no longer enough — and blind action doesn’t feel right either — it may be time to pause.

And from there, to choose deliberately how you want to move forward.

If you’d like, I’m happy to walk part of that path with you.

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