Empathy and authority.   The two most powerful forces in coaching.   Empathy is about understanding and compassion.   Authority is about respect and earned trust.   Sadly, this isn’t taught in personal training school, and very few trainers ever get the memo.   A coach with empathy means they ‘get you’. They understand your situation, and you’re not just some schmuck with average goals. They know how to read you, when to push you and give you vinegar, and when to support you and give you honey.   A coach with authority has a why for everything they do. It’s built on them studying their craft and being a student. You respect and trust them because they actually know what they are doing and how to get you results (unlike many of these thirsty social media fit-pros who are more concerned with whether they took a good selfie than serving their client).   But that’s a topic for another day.   It's the dichotomy of empathy and authority that creates a great coaching relationship.   This is something that I teach to all my Enterprise trainers and those who seek out my guidance in my Internship program.   However, the lessons are so poignant for both coaches and clients I wanted to make my lecture on the topic publicly available. Think of me as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but instead of shooting webs, I release podcasts and YouTube videos.   In today's episode of The Enterprise Fitness Podcast, I share with you my Principles of Coaching Change. Filmed in front of a live studio audience at my most recent Internship.   Enjoy!