What to Look for in a Coach for Women in Technology

When you're a senior woman in technology looking for a coach, the search can feel overwhelming. There are so many coaches out there: generalist coaches, career coaches, leadership coaches, life coaches. Credentials vary, methodologies vary, prices vary, and experiences vary.

But the women I work with don’t choose me because of my methodology. They choose me because we connected almost immediately, because they didn't have to explain their world before we could get to work.

That's the first thing to look for. And it matters more than anything else on a coach's website.

Find someone who already understands your world

Senior women in technology operate in specific environments: complex organisations, male-dominated leadership teams, high scrutiny, and dynamics that aren't always easy to articulate to someone who hasn't experienced them.

A coach who understands this context doesn't just save time. They create a different quality of conversation. Changing the system is often beyond someone’s control, but changing your response to it is not. You won’t spend the first twenty minutes explaining what it feels like to be the only woman in the room, or why a particular contribution in a meeting didn’t land, or what the politics of a senior technology organisation actually look like from the inside.

We start from a place of shared understanding, enabling us to go deeper, faster.

One client came to me describing a problem with influence and communication. During our very first conversation, I observed something different, a pattern, she hadn’t seen in herself. It was procrastination; she was avoiding leaning into situations, decisions, and this was shaping her reality and keeping her stuck. This emerged in our very first conversation. Later, she told me it had been somewhat of a revelation. She'd been looking for someone who would challenge her, not just listen. Because I understood her environment, I could see clearly from the start.

That's what the right background makes possible.

Look for safety, not solutions

I sometimes talk to women who come to coaching looking for answers. Or rather, looking for answers from me. Maybe someone to steer them through that awkward internal promotion or what to do when a stakeholder undermines them in meetings.

And I get, I do. It’s understandable. It's how most professional development works…you seek advice from your line manager, a trusted peer, a formal mentor - someone more experienced tells you what they know, or someone you trust.

But that's mentoring, not coaching. Ownership of your actions comes from finding your own answers, not borrowing someone else's, which in turn builds a strong source of internal validation. Important at senior level, as being given answers is exactly what keeps you dependent on external validation, and so often a part of the problem in the first place.

The right coach creates a space where you can express yourself without fear of judgment. The right coach will make you feel heard and pose questions designed to help you find your own clarity rather than rely on someone else’s perspective.

The women I work with almost always say they feel completely comfortable sharing thoughts they'd never said out loud before, even with their partners. That is not accidental. It is the foundation of working with me and how coaching works.

What then to watch for

If you leave a discovery call with a list of things your coach told you to do, you have been mentored, and while it may be helpful in the short term, it is less sustainable in the long term. While mentoring has its place, particularly for early-career professionals, I actually think that, at the senior level, it can ultimately be disempowering. No one knows you and your unique situation more than you. No one. You are thus best placed to fix it.

So, if you leave a discovery call having discovered something for yourself. That is coaching.

The distinction matters especially at senior level. You don't need someone to solve your problems. You need space to understand them more clearly and trust yourself to act.

A coach who slips into advice-giving, however well-intentioned, is quietly reinforcing the pattern you're trying to break: looking outside yourself for the answer.

How to know before you commit

The best way to assess a coach is to experience them coaching.

Within the first few minutes of a real coaching conversation, you'll know whether the space feels right. Whether you feel heard. Whether the questions land differently in any conversation you have in your working life.

This is why I offer a 45-minute Coaching Experience Call, which serves as a genuine coaching session to help us determine whether coaching is the right fit. You'll leave with clarity and direction, whether we work together or not.

The right coach for you isn't the most expensive or with the most impressive credentials. It's the one in whose presence you can finally think clearly.

Coach for Women in Technology FAQs

Q: What's the difference between a coach and a mentor? 

A: A mentor shares their experience and gives advice. A coach helps you find your own answers. At senior level, coaching is more valuable because it builds your own judgement and internal recognition rather than relying on others.

Q: How do I know if I'm ready for coaching? 

A: If you're asking the question, you probably are. Most women I work with are at a point of transition, whether it's a new role, a promotion, or a sense that something needs to shift.

Q: How is executive coaching different from career coaching? 

A: Career coaching tends to focus on immediate next steps, including your CV, job search, interviews. Executive coaching works at a deeper level, exploring your patterns, your identity, and how you lead and operate.

Q: Do I need to have a specific problem to start coaching? 

A: No. Many clients come with a general sense of being stuck or ready for something different. The coaching helps clarify what that is and move forward.

Q: Does it matter whether a coach is accredited? 

A: Coaching is an unregulated profession, which means anyone can call themselves a coach without any training or qualification. Accreditation from a recognised body, such as the EMCC or ICF, means the coach has met professional and ethical standards. When choosing a coach, it's worth checking they hold a recognised accreditation. I am an EMCC Senior Accredited Coach Practitioner with over 500 hours of coaching experience.

Q: Am I ready for coaching? 

A: The women I work best with share a few things in common. They're at an inflection point, knowing something needs to change. They're open to going beneath the surface, vocalising their fears and revealing parts of themselves they rarely show at work. They've chosen coaching for themselves. The best coachees already reflect and respond to a thinking partner who listens, evokes awareness, and facilitates growth. The best coach/coachee partnerships will help coachees go further and faster than they can on their own.