Who created Coach Difference?

Jae Sloan created Coach Difference and manages this website. You can view their profile in the list of coaches on the home page.

Why was Coach Difference created?

Simply stated, it can be difficult to find coaches who are part of communities of difference, groups who have historically been marginalised on the basis of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability status, age, etc. It can be even harder to find coaches who overtly want to bring their own lived experience into the coaching space. I strongly felt there should be somewhere individuals can connect with coaches who share their lived experience if they choose to. Since that didn’t exist, I created this space.

There were two main reasons why Coach Difference was created. First on a personal level, a couple of years ago I was seeking coaching supervision and had a strong desire to connect with a queer supervision group or a queer supervisor. However, even after reaching out to my network, I wasn’t able to find a queer group or supervisor. I ended up joining a supervision group that was made up of straight, middle-aged, white, cisgender women that was facilitated by two straight, white, middle-aged, cisgender people - not diverse at all. After spending a year with that supervision group, the experience wasn’t altogether positive nor did it allow me to be fully myself. I never really felt part of the group, nor did I feel my needs were being met. I went back to searching for a supervisor (having no confidence I’d find a group) who was in some way different. Luckily, I did manage to find a supervisor who identifies as lesbian and is not white. While these are qualities that aren’t necessary to be a good supervisor or coach, having someone who understands my identity without having to explain it allows shortcuts into conversations. There is also opportunity to be more open and vulnerable about how I show up to work and what matters to me in my work. Moving to understanding and doing the personal ‘work’ I need to do is accelerated when I don’t have to explain myself. There is power in working with someone who understands, engages with and celebrates your lived experience.

Second, I noticed through my own coaching practice, working primarily with people from communities of difference, the same experience as I outlined above. My approach was to create space for an individual’s difference to be named and celebrated. Without exception, this is one factor that universally led each person I have coached to realise they can choose to embrace their authentic leadership style and approach to life, informed by what people would describe as their difference. The result is always the same - the person steps more fully into their power and feels more confident. By showing up fully as myself as a coach, I can support someone else who wants to do the same thing.

Is this a business?

No, this is simply space online for individuals to connect with coaches who may be a good fit for them because of how they identify as well as how they show up as coaches. Coaches pay a minimal fee to support backend costs of the website, but they do not pay me for ‘referrals’ they get from this website.