Stamina Lab Blog
Insights on solution-focused coaching, communication, and the science behind lasting patient and client outcomes.
The “Capable” Assumption: Why Assuming Your Client Has the Answer Changes the Outcome
What if the most powerful thing you could do as a coach was to stop trying to build motivation and start assuming it was already there? The SF approach doesn’t evoke capability — it presupposes it.
Stop Going for Action. Go for Description.
When a client returns having done little or nothing, the pull is to move straight to action. But action before description doesn’t take root.
The Solution-Focused Ear: What to Listen For (and What to Ignore) to Drive Faster Results
A good practitioner doesn’t just listen for empathy — they listen strategically. Here’s what the Solution-Focused Ear listens for, what it ignores, and why that distinction drives faster follow-through.
The Neuroscience of Vision: Why Focusing on the ‘Preferred Future’ Unlocks the Brain for Change
Some coaching conversations feel heavy. Others feel creative and full of momentum. According to the research, it’s not chemistry — it’s neuroscience. Here’s what your questions are doing to your client’s brain.
The 2:1 Rule: Why Your ‘Active Listening’ Might Not Be Reaching the MI Standard
Most practitioners believe they’re doing MI. But the fidelity benchmarks are more demanding than the workshops let on. Here’s why the 2:1 ratio is a heavy lift — and what the Solution-Focused approach offers instead.
Ambivalence or Action? How to Choose Between Solution-Focused and Motivational Interviewing
Most health professionals have been trained in Motivational Interviewing. The key to higher follow-through isn’t just doing more MI — it’s knowing when to shift to a Solution-Focused stance. Here’s the clinical decision framework.