You probably do not need another person telling you what to do.
You already know how to work hard, solve problems, learn quickly, and take responsibility. You have probably built a career by doing exactly that.
But sometimes, despite all your experience and effort, something does not move.
You procrastinate on something that matters. You find yourself solving the same problems repeatedly. You take on more responsibility, but the work becomes less satisfying. Or you keep optimizing your performance without questioning whether you are working on the right things.
The question is not always how to work harder.
Sometimes it is understanding what is getting in the way.
That is where coaching can make a difference.
My Work Beyond Coaching
I explore these questions not only through coaching conversations, but also through my writing on engineering, leadership, and the challenges facing high-performing professionals.
I contributed Avoid the Maintenance Trap to Level Up, the leadership publication associated with Ethan Evans, a former Amazon Vice President. The article examines how engineers can become absorbed in maintenance work at the expense of meaningful creation.
Read the article in Level Up: Avoid the Maintenance Trap
The underlying question is closely connected to my coaching: what happens when capable people are no longer getting the results they expect, despite their ability and effort?
My background combines a PhD in computer vision from UCL, more than six years of software engineering experience at PTC Vuforia, and professional coach training. This combination shapes how I approach problems: with curiosity, analytical thinking, attention to human behaviour, and a focus on practical change.
Sometimes the Problem Is Not the Problem
When something is not working, our instinct is usually to fix the visible problem.
Procrastinating? Find a productivity system.
Stuck in your career? Make a plan.
Overwhelmed? Organize your tasks.
But the visible problem is sometimes only a symptom.
One client, Santanu Mukherjee, described my coaching this way:
“His questions were thoughtful, precise and impactful, helping me quickly connect with my inner thoughts and emotions.”
He continued:
“What seemed like a simple conversation gradually unfolded into meaningful self-discovery as he skillfully brought out feelings and insights that I hadn’t fully acknowledged before.”
Another client, Kamal Sharma, described how questioning helped him explore his beliefs and shift his mindset.
The goal is not to make you dependent on a coach to find answers. It is to help you understand yourself and your situation well enough to make better decisions independently.
Clarity Before Optimization
Ambitious people often become very good at optimizing systems before asking whether those systems still make sense.
We optimize our calendars, workflows, careers, goals, and productivity.
Sometimes we become extremely efficient at moving in the wrong direction.
Coaching creates space to examine the assumptions behind your decisions, the patterns that keep repeating, and the trade-offs you may not have fully acknowledged.
Katrina Yim, an executive coach and one of my clients, described our work as having:
“a balance of space to think and structure to push that thinking further.”
She also said:
“I leave every session with at least one helpful insight and one action item.”
That balance matters.
Reflection without action can become endless analysis. Action without reflection can become endless activity.
The aim is to understand what matters, identify what needs to change, and take a meaningful next step.
You May Not Need More Motivation
When people struggle to make progress, the usual advice is to become more disciplined, more organized, or more motivated.
Sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
But sometimes the problem is a belief, an emotional conflict, an unclear priority, or a pattern of behaviour that keeps undermining your intentions.
One client described how our work helped them examine the beliefs beneath their procrastination rather than simply trying to force themselves to work harder.
Amaal Alani described the result this way:
“He helped me untangle habits and patterns that were holding me back, while offering simple but powerful strategies that I could implement right away.”
She added:
“Thanks to our work together, I now approach my time with more clarity and purpose.”
Understanding a pattern does not automatically change it. But it can reveal where to intervene, making change more deliberate and sustainable.
I Will Challenge You, Not Just Reassure You
Feeling understood matters. But coaching that only makes you feel comfortable is not necessarily useful.
Sometimes the most valuable question is the one you would rather avoid.
Tamuna Gochashvili described this aspect of our work:
“He asks the right questions, sometimes tough ones that make me stop, think, and finally see where the real problem is.”
She continued:
“And from there, it actually becomes possible to solve it.”
My approach is not confrontation for its own sake, nor is it about telling you what you should do.
It is about creating a conversation where you can examine your assumptions honestly, recognize what you may be avoiding, and identify actions that fit your situation.
Michele Munzel described my approach as:
“sensitive to emotional nuances and inquisitive as well as action-oriented and straightforward.”
That combination is central to how I work: depth, followed by movement.
Sometimes the Results Are Concrete
Coaching is about the person, not just a metric. But tangible outcomes matter.
Liviness Chiusiwa described one of the most important changes in our work:
“The unlock was learning to stop doing it all myself.”
She described moving toward real delegation, clearer boundaries, structured hand-offs, and giving her team room to step into leadership.
The results extended beyond the coaching conversations. She earned a promotion to lead her Core program, submitted her Master's thesis ahead of schedule, and her department achieved the top repayment metric across One Acre Fund's countries.
Her experience illustrates an important principle: sometimes better performance does not come from doing more. It comes from changing the way you work and allowing others to contribute.
What Happens in a Session?
We start with what is actually happening in your life or work.
What are you trying to accomplish?
What feels difficult?
What have you already tried?
What keeps repeating?
What assumptions are shaping your decisions?
What would change if you approached the situation differently?
From there, we explore the issue together. Sometimes the work is practical. Sometimes it involves behaviour, emotions, beliefs, or competing priorities. Sometimes you discover that the goal you arrived with is not the goal you genuinely want.
We then work toward clarity and an actionable next step.
There is no magic script. The process is shaped by your situation, your goals, and what emerges through the conversation.
Is This the Right Coaching for You?
You may benefit from working with me if you are capable, ambitious, and willing to look honestly at what is happening beneath the surface.
Perhaps you are navigating a difficult professional decision, struggling with procrastination, repeating patterns that frustrate you, or trying to reconcile your ambitions with what actually matters to you.
You do not need to arrive with a perfectly formulated problem.
You do need a willingness to explore it honestly and consider doing something differently.
My role is not to become the person who has all the answers. It is to help you become more capable of finding your own, and acting on them.
As Katrina put it:
“I would not hesitate to recommend Marcel's coaching to anyone who would appreciate more structure to support their thoughts.”
If you are looking for greater clarity, a deeper understanding of what is holding you back, and a practical way to move forward, let's talk.
You bring the problem. We will investigate the system producing it.
Marcel Tella Amo, PhD
