The Value of a RISE Coach

A RISE member once came into our coaching meeting with a problem that could have easily become a crisis. An unexpected expense had come up, but instead of immediately panicking, she was able to use the emergency savings she had worked hard to build. The amount in the account was not huge, but she had proof that the small choices she had been making were beginning to create stability.

That is what progress often looks like in RISE.

I was drawn to this work because I believe people deserve more than a list of resources or instructions about what they “should” do. Before becoming a Personal Development Coach, I worked in roles supporting families experiencing poverty, housing instability, domestic violence, and other significant barriers. Those experiences taught me that people usually do not lack motivation. More often, they are trying to make decisions while managing stress, limited resources, complicated systems, and responsibilities that leave little room for mistakes.

Coaching gives us the opportunity to slow things down, build trust, and help members determine what progress looks like for them.

A typical coaching meeting may include reviewing a budget, talking through a financial challenge, looking at a credit report, identifying community resources, or setting a goal. However, the most important part is often the conversation underneath those tasks. A member may begin by saying, “I’m just bad with money,” but as we talk, they may recognize that they have never had enough consistent income to create a realistic budget. Another member may feel that they never follow through on goals, only to realize they have been successfully managing work, children, transportation, and emergencies for years.

Part of coaching is helping people recognize the strengths they are already using and then build on them.

We also talk about hope, agency, boundaries, communication, and the difference between reacting to the most urgent problem and having enough stability to plan ahead. These topics may not be what people first imagine when they hear “financial mobility program,” but they are essential. A budget is difficult to follow when every week brings a new crisis. A goal is difficult to reach when someone has learned through experience that circumstances can change without warning. Coaching helps members create multiple pathways toward their goals and identify what they can control, while still acknowledging the very real barriers they face.

The turning points I witness are not always dramatic. Sometimes progress is a member making a phone call they have been avoiding. It is checking a credit report for the first time, asking for help before a situation becomes an emergency, or setting a boundary with a family member. It may be saving the first $25 toward an emergency fund or recognizing, “I handled that differently than I would have a year ago.”

Those moments matter because small, steady progress is often what creates lasting change. Shelena Yamdogo, Lead Personal Development Coach