A coach guide- How coaches can spot and address wellbeing issues early- Coaching Academy | Episode 7

Most cases of burnout don’t happen overnight. They settle in quietly, week after week.

I’m Chiara, and after 3 years at Alan—both as a coach and as someone being coached—I’ve learned to spot these signals early, before it’s too late, and to have the courage to name them.

Here’s what I’ve learned: my own well-being signals checklist, a practical way to tackle tougher conversations, and why coaches need coaching too.

Welcome behind the scenes of our Coaching Academy! Through our experience, we share coaching practices that work every day, putting employee well-being back at the heart of everything.

When I'm coaching someone, the focus is individual growth and long-term engagement of my coachee. These conversations are confidential, unfolding in a space built on trust and psychological safety, because engaged and fulfilled people don't just perform better, they thrive.

Three years have brought countless coaching conversations, guiding others as a coach and working on myself as a coachee. I’ve seen people grow, struggle, break through, and sometimes burn out. And I’ve learned how to spot the early, quiet signals before anyone ever says “I’m not okay” and to have the courage to name what I see and tell the uncomfortable truth.

One of the core principles I've learned in coaching is this: spot signals very early, before they become crises. Most performance or well-being issues don't appear overnight; they emerge gradually through small changes in behavior, energy, and engagement.

I've developed what I call my "wellbeing signal checklist." It's built on the idea that we need to learn to read between the lines because people rarely walk into a 1:1 and announce they're struggling. Before our coaching sessions, I ask my coachees to answer a few reflection questions in writing: On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you feeling? Why? What gave you energy this week, and what drained it?

Positive signals I look for: optimistic outlook, emotional resilience, consistently high energy, strong relationships, and camaraderie with colleagues. When these fade, I pay attention.

Worrying signals I track:

These are what I call "soft signals". Individually they might mean nothing, but when two or three cluster together over a few weeks, that's when I know I need to ask directly: "How are you really doing?"

I think of one coachee, genuine, warm, and hardworking in a way that leaves no room for half-measures. She cared deeply about her work, about the people around her, and about doing it right.

And yet, week after week, something was off. She was tired all the time, not just at work but through the weekends too. The runs she used to love, the walks, the traveling—all of it had quietly disappeared. She was seeing her doctor regularly, trying to listen to what her body was saying without slowing down. And somewhere along the way, she stopped being able to hear feedback the way she once could. The openness and curiosity were gone.

None of it, on its own, would have set off alarms. All of it together? She was becoming a different version of herself, and she couldn't see it. I could.

Beyond our 1:1s, I’ve regular checkpoints with their leads and peers. I have at least one 1:1 per quarter with each coachee's crew lead or community lead. And I'm transparent with my coachees about this. It’s not about going behind their back, it's about seeing the full picture.

Spotting the signals is only half the work. Knowing how to act on them is where coaching becomes real. When I see concerning patterns emerging, I follow a three-step approach. 

First, I name what I'm observing, clearly and directly: "I've noticed in our last three 1:1s you've mentioned feeling exhausted, you've been less responsive than usual, and your manager shared that you've seemed withdrawn in meetings. I'm worried about you." This isn't about being accusatory. It’s about holding up a mirror so they can't dismiss what's happening as easily.

Second, I ask open questions to understand the root cause: "What's really going on? What's making this hard right now?" Then I listen, truly listen, without jumping to assumptions or solutions. Often people need to be heard before they can problem-solve. 

Third, we co-create next steps together. Sometimes that's adjusting workload, taking some time off, or it's connecting them with resources through the Alan Health app. 

The key is that I don't prescribe the solution. We figure it out together based on what they actually need. And crucially, I follow up. We set clear check-in points: "Let's talk again in one week and see how you're doing. I'm going to keep asking because I care, and because sometimes things get worse before they get better." The follow-up is what shows people this isn't just a checkbox conversation but you're genuinely invested in their wellbeing.

One example that stays with me: a coachee who had only been at Alan for five months when I started noticing the signals. Something personal was weighing on her, and it was quietly bleeding into her work. She knew she needed time off. But she didn't want to let the team down.

I named what I saw: being half-present wasn't protecting anyone. An on-and-off version of her wasn't helping the team either. I pushed her, gently but clearly, to take the time. To actually get better, before burning out completely.

She was relieved. She came back grateful for the time, for having been seen, for feeling supported rather than managed. She came back stronger.

That conversation was uncomfortable. But waiting would have been worse.

In every coaching relationship, I ask myself: If this person looked back a year from now, would they say I saw them clearly and told them the truth? Not the convenient truth. Not the comfortable truth. The real truth, delivered with care, backed by facts, and rooted in genuine belief in their potential. That's what I'm learning to do. Some days I do it well. Some days I'm still figuring it out.

While I was getting good at spotting signals in others, I was often blind to my own. That's where Juliette, my coach, came in.

The challenge wasn't about work performance, it was finding sustainable balance when life at home is complicated. Juggling being a mom, supporting my partner's professional dreams, and showing up fully at work. The impossible equation that never quite adds up.

I was struggling because I was trying to make an imperfect situation perfect, exhausting myself in the process. My coach helped me see: this setup will never be perfect. And that's okay. The breakthrough wasn't finding the "right" balance. It was accepting that balance looks different each week, sometimes daily. Instead of fighting the imperfection, I could embrace it and make small, intentional changes.

We worked on concrete things:

This harmony won't be easy to maintain. Finding a positive outlook when juggling multiple demanding roles isn't a one-time achievement. It's continuous work.

Having a coach who notices when I’m running on empty batteries and helps me tune back into what I truly need makes a big difference in staying engaged. We can’t really see our own patterns, just like the ones I help my coachees spot.

So here's my question for you: Who in your life has been showing quiet signals lately and what's been stopping you from checking in?