What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Olympia Life Coach, Olympia, WA (2026)

09/05/2026

There was a chair sitting beside the road this morning. Not a particularly interesting chair. Wooden. A little worn. Blue cushion. Piece of cardboard taped to it: FREE

I walked past it. A few minutes later, I saw a man in a small car pull over. He got out. Looked at the chair. Sat in it.

That made me laugh. Apparently we're test-driving curb furniture now.

He stood up. Walked around it. Turned it over. Looked underneath. Then he got back into his car... and drove away. Decision made.

Except apparently not. About ten minutes later, I was coming back the same way. So was he. Same car. He pulled over again.

Got out. Looked at the chair for maybe three seconds. Opened his trunk. And started trying to put it inside.

I don't know what happened during those ten minutes. But something did.

He didn't need any more information about the chair. He'd already inspected it. The second trip wasn't about the chair.

That got me thinking. Uh-oh.

Today's Experiment

Think of something you've been considering lately. Nothing enormous. Something you've already looked at more than once.

Starting something.
Calling someone.
Trying an idea.
Getting rid of something.
Signing up.
Going somewhere.
Changing a small part of your business.

Then ask: What information am I still waiting for?

Really answer it. Because sometimes there's information you genuinely need. Get it. But sometimes...

you've already looked underneath the chair.
You're not gathering information anymore.
You're waiting to feel different about information you already have.

Those aren't the same thing.

The Interesting Part

I have no idea whether that man made a good decision. Maybe he got home and discovered the chair smelled like wet Labrador. Maybe somebody in his house said: "You went BACK for that?"

Maybe it's sitting in his living room right now and looks fantastic. Reality gets a vote. But I liked the second stop. Because whatever conversation he'd been having with himself apparently reached a conclusion.

Sometimes clarity arrives while we're examining the thing. Sometimes it arrives after we've walked away from it. And occasionally... clarity makes a U-turn.

I'm cheering for you.

~ Coach David

09/04/2026

I saw a woman walking her dog this morning. At least I think that's what was happening. They reached a corner. She turned left. The dog didn't. Big golden dog. Very fluffy. He planted all four feet on the sidewalk and looked right. She gave the leash a little tug. Nothing. She pointed left. He looked right. She said something to him. He sat down.

Now negotiations had officially broken down. I was trying not to laugh. Then the woman put her hands on her hips and looked at him. He looked at her. There was a pause.

She looked right. He wagged his tail. She shook her head. And they went right. The dog immediately stood up and trotted along like this had been the plan all along.

She was laughing by then. So was I.

I have no idea what was to the right. Maybe his favorite tree. Maybe somebody gives him treats down there. Maybe he's simply an exceptionally persuasive dog. But I loved that she let him win.

Not because dogs should run our lives. Please don't send me correspondence.

I just liked watching someone abandon an entirely unimportant plan... and enjoy what happened next.

Just Because You Can

There are things that matter. Appointments. Promises. Responsibilities. Places we genuinely need to be.

And then there are all the tiny plans we defend as though civilization depends upon them. Which route. Which restaurant. Where we sit. What happens first. What we're "supposed" to do this afternoon.

Sometimes the plan matters. Sometimes... maybe we could go right. Not because right is better. Because it doesn't matter enough to make everything a battle.

And maybe somebody beside us would be delighted.

Something That Made Me Laugh

I keep thinking about how quickly the dog's entire body changed. One second: I WILL NOT BE MOVED.

Next second: Wonderful! Follow me!

There was something so pure about it.

And the woman could have spent the next five minutes proving that she was, technically, in charge. Instead she laughed.

That's the part I loved.

Sometimes maintaining control costs more than changing direction. Not always. But sometimes. And when nothing important is at stake... maybe joy gets a vote too.

💜

~ Coach Rosa

09/04/2026

There's a house a few blocks from me where someone has been rebuilding the front steps. I've watched the project change for several days. Old boards came off. New lumber appeared. Yesterday afternoon, the man working on it was making good progress. Then he stopped.

Middle of the afternoon. Plenty of daylight left. Tools still out. One board clearly not installed. He stood there for a minute looking at the steps. Then he started putting everything away.

I was walking past and asked: "Calling it a day?"

He nodded toward the unfinished section. "I'm getting tired enough that I'm starting to hurry."

That was it. No injury. No dramatic near miss. Nothing had gone wrong. He simply noticed that the quality of his decisions was beginning to change. So he stopped before something went wrong.

That's a skill.

Before You Push Through

There's a point in many kinds of work where continuing feels productive simply because you're still moving. But movement and good work aren't always the same thing.

If you notice yourself:

rushing, skipping steps, becoming unusually irritated, saying "good enough" more often, making small mistakes, or thinking mostly about being finished...

consider asking: "Am I still doing good work, or am I just trying to get done?"

Sometimes the answer is: Keep going.
Sometimes it's: Put the tools away.

Knowing the difference matters.

Worth Watching

Fatigue doesn't always announce itself by making us collapse. Sometimes it changes our standards first. We stop measuring twice. Stop rereading. Stop listening carefully. Stop asking the second question.

We become slightly more willing to accept risk because finishing has become more important than doing it well.

That's when experience should have a vote.

Not: "Can I keep going?"

Probably.

Ask: "Should I keep going like this?"

Different question.

Lead well.

~ Coach Daniel

09/01/2026

I was stopped at a red light this morning. A city bus pulled up beside me. I looked over. There was a little girl sitting by the window. Maybe five. She was looking directly at me. So I smiled. She waved. I waved back. Her face lit up. Then she turned around and apparently announced this development to whoever was sitting beside her.

A woman leaned toward the window. Probably her mother. The little girl pointed at me. So now I was involved. I waved again. The mother laughed and waved too.

Then the little girl started waving at the car behind me. I checked my mirror. The driver behind me waved. Now she was really excited.

She tried the next car. Another wave.

By the time our light changed, this child had somehow recruited a small section of morning traffic into whatever she was doing.

Nobody knew each other. Nobody exchanged names. Nobody improved anybody's life.

The light turned green. The bus went one way. We went another.

But for perhaps forty seconds... a little girl kept asking the world: Will you wave back? And the world kept saying yes.

I liked that very much.

Just for Today

There are small invitations happening around us all the time.

A smile.
Someone holding the door.
A person making room.
A joke offered quietly.
A child waving through a bus window.

Nothing requires us to respond. Sometimes we shouldn't. But sometimes... maybe it's nice to wave back. Not because we're trying to create a meaningful human connection. That's too much responsibility for a Tuesday morning.

Just because somebody sent a tiny bit of warmth in our direction... and we happened to have a little available to send back.

Something That Made Me Smile

The little girl didn't know whether anybody would wave. That's what I keep thinking about.

She just tried. Then tried again. Adults get more careful. Understandably.

We learn that not every invitation is accepted. Not every smile is returned. Not everybody wants connection.

That's okay.

But I hope we don't become so careful that we stop recognizing the harmless little invitations that are meant for us.

Sometimes somebody is simply saying:

Hello, fellow human.
You can say hello back.
No paperwork required.

💜

~ Coach Rosa

08/31/2026

I watched a man park badly this morning. Very badly. He pulled his pickup into a nearly empty parking lot and stopped across two spaces. Diagonal. Not even close.

I noticed because poor parking is apparently something I'm capable of having opinions about before breakfast.

He got out. Looked at the truck. Walked around it. Then opened the passenger door.

A woman climbed out carefully. She was using a walker.

There wasn't enough room for her to maneuver comfortably between two normally parked vehicles.

There was plenty of room now. He helped her get settled. Then he got back into the truck. Moved it. Parked normally.

That changed the story.

Nothing about the parking had changed. Only my understanding of it.

Useful reminder.

Before You Correct It

When you see something that doesn't make sense today, try leaving a little room between: "That looks wrong." and: "That is wrong."

You may still reach exactly the same conclusion. Some things really are poorly done. Some behavior really is inconsiderate.

Good judgment doesn't require pretending otherwise. But when circumstances allow, gather another piece of information first.

Sometimes thirty seconds changes the entire explanation.

Worth Remembering

Experience helps us recognize patterns quickly. That's useful. But speed has a tradeoff.

Once the brain recognizes a familiar pattern, it likes to finish the story. Truck across two spaces. Inconsiderate driver. Case closed.

Except the case wasn't closed. I just hadn't seen the woman yet.

Good judgment isn't refusing to form conclusions. It's knowing when the available evidence isn't enough to deserve one.

Lead well.

~ Coach Daniel

08/30/2026

There's a little sandwich shop I pass occasionally. For months, they've had a sign taped to the front window. PLEASE USE OTHER DOOR. So everybody did. Walk toward the obvious door. See sign. Stop. Turn. Walk six feet to the other door.

Yesterday I went by. The sign was gone. The door worked. I opened it. This should not have been memorable. But it was.

Because I'd become so accustomed to walking around to the other door that I almost did it after the problem had been fixed.

I actually started turning. Then stopped. Wait. Door works. Huh.

And there it was. A remarkably ordinary question:

How many things am I still working around that aren't broken anymore?

Uh-oh.

Today's Experiment

Find one workaround. Something you started doing because, at some point, it solved a real problem.

Then check: Does the problem still exist?

Maybe you:

take the longer route,
keep duplicate records,
avoid a certain time of day,
use an extra step,
carry something you once needed,
keep checking something that used to fail,
or follow a rule created for circumstances that no longer exist.

Don't assume the workaround is unnecessary.

Check. Maybe the original problem is still there. Great. Keep the workaround.

But maybe somebody fixed the door six months ago... and you're still walking around the building.

Reflection

We talk quite a bit about forming good habits. That's useful. But habits have an interesting weakness:

They can keep working after they're no longer useful.

A workaround repeated often enough stops feeling like a workaround.

It becomes: "That's how we do it."

Which is why occasionally it might be worth asking: "Why do we do it this way?"

Not rebelliously. Curiously. There may be an excellent reason. Or there may be an old broken door. I nearly walked around the building anyway. Fortunately, reality interrupted me.

I like when it does that.

I'm cheering for you.

~ Coach David

08/29/2026

I noticed the little boy first. He was standing beside the railroad crossing with his grandfather. At least I assumed grandfather. The older man had one hand resting on the boy's shoulder. The boy had both hands wrapped around the fence.

Nothing was happening. No train. No flashing lights. No bells. Just two people looking down the tracks. I walked past them.

A few minutes later, I came back from the little shop I'd gone into. They were still there. So now I was curious.

The boy kept leaning forward and looking. Then looking up at the man. Then back down the tracks.

Finally, the crossing lights started flashing. Oh my goodness. You would have thought someone had announced Christmas.

The boy bounced. Actually bounced. The grandfather laughed. The gate came down. Then the train arrived.

Not a beautiful old passenger train. Not anything romantic. A freight train. Boxcars. Tank cars. Graffiti. Noise. Lots of noise.

The little boy waved at every single car. Then the engineer blew the horn. That child nearly came apart.

And suddenly I understood. They hadn't been delayed by the train. They had come to wait for it.

I stood there longer than I needed to. So did several other people. Because apparently joy is contagious even when you don't know what you're celebrating.

Something Sweet for Today

I wonder whether grown-ups underestimate anticipation.

We become very efficient. Waiting is something to eliminate. Track the package. Skip the line. Preorder. Stream it now. Get there faster. Nothing wrong with convenience.

But there was something delicious about that little boy knowing the train was coming... and not knowing exactly when.

Every distant sound might be it. Every minute brought it closer.

The waiting wasn't interfering with the experience. The waiting was part of the experience.

Maybe there's still something you're allowed to look forward to like that. Nothing important. Maybe that's what makes it wonderful.

I Hope You Have One

Something on the calendar that makes you smile when you remember it.

Someone who's coming to visit.
A meal you're planning.
A book arriving.
A Saturday morning.
A little trip.
A movie.
A garden that's almost ready.
The first cup of coffee tomorrow.

Something. Not because your present life isn't enough. Because anticipation is one of the ways joy stretches itself across time.

You get a little happiness before the thing even happens.

And sometimes... you get to stand beside someone whose happiness is so enormous that some of it spills onto you.

I didn't care about that freight train. Not even a little. Then the horn blew. And there I was... smiling too.

💜

~ Coach Rosa

08/28/2026

I dropped a bag of dog food in the driveway this morning. Thirty-five pounds. Fortunately, the bag didn't break. Unfortunately, I had an audience. A neighbor was getting into his truck. He looked at the dog food. Looked at me. Then at everything else I was carrying.

Two grocery bags. Mail tucked under one arm. Keys in my hand. Coffee. And apparently, somewhere in the planning process, I had decided the dog food should come too.

My neighbor said: "One trip?"

I said: "That was the plan."

He nodded. "Strong plan."

Fair.

I put everything down. Took the groceries inside. Came back. Got the dog food. Two trips.

The entire recovery operation probably required forty-five seconds.

What interests me is how resistant I was to spending those forty-five seconds before I dropped something.

I see versions of that everywhere. We know another trip would help. Another person would help. Another day would help. A smaller load would help. But somewhere in our heads: I can handle it.

Maybe you can. That's not always the right question.

Something Worth Asking

When your hands are full, your calendar is full, or your attention is divided, try replacing:

"Can I carry this?" with: "What's the best way to carry this?"

Those questions produce different decisions. Capacity matters. So does method.

You don't receive extra points for making something unnecessarily difficult. Apparently, you don't receive extra points for carrying the dog food with the groceries either.

I checked.

One Thing I've Learned

Competence can create its own blind spot.

When you're accustomed to handling a lot, your ability to carry something can become the reason you never ask whether you should. That's worth watching.

Strong people need good load management too.

Sometimes that means delegation. Sometimes sequencing. Sometimes saying no. And sometimes... it means putting the groceries down and coming back for the dog food.

Lead well.

~ Coach Daniel

08/27/2026

I took the long way around a sprinkler this morning. This deserves some explanation. I was walking through a park. Ahead of me, one of those rotating sprinklers was watering a large section of grass beside the path. You know the kind. Chk-chk-chk-chk-chk... Then: WHSSSSSSSSSSSH. Back it goes.

There was absolutely enough time to walk through. Probably. But I was wearing decent shoes. So I stepped off the path and began walking around it. This required going considerably farther than I'd anticipated. The sprinkler kept rotating. I kept calculating.

There was a hedge involved. At some point, I realized I had constructed an absurd little expedition to avoid approximately four seconds of water.

Then a kid came riding toward the sprinkler on a bicycle. Maybe ten years old. He saw it. Changed course. And rode directly through the spray.

Of course he did. He came out the other side soaked and laughing.

I was still navigating the hedge. Nobody needed to explain this to me. I had enough information.

Sometimes avoiding a little discomfort becomes considerably more inconvenient than the discomfort.

Well, that's annoying.

☕ Today's Experiment

Notice one thing you're currently going around. Nothing enormous. We're not reorganizing your entire emotional history before lunch. Something small.

A phone call.
An awkward question.
A five-minute task you dislike.
Asking for clarification.
Admitting you don't know.
Starting badly.
Walking into a room where you don't know anyone.

Then ask:

"How much energy am I spending avoiding a few uncomfortable minutes?"

Maybe the detour is wise.

Some sprinklers deserve avoiding. But maybe... you're already halfway around the hedge.

Try the direct route once. See what happens. You might get wet. Apparently, people survive this.

Reflection

Comfort matters. I'm a fan. But comfort can become surprisingly expensive when we insist upon maintaining it at every moment.

Sometimes the shortest route contains a little awkwardness. A little uncertainty. A little embarrassment. A little water. That doesn't automatically make it the wrong route.

And for the record... the kid beat me to the other side by a humiliating margin.

I'm cheering for you.

~ Coach David

08/27/2026

She was eating an ice cream cone by herself. That's it. That's what caught my attention.

I was walking past a little outdoor plaza this afternoon when I noticed a woman sitting at one of the tables. Maybe sixty. Maybe older. A shopping bag on the chair beside her. Sunglasses pushed up into her hair. Chocolate ice cream.

She wasn't looking at her phone. Wasn't reading. Wasn't waiting for anyone, that I could tell. She was simply sitting there... eating her ice cream.

A little sparrow landed near her feet. She watched it. Smiled. Took another bite.

A family walked past. She smiled at their little girl. Then went right back to doing absolutely nothing. And for some reason, I loved watching her.

There was no sadness around her. No brave face. No poor woman eating alone. She looked completely at home in her own afternoon.

I wonder when being alone became something we felt obligated to explain. "My friend couldn't come." "My husband is working." "I'm just waiting for somebody." As though simply enjoying your own company might look suspicious.

Maybe we've confused alone with lonely. They can certainly meet. But they aren't the same thing.

That woman didn't look like she was missing anybody. She looked like she'd wanted ice cream. So she got some.

I like her already.

Maybe You Don't Need Company

There are experiences that become richer when they're shared. Dinner around a crowded table. A ridiculous movie with someone who laughs at the same parts. A long drive with the right person.

Love matters. Friendship matters. Belonging matters. But maybe we don't have to make companionship a requirement for enjoying our own lives.

You can visit the bookstore. Walk through the park. Order lunch. Sit beside the water. Go see the movie. Get the ice cream.

Not because you're proving how independent you are. That's still making it about somebody else. Just because... you'd like to go.

Something I Want to Remember

Being comfortable alone doesn't mean you don't need people. It may simply mean you've stopped treating your own presence like an empty chair. I think that's lovely.

And somewhere tonight, I hope that woman is remembering absolutely nothing significant about this afternoon.

Maybe to her... it was just Wednesday. Chocolate ice cream. A sparrow. A little sunshine.

Sometimes a perfectly ordinary life is a very good place to be.

💜

~ Coach Rosa

Olympia Life Coach

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category

Listing takedown request

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm