Solopreneurs are embracing AI — here's how 3 career coaches have found it indispensable

In the realm of career and executive coaching, the most impactful moments often occur during one-on-one sessions with clients. This is where transformative insights surface, motivation builds, and vital connections are established. Yet, translating these discussions into actionable steps can be labor-intensive, especially for solopreneurs who manage their businesses alone. Kim Surko, founder of Surko Coaching, expresses the challenges of balancing administrative tasks with transformative coaching. "Navigating all of this on my own was unfeasible; it hindered my ability to grow a sustainable business," she states. For her, integrating AI into her workflow emerged as the most logical solution to alleviate this burden. Three solopreneurs specializing in leadership, business, and communications reveal how AI has significantly enhanced their coaching capabilities and client results. A common breakthrough for them has been the adoption of AI note-takers, which streamline the process of converting lengthy conversations into practical outputs. Katharine Campbell Hirst, founder of KCH Coaching & Advisory, shares her method: "After obtaining consent from clients, I record our sessions and upload the transcripts to ChatGPT. This allows me to swiftly transform nuanced insights into usable materials like pitches, résumés, and website content. What once took weeks now takes mere minutes." Liz Morrison, founder of LM Strategic Storytelling, highlights how AI helps preserve valuable insights from her sessions. By utilizing Claude, she can quickly distill session transcripts into 'Story Banks,' extracting several narratives per session that clients can apply immediately for networking or social media purposes. Surko reports a substantial time-saving, estimating that AI tools have allowed her to save nearly an hour per client each day, which has nearly doubled her coaching capacity. Additionally, AI plays a crucial role in helping clients recognize their progress. Surko employs the project management tool Kanbanchi, augmented by Gemini, to update to-do lists that visually track client goals and achievements. This method has notably improved client retention, as clients can see tangible progress towards their objectives. Morrison has also developed a unique ChatGPT tool called Story Explorer, guiding potential clients through a narrative coaching exercise to generate immediate, usable stories for platforms like LinkedIn. This tool often sparks deeper discussions and reveals further narratives worth exploring. Beyond enhancing client interactions, these coaches have discovered that AI improves their overall coaching sessions. Surko mentions using Gemini within Google Docs to create a searchable archive of her extensive toolkit of exercises and prompts, previously scattered across various folders. This allows her to access necessary resources in real-time during sessions, leading to more productive discussions. Moreover, Hirst utilizes AI to gain insights into her coaching effectiveness by analyzing transcripts to identify strengths and areas for improvement. She values the concrete feedback that AI provides, serving as a reflective partner that enhances her practice as a solopreneur. The integration of AI into coaching not only facilitates administrative tasks but also enriches the overall coaching experience for both coaches and clients. As these solopreneurs embrace AI, they are finding new ways to maximize their impact in the coaching landscape.