“I Know What to Do—I’m Just Not Doing It”: Why You Might Actually Need a Coach
You hear it all the time. In the gym, on the internet, whispered in confession over coffee: “I know what to do. I just need to actually do it.”
It’s the rallying cry of the stuck. The folks with half-written plans, downloaded PDFs, maybe even a custom spreadsheet titled “NEW PLAN 2023” sitting untouched in Google Drive gathering e-dust. They have knowledge. Lots of it, even. But knowledge without action is like a map without a journey. Useless, really. Decorative.
I’ve worked with people at every point on the spectrum, and I want to walk you through the three types I see most often. Not as a list of symptoms, but as a portrait of the different ways we get stuck, and where coaching actually matters.
I Don’t Know What to Do…so i’m obviously Not Doing It
These folks are standing at the base of the mountain with no map, no compass, and a vague idea that “fitness” is somewhere up there in the fog. They’re motivated, maybe. Curious, definitely. But they don’t yet have the language or the tools.
The good news? They’re actually easier to help than you might think. They’re blank slates. Eager to learn. They need education, inspiration, and small, frictionless ways to start. Point them toward a few YouTube videos, a couple good books, a newsletter (cough Friday Flex cough), and they start to find traction. Sometimes they just need permission to begin.
And while a coach can help here, it’s not always urgent. Sometimes these people just need exposure to the right ideas at the right time. Give them knowledge, and they may run with it.
i Do Know What to Do and i’m Doing It!
This is the dream. The rare, golden unicorn. The person who has figured out what works and is showing up, day after day, to do it. They eat like adults. They recover like pros. They move like people who love movement. They aren’t perfect, but they’re on the path, and they know how to stay there.
These people don’t really need a coach. At least not in the traditional sense. They need support, community, maybe a little refinement here and there. But the engine is humming. They have their own momentum. A coach for this person is more like a mirror, a sounding board, a trusted second opinion. Someone to help sharpen the blade that’s already cutting clean.
i Know What to Do…i’m just Not Doing It
This, right here, is the paradox. The person who knows exactly what to do. Who has read the books, counted the macros, maybe even has a certification or two tucked away in their desk drawer. And yet… they’re stuck.
They’re not moving. Not eating well. Not sleeping enough. And worst of all, they’re often ashamed of it, because they feel like they should know better.
These are the people who might think they don’t need a coach—because they already have the information. But information without action is like a loaded barbell on the floor. It doesn’t lift itself.
This is where coaching shines. Not because the person is ignorant. Not because they need someone to bark at them. But because coaching is, at its core, about helping people do the thing they already want to do.
A coach helps you turn your good intentions into habits. They provide structure, yes. But they also provide presence. They hold space. They show up. And that alone can make all the difference.
Because let’s be honest: most of us aren’t lone wolves. We don’t thrive in solitude. We need a witness to our effort. Someone to say, “I see you. Keep going.”
So if you’re stuck in that place where the knowledge is there but the follow-through isn’t—you might not need a new plan. You might need a partner.
You might need a coach.
Not forever. Not because you’re broken. But because, like all of us, you were never meant to do this alone.
