One-on-one coaching

Break up with unwanted habits—for good

If it feels like your life is spinning in circles, let’s make changes that actually stick.

No matter what you’re doing too much of, I can support you with one-on-one coaching (and warmth, compassion, and humor along the way).

Let’s find your balance and sense of peaceful well-being again.

  • “Michael is an excellent listener who shows great empathy, compassion, and genuine interest. I never felt judged or uncomfortable opening up to him. I felt confident that he could handle any issue that might arise in our sessions, giving me a true sense of security. In the end, I came away feeling relieved and trusting in myself.”

    -Marcus

  • “Michael meets you where you are and lets you set the agenda for what you want to discuss or work on. He establishes a comfortable and non-threatening environment, listens, and draws out information and new perspectives that I would not have thought of myself. He helps me to focus on the present.”

    -CC

  • "Michael's energy is incredible! You can feel his care and that he 'gets you' and is always rooting for you. I always felt better and like I had more direction after a coaching session with him."

    -Beth T

You tell yourself over and over, “That’s it. I’m never doing this again!”

And then you do it again.

On the surface, you seem to have it all together. But inside, you’re struggling mightily and unsure what to do.

You also feel a tangled web of emotions like guilt, shame, and fear when you think about where you’ll end up if you continue down this slippery slope.

The stress and disappointment of letting yourself down is crushing.

You ask yourself, “Why can’t I beat this?”

I’ve been there too. And there IS a way forward.

Michael Leeser of Open Vistas Coaching in front of tall buildings in Chicago

What if …

you’re not broken?

What if nothing’s wrong with you?

Your brain is wired to be a habit machine–it’s doing what it was designed to do!

Through one-on-one coaching, let’s explore the behind-the-scenes reasons you’re stuck on this particular habit—and take steps toward getting you unstuck.

In our one-on-one coaching sessions, I’ll bring compassion, non-judgment, deep listening, and curiosity.

We’ll make some surprising discoveries together in a safe space. And when we do, your problem won’t look as solid as before.

How one-on-one coaching works

While every client’s experience is unique, here’s how the process typically goes:

  • We’ll start with a free one-hour discovery call over Zoom so we can learn more about each other. I’ll ask about your struggles and what you’d like to accomplish, and you can ask me any questions you have about how coaching works.

  • You set the agenda. A typical coaching session (also on Zoom) focuses on whatever is coming up most urgently for you, which might be a specific stumbling block or situation.

  • I’ll ask questions to prompt deeper reflection—and then we’ll see what opens up and evaluate possible ways of moving forward.

  • Sessions generally end with some takeaways or practical actions to take before the next session.

  • We’ll revisit your original objectives before wrapping up each session or bundle to assess how much progress we’ve made toward your goals.

One-on-one coaching is available as individual sessions or packages:

  • orange poppy against a blue sky

    Individual one-hour sessions

    Try it out! Get 1-2 sessions and we can see how it goes. Inquire about pricing.

  • close-up of a field of orange Calilfornia poppies

    Four-session bundle

    Four sessions is great for getting back on track. Inquire about pricing.

  • A vast meadow of orange wildflowers with mountains in the distance and a cloud streaked blue sky above

    Eight-session bundle

    Eight sessions is optimal for setting out on a new path. Inquire about pricing.

Book A Free One-Hour Discovery Call

FAQs

  • I take your lead in discovering what’s keeping you stuck. I want to help you see what the issues are and to gain clarity, to understand it’s not your fault, and that nobody decides to ruin their health and relationships… It’s very client-led; fundamentally, we all have a lot in common and have a lot of the same fears and worries and misunderstandings, but we’re all at different places in our journey. I meet you on that journey.

  • Coaching is different from therapy and is not a replacement for it; though many clients have success doing therapy and coaching simultaneously. Whereas therapy focuses on how your past is affecting your present, coaching looks at how your present can influence your future. As your coach, I co-create the coaching experience with you, as your equal, collaborating to create an action plan. Rather than sending you down a path of treatment for a diagnosed problem, I’ll be empowering you to come up with an action plan to get you closer to where you’d like to be.

  • I recommend shopping around to find someone who is going to be the best fit. Most coaches offer a free discovery call. On our call, I’ll give you a sense of what our sessions might be like. Hopefully you’ll come away feeling that it would be helpful to keep exploring this and go deeper. (And, of course, no hard feelings if we’re not a good fit for any reason!)

  • The best way to start to explore coaching is to set up a free, one-hour discovery call. During this conversation, you can see how you feel meeting with me (and any other coach you chat with) and whether it’s a good fit. You can also get any questions answered about how coaching works and what to expect. If you decide to move forward, you could start with a single session and go from there.

  • The impact that coaching has had on many people is incredibly positive, some might say priceless. But there are no guarantees. You have my commitment to use my training to the best of my ability to bring you lasting results. It’s definitely more economical than continuing with a habit that’s costing you in all kinds of ways.

Still have questions? Feel free to email them to me!

Ready to get in touch?

  • "I was working on getting my business off the ground and addressing some limiting beliefs about how it "should" be going. Michael helped me let go of what was holding me back--I came away with more clarity and a better sense of purpose."

    -Beth T