Taming the Gremlins! Overcoming Self-Doubt, Internal Chatter and the Inner Critic Through Supervision

There’s a moment most coaches will recognise—when the client logs off, the Zoom room closes, and a small voice begins to rise:

• “Did I do enough?”
• “Should I have asked that question differently?”
• “What if they didn’t find it helpful?”

These voices—persistent, critical, sometimes devastating—are the inner gremlins. They can take the form of self-doubt, comparison, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, or an overwhelming desire to be “good” at coaching. Left unchecked, they gnaw away at confidence and can quietly drain the vitality from our work.

Despite how common they are, coaches often carry these thoughts alone. And yet, just as we help clients meet their inner critics with curiosity and compassion, so too must we learn to befriend our own. This is where supervision becomes a vital and restorative ally.

Meeting the Gremlins in Supervision

The power of supervision lies in its ability to create a space where the unspoken can be voiced—and the unheard can be listened to. It offers a pause in the rhythm of practice where the coach is no longer the holding space for others, but is instead held themselves.

In supervision, the gremlins can be:

• Named – What does this voice say? When does it appear? Whose voice does it resemble?

• Contextualised – Is this inner dialogue echoing a personal story, a training experience, a professional standard, or even societal expectation?

• Befriended – What is this gremlin trying to protect the coach from? Might there be a gift in its concern?

Rather than silencing the gremlins, supervision helps coaches to develop a new relationship with them—one in which their presence can be acknowledged without being obeyed.

Bringing in the Whole Self

Sometimes the gremlin is an echo from childhood, whispering of not being clever enough, competent enough, or successful enough. Sometimes it’s a professional echo—of never quite feeling like a “real” coach, or of fearing judgement from peers or clients.

The danger comes when these voices begin to dictate behaviour: second-guessing interventions, avoiding challenge, over-coaching, over-researching, or seeking reassurance instead of trusting instinct.

A skilled supervisor helps the coach explore where these voices originate and how they show up in the coaching space. They may use tools like:

• Gestalt chair work to externalise and dialogue with the gremlin

• Somatic reflection to notice how the gremlin manifests in the body

• Systemic mapping to locate the voice within broader life or professional systems

• Metaphor to transform the gremlin into something more playful or manageable

Through these practices, the coach can begin to step into a fuller, freer version of themselves—no longer at the mercy of the internal narrative.

Restoring the Coach’s Sense of Self

Supervision doesn’t erase the gremlins, but it can profoundly alter their impact. By holding them up to the light with warmth, humour, and honesty, the coach learns to hear them without believing them.

This is restorative work.

It re-centres the coach in their own story—not one dictated by comparison, fear, or perfectionism, but by presence, trust, and enoughness.

It is a space in which the coach can remember their value, feel their confidence return, and reconnect with the love of the work.

Why It Matters

When gremlins go unexamined, they don’t just affect the coach—they shape the coaching.

They influence which topics are explored, how boldly questions are asked, and how deeply trust can be built. They narrow the range of possibility. But when the gremlins are seen for what they are—old fears masquerading as wisdom—the coach is freed to show up with courage, creativity, and authentic presence.

Supervision helps tame the gremlins. Not by fighting them, but by listening—then choosing something truer.