Aphantasia Academy โ Coaching Masterclass
When Coaching Models Don't Fit Every Mind
"The goal isn't to change the client's mind. It's to change how we meet it."
A practical masterclass for coaches who want to understand invisible cognitive differences, adapt their methods ethically, and offer more inclusive support to every client they work with.
Watch the masterclass โ ยฃ11.99Instant access ยท Watch at your own pace
For coaches, practitioners and wellbeing professionals committed to ethical, inclusive practice.
The problem
The coaching tools we rely on aren't always neutral
Many coaching models assume clients can visualise goals, hear an inner voice, reflect on past experiences, identify emotions clearly, or access memories in a particular way, but not every mind works like that.
- Visualise your future.
- Listen to your inner voice.
- Think back to a time you succeeded.
- Notice what you feel.
These are familiar coaching prompts. They're used inside goal-setting, reflective practice, emotional intelligence work, values exploration, confidence work and many established coaching models.
But they all rely on something we don't always stop to question: that the client can access imagery, inner dialogue, autobiographical memory or emotional identification in the way the method expects.
For some clients, they can't.
That doesn't mean they're resistant.
It doesn't mean they're unmotivated.
It doesn't mean the coaching isn't working.
It may mean the method and the mind are mismatched.
This is what the masterclass calls the "misattunement trap" where a coach may interpret hesitation as avoidance or resistance when the real issue is a mismatch between a technique and the client's cognitive style.
Who this is for
This masterclass is for you if you are a coach who:
- cares about ethical and inclusive practice
- wants to understand cognitive differences that may be invisible in the coaching room
- uses visualisation, reflective questioning, emotional awareness, values work, future-self exercises or past-success prompts
- wants to recognise when a technique may not fit the client in front of you
- is committed to adapting your practice without abandoning the models you already use
- wants to create coaching spaces where more clients can access the work
This is not about throwing your training in the bin, dramatic little bonfire and all.
It's about becoming more precise, more attuned, and more able to notice when a standard tool needs translating.
What's inside
Inside When Coaching Models Don't Fit Every Mind, you'll learn:
01
The hidden assumptions inside common coaching tools
How many approaches assume clients can visualise, hear an inner voice, vividly recall past experiences and identify emotions with ease โ and how this links to models like GROW, solution-focused coaching and emotional intelligence frameworks.
02
An introduction to invisible cognitive differences
The basics of aphantasia, anendophasia, SDAM and alexithymia โ including how they can show up in coaching conversations.
03
Why "resistance" may not be resistance
How a client's response may be misunderstood when a coach assumes their inner world works in the same way as their own.
04
Practical adaptations for your coaching practice
How to shift from visualising to describing, from inner dialogue to external processing, from reliving memories to using present evidence, and from emotion identification to more accessible routes into awareness.
05
A simple framework for inclusive coaching
The Notice, Choose, Fit approach: notice your assumptions, choose an appropriate method, and fit the technique to the client rather than expecting the client to fit the technique.
Why this matters
Inclusive coaching isn't about collecting more and more tools until your toolkit needs its own postcode.
It's about knowing when the tool you're using depends on a specific cognitive ability, and being able to adapt when that ability isn't available to the client.
"Inclusive coaching is not about having more tools. It's about knowing how to translate the ones you already have."
Not "you're doing it wrong."
More: you already care about doing this well. This training helps you see what you may not have been taught to look for.
About your trainer
Sassy Smith
Founder, Aphantasia Academy Ltd ยท EMCC UK Member
Sassy Smith is the founder of Aphantasia Academy Limited and provides specialist training for coaches, therapists, counsellors, educators and wellbeing professionals.
She brings over 30 years' experience across public and private sectors, is a qualified coach and member of EMCC UK, and brings both professional and lived experience to this work as someone with multisensory aphantasia, SDAM, anendophasia, anauralia and alexithymia.
Your outcomes
By the end of the masterclass, you'll have:
- a clearer understanding of invisible cognitive differences and how they can affect coaching
- more awareness of the assumptions built into common coaching tools
- language for recognising possible misattunement
- practical adaptations you can begin using in your work
- a more inclusive lens for supervision, reflection and client conversations
- a simple way to think about fitting the method to the mind in front of you
Questions
A few things coaches often ask
Is this only for coaches who work with neurodivergent clients?
No. This is for any coach who wants to understand how invisible cognitive differences may shape a client's experience, whether or not the client has a diagnosis or language for it.
Do I need specialist therapeutic training to attend?
No. This masterclass is designed to build awareness and practical understanding for coaches and practitioners. No prior knowledge of aphantasia, SDAM, anendophasia or alexithymia is needed before joining โ you'll be guided through the key concepts clearly and practically, with examples that connect directly to coaching practice.
Will this replace the coaching models I already use?
No. The aim is to help you notice where a model may assume imagery, inner speech, emotional identification or autobiographical recall, then adapt your approach where needed. You are not being asked to abandon anything โ you are being invited to use it more precisely.
Ready to make your coaching more inclusive?
If you are committed to ethical, thoughtful, client-centred practice, this masterclass will help you see the parts of coaching that often go unquestioned.
Not so you can throw away what you know.
So you can use it better.
