You know how, when you buy a blue car, all of a sudden you see all the blue cars on the road? Apparently this phenomenon has a name, it’s the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency illusion. It occurs when something you've just noticed or learned about suddenly seems to appear everywhere. It's not that the thing is actually more common, but rather that your awareness of it has increased, making it more noticeable.

THIS IS MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. (No, I didn’t buy a blue car, but I've always WANTED a blue car.) I’m halfway through my Gestalt coaching certification, and I’m drowning in Gestalt - reading books, listening to podcasts, applying principles to my own life. It’s like I’ve been handed a pair of Gestalt-tinted glasses, and now it’s all I see or hear anymore.

Case in point: Have you seen the movie Sing 2? LOVE IT. There’s a scene where Ash is playing acoustic guitar on the front porch of Clay Calloway’s house, and she’s singing the U2 song “One”, and she gets to this lyric:

We rewatched this movie as a family the other night and this line hit me hard (OOH LOOK, A BLUE CAR) because that's Gestalt coaching in a nutshell. It's all about being present, aware, and not getting stuck in the past. And let's be honest, who doesn't need a little help with that?

So, I thought I’d do a little brain dump here about Gestalt coaching—sort of like playing that song stuck in your head on repeat, hoping it’ll finally stop looping. Maybe if I get it all out, I'll stop annoying my family with Gestalt-inspired interpretations of kids' movies?

What is Gestalt Coaching? What is Coaching?

Okay, wait. Before I get into the philosophy of Gestalt coaching, let me backup and first explain what coaching even is, because honestly, I had to figure this out myself.

Imagine having a personal cheerleader who's just as invested in your goals as you are. That's a coach. They're not there to give you answers or tell you what to do (we've all had enough of that, right?). Instead, they help you figure things out for yourself through guided questions and active listening. You’re the expert on you; a coach is just there to shine a spotlight on the places where you might be stuck in old patterns or unhelpful behaviors.

There are different types of coaching depending on what you want out of it, and one of my new favorite books, The Fertile Void: Gestalt Coaching at Work, breaks it down like this: Skills, Performance, Developmental, and Existential. There’s some overlap, but here’s the gist:

• Skills and Performance coaching are action-packed and solution-based, focused on learning new skills and changing specific behaviors.
• Developmental and Existential coaching is where the magic happens—it's more about the whole person, including values and core beliefs. It’s about being rather than just doing, aiming for clarity and awareness over checking off a to-do list.

All these coaching types have their place in both business and life, but I’m especially drawn to Developmental and Existential coaching—and guess what? Gestalt fits perfectly into both.

What is Gestalt Coaching?

Okay, so what makes Gestalt so special? (First of how, how do you actually SAY it? It's pronounced Gesh-talt.) Gestalt coaching is rooted in the psychological approach of Gestalt therapy, which sounds intimidating but is really just a fancy way of saying "understanding yourself in relation to the world around you." At its core, it's about developing awareness. Unlike other coaching methods that might focus solely on goals or future outcomes, Gestalt coaching zeroes in on the here and now—how you're feeling, thinking, and acting in this very moment.

In fact, the reason I chose to get certified as a Gestalt coach is because of this emphasis on the present moment. It aligns perfectly with my 20+ years as a yoga practitioner and teacher. I love sessions with coaching clients where we can get curious about what’s going on in the body and mind WITHOUT JUDGMENT, which is basically yoga. And let's be real, who couldn't use a little more of that in their life?

Gestalt is also about wholeness. It sees individuals as complete people where thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and their environment are interconnected. This holistic perspective emphasizes that true growth and change come from recognizing and integrating all parts of oneself, rather than dealing with them in isolation.

This emphasis on wholeness in Gestalt coaching overlaps nicely with the insights I gained during my MA in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice. In that program, I learned how to spot when the biased systems like patriarchy, capitalism, white supremacy, and more, are showing up to shape our lives and experiences. As a coach, this means I can help clients notice those sneaky societal expectations, limiting beliefs, and old patterns that keep people playing small—the real reasons why a mom feels guilty for making chicken nuggets for dinner, why a male manager struggles with empathy, or why a community leader battles imposter syndrome—and help them find a truer sense of self.

Gestalt Coaching in Action

Picture this: You’re at the crossroads of a tough decision. Instead of defaulting to the same old, same old, or going with your gut (which, let's be honest, can sometimes be a bit questionable), you hit pause. You take a moment to check in with yourself—how are you feeling in your body? What's your inner critic saying? Are you letting fear or societal expectations call the shots instead of your values? How will your decision ripple through your team, your family, and your community?

It’s like stepping back and zooming out to see the whole YOU—and once you have all this information, you can make a decision that’s not just practical but feels like a perfect fit for your authentic self.

DOESN’T THAT SOUND AWESOME?? I think so.

More Gestalt to Come

In the next few issues, I’m going to dig into some of the principles I’m learning in Gestalt coaching, like the flow of continuous experience, the paradoxical nature of change, experimentation, bodywork, somatic resonance, and so much more. I’m a learning geek, and I’m learning SO MUCH. Thanks for being here to let me share I’m learning with you in real time.

Let me know if anything in this explanation of coaching resonated with you—I’d love to hear what you think! And who knows? Maybe now that you’ve got Gestalt on the brain, you’ll start noticing it everywhere too—just like those blue cars on the road.

In solidarity,

Susie Fishleder | She/Her | www.susiefishleder.com​

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