When I started Coaching the G.I.S.T., I had one question: what if the work of personal development didn’t stop when the coaching session ended?
Most coaching happens in an hour on a calendar. You talk, you set goals, you leave with homework — and then life happens. The insight fades. The homework gets lost. By the next session, you’re reconstructing from memory instead of building on what you already started.
That gap between sessions is where most coaching loses its momentum. Not because the coaching was bad, but because there was no structure to hold the thread.
Goals, Ideas, Steps, Tasks
G.I.S.T. stands for Goals, Ideas, Steps, Tasks. It’s the idea that the most important conversations you have are the ones you have with yourself — and that those conversations can be practiced, not just performed.
Originally Gift of Intuitive Self-Talk.
When you organize your thoughts, you relieve stress. When you identify tactical themes in your life, you stop reacting and start choosing. When you set strategic goals with a plan behind them, you stop drifting and start moving with purpose.
None of this is new wisdom. What’s new is the infrastructure to support it between sessions.
Enter the G.I.S.T. Lab
The G.I.S.T. Lab is a private learning environment where the work continues when we’re not on a call. It has four named Spaces:
- Perspective Hygiene — where you learn to interpret information, not just consume it.
- Idea Genesis Lab — where raw ideas become structured plans.
- Systems Thinking Gym — where you learn to see the whole board, not just the piece in front of you.
- Life Strategy Board — the flagship Space, where goals become trackable G.I.S.T. objectives.
Each Space is a square on the board. The board stays with you between sessions and after the engagement ends.
The Chess Metaphor
I learned from the game of chess that having a general plan is crucial. A good plan is essential for decisive action, as well as countermeasures if things go awry. A good plan can rescue you from a bad situation while keeping you focused and organized.
Coaching the G.I.S.T. approaches coaching as studying the game between moves — not playing the game for you. The lab is where you replay positions, test ideas, and prepare your next move. The session is where we read the board together.
What This Blog Is For
This is where I share thinking on coaching, chess metaphors, design thinking, and the practice of organizing your thoughts. It’s not a content marketing funnel. It’s the public-facing layer of a practice that takes reflection seriously.
If you want to go deeper, explore the G.I.S.T. Lab or learn more about the practice.
Warmly,
Eric Jackson