Goal-oriented coaching meets peer support

Naming Your "Why" ·

Forming a Supportive Network ·

What Gets in Your Way? ·

Knowing What You Don't Know ·

Asking Questions Together ·

What Kind of Plan Do I Need? ·

My Market, My Brand ·

Leverage Strengths to Move Past Financial Fears ·

Putting It All Together ·

Naming Your "Why" · Forming a Supportive Network · What Gets in Your Way? · Knowing What You Don't Know · Asking Questions Together · What Kind of Plan Do I Need? · My Market, My Brand · Leverage Strengths to Move Past Financial Fears · Putting It All Together ·

Designed for support

REcoach is a structured business coaching intervention. It is delivered by certified peer specialists trained in our 12 week curriculum. REcoach is designed to combine our educational resources with the personalized guidance of peer support.

  • Complete a Business Plan: The program is structured to help participants outline and draft a complete business plan. This document is often required for securing funding or Vocational Rehabilitation support.

  • Increase Self-Efficacy: The coaching enhances entrepreneurial self-efficacy, which is the confidence in one's ability to perform specific business tasks.

  • Align with Goals: Coaches help participants align their business goals with their personal values and needs rather than external definitions of success, which improves motivation and performance.

Contact for Access
Contact for Access

  • Evidence-based support

    Participants who used REcoach were significantly more likely to report feeling better able to handle logistics, more connected to other self-employed people, and to report that Reclaiming Employment was helpful in their journey, compared to those who used it on their own.

  • Curriculum Focus

    The weekly modules guide participants through specific stages of business development, starting with "Naming Your Why" (Week 1) and moving through networking, identifying barriers, financial planning, and marketing, culminating in a presentation of their business plan (Week 12).

  • Peer Support Model

    The coach does not provide answers or advice. Coaches are peer business coaches - individuals with lived experience of both mental health challenges and self-employment - who use a non-directive "ask-not-tell" approach to help participants find their own solutions.

  • Goal-Oriented Coaching

    Coaches help you align business goals with individual needs and values (self-concordant goals) rather than external definitions of success. Our trauma-informed approach focuses on mastering specific tasks to build intrinsic motivation and viewing challenges as growth.

Curriculum-Focused Coaching that Supports You

  • REcoach is designed as a 12-week program (plus an orientation week) that guides participants through the "10 Weeks to a Business Plan" course curriculum. The format alternates weekly between two types of interaction:

    • One-on-One Coaching: These 30-minute sessions (60 minutes for the first session) are personalized meetings where the coach and participant review progress on worksheets, address specific barriers, and set individual goals.

    • Group Coaching: These 60-minute sessions focus on social learning, role-playing (e.g., practicing business introductions), and collective problem-solving to build a sense of community and reduce isolation

    All meetings are hosted on Zoom at a coordinated time.

  • Unlike traditional business consulting, REcoach utilizes peer business coaches—individuals with lived experience of both mental health challenges and self-employment. The design relies on specific peer support values:

    • "Ask-Not-Tell": Coaches use a non-directive approach. Instead of giving advice or answers, they ask open-ended questions to help participants research options and determine their own solutions.

    • Shared Power: The relationship is built on mutuality and learning together, rather than a teacher-student dynamic.

    • Lived Experience: Coaches explicitly use their own stories of starting a business to normalize fears, validate difficulties, and model resilience.

  • The design follows a specific sequence intended to move a participant from the "preparation" stage to the "action" stage. Key modules in the coaching guide include:

    • Foundations (Weeks 1–2): Naming the "Why" (Vision/Mission) and forming a support network.

    • Barriers and Information (Weeks 3–4): Identifying internal/external barriers and determining what information is missing (market research).

    • Operations and Marketing (Weeks 5–8): Addressing accounting tools, management structures, and branding strategies.

    • Financials (Week 9): Estimating income, expenses, and cash flow while managing financial fears.

    • Finalization (Weeks 10–12): Assessing confidence, finalizing the written plan, and presenting it to the group.

  • Because the REcoach program includes bi-weekly group meetings, the program starts at designated dates. We will work with you to schedule meeting times that work for everyone.

  • REcoach is delivered as a 12 week program. Your coach may be able to conduct make-up sessions if you miss individual meetings, but not group meetings. However, your coach will email you any material that you missed so that you can be prepared for the next session.