Module 5: Interpreting a Check-In

Your job is to listen with all your senses, read between the lines, and guide them toward their goal. Coaching isn't about solving other people's problems. It's about creating an environment where they can learn and grow.

Start with the lens question

Read "Overall, how has your week been?" first. It's open-ended on purpose, and it tells you how they're doing emotionally. Everything else in the check-in gets read through that lens.

A one-word "good" tells you something too. If the week had been great, they'd have more to say.

Label it before you read on

A trick borrowed from a psychologist: before you touch the numbers, label the check-in with an emoji. How does this person feel right now? Put yourself in their shoes, and acknowledge that they're trying their hardest.

A person, not a number

When you're coaching a lot of clients, it's easy to start seeing check-ins as numbers. That's the last thing you want. The moment you stop treating a check-in like a conversation with a real human who's trying their hardest, the chance they cancel goes up.

Reading between the lines

Watch for the signs a client is struggling or holding something back:

• Short answers where they used to write paragraphs
• Missing data: no photos, no weight, skipped questions
• "All good" with no detail, especially when the numbers disagree
• A mood or stress score that's dropped, or a life stressor mentioned in passing
• Mismatches: "followed the plan" but the scale and photos say otherwise
• Nothing in the wins box

None of these are accusations. They're prompts to ask a warm, curious question.

The read order

flowchart LR
    A[How was<br/>your week?] --> B[Wins and<br/>personal news] --> C[Adherence:<br/>food, steps, training] --> D[Progress: trend,<br/>photos, lifts] --> E[Recovery: sleep,<br/>stress, hunger] --> F[Decide:<br/>hold or adjust]

1. The lens. How was their week, and how do they feel?
2. Wins and personal news. Note anything to celebrate or acknowledge.
3. Adherence. Steps, sessions and the meal plan, and the reasons behind any misses.
4. Progress. Weight trend (not one weigh-in), photos over time, and the training log.
5. Recovery. Sleep, stress, hunger, soreness, digestion.
6. Decide. Are they progressing? Are they happy? (Module 1.) If yes, hold. If no, find the main issue first (Module 6).

Read the whole thing before you decide anything. Coaches who write before they read produce noise.

How long should it take?

There's no fixed time limit. Take the time you need to read it properly. The feedback video itself usually lands at 5–8 minutes (5.7).