How CoachingTrackr was born
How CoachingTrackr was born
A story about how chaos turned into clarity
It was a rainy Tuesday morning—one of those days when the world seems to slow down a little. I sat at my desk, my coffee cup still half full, and looked at what was supposed to be my "system."
- A notebook full of Post-its.
- An Excel list that I hadn't updated in a long time.
- A PDF that I had emailed to myself.
- Three different apps, half of which I no longer wanted to open.
And somewhere in between was a handwritten note with the sentence:
"Clarity for clients begins with clarity for me."
I had to laugh. Because at that moment, everything was anything but clear.
The spark
Later that day, I had a coaching session with a client who was in the middle of a period of change. He said:
"I have so many ideas in my head, but they're flying all over the place. I need something to hold them in place."
I nodded. And as I listened to him, I thought:
"Yes. Me too."
- We coaches guide people through uncertainties, goals, turning points.
- We create structure where there is chaos.
- We provide support.
And yet many of us work with tools that... well... don't necessarily reflect what we teach.
The thought wouldn't leave me.
The night of the decision
That evening, I opened my laptop. I just wanted to look something up quickly. But that thought was back again:
"Why is there no really good tool for coaches?"
A tool that doesn't come from psychotherapy or corporate controlling. One that doesn't overwhelm, but accompanies. One that doesn't force me to push my most sensitive client data onto some server that I don't know will still exist tomorrow.
I leaned back, looked out the window into the rain-soaked night, and suddenly knew:
"If it doesn't exist, then I'll build it."
- Not for the market.
- Not for a business model.
- But first and foremost for myself – and for the clients I work with.
The first steps – small but significant
The first draft consisted of just three things:
- One person, one name, one index card.
- One session, one date, a few notes.
- One feeling: this could work.
It wasn't pretty. Nothing big. But it was real. And it felt like I was finally bringing order back into my head – and my coaching – after a long time.
The first few weeks, I worked at night, on weekends, on the train. Not because I had to, but because I had the feeling:
"This isn't just helping me. It's helping us coaches."
An unexpected obstacle
But then came the moment that stopped me.
I asked myself: "Where do I actually store all this confidential data?"
A coaching client is not just any data record. It is a person who confides in you things they don't tell anyone else.
I couldn't just upload it to a cloud. Not to just any service, not to just any server.
It felt wrong. Almost like a betrayal.
So I did what you have to do in moments like these:
I paused. And I rethought things.
The turning point
I decided that CoachingTrackr had to fulfill one promise—no matter what it took:
"Your client data belongs to you. And only you."
- No tracking.
- No analysis.
- No data sharing.
- No hidden data flows.
When coaches guide people through their darkest, most vulnerable, or most important phases, their data deserves the same:
Respect. Protection. Confidentiality.
Only when this foundation was in place could everything else come into being.
The transformation
What began as a collection of notes slowly became something bigger:
A place where clients came to life — with their goals, sessions, progress. A tool that helped me focus on what matters most: the conversation, the connection, the change.
It was as if I had given myself a piece of mental freedom.
And then something surprising happened:
CoachingTrackr suddenly didn't feel like a tool anymore. It felt like a companion.
Why I'm telling you this
Because I believe you know this feeling:
The longing for a system that doesn't burden you, but empowers you. That supports you instead of distracting you. That values your work—and the people you coach.
CoachingTrackr isn't perfect. It will continue to grow, change, and be shaped by coaches.
But it has a heart. And that heart beats for what coaching really is:
A space where people can develop. And a space that needs clarity and security to do so.
If you're curious
Maybe you'd like to experience for yourself what it feels like when order comes to your coaching world.
You can test CoachingTrackr right now in open beta – free of charge.
👉 Trial version
I welcome any feedback, ideas, and stories from your everyday coaching life. Because in the end, this isn't just my journey.
It's ours.