What makes a first consult call feel welcoming, clear, and helpful for both the client and the coach? In this episode, Tracy Johnson talks with Storywork Coach Mallory Redmond about navigating the first conversation, explaining what Storywork coaching is and isn’t, and setting realistic expectations for the work ahead. They share practical questions to ask potential clients, how to recognize when someone may need a different kind of support, and why being clear about scope and boundaries matters. They also explore the importance of discussing session commitments, making the invitation to begin working together, and knowing when a referral is the more caring choice. It’s an honest conversation about building trust, practicing with integrity, and helping clients find the right support for their stories.

Get to know Mallory Redmond and her work in Storywork here: https://www.restory.life/mallory-redmond-storywork

Interested in growing your Storywork practice?
Explore the Storywork Coaching Collective for ongoing training, connection, and support.

https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collective

Learn more about ethical Storywork practice. Explore the Storywork Code of Ethics to better understand the principles that guide our work with clients.

https://www.restorylabs.com/storywork-code-of-ethics-free

Visit www.restory.life for more info!

Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!
Instagram: @storyrestored
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Sometimes the most important part of a conversation is happening before either person says a word.

In this episode of the ReStory Podcast, Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson sit down with Adam Young, host of The Place We Find Ourselves podcast and author of Making Sense of Your Story, to explore attunement, attachment, trauma, and the right-brain-to-right-brain connection that happens through tone, facial expression, presence, and the body. Adam unpacks why attunement goes beyond empathy, why Storywork coaches and therapists need to stay present when difficult emotions surface, and how our own dysregulation can shape what happens in the room. The conversation ultimately brings the work back to self-awareness: before we can truly attune to someone else’s story, we have to become more aware of what is happening inside our own.

Doing Storywork can take you into places that are hard to navigate on your own. The Storywork Coaching Collective brings coaches and practitioners together for ongoing conversation, reflection, and support as you grow in the work. Come be part of a community where you can ask questions, learn from others, and keep sharpening the way you show up for the stories entrusted to you. Learn more about the Storywork Coaching Collective at https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collective.

Visit www.restory.life for more info!

Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!
Instagram: @storyrestored
Facebook: ReStory Counseling
LinkedIn: ReStory Counseling
YouTube: ReStory Counseling

Good intentions don’t keep us from doing harm. In storywork, care can quietly become control, and a desire to help can take away the very agency we’re meant to protect. Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson explore the ethical responsibility of holding someone else’s story, from understanding the limits of our role to navigating power, consent, and the blurred lines between ministry and coaching. They also unpack what it means to recognize when someone needs a different kind of care, and why referring them out can be an act of faithfulness rather than abandonment. Because being trusted with someone’s story is not permission to direct it.

If you’re a Storywork coach, ethics and formation are part of the work too, and our Code of Ethics certification is a foundational step toward practicing with greater awareness, humility, and care, while the Storywork Coaching Collective offers ongoing community, training, and support for practitioners who want to keep growing in this work: https://www.restory.life/storywork-coaching-collective

Visit www.restory.life for more info!

Follow ReStory Counseling on our socials!
Instagram: @storyrestored
Facebook: ReStory Counseling
LinkedIn: ReStory Counseling
YouTube: ReStory Counseling