What is NeuroRelational Coaching™?
In a culture that often rushes to fix and advise, NeuroRelational Coaching™ offers something profoundly different: a coaching experience grounded in safety, presence, and deep connection. This model is where neuroscience meets relational wisdom—inviting coaches and clients alike into lasting, inside-out transformation.
The NeuroRelational Coaching™ Framework is a groundbreaking, neuroscience-informed model designed to guide deep personal transformation through the power of relationship. Built on the belief that lasting change begins with emotional safety and right-brain connection, this faith-friendly approach integrates the latest in brain science, emotional regulation, attachment theory, and positive psychology.
At its heart, NeuroRelational Coaching™ is about presence. It equips coaches to be a calm, compassionate, and attuned presence—someone who helps clients regulate their nervous system, explore their stories, shift old narratives, and take empowered action toward flourishing.
A Relational, Right-Brain-First Approach to Transformation
Unlike many coaching models that begin with cognitive strategies or performance goals, the NeuroRelational Coaching™ Framework begins with the whole person: body, brain, and spirit. It recognizes that people don’t change through pressure—they grow in the context of safety, empathy, and connection.
Drawing on the work of experts like Allan Schore, Stephen Porges, Todd Hall, Jim Wilder, and Curt Thompson, this model leverages the brain’s relational and emotional systems—especially the right hemisphere, which governs intuition, attachment, and nonverbal processing—to unlock meaningful insight and healing.
The Six Core Foundations
The framework rests on six research-based foundations:
Attachment & Relational Connection – Grounded in the science of bonding and trust.
Emotional Regulation & the Nervous System – Based on Polyvagal Theory and co-regulation.
Right-Brain Attunement & Resonance – Using empathy and nonverbal cues for deeper connection.
Whole-Brain Integration – Aligning emotion and logic, past and present, values and actions.
Positive Psychology & Strengths-Based Growth – Fostering joy, purpose, and human flourishing.
Neuroplasticity & Continuous Growth – Harnessing the brain’s ability to change through repeated experience.
The Five Coaching Movements
The foundations flow through five coaching movements:
Connecting & Attuning – Build a safe, attuned relationship that fosters trust and emotional openness.
Regulating & Grounding – Help clients calm their nervous system and return to a centered, present state.
Exploring & Discovering – Invite clients to uncover emotions, stories, and patterns beneath the surface.
Reframing & Visioning – Guide clients to see with fresh perspective and imagine meaningful new possibilities.
Strategizing & Empowering Action – Translate insight into aligned action steps that support lasting change.
The Five Coaching Phases
The five coaching movements are implemented in every session through the phases of the RISE Coaching Model™:
Regulate – Create emotional safety and presence.
Identify – Help clients name their emotions, beliefs, and body states.
Story – Explore how the past is shaping the present.
Engage – Reframe challenges and envision new ways of being.
Empower – Reinforce growth with action steps and sustainable rhythms.
These movements are not rigid steps—they’re dynamic, relational processes that adapt to each client’s needs.
The Coaching Posture: Presence that Transforms
What makes this model unique is not just the theory—it’s the posture. NeuroRelational Coaches cultivate a way of being marked by calm, compassion, curiosity, and hope. They prioritize right-brain connection over left-brain fixing, and they honor each client’s story, values, and (when appropriate) spiritual journey.
Coaching, in this model, becomes more than a conversation—it becomes a space of healing, resilience, and joy.
A Framework for Coaches Who Want to Walk with Others Through Lasting Change
Whether you're a life coach, therapist, ministry leader, or spiritual director, the NeuroRelational Coaching™ Framework gives you the tools, language, and presence to help others thrive—emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. It’s the foundation of our RISE Coaching Model™ and a powerful model for anyone committed to walking with others toward healing and growth.
Ready to Become a Certified Coach?
If you're ready to coach with greater emotional depth, spiritual awareness, and neuroscience-informed tools, the RISE Coach Certification is your next step.
This training journey will equip you to walk with others through transformation—one safe, sacred conversation at a time.
➡️ Explore the Certification Tracks & Enroll Today »
Let’s raise up a generation of coaches who know how to cultivate change where it matters most—in the heart, in the brain, and in relationship.
