The Quiet Power of Doing Nothing

Why Rest, Stillness, and Silence Are Foundational to Transformational Coaching

For me, the most serendipitous moments of insight and inspiration often arrive not when I'm NOT working hard to make something happen, but when I'm doing nothing at all.

That quiet state of being fully alert to myself, the client, and the Great Love that holds us both. The “lounging with intention” that allows us to notice subtle shifts in our clients, is often where real transformation begins.

Some people, especially when first starting out, follow a coaching plan or hold tightly to a structure. It helps them feel professional, organized, and in control. But it can also blind them to what’s actually emerging. The magic of the moment gets muffled under the need to "add value" or “do it right.” The same holds true in life.

When I lived in Kenya, I did my best to learn the wonderful art of "basking," lying in the sun with no agenda, simply enjoying the great outdoors. In France, a spacious time to eat lunch is not a luxury; it’s a way of life, as are long, languid vacations. 

And I think of my time alone in Italy, when I had no choice but to wait, for weeks on end, for administrative checks in my citizenship process. At first, I felt unproductive. Then slowly, under the hazelnut tree in the garden with Jenny the dog, I began to listen. To breathe. To notice. And in that stillness, creativity arrived. Ideas landed. Some of my most amazing courses were downloaded magically into my soul in the quiet.

What science now confirms is something humans have always known intuitively. When we stop striving and allow the mind to rest, the brain shifts into what neuroscientists call the Default Mode Network. This is the state associated with reflection, integration, creativity, and meaning-making. It’s where disparate experiences knit themselves together, and insight often arrives uninvited.

In other words, the brain does some of its most important work when we are not actively trying to make anything happen.

Some of my best thinking has arrived not at a desk, but in a hammock. Some of the most soul-aligned next steps in my business have emerged when I gave myself permission to wander, nap, doodle, or be “lazy.”

And I’ve seen the same with clients: when we create space for silence and not-knowing, something deeper begins to speak.

Key Takeaways

• Some of our most meaningful insights arise not through effort, but through stillness

• Rest is not the opposite of productivity; it is where clarity and creativity are restored

• Silence and spaciousness deepen coaching presence and relational attunement

• When we stop performing, something truer has room to emerge

• A quiet way of being is foundational to transformational coaching, not an add-on

Why this becomes especially clear at the end of the year

I notice this pattern most clearly at this time of year.

As December draws to a close, many people are exhausted. Even those who manage to take time off often carry the momentum of the year in their bodies. The pushing. The striving. The pressure to finish strong, to hold everything together, to not let anything drop.

And yet, this season also offers something rare. Permission to pause.

The question is not whether rest is available. It’s whether we trust it.

Why rest deepens coaching presence

Rest changes how we listen.

When we are rested, our attention widens. We notice breath, pauses, shifts in tone, what is said, and what is not said. We stop listening for what comes next and begin listening for what is true.

In coaching, noticing is everything.

Presence cannot be rushed. Insight cannot be forced. Silence is not empty time. It is a living field of information.

When we slow down enough, something wiser than our strategies takes the lead.

You might also appreciate my reflection on self-directed love and the quiet bravery of acting in your own best interest, in The Radical Act of Loving Yourself.

Stillness and silence as the foundation of transformation

Silence plays such a central role in the coaching we teach at Awaken.

In fact, our class entitled Silence in Coaching is one of my favorites in our All-in-One Coach Certification program. It is often the moment when everything shifts.

I have watched participants, especially on our Spain cohort, come to tears as they sit in silence and unexpectedly meet themselves. Not their roles. Not their responsibilities. But the quieter, truer voice underneath all of that.

Silence invites communion. With yourself. With the client. With what wants to emerge.

From that place, transformation unfolds naturally.

I explore this way of coaching more deeply in the video What Is Transformational Coaching? Becoming an Aligned Coach, part of our Coaching Mastery and Growth series. In it, I speak about how alignment, presence, and inner wholeness create the conditions for change to emerge naturally, without force or performance.

An end-of-year reflection

As this year comes to a close, I find myself returning to one simple question:

What is waiting to be heard in the quiet?

What about you? Would you be willing to see what insight might arrive if you stop trying to make something happen?

What truth is already present, just waiting for enough space to speak?

How this lives inside our coach training

At Awaken Coach Institute, we train coaches to listen at this depth.

Our ICF-accredited coach certification pathways, offered virtually and in person in Spain, are designed for people who sense that real change begins with presence, not performance. We teach professional coaching skills alongside the inner capacities that make those skills effective: steadiness, curiosity, compassion, and trust.

Because coaching is not something you do to people. It is something you practice becoming.

A gentle invitation

If you are longing for a space where this kind of listening and inner leadership can be practiced slowly, safely, and in community, you may feel drawn to our in-person coach training retreat in Spain.

Once a year, no more than twelve people from around the world gather with us on the Camino de Santiago. Together, we practice presence in real time, supported by nature, spaciousness, and community. Participants learn and practice ICF-accredited coaching skills while reconnecting with their own clarity, self-trust, and alignment.

If you’re curious, we invite you to join one of our live Q&A conversations. It’s a gentle way to experience our approach and explore which pathway might support your next season of growth.

About the Author

Christi Byerly, MCC, is the founder and CEO of Awaken Coach Institute. Her coaching process motivates you to build a community of empathy and grace around you, and to live your mission as part of something bigger than you are. With over 15 years of coaching experience, Christi has trained hundreds of new coaches and maintains a thriving practice focused on depth, presence, and authentic transformation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “the quiet power of doing nothing” actually mean?

It means creating enough internal and external space for insight, integration, and truth to emerge naturally. Doing nothing is not disengagement. It is a form of trust. It is the willingness to stop pushing long enough to listen, and to discover that something wiser is already speaking.

In coaching and in life, this quiet state often allows clarity to arise without force.

Why is rest so important for transformational coaching?

Because transformation requires integration, not just action. When a coach is rested and regulated, they are more capable of deep listening, subtle attunement, and spacious presence.

Rest allows the coach to respond from clarity rather than effort, which is essential for transformational coaching rather than transactional change.

What happens in the brain when we rest or sit in silence?

When we rest, daydream, or allow silence, the brain activates the Default Mode Network. This network supports reflection, creativity, emotional processing, and meaning-making.

Research shows that many insights and breakthroughs occur when the brain is not task-focused. In other words, the brain does some of its most important work when we stop trying to make something happen.

How does silence support insight and clarity?

Silence creates room for inner awareness. Without the pressure to respond or perform, people can sense what is true for them beneath habit, expectation, or urgency.

In coaching, silence is not empty space. It is a living field where insight often arrives uninvited and unforced.

Is this approach spiritual or practical?

Both. True spirituality is the most practical force in the world.

Rest, silence, and presence are deeply practical. They support emotional regulation, clarity, creativity, and decision-making. At the same time, they connect us to meaning, purpose, and inner alignment.

At Awaken, we understand spirituality as a co-creative relationship with life itself. Not doctrine or belief, but an ongoing dialogue between inner wisdom and outer action. Our programs are grounded in ICF competencies while honoring the deeper dimensions of being human.

How do coaches learn to work skillfully with silence?

Through practice, not performance.

In Awaken’s ICF-accredited coach certification programs, silence is taught as an embodied capacity rather than a technique. Coaches learn to stay grounded, present, and connected while allowing space for what wants to emerge, both in their clients and in themselves.

Who is this approach to coaching for?

Our transformational approach is for people who sense that real change begins with presence, not pressure.

Presence-filled coaching resonates with those who want to work at depth, who value integration over urgency, and who believe that transformation unfolds most powerfully when people feel safe, seen, and unhurried.