Why AI can’t replace the power of embodied coaching

There’s a lot of noise at the moment about AI in coaching. New tools are popping up daily - chatbots that offer reflective questions, apps that track your goals and mood, virtual companions that promise to coach you through your toughest moments. I get the appeal - it offers a lower barrier to entry, removes any initial awkward human interactions, and you can do it anytime, anywhere.

However, if we think coaching can be replaced by AI, we are fundamentally misunderstanding what coaching is.

Because coaching isn’t just about the words we say. It’s not a list of prompts or even a particularly insightful reframe. At its best, coaching is a relational, embodied process that draws on far more than intellect. It’s deeply human, and that’s something technology, for all its strengths, simply can’t replicate.

More than words

I work with a Gestalt approach in my coaching, which places the relationship between coach and coachee at the centre of the process. I pay attention to the whole person - how someone speaks, how they sit, how they breathe, the rhythm of their words, the pauses between them...

When I’m in a coaching session, I’m listening, not only to what's being said but also to:

• what’s not being said
• the body language that accompanies a particular statement
• how I feel in my own body in response to what’s being shared

That last one might sound strange at first. Why would a coach pay attention to their body in a session that’s meant to be about the client? But here’s the thing. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive instruments. Often, I’ll notice a tightness in my chest or a subtle leaning back in my posture when a client is talking. It’s not about me, but it gives me valuable information about what’s happening in the relational space.

Sometimes that embodied response helps me name something the coachee hasn’t quite put into words yet. Other times, it mirrors something they are just beginning to sense themselves.

This kind of attunement can’t be automated. You can’t script it or teach it to an algorithm. It comes from being fully present, from years of practice in noticing subtle shifts, and from trusting the body as a source of knowing.

The body speaks one language

I speak two languages fluently. And I’ve noticed something interesting over the years. When I describe a situation in one language versus the other, the tone often shifts. The framing changes. Sometimes, even the emotional emphasis is different.

Language carries so much with it - our culture, our education, our habits of thought. It’s shaped by the environments we’ve grown up in, the people we’ve spent time with, even the professional spaces we occupy.

But the body? The body speaks one language. It doesn’t get caught up in translation. It doesn’t filter or edit for politeness or professionalism. It just responds. Honestly, and often immediately.

If we only pay attention to what’s being said, we risk missing the deeper truth. And in a world increasingly driven by text, short-form communication and AI-generated scripts, this kind of embodied awareness is more important than ever.

The human advantage

Coaching isn’t a transaction. It’s a relationship. It’s an invitation to slow down, to notice, to reflect. To reflect not just on our thoughts, but on how we are in the world.

When I sit with a coachee, I’m not just listening to their goals or challenges. I’m paying attention to how they hold themselves when they speak about their work. I’m noticing the light in their eyes when they mention a dream they’ve buried for years. I’m feeling into the silence that follows a difficult realisation.

These moments are where real transformation happens. They don’t come from a script. They come from presence.