Beyond GROW: Evolving Coaching for Deeper Transformation

In my first blog, I wrote about the gap that so many coaches feel: the moments when a conversation goes beyond goals and actions, yet not into therapy. I introduced Positive Psychology Coaching as a way to work in that space, giving us a framework to address mindset, emotion, and identity safely and ethically.

This second piece builds on that conversation. If Blog 1 was about the “why,” this one is about the “how.” And to explore the “how,” we need to start with one of the most popular coaching frameworks out there: GROW.

Why GROW still matters

Most of us know the GROW model inside out. It gives structure to coaching conversations:

• Goal: What do you want?
• Reality: Where are you now?
• Options: What could you do?
• Will (or Way Forward): What will you commit to?

It’s elegant in its simplicity and hugely effective, particularly for performance-focused coaching. For many coaches and clients, it provides clarity and momentum.

But simplicity has its limits.

When GROW isn’t enough

You’ve probably experienced it yourself. A client leaves with a clear plan, only to return the next week having taken no action. Or they keep circling around the same challenge despite exploring plenty of options.

In those moments, you can sense something deeper is holding them back. It’s rarely a lack of willpower or imagination. More often it’s a question of mindset:

• Do they actually believe they’re capable?
• Do they trust that setbacks can be overcome?
• Do they feel hopeful that change is possible?
• Do they have a future-oriented story that fuels action rather than drains it?

Traditional GROW doesn’t explicitly tackle those questions. Which means we risk staying on the surface when the real shift lies underneath.

Enter Psychological Capital (PsyCap)

This is where Positive Psychology Coaching comes into its own — and specifically, where the concept of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) becomes so useful.

Developed by Fred Luthans and colleagues, PsyCap describes four inner resources that predict performance, wellbeing, and resilience. Together they form the HERO framework:

• Hope: The motivation to pursue goals, combined with pathways thinking (finding different ways forward).
• Efficacy: A strong belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific tasks or challenges.
• Resilience: The capacity to bounce back, adapt, and grow stronger through adversity.
• Optimism: A realistic confidence in positive future outcomes, even when facing obstacles.

These aren’t fluffy traits. They’re measurable, developable psychological resources, with decades of research behind them. And they give us exactly the language we need when clients are stuck.

Evolving GROW with PsyCap

So what happens when you bring PsyCap into the GROW model?

It shifts the focus from actions alone to the mindset that makes those actions sustainable.

• Goal → Hope. Beyond setting an outcome, we explore how hopeful the client feels about achieving it, and what fuels that sense of possibility.
• Reality → Efficacy. Beyond describing the situation, we look at where the client feels confident and capable, and where that belief needs strengthening.
• Options → Resilience. Beyond brainstorming ideas, we explore how the client adapts and recovers when Plan A doesn’t work, and how they can draw on strengths to keep going.
• Way Forward → Optimism. Beyond listing next steps, we examine how the client frames the journey ahead: do they expect failure, or do they see setbacks as part of a larger story of growth?

The structure of GROW remains, but the quality of the conversation changes. Suddenly it’s not just about what the client will do, but about who they’re becoming in the process.

Why this matters for coaching practice

Bringing PsyCap into coaching does three important things:

1. It deepens insight. Clients start to recognise not only what they want to do, but also how their beliefs and mindset shape their progress.
2. It builds resources. By strengthening hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, clients leave sessions not just with an action plan but with the inner capacity to follow through.
3. It keeps coaching safe. Rather than drifting into therapeutic territory, you stay firmly within evidence-based coaching practices, grounded in strengths and future possibilities.

This is how Positive Psychology Coaching bridges the space between structure and transformation. It honours the best of what coaching already offers, while adding the psychological depth that makes change last.

From structure to transformation

When coaches first learn GROW, it’s a revelation. It provides clarity and flow to conversations. But as you and your clients grow, there often comes a time when GROW alone isn’t enough.

That’s not a failure of the model. It’s a sign that you’re ready to expand your practice.

Positive Psychology Coaching, and particularly PsyCap, offers that expansion. It takes coaching beyond surface-level plans and into the mindset and meaning that make those plans real.

Your next step

If the last blog sparked curiosity about working with psychology in coaching, this piece is your invitation to go deeper.

You could start by taking the short quiz to see where you are now in your practice (link below). But the best way to experience this in action is to join my free masterclass:

GROW Beyond: The Psychology-Based Upgrade Your Coaching Needs

In this session I’ll show you:

• Why GROW works — and where it reaches its limits
• How PsyCap can be integrated step by step into coaching conversations
• Practical tools you can use immediately to deepen your work without crossing boundaries

If you’ve ever sensed that your coaching could go further, this is your opportunity to see how.

You can access the free on-demand GROW Beyond masterclass now by clicking on the link below.

You'll learn that when coaching goes beyond structure and taps into hope, resilience, confidence, and optimism, it moves from plans to transformation. And that’s where the real breakthroughs happen.