From People Pleasing to Purpose: Confidential, Ethical Coaching with Antonia Medeiros
Antonia Medeiros is an executive life and empowerment coach, speaker, author, and facilitator who has built a career around one powerful idea: our lives are stories, and we can learn to write better chapters. In this episode of the True North Compliance Podcast, I sit down with Antonia to explore what coaching really is, how it differs from therapy, and why it can be such an effective tool for people who feel stuck or out of alignment with their own definition of success.
Antonia began her professional life as a journalist and communications professional, capturing and crafting stories for others. Over time, becoming a mother, writing a book, and listening deeply to people around her led her toward coaching. She realized she could help people create their own life stories with more intention—especially at key turning points such as midlife, divorce, job loss, or major career transitions.
In our conversation, Antonia explains the difference between coaching and therapy in clear, practical terms. Therapy often focuses on healing past trauma and deep patterns that are best handled by trained mental health professionals. Coaching, on the other hand, is future-focused and action-oriented. A coach asks powerful questions, helps you see your patterns, and supports you in designing and taking the next steps that fit who you truly are now.
We also talk about regulation and ethics in the coaching world. Antonia shares the role of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), which sets standards, certifies training programs, and provides a code of ethics that professional coaches are expected to follow. That includes strict confidentiality—especially important when coaching is paid for by an employer, or when sensitive personal issues come up in sessions.
Another key theme of the episode is sustainability. Antonia is clear that she is not interested in quick fixes. She prefers to work with clients over at least six months, giving them time to move through the initial excitement of change, hit the inevitable resistance, and then learn how to keep going in a more grounded way. Her goal is for clients to become independent, not dependent on her.
We also dive into people pleasing and boundaries, a common reason clients seek her out. Antonia describes how many people have spent years putting everyone else first, to the point that they no longer know what they want for themselves. Coaching, done well, is a space where they can safely pause, think, and rebuild a sense of self and agency.
If you are curious about coaching, wondering whether it is for you, or trying to understand how it fits alongside therapy, this episode will give you a thoughtful, honest look behind the scenes. You can reach Antonia Medeiros through her www.AntoniaMedeiros.com website or on LinkedIn. You can listen to this episode of the True North Compliance Podcast on most podcast apps, or below.
