Insight #9: The impact of coaching support on Interiority and Motivation can be long-lasting, encouraging women to take charge in creating stability in their lives. When an organic social network isn’t strong in the women’s lives, coaching support becomes even more crucial.

The hidden impact of poverty erodes confidence, future planning and decision-making skills. Social support is what provides a safety net for lower income women to seek strength from and address their problems. These social support can be family members whom women depend on for caregiving, friends who provide a listening ear in harder times, and/or a coach who encourages women to try something new or different that benefits them – such as starting a new physical activity, addressing issues with a partner, starting a savings habit, or seeking care for a long-standing health issue (see Faith’s story).

When social support doesn’t already exist, coaching support becomes more crucial. A client-led and empowerment-driven coaching support can help to fill this gap by (i) holding space for vulnerability as coaches journey with the women, (ii) creating opportunities for positive identity and self-efficacy development, and (iii) guiding women in prioritization and problem-solving which helped women focus and strategise their stretched time and resources more effectively.