Linda Hannigan wasn’t looking for coaching. She was looking for a calling that fit the shape of who she already was but could not yet name.

After years in marketing and public relations, followed by a season focused on motherhood, Linda returned to education with a clear purpose: to learn how to study the Bible for herself. She pursued a Bachelor of Theology from Portland Bible College, and as her studies deepened, a new tension emerged. What would this lead to once the degree was complete?

Maybe pastoral work? Perhaps counseling? But neither felt right.

“I knew that being a pastor wasn’t my calling, nor being a counselor,” she remembers. “I felt like there was something else out there that better suited how I showed up.”

That sense of something else became clearer through her first coaching experience with Danielle Smith. The way Danielle asked questions. The way she held space. Danielle wasn’t explaining or fixing. She listened in a way that allowed Linda to name her own thoughts, judgment-free, and feel truly heard.

“Before coaching, I had never experienced the kind of space where I could honestly share everything I was thinking and actually process it,” Linda says. That realization became a catalyst.

Linda began to see the gap clearly. Her theology training had taught her what to believe, but not how to hold space for others, and her Enneagram Coach Certification had given her insight without developing the skill of deep listening. When she learned that the kind of presence she experienced with Danielle came from formal coach training through PCCI, the Professional Christian Coaching Institute, everything clicked. This was the “something else” she had been sensing all along.

“I knew this was what I needed training around. Period.”

Still, the decision was not easy. Linda had recently invested heavily in Enneagram training. Finances were limited. Theology papers were demanding. But when a special promotion became available, and she realized she was already coaching informally and accumulating hours that could count toward ICF certification, she made the decision.

“I didn’t want to wait and lose the ability to include the hours I was already beginning to acquire.”

What surprised Linda most was not the curriculum. It was the community.

After years of online learning through recorded lectures, she suddenly found herself in classrooms with real classmates, real-time dialogue, and instructors who became mentors. Teachers like Jordan Mercedes, MCC; Pamela Mertz, PCC; Bryan Brown, MCC; and Cheryl Scanlan, MCC left a lasting mark.

“I can picture specific moments from each required class,” she reflects. “I am still in touch with people from several cohorts, and I deeply value those friendships and insights.”

Over time, the training clarified a different way of working.

Coaching is for exploring, not explaining.

Coach the person, not the problem.

Listen carefully and bite your tongue.

People already have what they need to find their own solutions.

The training did not just change her coaching. The Coach Approach transformed how Linda shows up everywhere she goes.

“It changed the way I teach Scripture to women,” she shares.

As the founder of Illuminate, a teaching space focused on women in Scripture, Linda now integrates a Coach Approach into her teaching. She has seen the power of giving participants space for reflection, allowing fewer of her own conclusions to shape the experience.

“I share what I’ve been learning about women in Scripture, then turn it back to the women in the room,” she explains. “I use quiet time for writing and reflection, guided by coaching questions.”

Today, Linda coaches church staff members and elders, helping teams understand themselves through the Enneagram and through life coaching. She partners with Galilean Group as their Enneagram consultant and credentialed Leadership Coach, serving churches in the kingdom trenches. This is the work she had felt drawn to all along.

When people once asked why she was pursuing a theology degree, she often shrugged. “I didn’t feel called to be a pastor, and I didn’t think I was counselor material. I didn’t know coaching even existed as an option. Now I serve the kingdom in a way that fits who I am.” Coaching finally gave language to the calling she had been carrying.

Linda’s advice for those considering coach training is grounded and practical.

“Make sure you’ve been coached first, so you understand what it’s like on the other side.”

Then, start. Even one class can be formative.

She is also clear about the cost. “Don’t go into debt for it. Steward yourself well. Every yes has a cost.” Linda completed her coach training while finishing her theology degree, overlapping two demanding programs. While she has no regrets, she adds, “Waiting one more semester wouldn’t have delayed God’s plans. God is patient with us.”

“If God says this is a yes, He has a good plan for you,” she reflects. “But every yes also means saying no to something else.”

Maybe you are where Linda once was, aware there is something more that fits the way God made you, but unsure what to call it. Maybe you have been holding space for others informally for years, wondering if there is language for that kind of calling.

That space Linda describes might be calling your name, too.