According to Jacquline Novogratz, both skeptics and cynics question everything… but there’s a difference: cynics question from a place of certainty (boo), while skeptics question from a place of curiosity and uncertainty (yes, please).

This isn’t for the cynics who already know what they believe and just want to poke holes (boring). It’s for the skeptics who want to explore and learn by poking holes and observing what happens. (That’s where it’s at.)

I’m a skeptic, and I was skeptical about life coaching too.

Numerous studies done on ACL tears. Half of the patients get surgery, and the other half get a placebo surgery—just an incision, but no ligament repair. Recovery rates? About the same. It sounds unbelievable until you realize the real value comes from physical therapy—the work patients invest in themselves, spurred by their belief in the surgery. (Side note: I’m not advocating skipping necessary surgeries—just making a point!)

Or look at the placebo effect itself: it’s not the pill that heals but the patient’s belief in it. That belief leads to behaviors, conscious and subconscious, that promote healing.

Ever been to a wedding, on a diet, hired a fitness coach, or been part of a religion? Studies show when people are told a wine is expensive, the pleasure centers of their brains light up, making it taste better. Why? They believe it’s better, and that belief changes their experience.

I was listening to a Sociopath on a podcast. She said that of course she knows things but the problem is that she doesn’t feel them. She knows she shouldn’t do that thing but she doesn’t feel the fear or shame or guilt. We all know what we “should” do—date a certain person, eat a certain way—but we don’t always feel it. Placebos, ceremonies, coaching…they work because they make us feel, because they help us commit our time, energy, or money. And that investment in ourselves is what sparks real change.

In short, coaching isn’t magic. But there is magic in committing to the work, asking questions, creating time and space to just be with yourself. We rarely do that, and we probably won’t without a good reason to. And that is the beauty.

Weddings, prayer, brands, coaching, diets, music, meditation—they don’t do the work for us. But they get us to invest in what truly matters, and often, we feel different because we believe in the power of that commitment.

So, does coaching work? Yes. Not because it’s magic, but because it makes giving your all a lot easier. And that’s its own kind of magic.

Let’s do this.