Coach FEATURE: Evelyn Fendler-Lee

We continue to meet our fellow coaches, get inspired and build coach community with our "Meet the Coach" features! This month we meet Evelyn Fendler-Lee, a Professional & Personal Transitions Coach from Germany.

Interview with Evelyn

About Evelyn

Lives In: USA

Company: Dr. Evelyn Fendler-Lee Consultancy

Type of Coach: Coach for Professional and Personal Transitions

Describe your coaching business in one sentence: In my depth-based coaching business, I help people in transition, leaders, experts, and creators reconnect with their genuine curiosity and inner wisdom to think freshly, so they can unlock new direction and meaning and make aligned decisions.

Meet Evelyn

In a recent conversation with Dr Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, Dr Evelyn Fendler-Lee shared what first drew her to coaching and how discovery, language, and alignment shape the way she works with her clients.

Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and originally from southwest Germany, Evelyn is a person-centred counsellor and coach with almost 18 years of experience. Her work is grounded in deep listening, careful use of language, and a strong respect for each client’s inner process.

Discovery as the Heart of Coaching

When asked what she loves most about coaching, Evelyn spoke about discovery.

For her, coaching is about being on a journey with people as they uncover new aspects of themselves, their work, and their direction in life. She described coaching as a gift — a way of entering another person’s world and learning from perspectives and experiences very different from her own.

A Person-Centred and Philosophical Foundation

Evelyn’s approach is rooted in person-centred counselling, drawing on the Rogerian tradition. She also works with philosophical-based methods, including focusing, which helps clients form an inner sense from which new understanding and direction can emerge.

She pays close attention to language and metaphor, and to the way meaning forms from lived experience. For Evelyn, the coaching process happens not only in the client, but also in her as the coach — as she listens, allows an inner experience to form, and lets her questions emerge from there.

She described this process as “sailing with the client,” following the trail the client creates rather than imposing a fixed direction.

Working Across Languages and Cultures

Originally from Germany and now living in the United States, Evelyn coaches in English and German. She has worked with clients from Europe, Israel, China, and the United States.

Rather than focusing on cultural differences, she is more interested in the specificity of each person. While she is aware of cultural contexts, her primary focus is always on the individual and their unique experience.

Coaching for Alignment Rather Than Performance

Evelyn works mainly with people who already have life and work experience and who feel there is “something more” they want from life and from work.

She is not primarily a performance-focused coach. Instead, she is interested in alignment — helping people live a life that is truly their own.

She shared that she does not see “living your full potential” as the main goal. For her, what matters more is living a life that belongs to you, rather than chasing high performance at the cost of yourself.

Much of her work is with people in transition, who may not yet know where they want to go. In these cases, coaching is about gaining clarity, building awareness, and letting direction emerge over time.

Goals That Emerge Over Time

Coming from a corporate background, Evelyn is familiar with goal-setting. However, she noted that goals often shift as the coaching process unfolds.

She finds that what clients think they want at the beginning often changes as they gain more awareness. For this reason, she sees strict goal-setting as less important than building understanding and alignment as the process develops.

Learning Through The Mentor Program

Evelyn is a member of the The Mentor Program. She shared how valuable the community has been — meeting regularly with other coaches, learning from their experience, and gaining new perspectives.

One key outcome of the program has been helping her find clearer language for her coaching and begin developing coaching programs, alongside her one-to-one work.

She especially values the global nature of the community and the small insights she gains in every session.

What’s Next for Evelyn

Evelyn is currently finishing her certification, building a new website, and clarifying the programs she wants to offer.

She is focused on continuing her own development as a coach, strengthening her areas of growth, and finding ways to build a more settled and sustainable coaching practice.

In Conclusion: Coaching for a Life That Is Truly Yours

Evelyn Fendler-Lee’s work is grounded in discovery, alignment, and deep respect for each client’s inner process.

Whether working with transition, identity, or direction, her coaching supports people in living and working in ways that are aligned with themselves and their lives.

LEARN MORE about Evelyn here: Visit Evelyn's Website here >> Follow Evelyn on Facebook >> Follow Evelyn on LinkedIn >>