Step 1: Map your year before you map your stress
Lay out the next twelve months on one page. Mark the weeks that always run hot: summer weekends, large events, budget cycles, academic terms if you work in education. In a shore city these peaks are fairly predictable, which is useful. They tell you when you have room to start something new and when you will be tested.
Step 2: Name three things you want to change
Keep it concrete. "Stop answering email after nine," "delegate weekly reporting," and "take a full weekend off in July" are easier to work on than "feel better." Write them down and rank them. These become the agenda for your first conversation with a coach.
Step 3: Decide how you want to meet
Think about where you spend your week. If your role has you moving between offices, video sessions may fit best. Leaders at institutions like Stockton University, whose page cited below describes an Atlantic City campus opened in 2018 and a shuttle connecting it to the Galloway campus, may already split time between two places and prefer a format that travels with them. Others want an in-person meeting away from the workplace entirely.
Step 4: Shortlist coaches
Use this directory to find independent coaches who work with leaders in and around Atlantic City. Choose three. Read how each one describes their focus, and set aside anyone whose description centers on promises rather than process. Remember that the directory does not check credentials; asking is your job.
Step 5: Hold short introductory calls
Ask every coach the same questions:
1. Who do you usually coach, and in what kinds of organizations? 2. How long is a typical series, and how often do we meet? 3. What happens between sessions? 4. How is confidentiality handled if my employer pays? 5. What is the fee, and what if I need to pause during peak season?
Take notes during each call. Afterward, ask yourself which conversation left you with the clearest next step, and which coach asked the most useful questions about your actual week. Chemistry matters: you will be speaking candidly about pressure at work, so pick someone you can be straightforward with.
Step 6: Check the agreement
Before committing, read the written terms. Look for the number of sessions, the pause and cancellation rules, how records are kept, and who sees any progress summary. If something is vague, ask for it in writing.
Step 7: Time the start
Pick a start date with some slack around it. Starting in a quieter month gives you a chance to practice new routines before the busy stretch. If you can only start close to peak season, agree with the coach on a lighter plan that focuses on protecting rest during it.
Step 8: Build in recovery time
Block rest on the calendar the same way you block meetings. One option close to home: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service page cited below describes the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, with more than 48,000 acres of coastal habitat, a visitor area in Galloway, and an 8-mile Wildlife Drive auto tour. It is roughly a 20 to 25 minute drive from the city. All drive times here are approximate and depend on traffic and season.
Step 9: Review at the halfway point
Partway through the series, revisit the three changes from Step 2. Which ones are moving? Which ones need a different approach? Tell your coach honestly. Adjusting the plan is normal, not a sign of failure. If the busy season has arrived in the meantime, it may make sense to space conversations further apart and concentrate on just one change until things ease.
Step 10: Plan the hand-off to yourself
As the series ends, agree on what you will keep doing without support: a weekly planning hour, a firm cut-off for messages, a standing day off after big events. Put the next review date on your calendar for after the coming peak season, and decide in advance whether you will check in with the coach again then. Share the plan with someone you trust at work, such as a deputy or a peer, so the new limits have a little backup when pressure returns.
A note on limits
Coaching is non-clinical. If exhaustion feels overwhelming or persistent, or it is affecting your health, contact a qualified health professional first; a coach can be part of the picture later.