About this guide
This guide is for managers, owners and senior staff in Odessa who feel stretched past their limit and want a plan. It describes non-clinical coaching: practical work on how you spend your time and energy. The directory introduces you to independent coaches; it doesn't check their backgrounds or run any sessions.
Step 1: Take an honest inventory of a normal week
For one week, jot down when you start, when you stop, and when you check messages after hours. Note which meetings leave you drained and which leave you steady. Many Odessa leaders find their day doesn't end when they leave the office, especially if they manage field crews or answer to people in other time zones.
Step 2: Name the pressure points
Look over your notes and circle three things that cost the most energy. Common ones:
- back-to-back meetings with no gap
- phone calls from sites at night
- a role that has grown without anyone admitting it
- decisions that pile up because no one else can make them
Keep the list short. You'll bring it to a coach. Next to each item, note whether it started recently or has been building for a year or more; the older ones usually need a different kind of change.
Step 3: Decide what kind of help you want
Some leaders want weekly sessions for a few months. Others prefer a short, focused engagement around one change, such as a promotion or a reorganization. Decide whether you want in-person meetings in Odessa, video sessions you can take from anywhere, or a mix.
Step 4: Shortlist coaches
From the listings on this page, choose two or three coaches whose descriptions match your world. A leader at the University of Texas Permian Basin, which grew from a 1969 legislative decision to an Odessa campus that opened in 1973, faces different pressures from the owner of a service company. A program director at Odessa College, which lists more than 120 associate and certificate programs, has yet another set. Look for coaches who mention work like yours.
Step 5: Hold short introductory calls
Ask each coach:
- How do you structure the first month?
- What do you expect me to do between sessions?
- How do you handle a week when I'm traveling or on site?
- What is your fee, and what does the agreement cover?
Notice whether the coach asks about your goals or jumps straight to a set program.
Step 6: Schedule one day away
Put a real rest day on the calendar, not a day of catching up. Two state parks make good destinations, with approximate drive times:
- Monahans Sandhills State Park, which Texas Parks and Wildlife lists as 31 miles from Odessa, roughly half an hour by car. Rent a sand disc, walk the dunes, or have lunch at the shaded tables by the windmill. There are 25 campsites with water and electricity if you want to stay overnight.
- Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale, roughly two hours west. The spring-fed pool is supplied by the San Solomon Springs. The park often reaches capacity, so reserve day use or camping ahead of time.
Tell your team the day is off-limits and set an out-of-office message. Name one person who can handle anything urgent so you are not tempted to check in from the trail or the pool deck.
Step 7: Set two boundaries and test them
With your coach, pick two boundaries to try for a month. Examples: no email after a set hour, or one meeting-free block each morning. Track how often you keep them and what happens when you don't.
Step 8: Review after four to six weeks
Look back at your first-week inventory. Are the pressure points the same? Did your rest day feel like rest? Share this with your coach and adjust the plan.
Step 9: Build recovery time into the year
Burnout tends to come back when busy seasons return. Mark quiet stretches on next year's calendar now, plan another day at the dunes or the springs, and decide in advance which tasks you will hand off when work surges.
If it's more than workload
A coach works on habits, time and priorities. If you notice signs that go beyond that, talk with a qualified health professional. A responsible coach will tell you the same.