I believe in the power of real performance reviews, so I’m sharing mine with you. After five years of coaching, here are what my clients say about working with me… in their own words.
Welcome to Ask Coach Tony!
These are unfiltered field notes from the goal-crushing life: coaching wins, personal breakthroughs, and the failures that taught both me and my clients the most.
All real, all useful, all here to help you move forward.
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Before we dive in, here's a groan-worthy dad joke as a little palette cleanser. I promise it will be worth every penny you paid for it. 😂
What's blue and smells like red paint?
Blue paint.
My Clients Just Gave Me a Five-Year Performance Review
It is the end of the year, which means all of you in the corporate world know what comes next… performance reviews.
Corporate performance reviews get a bad rap, and often for good reason. They have become an exercise in checking a box, gaming a rating system, and managing budgets instead of sharing real, human feedback. I can’t tell you how many times an HR partner all but told me I couldn’t give an “exceeds expectations” rating to a total rockstar because it would push the company over its raise budget.
When performance reviews turn into an administrative compliance task, they lose all value for the person who is actually being reviewed.
That sucks, because meaningful performance reviews are one of the most valuable tools a high-performer has. They give us a chance to review our work, celebrate our wins, and find the next places to grow.
Because I believe in the power of real performance reviews, I am sharing mine with you.
As I mentioned in a previous post, this year marks my fifth anniversary as a coach. This feels like the perfect moment to pause and complete a five-year performance review.
Rather than telling you how I think I am doing, I am letting my clients speak for themselves.
I reviewed five years of client files and testimonials, and three big themes emerged again and again. Here is what my clients had to say.
Clients Seek Me Out Because They Are Overwhelmed, Stuck, or Lost
While every story is different, nearly every client arrives carrying some combination of uncertainty, chaos, fear, or self-doubt.
Some clients come to me because they are struggling to start, grow, or run their businesses.
“I had no actual direction or plan on how to get where I wanted to go.”
Anna, launching her new business
“I was facing challenges from every angle of entrepreneurship.”
Ashley, trying to feel at home in her business
“I am devoting too much time to work and not enough time to relationships with the important people in my life.”
A CEO balancing a demanding business and a life that is shrinking
Other clients are navigating career challenges and the uncertainty that comes with them.
“I was looking for my next chapter in my work journey after being laid off from a company that I spent 15 years at.”
Erin, managing an unexpected layoff
“I enjoy the type of work I do, I just feel taken for granted and don’t feel I’m making the impact I could.”
A high-achieving professional stuck in corporate quicksand
Some clients are wrestling with complicated relationships with their health and their bodies.
“I was fighting against my three autoimmune diseases and unable to do the things I enjoyed.”
Liz, wanting to feel happier in a body that felt like it was fighting her
“Menopause is a bitch. I have all kinds of crazy things happening to my health.”
A client struggling with a body she no longer recognized
“I was diagnosed as pre diabetic and don’t know how to fix it.”
A generally healthy woman surprised by her doctor
And some clients need support planning the next chapter of their lives.
“I don’t have a plan and objectives. I have always been driven by those type of things and now I just have a blank sheet.”
A client determining what comes next after losing a spouse
Whether it’s their body, their work, money, fun, relationships, or personal growth, every client reaches a moment where they feel stuck and tired of trying to figure it out alone.
I Give Them a Safe Place to Process, Think, and Dream Bigger
Clients appreciate my signature contribution to their journeys.
It’s not advice. It’s not hype.
I give them a safe container where thinking becomes possible and future versions of themselves become visible.
“Having a session with Tony is like going to happy hour with your mentor.”
Ashley the entrepreneur
“He really listened to all the crazy that was going on in my head, often providing me with a different way of looking at the situation.”
Erin the layoff survivor
“I appreciated being able to be open and honest. Having someone to help push me to do better.”
Anna the baker
Once we established a safe, encouraging environment to dream bigger, clients appreciated my Project Manage Your Life structure that helped them bring order to the chaos of life.
“We chartered a path forward together using a structured process and created a life plan for the next 12-18 months, which considered the ever-changing aspects of life.”
Post-loss life plan client
“We broke down what each doctor’s instructions were until they became habits that I didn’t even have to think about.”
Liz starting to feel more in control of her own health
“He helps me see the bigger picture and the smaller steps.”
Ashley becoming a master CEO
“He helped me organize my business so I can track it and have clear goals.”
Anna the baker AND CEO!
When clients feel heard and grounded and have a plan they trust, they begin to dream again. And those dreams slowly turn into the person they become next.
They Walk Away With a New Goal Crusher Identity
My clients do not just make progress on a few tactical goals.
They become someone new.
Clients arrive stuck and overwhelmed, but they leave in the driver’s seat of their lives.
“I really never thought that I would ever be referred to as an athlete.”
Liz, after her trainer called her an athlete for the first time
“Tony gave me the confidence that I already had the abilities and skills within myself to achieve my goals.”
Lindsay, unlocking the confidence to grow her career
“He helped me with the realization that my life is entirely up to me.”
Erin, embracing her transition and the possibilities ahead
“Coach Tony came along right when things were really spicy, and then later when it was time to decide whether to grow the business or shut it down.”
Ashley, realizing what really lights her up
“I know now that I have the capability, insight, resources to make impacts on my health and job efforts. Tony helped me reframe my idea of success in both areas.”
A client who escaped the corporate quicksand and started embracing her changing body
“The routine of setting goals and crushing them one at a time is something I will continue to do for the rest of my life.”
Liz, explaining why she will never stop project managing her life
Confidence. Agency. Structure. Achievement.
These are not outcomes. They are identities.
This is why I do what I do.
It is also why I consider my first five years as a coach to be a massive “exceeds expectations,” and no HR person is going to change my mind.
I am so honored that my clients have trusted me to be part of their journeys and am over-the-moon grateful for their feedback.
These stories are proof that small steps, honesty, and structure change lives. And I am nowhere near finished.
Want to Experience a Taste of What My Clients Have Achieved?
Do the stories above sound like something that would help you? I’m giving you a free sample of what it’s like to work with me.
I’m hosting a Say It Out Loud Goal Crusher Coffee Chat on 12/29.
This coffee chat will be an informal 2026 goal-sharing roundtable.
We will each say our goals out loud to the group.
Goals become real when you say them out loud.
Plus, committing to your goal to someone else increases the odds of success to approximately 65%. Not a bad bonus from spending a lighthearted hour with the group.
As a bonus, everyone who participates in this coffee chat receives my Project Manage Your Life Starter Kit for free.
Click below to sign up for this free event that will help you start 2026 already in motion.
If you want to explore this work at your own pace, I have something for you too.
Grab the Project Manage Your Life Starter Kit and test out my coaching philosophy, process, and tools in DIY mode.
The Starter Kit bundles three powerful resources designed to help you bring your goals to life:
📘 Project Manage Your Life – My complete six-step framework for turning goals into accomplishments.
📝 PMYL Workbook – A companion guide with templates, trackers, and coaching style prompts to help you put the framework into practice.
📩Email Mini Course – A one-month, guided email experience that helps you build real momentum. It’s your taste test of what PMYL coaching feels like.
Performance reviews don’t have to be a meaningless waste of time.
A genuine review of your impact and growth opportunities is a rewarding experience. My five-year coaching performance review reminded me of why my clients seek me out, the biggest value I give them, and their transformational results. I’m excited to double down and amplify my impact in 2026.
Will you be my next coaching success story?
✨ I believe in you. Let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
Tony Weaver is a master life coach, technologist, consultant, writer, and founder of Operation Melt.
He helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers pursue their biggest goals.
Through free resources, personalized coaching, and his proven Project Manage Your Life system, Tony empowers clients to move their dreams from “someday” to success… one step at a time.
Learn more about Project Manage Your Life, the system my clients and I use to crush our goals, at OperationMelt.com/PMYL/
Meet Coach Tony