Welcome to Coaching from the Caboose.
I’m Brenda – an executive coach who specializes in elevating personal and professional performance through the lens of neuroscience and somatic intelligence. I’ve worked with hundreds of people, from frontline employees to C-suite executives, helping them shift their thinking, sharpen their actions, and ultimately elevate their results.
For those newer to the industry, the caboose was once the nerve center at the rear of every train – the conductor’s office, the crew’s home base, the place where critical decisions were made and problems were caught before they became disasters. Today, that role lives on in the EOT device monitoring air pressure and safety at the back of the train. Same purpose. Different form.
That’s exactly what coaching is.
It’s about working through the experiences that shaped you and making better choices about how you move forward. This industry needs everyone pulling in the same direction, and that starts with the person in the mirror.
Each column, I’ll bring you a real coaching challenge – shared with me by real people in this industry. No names. No identifying details. Just the challenge, the coaching approach, and a perspective shift that might help you too.
If it resonates, try it. If it doesn’t, skip the idea and jump to the next EOT.
You have the answers within you. Let’s find them together.
Let’s face it – railroading is tough. My colleague will share a three-part series on the Toll of Railroading in the future.
I don’t need to tell you about the high stress, the physical demands, or the weight of working in one of the most regulated industries on the continent. You’re living it. It’s hard, exhausting, and – when it’s good – deeply rewarding work.
There’s no single answer. Every person is different. But here’s what I know: when we stop making ourselves a priority, we start letting others down. Our attitude, our energy, the way we show up – it ripples outward to our coworkers, our families, our crews. How you carry yourself matters to everyone around you.
Making yourself a priority starts with believing you are one. Then it takes one small action, repeated daily, to reinforce that belief. Here are three places to start:
Many of us were raised to put others first – and somewhere along the way, we started treating ourselves as an afterthought. You are worthy. You are important.
Ask yourself: How would I talk to myself if I actually cared about me?
All throttle and no brake wears out any machine – including you. Joy doesn’t have to be grand. It can be your favorite meal, a walk after your shift, or yes, that coffee with the extra whipped cream.
Ask yourself: What’s one thing that will bring me joy today?
You can’t pour from an empty tank. When time is short, small resets matter. Try box breathing between tasks. Spend sixty seconds visualizing your favorite place and let yourself actually feel it.
Ask yourself: What can I do in under a minute to refuel when I’m running on empty?
There is only one of you. And the people counting on you need you at your best.
Get to it.
Be honest with yourself. Check each statement that is true for you right now:
Have a coaching topic or question you’d like addressed in this column?
Book time with Brenda by contacting Charlie@TheRailWay.US
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