Can chance encounters change the course of your life?
If you ask Master Coach and International Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner Prakash Rao, he will say yes. For him, both coaching and NLP began as chance encounters, yet looking back, it seems they were always meant to be.
In 2009, a senior colleague at his workplace introduced him to NLP. Their conversations sparked Prakash’s curiosity to understand his own behaviours and patterns more deeply. What began as a casual interest soon turned into a personal exploration, leading him to pursue formal NLP training.
On Chance and Calling
“I don’t claim that I have read 100 books on NLP. But what I can claim is that I have used NLP in a hundred different ways in my life. That is what NLP is for me.”
That was when something remarkable happened. Immersed in the course, learning about the mind, language, and behaviour, Prakash began to dream of a bird. At first, it appeared shrouded in haze. But during his Master Practitioner training, in what he describes as a “breakthrough session,” the scene changed. The bird was flying. The sky was clear and bright, the horizon wide.
The dreams grew more vivid. Sometimes, it was Prakash himself who was flying. “I am not kidding, when I woke up, my shoulders and neck used to hurt. I used to wake up tired, and sometimes covered in sweat.”
In 2013, he quit his corporate job to follow his calling. A mentor suggested the name Born in Flight for his new company, unaware of Prakash’s dreams. Whether it was coincidence or fate, one thing was certain: his life had taken flight. The dreams stopped soon after he registered the name.
“NLP has travelled with me. It has helped me do things, it has helped me get married, run marathons. I don’t claim that I have read 100 books on NLP. But what I can claim is that I have used NLP in a hundred different ways in my life. That is what NLP is for me.”
When it comes to coaching, the theme of chance encounters continues for Prakash. “My life is full of accidents and surprises. I did not choose coaching. Coaching chose me.”
By 2011, he had already begun coaching as part of his NLP journey, working with swimmers, sportspersons, climbers, and snooker players. Then, in 2019, during a casual conversation with a friend who was also his client, he learned about the need for a certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). One thing led to another, and within forty-eight hours of that conversation, Prakash enrolled in a coach training program with Coacharya. “I came to coaching thinking it would just be another certificate. I did not know I would come this far. It just happened.”
What began as a coincidence slowly, but steadily, turned into a calling. The more Prakash coached, the more he realised how deeply his experiences as a sportsperson shaped the way he showed up for his clients.
On Sport and Perspective
“Once you start the trek, you must come back. The same holds true for the coaching journey. Once you begin, you must return to yourself.”
For him, the discipline of sport and the depth of coaching are not separate worlds but two sides of the same journey. “I think I am an athlete first, a coach next, and then everything else follows,” he says.
Most athletes will tell you that sport mirrors life, with its wins and losses, its demands for patience and resilience. For Prakash, it also mirrors coaching. “When you play a sport, you win some, you lose some. So failures do not stay for long. You just get up and play again.”
That spirit finds its way into his coaching conversations. He brings a calm, grounded presence that helps others see possibility even in difficulty. “Mountains are bigger; they humble you. Once you have stood before something that vast, you stop being intimidated by what life throws at you.”
Prakash, who also frequently undertakes treks, says nature widens his perspective. “When I am in the mountains, the horizon is vast. It reminds me that possibilities are endless.” He pauses, then adds, “We live in boxes. Laptops, mobiles, cars, rooms. When you step outside, the box disappears. And when that happens, your thinking expands too.”
It is this lens of possibility that defines his work as a coach and trainer. Where others see problems, he looks for potential. When clients speak of self-doubt, he reflects back what they can become.
For Prakash, resilience means coming back to purpose.
“Time is always a challenge for many people,” he says. “When they begin their coach training, everything looks manageable: the hours, the classes, the practice sessions. But then life happens. A parent-teacher meeting, a festival, guests at home, small things that slowly take them away from the rhythm they began with.”
What helps, he believes, is connection to purpose. “In our initial sessions, we help learners discover why they want to become coaches. What is the universe telling them through this journey? Once they know that, it becomes their anchor. When distractions appear, they can return to that purpose and rebuild their identity around it.”
For Prakash, resilience is the strength to return to who you are. “There is a saying in mountaineering, climbing up is optional, but climbing down is mandatory. You cannot choose not to return. Once you start the trek, you must come back. The same holds true for the coaching journey. Once you begin, you must return to yourself.”
On Coaching and Presence
For Prakash, coaching is like holding a mirror. Talking about the ICF core competency on maintaining presence, he says, “For me, my absence is the greatest presence.”
He believes that a coach’s role is not to bring expertise, knowledge, or identity into the space, but to simply clear the dust that sometimes settles on the mirror so that the client can see themselves more clearly. The coach reflects what is already present. It could be the client’s patterns, their language, or even the way they describe their goals. With each conversation, the mirror becomes a little clearer. “You’re becoming that mirror, figuratively and literally, so that clients can see themselves as they play their game.”
Come to think of it, the journey of a coach is much like the journey of this mirror. At Level 1 (ACC), you are learning to hold it. There is effort and intention in every movement. At Level 2 (PCC), you begin to polish it, to hold space for the client’s reflection with greater ease and trust. By the time you reach the MCC level, you no longer try to hold the mirror. You become it. You can sense when the reflection is blurred, when to clean it, and when to step back, trusting that the client will find their own clarity.
That, Prakash says, is when coaching becomes effortless. It is no longer something you do. It is something you are.
Perhaps that is what makes him the kind of trainer people remember. He does not teach you to master techniques alone. He teaches you to deepen awareness, to bring presence into practice, and to become the mirror in your own, unique way. In his sessions, learning feels less like instruction and more like discovery, a place where you begin to see not only how coaching works, but who you are becoming through it.
Note: If you’ve read this till the very end, something here must have spoken to you. Much like reading, coaching opens you up to new ways of seeing, listening, and being. And when combined with the power of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), it can reshape how you connect with yourself and others.
Suppose you’ve been thinking about upskilling, bringing coaching into your leadership or everyday work, or simply exploring a new way to grow. In that case, we invite you to learn more about our upcoming programs.
