What Is 1:1 Genealogy Coaching?

Genealogy coaching is personalized, real-time instruction where you research your own family history while a professional genealogist guides you every step of the way. Unlike hiring someone to do the research for you, coaching puts you in the driver's seat. You learn the skills, make the discoveries, and build the confidence to keep going long after our sessions end.

Whether you are just starting out and don't know where to begin, or you have been researching for years and keep hitting the same brick walls, 1:1 coaching meets you exactly where you are and moves you forward from there.

What We Work On Together

Every coaching session is tailored to your specific family, your specific questions, and your specific research challenges. There is no generic curriculum. We work on what matters most to you right now.

Depending on where you are in your research, sessions might include how to set up and maintain a research log that keeps your work organized and purposeful. How to read and analyze documents for the hidden clues most researchers miss. How to apply the FAN principle — researching Friends, Associates, and Neighbors — to break through brick walls. How to evaluate the reliability of sources and build a research case that holds up. How to use genealogy databases and tools like Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, and MyHeritage effectively. How to search census records, vital records, land records, probate records, military records, and immigration records. How to document your findings properly so your research is useful and credible.

How Sessions Work

We meet virtually via video call, which means you can work with me from anywhere in the world. Sessions are 60 to 90 minutes long and conducted in real time, meaning we are actively searching, analyzing, and discovering together while I teach you the reasoning behind every step.

Before each session I ask you to share where you are in your research and what you most want to work on. This keeps our time focused and productive. After every session I send you notes summarizing what we covered and clear next steps so you always know exactly what to do before we meet again.

Sessions can be booked individually or as a series depending on your goals. Many clients book regular sessions and make consistent progress over time. Others come for a single focused session to get unstuck and then continue on their own.

Who Genealogy Coaching Is For

Genealogy coaching is for anyone who wants to learn to research their own family rather than simply receive results.

It is especially valuable for complete beginners who feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. People who have been researching on their own but feel stuck or scattered. People who want to research more efficiently and stop wasting time on dead ends. People who are trying to find a biological parent or unknown family member and need expert guidance. People who want to learn research methods they can apply independently for years to come.

What You Will Walk Away With

After working together you will know how genealogists think before they search and that shift alone changes everything. You will have a clearer picture of your family history, a more organized research process, and real skills you can apply every time you sit down to research. Most importantly you will feel confident rather than overwhelmed.

The Discovery Workshop — $125

✦ 60 to 90 minutes of live hands-on research together

✦ Instruction tailored to exactly where you are in your research

✦ Skills like document analysis, research logs, and the FAN method taught in real time

✦ Notes and next steps sent after every session

Not sure if coaching is right for you? Reach out — I'm happy to talk it through.