In this Fish bag episode, JP sits down with NEW/ Old Barcelona friend and life coach Nooch Saeedi to talk about what it really means to get “unstuck” in life, work, and calling. This is a super practical, story‑driven conversation for Fish Baggers who feel like they keep ending up in the same situations with the same frustrating results.

Life in Barcelona & Finding Community

JP kicks things off by introducing Nooch as one of those “extended family” people who orbit YWAM Barcelona – deeply involved, but not officially on staff. They talk about moving to Barcelona in early 2025, learning to love the city, navigating language barriers, and how community has become a key part of their family’s life and rhythm.

From Psych Grad School to Coaching

Nooch unpacks his journey from being nearly finished with a PhD in psychology to walking away from academia during COVID and stumbling into a health and wellness coaching job that changed everything. He shares how mentoring, listening, and asking good questions felt strangely easy for him, and how that feedback from clients helped him recognize a genuine gift for coaching people through stuck places.

What Coaching Actually Looks Like

If you’ve ever wondered, “Do I need a coach or a therapist?” this part is for you. Nooch explains how coaching overlaps with therapy in helping people gain self‑awareness, but stays more goal‑driven and future‑focused, often around patterns like repeating the same unhealthy job or relationship dynamics over and over again. He describes early coaching sessions as a space to identify whether something in your life really needs to change, or whether your mindset and perspective are what actually need the shift.

Career, Calling, and Not Burning Out

The conversation moves into career coaching, motivation, and the lies we believe about work—whether it’s “just get a paycheck and live for the weekend” or “find the one perfect dream job or your life is a failure.” Nuch talks about helping people discover what parts of their current work they actually enjoy, how to tweak roles instead of ditching everything, and why long‑term health often looks like planning date nights and strengthening marriage, not just “killing it” at the office. They also touch on imposter syndrome, grades, and why what you put into learning shapes how equipped you really are for the next season.

Who Nooch Loves to Coach

Toward the end, Nooch shares the kinds of people he especially loves working with: early‑career adults trying to figure out their direction, and parents of young kids trying to juggle identity, marriage, parenting, and vocation without burning out. Whether you’re in Barcelona or halfway around the world, he’s available to coach remotely and help you narrow down what truly matters in this stage of your life.

Connect with Nooch

https://www.noochsaeedi.com

Contact & Links

Contact JP at: [email protected]
Want to be on the show? Schedule a time here: https://calendar.app.google/YQ9VXVs5kMGm9Y2d6
Outro song by James Tyson. IG: https://www.instagram.com/james.mtyson/
YWAM BCN web: https://www.ywambarcelona.org