Do you know what deprogramming is?

Posted on March 05, 2025 by Melinda Sánchez, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Some of you have asked me what deprogramming is, and today I’m dedicating this week’s post to this fascinating topic, which I consider a fundamental tool in my coaching sessions. Do you want to understand how you can become the best version of yourself? If so, I invite you to read this post to learn more about deprogramming.

Life is a collection of experiences, both good and bad, that shape our behaviors and habits. We live with these behaviors and habits without being aware of most of them—they are so deeply ingrained in us that they often go unnoticed. Many of these behaviors are reactions to beliefs that limit our personal or professional growth.

Let’s take an example (always hypothetical—I never discuss real people, as we coaches adhere to a very strict ethical code): Sofía is a key member of her team. By far the best, she is respected and admired by her colleagues, who often rely on her for help when facing difficulties. She is highly valued by the company and has been in the same position for over seven years. Occasionally, she has considered making a change, but when it comes down to it, she has never taken the idea seriously. Now, her boss is leaving the company and needs a replacement. Everyone believes Sofía is the ideal candidate, and she herself thinks she deserves it and sees it as a great opportunity. However, there is something inside her that is stronger than the opportunity—a feeling that triggers fear and anxiety. What’s happening to Sofía?

There are many people who feel very comfortable in their current roles and have no desire to change or take on more responsibility. That’s fantastic and entirely respectable—if it makes you happy, you’re in the right place. But in Sofía’s case, she would love to seize this opportunity, yet the anxiety the change provokes outweighs her desire to pursue it. She doesn’t understand why she feels so bad, so she decides to work on it in coaching.

After several sessions, Sofía understands the root of her anxiety—the fear that paralyzes her and prevents her from pursuing the opportunity to advance her career. What’s holding her back is fear of stepping out of her comfort zone, leaving a position she masters and where she is recognized and appreciated. She is afraid of not measuring up and of failing.

When we talk about all her qualities, strengths, knowledge, and experience for the new role, Sofía relaxes and says to me: “But I know I’m the best choice for the position. Why am I so afraid?”

When we talk about deprogramming, it’s because there’s a program limiting us. In Sofía’s case, the limiting program is her fear of failure. Sometimes, understanding why or where that program comes from can give us more clues about how to work on it. In coaching, we don’t do therapy—we only look to the past if it’s absolutely necessary to gather key, specific information. Simply understanding what limits us and working on it allows us to begin deprogramming.

Working on the limiting program helps us connect with those hidden thoughts that sabotage us, hold us back, or produce negative emotions. In Sofía’s case, this is her anxiety.

Getting to know ourselves better helps us live life more fully, consciously, and intensely. Deprogramming helps us shed those layers of old beliefs—most of them unconscious—that no longer serve us.

I can’t describe the joy I feel when I complete a coaching process where I’ve supported a coachee through their deprogramming journey. They describe it as a release, a sense of progress and advancement, like shedding a burden or a backpack full of stones. If you want to become the best version of yourself, I encourage you to explore deprogramming.