Show your own vulnerability through story telling. Doing this consciously and/or subconsciously tells the other person "it's okay and safe for you to open up"

Building trust with a guarded coaching client starts with creating a safe and non-judgmental environment. Begin by actively listening to their concerns, validating their feelings, and demonstrating empathy. Share your coaching philosophy and approach transparently, ensuring they understand what to expect. Ask open-ended questions to encourage them to share at their own pace, while respecting their boundaries. Consistently follow through on commitments and maintain confidentiality to reinforce reliability. Additionally, share your own relevant experiences, showing vulnerability, which can help normalize their feelings. Over time, these steps can foster a genuine connection, making it easier for them to open up.

Trust is a consequence of actions and interactions ... the quality actions and interactions should be the driver of the coaching relationship. Coachee should sense you as coach are absolutely genuine in every expression and clearly wants to assist coachee reaching his/her objectives. Defining the objective is - most often - the greatest challenge at the start of [and during] the coaching sessions. Without clarity on the objectives, no real measurable results can be achieved and trust will never be reached.