Frameworks Episode 24 Recap: Science vs Scientism
Frameworks with Carl Hardwick | CoachRx Podcast Network
Today, we’re tackling a topic that quietly shapes how many coaches think and sometimes, how they hide. We’re talking about Science vs. Scientism.
Science is one of the greatest tools we have. It helps us see patterns, confirm truths, and uncover new ones.
But somewhere along the way, many coaches stopped using science as a tool and started treating it as a belief system.
In this episode, I unpack the difference between the two, why the obsession with being “evidence-based” can actually make you a weaker coach, and how to bring science back to its rightful place, as a confirmation of truth, not a truth all on its own.
Anchor
Science is a guide, not a god. Scientism is the belief that science is the only valid path to knowledge that if something can’t be measured, tested, or published, it isn’t real.
It assumes that human experience, morality, and meaning must bow to what can be quantified.
That anything which can’t be studied in a lab doesn’t matter.
That’s when we stop treating science as a tool to understand reality…
and start treating it as reality itself.
But coaching isn’t peer review. It’s people.
It’s principles.
It’s truth, lived out through action.
The best coaches don’t worship science, they apply it through experience, empathy, and judgment.
Frameworks
1. Science vs Scientism
Science is a method; observation, testing, refinement.
Scientism is a mindset; the belief that only measurable data has meaning.
The danger? Coaches start outsourcing their thinking to “the research.”
Fitness truths existed long before PubMed:
Move often. Sleep deeply. Eat real food. Recover well. Stay connected.
Science can confirm those truths. It didn’t create them.
When we elevate research over reality, we lose the art of coaching.
2. Principles Over Proof
Every great coach operates from timeless principles: individuality, simplicity, consistency, and progressive overload.
Evidence should support these principles not replace them.
Most studies are limited by design: short timelines, untrained subjects, unrealistic variables.
If you’ve ever coached a real person, you know life doesn’t happen in a lab.
The true laboratory is your coaching floor.
You test. You observe. You adjust.
That’s science in its purest form.
A study might say intermittent fasting improves insulin sensitivity.
But if your client crashes mid-workout without breakfast, science says one thing, context says another.
The right answer? What works for that human.
3. The Coach’s Role: Truth-Seeker, Not Trend-Chaser
The best coaches blend evidence, experience, and empathy.
They don’t reject science, they interpret it through principle and person.
Coaching is equal parts art and science.
The art is knowing when and how to apply what the science says.
Your highest value isn’t in citing studies, it’s in creating change.
Connection. Trust. Behavior.
These are the real metrics of impact and they don’t show up neatly in spreadsheets.
Science tells you what happens in a lab.
Coaching tells you what works in life.
Application
Here’s how to keep science in its proper place:
Stay grounded in principles.
Filter every new study through what’s timeless.Experiment consciously.
Observe. Track. Refine. Your clients are your case studies.Teach the “why,” not just the “what.”
Science is sterile without meaning. Translate data into story.Resist the urge to prove. Focus on improving.
You don’t need to win debates. You need to help humans.
Close
The goal isn’t to be anti-science. It’s to remember what science actually is a tool for discovery, not a substitute for wisdom.
What we do as coaches isn’t about being right on paper.
It’s about being right for people.
So stay curious. Keep learning. And never forget, truth came before the textbook.
Listen to Episode 23 Now
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📖 Catch up on past episodes + blog recaps
Have questions? DM Carl on Instagram @hardwickcarl
Frameworks is part of the CoachRx Podcast Network, your hub for principled, purpose-driven coaching conversations.
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