Coach Development

What do you notice? Do you remember those puzzles from childhood – spot the difference? The photos above are almost the same view on different days – apart from the obvious me swimming in one of them, what else do you notice? Things change over time. Reflecting gives us an opportunity to notice, to recognise, to explore, to think. The luxury of space to wonder… I reflect a great deal now but didn’t really when I was younger. Though reflecting on that statement, it is not quite true! I reflected but in less structured ways perhaps. As an individual, I ...

Ever Felt Stuck, Bored, or Overly Nurturing During a Coaching Session? If you’ve found yourself experiencing these unexpected feelings during a session, you’re not alone. Many coaches, even experienced ones, encounter moments when the energy in the room shifts or their role seems to change. Maybe you feel unusually nurturing toward a client or, conversely, find yourself feeling disengaged. Often, these responses aren’t random—they’re telling us something valuable about the client’s relational patterns or even the impact they unknowingly have on others. The magic lies in recognising these reactions as insights that can be used to help the client achieve ...

What do you see? Do you see what I see? How do you know? Language is often thought of as a fairly precise tool. We say what we want, and we mean what we say – or do we? Language can be like our vision – how do we know what someone else means? In terms of Transactional Analysis what we say can have two messages – a social message and a psychological message. This could be derived from the tone we use or the words we use. So, thinking about words – if I say something, how do I ...

When clients engage a coach, they experience a different type of conversation. For some, it may be the first time that they’ve felt genuinely listened to, seen, or understood, and this can have a profound and positive impact on the client’s journey of self-discovery and transformation. Clients might describe the coach as having a real ‘presence’. But what is coaching presence? And how might a coach learn to increase it? And what if we could create a formula for coaching presence? The International Coaching Federation (ICF) core competency framework is a valuable starting point for gaining insights. Specifically, Competency 5: ...

What Does it Mean to Work in the Here and Now? As coaches, we aim to be fully present with our clients, but what does this really entail? Working in the Here and Now goes beyond active listening or surface-level awareness; it’s about deeply engaging with what is happening between you and your client at this exact moment. It requires a certain level of responsiveness and attunement that invites clients to explore the underlying beliefs, emotions, and reactions that shape their interactions. When we work in the Here and Now, we’re tapping into a layer of insight that can have ...

The Secret to Lasting Success for Coach Practitioners Coaching is an incredibly rewarding but demanding profession. While, we as coaches, devote ourselves to guiding others toward growth and success, this work can sometimes come at the expense of our own well-being. To be effective and resilient, coaches need to invest in our own wellness – not just as a “one-off” exercise, but to develop and maintain a life that cultivates a sustainable wellness journey. Globally, a recent ICF research report1 showed that 85% of coach practitioners reported that they have clients who request help with their mental well-being, with business ...

Many years ago, I studied Transcendental Meditation, and the teacher shared a story which I have always remembered, and which really helped me to understand the concept of accessing a greater level of depth in my meditation practice. Years later, this story has also served well many times as a way to describe working at a deeper level with our coaching clients. The story goes… If you imagine your mind to be like a house, when you first begin to meditate, it’s like a process of spring cleaning your house – you can quite quickly notice and are aware of ...