Coach Development

On intention, attention, and the quiet partnership between them We can slow down and still not be present. We can create space in our diaries, step back from the noise, reduce the pace... and yet find that our minds continue to race, pulled in directions we did not consciously choose. Slowing down is necessary. But it is not sufficient. Something else is needed. Something quieter, more deliberate. A question that sits beneath the pace: “Where am I placing my attention, and why?” This is where intention and attention meet. Two forces so closely entwined that we rarely think to separate ...

On pace, presence, and what we lose when life moves too fast There is a difference between moving quickly and making progress. You open your laptop to begin something that matters. Within minutes, you’ve checked messages, skimmed emails, responded to a notification, and glanced at something you don’t remember choosing. You’ve been busy. But you haven’t begun. Somewhere along the way, pace stopped being a byproduct of work and became a measure of worth. Fast is good. Busy is admirable. Full calendars signal importance. There is even a quiet pride in it. “I’ve been flat out.” “It’s been non-stop.” “I’m ...

On Attachment, Change, and the Practice of Presence There is a moment many of us know. You are standing inside something good: a conversation that feels uplifting, a period of work that finally fits, the quiet weight of a child leaning into you, a stretch of peace you did not have to fight for. And almost immediately, alongside the gratitude, another impulse appears: I wish this could last. That thought feels innocent. Tender, even. But it reveals something profound about the human condition. There are so many ways we leave the present. Nostalgia pulls us backward into softened memories. Regret ...

We seem to love the idea of new beginnings. Each year invites reflection, resolution, and resolve. We set goals with the best of intentions: get fitter, learn a new skill, launch a venture, change a habit. We name the outcome and then list the actions required to reach it. The logic is tidy. The follow-through, less so. Looking back, many of my own goals have followed this same structure: do more, do better, do differently. And while some have been achieved, I’ve come to notice something quieter beneath them all… a deeper hunger, not for new accomplishments, but for a ...

As one year folds into the next, we find ourselves standing in a tender space: the threshold between what has been and what is yet to come. This season invites us to reflect on endings, not as losses to be feared, but as part of life’s continuous rhythm of transformation. In the hush of winter, when the earth seems to sleep, something unseen is already awakening beneath the surface. What if nothing truly ends at all? What if every ending is simply a moment of becoming? There is a hush that comes at the end of something, the soft silence ...

When listening for metaphors within our clients’ language, we might catch their more obvious metaphoric phrases. Hilary Oliver's article, A Picture Paints a Thousand Words provided some examples, such as “The sun is setting on my work”, as someone expresses what it’s like for them to head into retirement. However, there’s a good chance that we’re failing to notice the more subtle metaphors that are sprinkled throughout their dialogue. Read that last sentence again. Did you notice the metaphor? I said, “metaphors are sprinkled throughout their dialogue”. What gets conjured up for you when you think of sprinkling? For me, ...

In every coaching conversation, something more than words is at play. Beyond the client’s agenda and our chosen approach, subtle shifts of energy, emotion and unspoken meaning unfold between coach and client. These live dynamics, sometimes fleeting, sometimes intense, can unlock powerful insights when a coach is ready to notice and work with them. Coaching in Real Time is a two-part CPD series designed for coaches who want to deepen their ability to work with what is emerging in the moment. By focusing on presence, emotion and the coach’s own self-awareness, the series explores how to respond to what is ...

Part of the ICF Core Competencies state that coaches should undergo regular reflective practice to enhance their proficiency, however, I know that many people are not natural reflective practitioners. Reflection is a skill, like many others, that needs to be honed through practice and understanding. It also requires some time and space which, in the modern world of work, is often lacking. To think about why it is so important and to raise awareness of why we should make time for it, I have been ruminating on what we actually know about the benefits of reflecting. “Reflective practice significantly enhances ...

A beautiful braid of belief, blessings and the best bits of being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) My nursery school teacher said I quietly took everything in, and if anyone ever thought I wasn’t switched on, they’d be very mistaken. Later, I remember I’d come home from school, do my chores, crawl behind the sofa, dark and warm, and I’d go to sleep until dinner. Nowadays, I can feel anxious about time with my in-laws knowing they’ll talk over each other, knives and forks clanging on plates, voices getting louder. I can pick up on ...

Have you ever paused to consider what you’re communicating to your client through your coaching presence? Initially, this might seem like a strange question; surely, coaching presence is simply about how you’re showing up and being with your client in each moment during a coaching session. However, as you deepen your understanding of presence, it takes on new significance and walks hand in hand with who you are as a coach and your coaching philosophy. What is Presence, Really? Etymologically, presence derives from the Latin word praesentia. Prae implies a sense of being in front of something, and sentia relates ...