Coaching Conversations with the AoEC

In this episode, host Neil Mackinnon is joined by Madeleine Dunford, founder of Career Connections and head of AoEC East Africa, for a rich and personal conversation about her journey and the evolution of coaching in the region. Madeleine shares how she built her business over nearly three decades, from introducing psychometrics to East Africa to developing executive search and, later, pioneering...

In this episode, the format is reversed as Lucy Tulloch, head of faculty and coach education at the AoEC, interviews senior faculty member Neil Mackinnon in a reflective and candid conversation about his journey into coaching and his philosophy of practice.  Neil shares his unconventional path from a career in music and the arts into coaching, exploring how creativity, listening and presence have...

In this episode, Neil Mackinnon, senior faculty at the AoEC, is joined by Lucy Tulloch, head of faculty and coach education – global, AoEC, for an open and reflective conversation about coaching practice, coach education and what truly makes coaching transformational. Lucy shares her journey from a 20‑year corporate career into coaching, the realities of building a coaching business, and how her a...

As climate pressures intensify, leaders across every sector are being asked deeper, more urgent questions about the role of their organisations and the values guiding their decisions. In this special Climate Coaching Action Day episode, Professor Katie Bailey and Dr Katie Manning - co‑editors of The Purpose‑Driven Organisation in Times of Climate Crisis - join host George Warren to explore what it...

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Heighway, founder of Be Business Fit and author of The Strength Report 2025 , to unpack what 170 UK leaders and professionals told her about coaching in their organisations. The findings reveal a clear appetite for coaching, but also persistent barriers that keep it out of reach for many. We discuss:  Why coaching is a necessity for confident leadership, not a...

In this episode, we explore how executive coaching can become a powerful and versatile strand in a portfolio career. Joined by two graduates of our Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching programme , we hear how they transitioned from corporate life to building fulfilling, multi-dimensional careers where coaching plays a central role.  We discuss:  Why coaching is a valuable skillset for those...

In this special B Corp Month episode, we delve into the stories of some of the UK’s top-performing B Corp certified organisations in the Worker category. Through conversations with their HR leaders, we uncover what sets their workplace cultures apart, the innovative approaches they’ve taken to employee development, and the practices that underpin their outstanding employee engagement and satisfact...

Join us as we go behind the scenes of Wavelength Connect, which is a unique executive education and leadership development programme focused on the theme of The Future of Business. Each year they bring together a cohort of 60 leaders from sectors that do not normally interact and provide access to a global array of the most admired, successful, and innovative companies, leaders and thinkers. Acros...

In this episode, we explore the emotional challenges that come with career change, especially when making bold moves such as leaving corporate life to become an entrepreneurial coach or transitioning into a new line of work. We'll dive into the powerful emotions of career transitions and, in particular, into the fears that can hold you back, what to expect during the process, and how coaching...

Over the past 25 years, the UK’s executive coaching industry has evolved from a niche service into a cornerstone of leadership and people development. The AoEC has played a pivotal role in this transformation by setting high standards for coach training and accreditation and has helped raise the bar for professional coaching, making significant contributions to the field. We look back at how the i...

Marking Climate Coaching Action Day 2024, the AoEC’s George Warren is joined by Giles Hutchins to discuss his work in helping organisations and leaders learn to attune with the rhythms and ways of nature, so they are better able to adapt to change. Discussing his latest book, Leading by Nature, they also explore how coaches can help support this much needed shift in leadership and organisational d...

What does social change mean in today’s world and how does it relate to individual development through coaching? How can coaches act as agents of social and systemic change? We look at how the scope of coaching can impact beyond the individual by touching whole organisations, communities and the world. You can link with the host and guest panellists here: George Warren , faculty at the AoEC - Host...

Anti-Slavery Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the fact over 49.6 million people in the world today, and an estimated 136,000 people in the UK, are trapped in conditions of modern slavery. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The AoEC has made a long-term multi-year commitment to being part of the international campaign to end modern slavery. To help raise awareness of modern slavery in t...

Marking Climate Coaching Action Day 2023, the AoEC’s George Warren is joined by Tabitha Jayne from Earth Self and Lesley Roberts from Coaching Outdoors to look at coaching through the lens of nature. They will explore how coaching practitioners can make the most of what nature can offer them, the client, organisation and the planet. From awakening the senses to the world around us, to bringing the...

Coaching Conversations with the AoEC – Podcast Episode 7 – The Future of Coaching Join us as we take at look at how coaching is evolving and ponder what its future looks like. In this episode we explore the topic through a lens of issues including the need to democratise coaching, the climate crisis and anti-racism in the profession. We also examine why a wider step change is needed in the conscio...

Executive coaching has historically been linked with senior business leaders and high-potential employees who are being fast-tracked through the management ranks of organisations. However, recent events have created a new dialogue between employees and employers.  Young professionals are entering the workplace with a different set of expectations as to what their working identity means to them. As...

With statistics such as one in five people experiencing moderate to severe depression in 2020, what has the Covid-19 pandemic meant for individual and organisational resilience?  We look at how resilience coaching has been used to support workers during the last 18 months and are joined by two coaching professionals to learn more about their involvement with resilience coaching during the crisis....

As an organisation how do you know you are getting the best return on your investment from the coaching interventions you commission? What value can be demonstrated to the organisation and to the individual or team and can it be truly measured?   Joining Karen Smart, head of consultancy at the AoEC, are Wendy Robinson, head of AoEC Ireland and Northern Ireland and principal consultant with Taylor...

John Hill, commercial director of the AoEC is joined by two expert team coaches to explore how teams have performed in the wake of Covid-19.  Join them as they discuss their experiences of the changing needs of teams with a look at how the shift to virtual working has impacted performance and what working through covid has meant for teams – how agile have they been, how have they translated the ch...

Gina Lodge, CEO of the AoEC is joined by special guests David McLaughlin from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Katherine Tulpa from the Association for Coaching (AC) to look at manager as coach. As one of the biggest areas of interest in people management and development, where do the boundaries lie between being a manager and being a coach? We explore this important trend and consider...

Gina Lodge, CEO of the AoEC is joined by special guests Carole Spiers from the international Stress Management Association (ISMA) and creator of International Stress Awareness Week and Claire Farrow from makeadifference/MADWORLDSummit to explore working with stress including a look at covid-19, the evolving role of the manager and the future of work.  Enjoy!   You can link with the host and guests...