The Coaching UnpACT Podcast

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore the art and science of celebrating success. They discuss how social and cultural influences often lead us to downplay our achievements and delve into how our inner critic can block us, why self-compassion is key, and how to define success on your own terms. They also examine the tension between celebrating others and the trap of comparison. This episode i...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel respond to a question about how to survive and thrive when we choose to do tough stuff. They explore the science behind this and share examples from their own lives. They cover the basics of well-being, such as sleep and diet, and the importance of incorporating “active rest”. They also discuss the importance of self-care strategies that emphasise creating opport...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel dive into the nuts and bolts of running your own coaching practice or business. They explore the real-world realities of being a coaching business owner and tackling critical questions like: * How can we make our business more resilient? * What is it truly like running your own practice? * How do you effectively connect with people who want what you do? They also...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore the unique relationship between a coach and coachee; exploring the characteristics of the coaching relationship and the powerful types of conversations held within it. They discuss the ways in which coaching is a special and different type of relationship - one that is safe, focused entirely on the client, and requires clients to be open and vulnerable. T...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore high performance in high demand situations, connecting it to leadership and strategies for supporting teams to avoid burnout. They discuss how high demand is essential for high performance, but high demand makes psychological flexibility even more critical. This flexibility and our ability to adapt to changing contexts and challenges is key to managing bo...

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore what it means to use coaching skills in a leadership context. They discuss how important it is to bust leadership myths; and see leadership as a process of motivating other people by shaping beliefs, values, and understandings, rather than just telling people what to do. They explore some common leadership challenges, and offer concrete examples of coachi...

Happy New Year!! Here’s a book related episode to kick-start your professional development in 2026. Rachael and Hazel discussed their professional and personal development goals for 2026, with a particular focus on self-compassion, climate, and emotional intelligence, through various books and resources. They explore topics including compassion-focused therapy, neurodiversity, and relational frame...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel start by thinking about what emotions are, where they come from, and how we might respond to them in the most helpful way. This includes the common link between strong, challenging emotions like anger and the things that are meaningful and important to us (i.e. our values). They discuss how simple techniques can help us notice and name emotions, and to sit with t...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel turn their attention to how we can lead through challenge and change. When a challenge shows up, psychological safety is really important for individuals, but it can also help leaders think about what others need and how to navigate challenges most effectively. Hazel and Rachael explore how things can ramp up when we don’t feel safe, resulting in more difficult o...

This episode is focused on climate and sustainability in coaching. In this episode Hazel and Rachael discuss the challenge of managing the short-term and longer-term impact of our behaviour. They also discuss some new challenges related to climate, such as eco-anxiety and the high resource use of technology and AI. If you’re interested in how to create a thinking space for sustainability, finding...

You might have heard the term ‘thought disputation’ from CBT, and wondered why in ACC we focus on changing our relationship to thoughts instead. In this episode, Hazel and Rachael outline the reasons why we don’t try to change thoughts in ACC, what the evidence shows about changing thoughts, and what we can do instead of doing things like thought disputation. This episode is a deep dive into how t...

This month, Hazel and Rachael explore the communities of practice, teams, and other groups we are part of professionally and personally. We know humans have evolved to be social, so what are the benefits, or costs, of being part of different communities? This is a great listen for anyone who wants to critically reflect on the benefits of groups, and how groups can work best together, as well as th...

This episode is all about the spaces we create in coaching and how we use them. Hazel and Rachael explore a myth of good coaching practice - that coaching should always be non-directive. They talk about the different approaches to coaching and how those approaches might see non-directiveness differently. They also explore how this relates to the development of AI coaching. Hazel and Rachael talk a...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore coaching psychology and what it means to be a coaching psychologist. They talk about why sometimes goal setting isn’t enough and how psychology can help coaches do their best work. They also talk about the role coaching psychologists can play in the wider coaching community, especially in supporting the development of evidence-based coaching. This episode...

After speaking at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham, UK, Hazel and Rachael reflect on health and wellbeing at work - and what organisations can do to improve it. They talk about the challenges and systemic factors, and how important both organisational context and scientific evidence are. Areas they touch on include managing demands and resources, burnout and biometrics, se...

This episode was a request from a listener who was interested in how to use ACT in career coaching. Hazel and Rachael reflect on their own career experiences, the coachee’s they have supported, and the role of the coach in career coaching. This episode covers some key parts of career decisions and coaching, such as: How values can help find the right direction of travel for someone; and the import...

Stories are important in creating change. In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore the transformational power of metaphors, and explore some commonly used ones from ACT.  If you’re interested in how metaphors create change, and how they are used in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, then this episode takes you on the grand tour.  This is the perfect listen if you’re curious about how to create...

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael share personal recommendations for books related to Acceptance and Commitment Coaching. Perhaps you’re looking for ideas for your continuing professional development, or maybe just some inspiration for 2025. This episode will give you plenty of options to choose from. Rachael and Hazel talk about some of the different books they have read and that have influenced...

This is a geeky one, so brace yourselves! If you’re interested in the principles that explain ACC or have heard the mysterious term ‘RFT’, then this is the episode for you. This episode sees Rachael nerd out, while Hazel provides light relief and excellent insights. We explore what RFT is and why it’s useful in coaching.  We hope this makes the ideas of RFT more accessible, whether you are a coach...

In this episode we offer you a different kind of 'social media challenge' - one where you can practice your own acceptance skills. This episode sees Hazel and Rachael get into the topic of how acceptance can help us to navigate life's challenges.  They share their current 'ups and downs' and how allowing themselves to feel what they are feeling, without judgement has helped them.  As always, they...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore procrastination. They talk about their own experiences and struggles, exploring how normal procrastination is, how people might commonly respond to it and some more helpful responses. It's the perfect listen for when you've got things to do. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel 'unpact' imposterism. They explore their experiences of importserism, both personally and when it shows up for their clients. They discuss how they help their clients when they feel like an imposter, and Hazel generously shares a case study of a client from her practice. There's also a bonus bit of relational frame theory thrown in at the end - what m...

In this episode Rachael and Hazel explore the F-word of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching - fusion. They discuss what fusion is and why it's so important in their coaching practice. If you've never heard of fusion, Rachael is going to try and sell it to you! They explore how fusion might show up in unhelpful ways, using examples like parenting, our work lives and how we feel about ourselv...

In this episode Rachael and Hazel explore burnout - how it shows up, the behavioural science around demands and resources at work, and what we can do in coaching to support burnout-related issues with our clients. Hazel shares ideas, strategies and techniques to use in coaching with clients to reduce their likelihood of burning out, like noticing your 'enough point'. They discuss the syste...

In this first episode Rachael and Hazel chat about their plans for the podcast, and share a bit about what they hope to cover in future episodes. They introduce some key aspects and ideas in ACT, and how that relates to coaching. They also talk about how they want to make this podcast useful for coaches and leaders of any background. They would love to hear your questions and ideas of what you&#39...