Your Coaching Journey

According to the author Oliver Burkeman we each have approximately 4,000 weeks to run around on our planet.   Some people will get a few more weeks and some will get a few less, but Burkeman's point is that our time to enjoy life is finite.   In this episode we dive into Burkeman's thought-provoking book 4,000 Weeks: Time and How to Use It.   Join us as we explore its main themes and how they migh...

We know that contracting at the beginning of a coaching relationship is vital and an integral part of our coaching. It sets the parameters within which we will work with our clients. Ending the coaching relationship should be seen as another vital and integral stage in a coaching journey. The ending may, however, raise some questions, cause some confusion and may even result in some discomfort.  ...

Tom was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Dr Hannah Coysh, who completed our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma a couple of years ago now.   Tom thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, and you'll understand why when you listen to the podcast and experience a taste of Hannah's infectious enthusiasm for life. Hannah is a Frailty GP, A Lifestyle Medic and Coach, a New to GP Coach an...

We often get asked how doctors use their new coaching skills once they've completed our Transformational Coaching Diploma programme.   This is obviously a question that our coaching doctors have the opportunity to explore for themselves in advance, of completing the programme, as they receive coaching throughout the course. There is plenty of time for them to consider what the future holds for the...

Episode 114 : Challenges in Coaching: When is a law not a law?   Is a certain amount of stress good for you? Definitely! Is there a point at which the amount of stress becomes detrimental? Most certainly! Is there a law, a model, or a formula that tells us how much stress is too much? Contrary to popular opinion, probably not!   In this episode Tom airs his frustrations about an often rolled out p...

Episode 113 : Episode 112: Topic: Leadership Coaching Part 2   In our last episode we explored how leadership might show up in the coaching room, even if we're not formally engaged in leadership coaching and why, as Transformational Coaches, we might choose to feel confident in coaching those in leadership positions.   In this episode we're putting   an element of theory behind the concept of lead...

If you've coached an individual within the NHS there is a good chance that you have been called upon to have a conversation around leadership.   Not necessarily about the mechanics of the leadership role but perhaps around how the coachee shows up and how they interact with other people.   Leadership presents itself throughout organisations and often those without a defined leadership role are tak...

Following on from our previous podcast episode where we discussed why people might choose to avoid difficult conversations, in this episode we talk about the difference between having difficult conversations badly or having them well.   From considering the pros and cons of having a particular conversation; deciding whether to have the conversation or not; preparing for the conversation; and then...

Your coachees may tell you about a sticky situation or problematic people that they have in their lives, and talk about the stress that this is causing them. Often, one of the options that the coachee has to help resolve the issue is to have a conversation with someone else involved, but they may be avoiding this option. Understanding why a coachee might be choosing not to have what they might per...

If you listened to Episode 108 you will have heard Tom discussing the ways in which we might show up in the coaching room.   Tom made the point that an approach of judgement might be an easy way for us to show up in our coaching , but perhaps love might be a more useful way to be in order to draw out the real coachee sitting before us.   Well, one podcast episode didn't provide Tom with enough spa...

Just to avoid any confusion, we are not addressing the topics of romantic love, sexual attraction or attachment in the coaching room in this episode, although they might crop up in a future episode. Tom is on his own for this podcast and is offering some reflections on how we might show up as a coach.   It would be very easy for us to show up in judgement of our coachees and to prove our worth by...

We consider the coaching space a sacred one. It is a safe, welcoming, confidential and non-judgemental space that allows the coachee to engage in conversation in an authentic, open and honest way. It is a space that fosters trust and connection.   That's the space that we, as coaches, are looking to create in the coaching room and that requires some presence on our part. But what do we mean when w...

It is always wonderful when we hear about the different ways in which our coaching doctors are using their skills, so when Dr Jo Hacking told us about the retreats that she is running, and how impactful adopting a coaching approach on them has been, we thought we really ought to find out more   In this episode Helen catches up with Jo to do just that. Jo has a background as a Consultant in Paediat...

Emotional Intelligence is a relatively new phrase but not a new concept. The Greeks and the Romans were giving thought to the problems we all have with our emotions thousands of years ago. The fact that we're all still struggling to master our responses to events that produce emotions suggests that we haven't evolved very much emotionally in the last few millennia. So, Emotional Intelligence is de...

Transformational Coaching is all about helping our coachees achieve a change in their lives, whether that be in terms of making lifestyle changes, changing the dynamics of a relationship, or the coachee just changing their perspective.   Change is at the forefront of everything we do and in this podcast episode we're exploring another model, which might just help us to explore the change process w...

To borrow some words from a famous philosopher, 'No coachee is an island'.   We all exist within some kind of system, whether it's in the workplace, within our social lives, or within a family. In the coaching room there will always be influences and echoes of the coachee's system as they talk through their situation, their experiences and their desired outcomes.   In Gestalt we talk about the con...

Do you worry about your coaching crossing over in to therapy? We tend to find that our coaching doctors worry about this, perhaps more so than non-medical people who enter the world of coaching.   In this episode we explore the grey area on the borders of counselling and coaching, including how to navigate it. We will share our own experiences of situations in the coaching room where something oth...

In the last episode we were celebrating our first 100 podcast episodes with some reflections on the coaching tools that the coaching doctors we have interviewed love to use. We had great fun reminding ourselves of the wonderful coaches that we have talked to on the podcast over the past two years.   We had intended to include their favourite coaching questions too, but we got a bit carried away wi...

We're pretty amazed that we have managed to produce 100 episodes of this podcast, and even more impressed that so many of you are listening to us rambling on every week. It seems that we accompany many dog walks and morning runs. It fills us with joy every time we receive a message from someone letting us know how much they've enjoyed and benefited from listening. In this episode we take a moment...

We're delighted that our Transformational Coaching Diploma for Lifestyle Medicine has resonated with so many doctors that have an interest in bringing about lifestyle change for their patients and coaching clients.   In this episode Tom chats with Dr Becky Howie, a delegate on the first cohort of our Transformational Coaching Diploma for Lifestyle Medicine. Becky is a GP, a GP appraiser, a lifesty...

We fully recognise that you don't learn to coach by reading a book; you have to practice coaching to improve your craft. However, we have both read a vast array of coaching books and have another sizeable collection on our Kindles, waiting for us to find the time to explore. We also have our favourites that we continue to dip into to remind us of theories, tools and techniques that we have encount...

Issues around confidence come up in the coaching room regularly. And it's a common topic that new coaches want to understand more about working with.   Feeling more confident takes time, and arguably more than time spent thinking about it. You might be wondering what approach to use, what tools might be helpful, and whether asking questions really can unlock the secrets of feeling and acting in a...

We have previously discussed Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC) on the podcast and touched on a couple of the useful coaching models that originate in this approach.   In this episode we explore the SPACE model, which is a great tool for helping coachees to dive into the way that they're perceiving their situation and allowing them to gain some perspective.   The SPACE model, often referred to a...

From a 'walk and talk' in nature to the metaphors of the landscape, coaching outdoors means many things to many coaches. In this episode Helen interviews Anna-Marie Watson, host of the Coaching Outdoors podcast about this multi faceted approach to coaching and how she got started with it.   An ex-Army officer, Anna Marie is never happier than when she is outdoors. She is an accredited coach and co...

Many coaches consider themselves to be intuitive coaches? We see it quite a lot in marketing literature and on social media. But what does it really mean in the coaching room? Is it really a phenomenon?   Here at Your Coaching Journey we have had some interesting discussions on the topic of intuition over the years and we don't always see eye to eye. Tom takes more of a   psychological approach to...