The Coach's Journey - build a coaching business with integrity

New here? Discover three ways to explore a rich archive of conversations about building a sustainable coaching business with integrity. Begin with recent highlights, dive into the six-part Coaching Business Fundamentals series, or uncover evergreen interviews from the very beginning. A quick guide to finding practical wisdom, inspiration, and your ideal starting point.

After seven years and 133 conversations, Robbie reflects on bringing the podcast to a close. He explores creating meaningful work without building a large organization, the power of invitations and unexpected connections, businesses deliberately left behind, and the tension between following energy and staying the course. He also considers how creative work reshapes identity and points toward his return to core coaching work.

Jennifer Garvey Berger, leadership expert, author, coach, and CEO of Cultivating Leadership, explores the necessary terror of growth, adult development, and navigating complexity. They discuss comparison traps, vulnerability, enabling rather than controlling, and the power of fierce friendship. Jennifer also shares the story of building a shared community in France and why coaches need connection, courage, and hope.

As we wrap up The Coach’s Journey Podcast after seven years, we’re sharing some of our favourite episodes from the back catalogue…Jamie Smart, Sunday Times best-selling author, speaker and coach, got to where he is today through a series of moments of profound realisation and insight. The first of which was a calling to public speaking even though he was terrified of it at the time. In 2003, Jamie started the company Salad, and quickly grew a tribe of over 80,000 people who devoured his articles and personal development products. Salad soon became one of the world’s leading NLP product businesses but, despite its success, Jamie once again found himself looking for something more. In 2008, a series of significant insights brought him to a new paradigm, the principles of CLARITY®. He stopped teaching NLP, sold Salad, and never looked back.Today, Jamie has five books to his name. He works with individuals and businesses helping them create the results that matter to them as well as running professional development workshops. He has appeared on Sky TV, the BBC, and in numerous publications including The Daily Telegraph. In this episode, we talk about:The two most valuable things that anyone can learn - the truth of how our experience is created and who we really are.Why he recommends working with a package model over charging by the hour - how to avoid losing your business over night. The breakthroughs in psychology that he believes are as significant as the discovery of germs were to medicine. The five questions to ask yourself and your client at the beginning of a new engagement.Plus, we find out about childbed fever in the 1800s and what we can learn from four-year-olds.For more information about Jamie, visit: www.jamiesmart.comFor information about Robbie’s wider work, my writing or to buy my books, visit www.robbieswale.com.Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.Download the free ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQgThings and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):~ Katie Harvey on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-1-katie-harvey-14000-hours-of-coaching-being-part-of-the-uk-coaching-vanguard-and-being-a-generalist-coach ~ Marcia Reynolds on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-14-marcia-reynolds-becoming-world-number-five-coachin-guru-rgdph-b5j29 ~ Chris Joseph on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/128-chris-joseph-how-to-become-an-overnight-success-in-10-years-from-ponzi-scheme-ruin-to-six-figure-coaching-months-repost ~ Episode #99 with Robbie: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/99-robbie-swale-the-secrets-of-meaningful-productivity-honourable-leadership-and-tilting-the-world-towards-heaven ~ Jackee Holder on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/73-jackee-holder-trauma-informed-coaches-have-never-been-more-needed ~ Cathy Presland on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-17-cathy-presland-government-advisor-to-three-principles-coach ~ Henrietta Nelson on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-46-henrietta-nelson-nobody-else-can-put-a-feeling-in-you ~11: Regent’s University: https://www.regents.ac.uk/~23: Jamie Smart’s books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamie-Smart/e/B00N7HMHL8?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000~23: Jamie’s fifth book, The Profitable Coaches Scorecard: https://www.amazon.com/Profitable-Coaches-Scorecard-Jamie-Smart/dp/0995613419#:~:text=In%20Jamie%20Smart's%20book%2C%20The,life%20and%20in%20the%20world.~24: The CLARITY® certification training module: https://www.jamiesmart.com/clarity-coach-training/~36: Salad NLP: http://saladltd.co.uk/~37: Tim Ferriss’s book The 4-hour Work Week: https://www.amazon.co.uk/4-Hour-Work-Week-Escape-Anywhere/dp/0091929113~38: Michael Neill: https://www.michaelneill.org/~40: Missing Link by Sydney Banks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Missing-Link-Reflections-Philosophy-Spirit/dp/1772130176#:~:text=The%20Missing%20Link%20is%20the,read%20it%20to%20enjoy%20it.~44: George Carlin: https://georgecarlin.com/~46: Sydney Banks: http://sydbanks.com/~ 47: The Clarity Life Community Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/claritylifecommunity/~51: Christina Mitchell: https://www.christinamitchell.co.uk/~1.10: The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimp-Paradox-Management-Programme-Confidence/dp/009193558X~1.17: ClarityPro: https://www.clarityacademy.co/ClarityProClosed ~1.45: Ignaz Semmelweis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis~1.45: Germ Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease~1.45: Gregory Bateson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Bateson~1.47: Hermann von Helmholtz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_von_Helmholtz~1.48: Anil Seth’s Ted Talk: Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Reality: https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality?language=en#t-991~2.06: Jamie’s book, Results: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Results-Think-Less-Achieve-More/dp/0857087096~2.06: Jamie’s book, The Little Book of Results: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Book-Results-Quick-Achieving/dp/0857087800~2.07: The Thriving Coaches Blueprint: https://www.clarityacademy.co/tcbclosed~2.07: The Career Transition Blueprint: https://www.clarityacademy.co/ctbclosed~2.10: The Clarity Life Community Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/claritylifecommunity/~2.10: The Thriving Coaches Podcast: https://www.jamiesmart.com/tcp/~2.10: Get CLARITY® with Jamie Smart Podcast: https://www.jamiesmart.com/claritynow/~2.10: The CLARITY® Certification Training: https://www.jamiesmart.com/clarity-coach-training/ ~ Download the free ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel FULL BIOGRAPHY FROM JAMIE Jamie Smart is an internationally renowned writer, speaker, coach and consultant. He shows individuals and organizations the unexpected keys to clarity; the ultimate leverage point for creating more time, better decisions and meaningful results.Jamie is a gifted speaker, equally engaging in front of large audiences and more intimate groups. He’s passionate about helping individuals and businesses to deepen their understanding of CLARITY® and to create the results that matter to them. In addition to working with a handful of coaching clients and leading selected corporate programmes, Jamie runs professional development workshops for business leaders, trainers, coaches and consultants. He has appeared on Sky TV and on the BBC, as well as in numerous publications including The Daily Telegraph.In 2003, Jamie started the company Salad, quickly growing a tribe of over 80,000 people who devoured his articles and personal development products. Salad soon became the world’s leading NLP product business, and he was acknowledged by his peers as one of the world’s finest trainers. Then, in 2008, Jamie shifted his focus to a new paradigm, the principles of CLARITY®. He stopped teaching NLP and in 2012, sold Salad. Prior to starting his own business, Jamie led multi-million pound organizational change programmes and was also brought in as a troubleshooter to rescue struggling projects. His client list includes the Guardian newspaper, Sweet & Maxwell, Payzone and Dun & Bradstreet.Jamie lives in London. When he’s not working, he loves travelling, walking, drinking coffee and exploring. 

Claire Pedrick is a coach, author of Simplifying Coaching, and founder of 3D Coaching. She explores how to cut through coaching’s complexity, challenge guru culture, and create fairer power dynamics. The conversation covers ethical boundaries, sustainable business growth, protecting time off, equitable fees, and the quiet art of waiting for clients’ insights.

As we begin to wrap up The Coach’s Journey Podcast after seven years, we’re sharing some of our favourite episodes from the back catalogue…Ruth Rochelle’s life and career changed when, in 1979, she met Ariana Huffington and took part in the first Insight Seminar ever to happen in the United Kingdom.Ruth describes this moment as her invitation into self-reflection, the start of her career, and the time when she started to become the leader in her own life. In Café Royal on London’s Regent Street, with 100 people – including some famous names – she had an experience she calls mindblowing and heart-opening, revealing deep truths that had previously been hidden from view.In this episode of the Coach’s Journey Podcast, Ruth sheds light on the vast worlds of discovery that opened up to her following that first Insight Seminar, which propelled her into a career as a global facilitator and as a renowned expert on conscious leadership in teams and organisations.Ruth tells host Joey Owen how her remarkable appetite for learning and exploration also led her to study Internal Family Systems, which now underpins her work as an accredited master executive coach, IFS practitioner, systemic team coach and coaching constellations practitioner.In this episode, Ruth and Joey also talk about:Psychosynthesis and other therapeutic models that are harnessed by coachesHow to shift from protective behaviours in order to stand up in your authenticityThe ripple effect and how it can amplify both our limiting patterns and our effective onesThe way systems theory can help us stay in balance and adapt to our current truthRuth ends the podcast with a truly vital message about the parts of ourselves that we bring to interactions with others and the roles we all have to play in taking humanity forward.For more information about Ruth, visit https://www.ruthrochelle.com/ For more information about host Joey Owen, visit http://www.joeyowencoaching.com/ Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.Download the free ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQgTHINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:- Robbie’s model, The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheelRuth’s other appearance on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/111-ruth-rochelle-the-future-of-coaching-trust-simplicity-and-the-wisdom-of-humanity Chris Joseph on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/128-chris-joseph-how-to-become-an-overnight-success-in-10-years-from-ponzi-scheme-ruin-to-six-figure-coaching-months-repost Ellie Scarf on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/102-ellie-scarf-our-stories-and-scars-can-be-points-of-connection Clare Norman on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-68-clare-norman-glimmers-of-hope-structuring-a-coaching-business-and-unlearning-mindsets-on-the-journey-to-coaching-mastery Julie Starr on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-58-julie-starr-the-world-works-from-the-inside-out Matt Thieleman on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-51-mindful-leadership-and-letting-your-hidden-side-be-seen - Ariana Huffington https://www.instagram.com/ariannahuff/?hl=en - Insight Seminars https://insightseminars.org/ - John Roger https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-14-vw-882-story.html - Russell Bishop https://russellbishop.com/about - Internal Family Systems https://ifs-institute.com/ - Psychosynthesis Coaching, Auburn Howard https://www.psychosynthesiscoaching.co.uk/ - NLP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming - Results Unlimited https://www.upwork.com/agencies/1140793201640026112/ - Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard Schwartz https://www.amazon.co.uk/Internal-Family-Systems-Therapy-Guilford/dp/1572302720 - The Leadership Circle https://leadershipcircle.com/leadership-assessment-tools/leadership-circle-profile/- Robert Kegan and the Immunity to Change model https://www.gse.harvard.edu/hgse100/story/changing-better#:~:text=Based%20on%2030%20years%20of,distortions%20that%20keep%20you%20from‍ ‍- AOAC master systems coach https://www.aoac.org/aoac-training-courses/ - Third Space https://www.thirdspace.london/ - Download the free ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel BIOGRAPHY FROM RUTHFor more than 25 years Ruth has been a coach – an executive and team coach, workshop facilitator, transformational coach and coach supervisor – with private clients and with organisations.Ruth is an Accredited Master Executive Coach with APECS, an IFS (Internal Family Systems) Practitioner with the IFS Institute and a Coaching Constellations Practitioner, and her clients have included creative professionals, start-up founders, senior managers, young emerging leaders, celebrities, coaches, and many more.Ruth supports her clients to create and achieve their visions, enrich their relationships, navigate changing circumstances, embark on new life directions, start and grow businesses, address specific challenges, experience greater wellbeing and connect to a meaningful purpose.

As we begin to wrap up The Coach’s Journey Podcast after seven years, we’re sharing some of our favourite episodes from the back catalogue…Sat atop a Welsh mountain in 2007 in a moment of depression and despair, Chris Joseph had the first in a series of instances of clarity that would eventually lead him to coaching. On the brink of a meltdown, he knew his Ph.D. in Computational Mechanics was no longer serving him. Buddhism, yoga and mediation became the elixir for him and soon he found he couldn't sleep with excitement at the discoveries he was making. His life changed when he trained to become a mindfulness teacher with Breathworks, and Chris went on to complete his Ph.D. and launch his first coaching practice. But it wasn't a success and in the end he gave it up. His extraordinary journey includes a multitude of highs and lows, from making £10,000 a month in passive income to losing it all to a fraudulent trader. Now he’s back coaching and headed for a seven-figure year with his highly successful practice.In this episode, we talk about:Where his practice went wrong the first time round.Why the inner work is so important - understanding that you can only take people as far as you can go yourself.Why a true insight always comes packaged with an action - an ‘outsight’ or an ‘outer action’.How to invite an individual to coaching - how to make it feel like a gift to the individual and not a request for yourself.Alongside the practical we get into some big topics: death, impermanence, the importance of play and the effects of all these on our lives. And it is a total pleasure to be in a space with Chris' beautiful open-heartedness.For more information about Chris, visit www.christopherjoseph.co.uk, find him on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drchrisjoseph/ or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisjoseph.uk/ For information about Robbie’s wider work and writing, visit www.robbieswale.com. Read more about The Coach's Journey and sign up to our mailing list at www.thecoachsjourney.com.Download the free ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel Music by My Good Man William listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQgThings and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):~ Alex Swallow on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-62-alex-swallow-life-is-better-when-we-choose ~8: Rich Waterman: https://www.richwaterman.com/ ~10: The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.happinesshypothesis.com/~12: Michael Neill: https://www.michaelneill.org/~12: Dick Bettinger: http://3principlesmentoring.com/index.html ~12: Sydney Banks: https://sydbanks.com/~14: Breathworks: https://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/~20: Unleash the Power Within with Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/events/unleash-the-power-within/ ~25: Unleash the Power Within with Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/events/unleash-the-power-within/~26: The Coaching Academy: https://www.the-coaching-academy.com~26: Richard Bandler: https://richardbandler.com~26: John LaValle: https://www.nlplifetraining.com/trainers/john-lavalle~26: The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prosperous-Coach-Increase-Income-Clients/dp/1600250300 ~26: Breathworks: https://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/~27: Simon Coulson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prosperous-Coach-Increase-Income-Clients/dp/1600250300~27: Peter Thompson: https://peterthomson.com/ ~27: Michael Neill: https://www.michaelneill.org/ ~27: Project Kairos with Rich Litvin: https://richlitvin.com/kairos/~30: Steve Hardison video: https://youtu.be/0Tine-9dz-Y~32: Rich Waterman: https://www.richwaterman.com/ ~33: Three Principles: https://threeprinciplesfoundation.org/ ~33: Eckhart Tolle: https://eckharttolle.com/ ~33: Bryon Katie: https://thework.com/ ~33: The Coaching Academy: https://www.the-coaching-academy.com~33: Tony Robbins: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ ~37: Crazy Good by Steve Chandler: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1600250343/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_JMAKFbP0PYJ7E ~43: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1936891026/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_xlBKFbG7XW11B~50: Loom: https://www.loom.com~1.11: Cardiff University: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk ~1.29: Wealth Warrior by Steve Chandler: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1600250408/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_EFCKFbY9VGH7M~1.29: Time Warrior by Steve Chandler: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1600250378/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_kICKFbB90WCJN~1.29: The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1608681890/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_8RCKFbEEPT36Y~1.31: The Meaning Revolution by Fred Kofman : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1524760730/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_BsSKFbKHQ773N~1.45: Chris’s contact details: email address: [email protected], LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchrisjoseph/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisjoseph.uk/~1.50: Steve Hardison: https://theultimatecoach.com/ FULL BIOGRAPHY FROM CHRIS Dr. Chris Joseph is a sought-after coach and mindfulness trainer living in South Wales. He specialises in working with high-achieving coaches who are ready to play at the next level. His expertise is in helping people slow down, reconnect with themselves and then create the life that they truly want to wake up to every morning.In his coaching role, Chris works with a small number of clients each year, by invitation or referral. His clients have included the former marketing director of one of the most iconic brands on earth, a senior VP for a fortune 10 company, a woman who has worked in mission control, a former private investigator on Wall Street, a Wall Street attorney, an ex-personal advisor to the former Prime Minister of the UK, a London investment banker and business owners with multi-million dollar turnovers.As a mindfulness trainer, he creates original and impactful sessions on emotional resilience and mindful leadership for world-class companies. He has worked with Tesco, Tata Steel, Cardiff University, the NHS, Breast Cancer Care, Jacobs and MotoNovo Finance. Chris has a Doctorate from Cardiff University and is a qualified Breathworks Mindfulness Trainer and a Richard Bandler certified NLP practitioner.In his former career, he was a Civil Engineer, working in the contracting, consulting and research sectors. His work has been published in international journals.Chris has been featured on National Radio in Wales for his mindfulness work, has written over 20 articles on Mindfulness and is in the process of writing his first book on coaching.When he isn’t coaching, training or writing, he is continually learning about play, creativity, fun and laughter from his children, Aled and Anwen. He also enjoys triathlon and has completed an Ironman, a 10km charity swim and a 70km ultra run!

As we begin to wrap up The Coach’s Journey Podcast after seven years, we’re sharing some of our favourite episodes from the back catalogue…Coaching found Julie Starr without her looking for it, and she started to practice coaching before she knew what it was.As a project manager of large-scale change initiatives in big organisations, Julie was someone who people naturally turned to with problems ­– often complex, personal matters that required care and attention to their inner world.Julie acquired skills to enhance her ability to perform this role; tools like neuro-linguistic programming helped her to navigate one-to-one work, and also prepared her for the future that awaited her.At a time when coaching qualifications had yet to be developed, Julie began writing a book that would help people understand the one-to-one work she was doing. That book is The Coaching Manual and it is now in its fifth edition, having garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Sir John Whitmore, widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the coaching industry.Julie, now an executive coach, mentor, writer and speaker, has since written two more best-selling books on coaching as well as two works of fiction, all of which are inspired by her belief in the interdependency of people, and by her passionate enquiry into the nature of reality. A self-described seeker, Julie’s journey of exploration through personal and professional development charts a fascinating course through the last three decades and is full of interesting insights and suggestions for coaches on their own journey.In this episode, we also talk about:Not allowing models and frameworks to become limiting factors in our work as coachesThe power of non-attachment and the importance of working joyfullyStaying true to ourselves, and resisting the temptation to climb a ladder that is against somebody else’s wallHow to charge what you would be delighted with but not amazed byHow to pursue the pathways that make sense to you in a turbulent, disorienting worldWe also discuss the biggest challenge we face as coaches: the inner and outer work we have to do to get ourselves out of the way in conversations.For more information about Julie, visit www.starrcoaching.co.uk or www.learnstarr.com.For more information about this episode’s host, Neil Mackinnon, visit https://neilmackinnon.net/.Read more about The Coach's Journey and sign up to our mailing list at www.thecoachsjourney.com.Download the free ebook, An Introduction toThe Coaching Business Flywheel,at https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheelMusic by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQgThings and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):-  Neuro-linguistic programming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming - Tony Robbins https://www.tonyrobbins.com/ - Richard Bandler and John Grinder https://www.pocketbook.co.uk/blog/2017/08/01/john-grinder-and-richard-bandler-nlp-neuro-linguistic-programming/- Milton Erickson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._Erickson- Effective Coaching by Myles Downey https://pocketwisdom.blog/2022/08/10/effective-coaching-by-myles-downey/ - Coaching for Performance by Sir John Whitmore https://www.performanceconsultants.com/coaching-for-performance-book - Co-active Coaching https://coactive.com/about/what-is-coactive - The GROW model https://www.performanceconsultants.com/grow-model - Tim Gallwey https://www.performanceconsultants.com/tim-gallwey - Writing coach Marcia Yudkin https://www.yudkin.com/index.htm - Eloise Cook https://reedsy.com/eloise-cook- Kim Morgan on The Coach’s Journey Podcast https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-25-kim-morgan - The Institute of Self-Actualisation https://isaexperience.wordpress.com/ - Landmark Forum https://www.landmarkworldwide.com/the-landmark-forum - The Journey https://home.thejourney.com/- Joe Dispenza https://drjoedispenza.com/- Julie’s first non-fiction book, From Magic to Memphis https://starrcoaching.co.uk/introducing-julies-debut-novel-magic-to-memphis/- Truth Keeper, book one, by Julie Starr https://www.linkedin.com/posts/juliestarrcoach_truth-keeper-book-one-julie-starr-activity-7076863795129655296-cjpg/BIOGRAPHY FROM JULIEJulie Starr is an executive coach, mentor, writer, and speaker. She is the author of three best-selling books on coaching: The Coaching Manual, The Mentoring Manual and Brilliant Coaching. Julie works with individuals and organisations to help them clarify a sense of purpose and remove obstacles to progress. Her own sense of purpose builds from an ongoing enquiry into how we might reach our fullest potential.

For Dr. Erek Ostrowski, the quality of our reflection is the quality of our coaching. In this episode of The Coach’s Journey Podcast, he describes how intentional, multifaceted reflection produces new understanding and enables us to take action in ways we could not previously envisage.As well as holding a PhD in Organisational Development and Change, and being a senior leadership and executive coach who founded Verve Coaching, Erek is the author of The Capable Group Coach, which “invites coaches and organisations to embrace the complexity, relational depth, and unique human potential that only group coaching can unlock”.Erek’s passion for group coaching, which he believes can help us to address a crisis of meaning that is emerging in the workplace, has fuelled his rise to the very top of his field, and in discussion with host Alex Whitton he explains why there is an increasing demand for group coaching from forward-thinking organisations.The vital importance of experimentation in coaching is a focus of this conversation, and Erek and Alex discuss how coaches can ensure their work is grounded in a solid evidence base while freeing themselves up to be guided by the knowledge that emerges through play and by trying out new things. Erek also speaks sagely about the indispensible value of curiosity in a multifaceted career, and about the tremendous cost we risk if we fail to attend to our gut instincts.This episode is packed full of wisdom and insight from a true innovator and thought leader, who shares his expertise on how to increase the value of your work by developing a practice that produces impact, meaning and possibility far beyond what takes place in the coaching room.Erek and Alex also talk about:• How often practice leads research and the power of learning through doing • The nuanced approaches required when working in different group coaching contexts• How shiatsu and embodied work inform Erek’s practice• The different possibilities that open up when working with a capabilities-based model rather than a competencies-based model• How to attune yourself to emergent demand, and create something that people really want!• The benefits of getting involved in scholarship to your positioning in the field of coaching• The crucial differences between group coaching and team coachingTHINGS WE TALKED ABOUT:- Systems theory https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/systems-theory - Organisational theory https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/organisational-theory - The GROW model https://www.coachingcultureatwork.com/the-grow-model/- David Kolb, learning cycle - https://www.britishschoolofcoaching.com/kolbs-learning-cycle-in-coaching/- John Dewey, Learning by doing - https://www.simplypsychology.org/john-dewey.html- William Bridges, Transition theory - https://wmbridges.com/about/what-is-transition/- Malcolm Knowles, adult learning theory - https://infed.org/dir/welcome/malcolm-knowles-informal-adult-education-self-direction-and-andragogy/- The Capable Group Coach, by Erek Ostrowski https://www.routledge.com/The-Capable-Group-Coach-Bridging-Knowledge-and-Practice-for-Transformative-Learning-and-Change-in-Groups/Ostrowski/p/book/9781041158516 - Tony Grant, https://instituteofcoaching.org/author/grant-anthony- Irvin Yalom, The Theory and Practices of Group Psychotherapy https://www.yalom.com/- David Drake, https://www.davidbdrake.com/- Ken Giglio, Mindful Leadership https://mindful-leaders.com/- Jevons Paradox, https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/02/04/g-s1-46018/ai-deepseek-economics-jevons-paradox BIOGRAPHY FROM EREKDr. Erek J. Ostrowski, PhD, PCC, is a senior leadership and executive coach, coaching author and researcher, and founder of Verve Coaching. With over 25 years of experience, he designs and facilitates systemic coaching interventions for senior leaders and organizations navigating rapid change, growth, and scale. His collaborative approach engages leaders in reflection and inquiry that drives business outcomes while fostering a culture of learning and positive change.Erek’s practice spans healthcare and academic medicine, financial services, entrepreneurial firms, higher education, and creative services. He partners with physician leaders, executives, faculty, founders, and leadership teams, and is widely recognized for his pioneering research on group coaching.At the University of Pennsylvania, Erek is an affiliated faculty member in the Organizational Dynamics programs, where he chairs the Leadership and Organizational Coaching (LOC) master’s concentration. He co-edited Innovations in Leadership Coaching: Research and Practice and is the author of the newly released The Capable Group Coach (Routledge, 2026).Erek holds a PhD in Organizational Development and Change and an MA in Human and Organizational Systems, both from Fielding Graduate University. He is a credentialed coach with the International Coaching Federation (PCC) and a certified coach supervisor through Oxford Brookes University.

When five-time published author Helen ONeill entered the coaching space, she found that many coaches had misconceptions about writing and publishing. Some felt they needed permission to write their book, while others were held back by gatekeeping, snobbery and exploitative business practices.Her response was to set up Coach Write, the book coaching business she runs to help coaches make the choices that are right for them as they navigate their publishing journey, drawing on her expertise as an EMCC-accredited coach and a published author in a range of genres.The Coach Write stream of Helen’s business forms part of her portfolio career, and in this episode of The Coach’s Journey Podcast, she tells host Alex Swallow about how she spent 20 years gaining experience in recruitment, human resources and psychometrics before becoming a portfolio career and change management specialist.Helen helps people who want a life and a career comprised of several threads to weave them together in a way that is sustainable and nourishing, ensuring the common pitfall of burnout is avoided altogether. She speaks about the boundaries and strategies that underpin this process, and describes the many synergies between the secrets of building a thriving author business and becoming a successful coach.Helen is passionate about creating a space for coaches to write and publish, where they can build a truly fulfilling life of variety, challenge and achievement. In this episode she cuts through the nonsense with practical, inspirational advice for anyone seeking to make a well-chosen next step in their career.Helen and Alex also talk about: • How to structure a portfolio career to ensure your time, energy, and income are in balance
 • Setting up a no-stress side hustle that puts a bit of joy into the world • The “messy middle” of mid-to-senior level work and the many different paths that it can lead to • ‘AI vertigo’ and how to get on the front foot rather than living in fear of AI • How to build your online presence without draining your soul by focusing on what you love doing
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:- Coach Write https://coachwrite.co.uk/ - Gather and Grow https://www.gatherandgrow.community/ - EMCC https://emccglobal.org/ - Time to Think by Nancy Kline https://www.timetothink.com/books/time-to-think/ - Barefoot Coaching https://barefootcoaching.co.uk/ - The Sheffield Coaching Exchange https://www.linkedin.com/company/sheffield-coaching-exchange/ - Robbie Swale’s Coaching Business Flywheel https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel BIOGRAPHY FROM HELENHelen ONeill spent 20 years leading complex change portfolios before embarking on her own successful portfolio career. Today she’s an EMCC accredited coach, five-time published author, and the founder of Coach Write, where she helps coaches write and publish books that position them as thought leaders.She rarely watches television, she’s rubbish at updating social media, and she tries to avoid the news as much as possible. Instead, she packs her life with experiences, achievements, and laughter, and she loves helping others do the same.