Your Coaching Journey

Tom Dillon & Helen Leathers
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Dec 12, 2025 • 28min

Episode #138:A Model: Life Positions - The Okay Corral

We love an exploration of the world of Transactional Analysis and this is our fourth episode that attempts to explain some of the concepts that have emerged from Transactional Analysis theory. In this episode we're exploring the OK Corral, which provides a way of illustrating the idea of Life Positions, which emerged within the field of Transactional Analysis. The concept of Life Positions can help us, and our clients, to gain a better understanding of how we're showing up, what our values and beliefs are, and how we view the world and our place in it. The idea of Life Positions was developed by Thomas Harris in the 1960, with the publication of his book, 'I'm OK, You're OK'. Franklin Ernst's notion of 'The OK Corral' was a visual representation of the ideas that Thomas Harris had developed and set out to illustrate what is happening when people are OK or not OK within any social dynamic. In this episode we explore the OK Corral and offer our thoughts on how the concept might be useful to us and our coachees in the coaching room. Resources: To view the visuals for this model, please visit our webpage: https://yourcoachingjourney.com/project/episode-138-coaching-tools-life-positions/ Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Dec 5, 2025 • 24min

Episode #137: Reflection

Reflection is an essential aspect of any coaching practice and something that we actively encourage all of our students to do from the start of their coaching journeys. Coaching conversations happen in the moment and the emergent nature of them means that they could go in many directions. Where the conversation flows is dependent on the thinking of the coach and the coachee in real time. There is little time to reflect on what went well, what didn't go so well and what might have been different. Engaging in some reflective practice will help any coach, whatever their experience, to find new ways of looking at their coaching conversations and will definitely help to inform future sessions. For less experienced coaches, reflecting on a coaching session can spark some curiosity about different approaches, tools and techniques that might have been useful to utilise within a coaching conversation, and provide some motivation to continue learning. For more experienced coaches, reflection can help to ward off any complacency and slipping into unhelpful ways of being in the coaching room. Taking time to reflect on the possible impact the coaching sessions are having on us, as coaches, is also a valuable way to keep taking care of ourselves and to notice when we might be in need of support. In this episode we share some models that can help to facilitate our reflections as coaches. Join us for a conversation that might just offer you a new favourite way to reflect on your coaching. Resources: To view the visuals of these models, please visit our webpage: https://yourcoachingjourney.com/project/episode137-reflection/ Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Nov 28, 2025 • 31min

Episode #136: Interview: Dr Ira van der Steenstraten

In this episode Tom catches up with Dr Ira van der Steenstraten, one of our alumni, who completed the Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma back in 2022. Ira is a trained psychiatrist, psychotherapist, systems therapist and professional coach with over 25 years of experience in various settings, and holds an MD and an M.Sc. from the University of Amsterdam. Ira is passionate about empowering clients to develop the skills and knowledge they need to manage and improve their own personal and professional wellbeing and leadership skills. She specialises in preventive rather than curative techniques and has a special interest in doctors' wellbeing. Ira is based in Australia and is an example of one of our international students, able to attend our Transformational Coaching Diploma because we run our live workshops online using Zoom. Join Tom to find out how Ira has been using her coaching skills since what her favourite coaching tool, and coaching question are, and more. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know) Ira can be contacted through her coaching website: www.vitaewl.com or via her linkedin page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/iravandersteenstraten/
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Nov 21, 2025 • 23min

Episode #135: Challenges in Coaching: Absence

Presence is a topic that is often talked about in coaching and we shared our thoughts on the subject in podcast episode 107. Hopefully, if you listened to that episode, you'll now have a handle on how presence shows up in coaching. But if we have a good idea about what presence looks like in the coaching room, what about the opposite, in the form of absence; how does that appear in coaching relationships? It's difficult to talk about absence, without turning the conversation into one about presence, but we have given it a go. In this episode of the podcast we explore what we mean by absence, whether that's on the part of the coach or the coachee, and how we might create the conditions to make it less prevalent. We consider how we might stay curious when absence does occur in the coaching room and how we might seek to understand what is happening in that moment. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Nov 14, 2025 • 30min

Episode 134: Coaching Topics: Boundaries Revisited

A topic that comes up time and time again in coaching is boundaries. And it is making a return to the podcast this week. Back in episode 5 we covered this as an area for coaching, and we said we would come back to it again, so here we are, this time hoping to help create a better understanding for our coaching doctors, and, in turn helping coachees to create better boundaries. In this episode we explore what various different coaching approaches have to offer when it comes to boundaries and how we might, as transformational coaches, demonstrate some agility in moving between the approaches. In this way we may well be able to explore different elements of 'Boundaries' with our coachees and help them to become better at setting and maintaining their own boundaries. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Nov 7, 2025 • 23min

Episode 133: Challenges in coaching: The Uncoachables

Is anyone really uncoachable? You may recall Tom saying on a previous podcast that he could have a good coaching conversation with Barack Obama but that he would probably turn down the opportunity to coach the current American president, and that perhaps he is uncoachable. In this episode we explore this topic more deeply, looking at what might get in the way of someone being coachable at the time that we come to coach them. We also explore whether coaching is right for everyone and whether we can possibly be the right coach for everyone. We also explore whether Tom has softened his stance on coaching the current president or whether he really is uncoachable. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Oct 31, 2025 • 22min

Episode 132: Coaching Tools - an overview.

This is our 20th episode focussing on coaching tools, and we thought it would be a good point to have a bit of a review of some of the tools we've covered so far and where to find them. In this episode we will be refreshing our memories on some of the tools we've talked about already and signposting you to the relevant podcast where you find out more. If you would like to suggest any other tools you would like us to explore on a future episode, please do get in touch. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcast. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Oct 24, 2025 • 34min

Episode 131: Interview: Paul Molyneux

Paul Molyneux has been a consultant neurologist for over 20 years and was, until recently, also a Medical Director. Paul now supports senior doctors with their wellbeing through coaching and mentoring, helping them to thrive and find fulfillment in their working lives. Paul has a special interest in the organisational drivers of burnout and in supporting doctors in taking positive steps to reconnect with their professional roles. In this episode Tom catches up with Paul to find out how he has been using his coaching skills since he trained with us on the Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma and also on our Advanced Transformational Coaching Diploma. Join Tom and Paul on this episode of the podcast for a rich exploration of Paul's experience of learning to coach and incorporating coaching into his professional life. Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Oct 17, 2025 • 16min

Episode 130: Introducing our Advanced Coaching Diploma

This year we launched our Advanced Transformational Coaching Diploma programme and we're now into our fourth iteration of the course. Although the Advanced Diploma programme is just for the graduates of our initial diploma programme, we thought it was worth letting our listeners know how they might move on with their learning once they have completed their first coaching training course with us. So, if you've studied with us in the past, are doing so currently or have an idea that you might wish to in the future, then this podcast episode is well worth a listen, to gain a flavour of what the advanced course entails and an understanding of why we have developed this additional learning. Resources: If you want to know more about this advanced qualification including details of our next intake visit: https://yourcoachingjourney.com/advanced-coaching-diploma/ Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcast. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)
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Oct 10, 2025 • 22min

Episode 129: Having a Coaching Programme

So, you've learnt to coach, you've got some tools and techniques under your belt, and you have some experience of coaching. You are putting your coaching offer out there to the world and ready to take on clients. But what does your coaching look like? Do you take an emergent approach to your coaching or do you have a structured coaching programme to offer to potential clients. Whilst Tom is a very emergent coach, Helen offers a more organised approach to coaching out to the world in the form of a coaching programme. In this episode we share our thoughts on the benefits and possible pitfalls of having a coaching programme and what needs to be considered when putting one together. Resources: To find out more about Helen's Coaching Programme CPD workshop: Developing your coaching programme, and to book your place, visit: https://yourcoachingjourney.com/developing-your-coaching-programme/ Enjoy the podcast? If you're enjoying the podcast it would be great if you left us a review here or wherever you listen to your podcast. Contact Details Find out about our Doctors' Transformational Coaching Diploma Connect with the hosts: Tom: www.linkedin.com/in/tomdillondoctorstranformationalcoachingdiploma/ Email: tomdillon@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Helen: www.linkedin.com/in/helenleathers/ Email: helenleathers@yourcoachingjourney.co.uk Follow 'Your Coaching Journey' on Instagram or Linkedin: www.instagram.com/yourcoachingjourney/ www.linkedin.com/company/your-coaching-journey/ Do You Have a Question? From time to time we will have an episode where we answer listeners' questions about coaching. If you have a question, please send it to us using one of our email addresses above and you may get a mention in a future episode. (If you want to remain anonymous, that's absolutely fine, just let us know)

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