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Before starting my coaching Diploma, I mapped out what I needed to do to earn the ACC (Associate Certified Coach) credential from the ICF.  The criteria are set out clearly on the ICF website: https://coachfederation.org/icf-credential  I built my log of coaching hours and set out to meet all the criteria required by the ICF so that I could apply for ACC at the earliest opportunity.  As it happened, I had everything in place on completion of the Animas Diploma.  My ACC certificate arrived i...

BUSINESS PLAN FOR COACHES: ADVENTURE, INTUITION, TRUST

Further to my recent posts on Start-up for Coaches and Personal Branding for Coaches, few self-employed coaches have a business plan.  We all keep putting it off; frankly, most of us would rather go to the dentist!  A conventional business plan can be helpful however it’s my experience that the energy and commitment in the coach is more important for business success than the coach’s written plan.  If your business comes from your ...

PERSONAL BRANDING FOR COACHES: MOTIVATION, VALUES, INTENTIONS
Further to my recent post [‘Business Start-up for coaches: Labels; Niche; Style'], I’ve been reflecting on how coaches establish their personal brand. New coaches can get hung up on the trappings of branding, such as business name, logo, strap line and so on. These are important, yet superficial. What’s more important is the experience your prospects and clients have when engaging with you. In my view, the key to creating a b...

In recent sessions with start-up coaches, I’ve noticed some common issues around how coaches describe themselves and present themselves to the market place.  Here is my suggestion, which may be helpful for new coaches launching their practice.

There are 3 related issues: what labels you give yourself, the niche you are aiming at and your coaching style.  Let’s look at each of these in turn.

LABELS. 

This needs to be clear and simple so people who are looking for the service you offe...

During a coaching session yesterday, I was asked what I thought coaching was. The session was recorded (with mutual consent) and the client transcribed my answer and emailed it back to me later. I share it here as it feels appropriate.
For context my coaching style is 'Transpersonal': working with the client's values, energy, vitality and spirit in an intuitive way. I coach for business, career, wellness and cancer and I'm drawn to coaching with the client's shadow side, which I've previou...

As I prepare for my talk on 'Wellness Coaching' to the Salisbury Coaching Circle on 25 October, I thought I'd write a poem about wellness. The talk is based on a chapter I've contributed to the inaugural book by the Cancer Coaching Community due publication in 2019. Heather Nichols (my wife) has also contributed a poem, which I include here.

Here are the 2 poems: 'I Want to be Well' and 'Un-wellness Poem'

I want to be Well

When someone says, ‘I want to be well’,
do we reach for a pill or...

Do you ever walk mindfully?  Another beautiful summer morning drew me outdoors for a walk around the enchanting Iron Age hillfort of Old Sarum just north of Salisbury in Wiltshire.  I can see it from my kitchen window and it often calls me to walk around it.  So far so normal however as I stepped off gravel pathways and onto grass, on a whim I took my trainers and socks off and went barefoot.  This had instant and surprising effects: I slowed down and became more aware of where I was placin...

I find myself drawn to my client’s shadow side. What is the client’s shadow?  It’s their dark side, the place inside they don’t want to look at, that’s often been suppressed for many years, unacknowledged but hanging over them and casting a shadow over their life.  The shadow holds powerful emotions that are hard to live with, such as guilt, grief, shame and fear – is it any wonder that people don’t want to go there?  And yet the unresolved shadow always follows them, holding ...