In the first episode of a new series, AI, Ethics and Trust in Coaching, host Smaranda Dochia talks with founder of The Moment Institute and creator of Narrative Coaching, David Drake, to tackle the question on every coach's mind: what is coaching actually here to do in an AI-driven world?

Rather than rehashing the tired "AI vs. Humans" debate, David offers a reframe. AI, he argues, isn't simply a new tool or competitor — it's a mirror that exposes the strengths and limitations of coaching, education, leadership and human development as they currently stand. That shift changes the whole conversation: less about whether AI will take coaches' jobs, more about whether coaches have been quietly protecting familiar methods and formats instead of asking what people actually need to grow, think critically, relate well, and navigate a more complex world.

David doesn't shy away from challenging the profession's comfort zones. He talks about coaching as a "third space" within a much wider human and systemic context, and about how the traditional one-hour session is losing its centrality as immediate, multimodal support becomes the norm. As quick answers become the norm, he points to a paradox: people have never had more information at their fingertips, yet loneliness and disconnection are on the rise. For David, the real risk isn't AI replacing coaches — it's coaches failing to evolve alongside the people they serve. His central challenge to the profession: stop building learning and development around industrial era models, and start building it around real human experience.

Ultimately, this episode is a call to action. David pushes coaches to ask themselves hard questions about purpose — are their current methods genuinely serving human development, or just protecting familiar ways of working? Is the profession mature enough to use technology selectively, in service of something bigger than technique? It's a thought-provoking start to the series, setting the tone for the honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about ethics and trust that AI is forcing our profession to have.

You will learn

· AI as tool, mirror and provocateur: not just something that automates tasks, but something that exposes the limitations of current coaching and learning models, and provokes new thinking about what coaches are really for

· Why coaching may need to be reimagined as a "third space" within a wider human and systemic context

· Why purpose must lead practice: coaches should regularly ask whether their methods truly serve human growth, or just protect familiar routines

'We need to stop being so parochial and precious about coaching. It too was a disruption.'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-AI-ethics-trust-in-coaching-purpose-led-practice-human-potential

This episode is part of our 'A Day in the Life' series, where we talk to coaches about their real lives and businesses. In this insightful episode, host Maxine Bell talks to Kate Jenkinson, creative executive coach, business poet, and founder of Next Step HR and the Business in Poetry conference. Kate shares her unconventional career path, from biologist, HR professional, to the coach and business poet she is today. She highlights how emotional intelligence and creative expression aren't "nice to haves" in business, but essential tools for genuine human connection that create better outcomes for all.

Kate discusses the surprising overlap between poetry, neurodiversity, and leadership. She talks candidly about her own neurodivergent journey and how it's shaped the way she sees patterns, people, and possibility - often before anyone else in the room does. As a coach she, highlights the value of curiosity, creativity, presence and silence in coaching and development. Kate talks about her passion for poetry and poetic intelligence, and how it has evolved into the publication of her poetry, as well as the Poetry in Business conference. She shares her vision for supporting poets wanting to create a career path within businesses and organisations, and helping organisations understand how poetry can boost wellbeing, connection, and innovation. This is a conversation demonstrating what happens when you stop compartmentalising your creativity and uniqueness and start bringing all of yourself to work.

You will learn:

· Creativity isn't a special skill – it's innate. It shows up in how you solve problems, connect with people, and see the world.

· Emotions and poetry belong in the workplace, bringing more humanity, connection and effective leadership.

· Seeing the world differently is a superpower, bringing new ideas, perspectives and innovation.

'Post-pandemic, there's a real trauma that people are experiencing and go back to creativity and poetry. We know that these are practices that give people hope, that help people express how they're feeling.'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel_day-in-the-life-of-coaches-coaching-neurodiversity-poetry-in-business

In this final episode of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Al Kennedy, a coach who works exclusively with men navigating midlife. Al's own path from graphic designer and business owner to full-time coach grew out of his personal midlife questioning, and it's given him a grounded, deeply caring approach to holding space for other men. He talks about midlife not as a crisis to be fixed, but as a genuine threshold: a rite of passage that Western culture rarely marks or supports, even though many other cultures have rituals for exactly this kind of transition.

Al shares how he creates the safe, intentional spaces men so rarely get: three-day walking pilgrimages he calls "Long Walks," regular men's circles, and creative practices like journaling and poetry. Nature isn't just scenery for him — it's an active part of the work, slowing men down, reconnecting them to their bodies, and mirroring the internal shifts they're going through. He's also thoughtful about accessibility, adapting his methods for online coaching and for men with disabilities or health concerns, so the work stays open to more people, not fewer.

What comes through most in this conversation is Al's warmth toward the men he works with. He pushes back gently on the idea that men are naturally closed off, describing emotional armour as often "just a couple of millimetres deep" — meaning that with the right conditions, openness comes surprisingly fast. It's a fitting, hopeful note to end the series on: a reminder that community, care, and simply being asked "how are you, really?" can be quietly transformative.

You will learn:

· Midlife is a threshold, a rite of passage — approached with intention, it can lead to real renewal rather than just crisis.

· Safe, intentional spaces give men rare permission to slow down and explore without needing to "fix" anything.

· Men's emotional armour is often thin and nature, genuine connection and deep listening can unlock vulnerability faster than we assume.

"It's too easy just to say that men aren't showing up in the right way; we have to provide different types of spaces for men to be able to surface the things that they're really holding down."

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-nature-pilgramage-masculinity-midlife

In episode 5 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence talks to Cassandra Andrews, author of Unlearning Masculinity: Redefining Success for High Achieving Men over 40, to explore why so many successful men—CEOs, founders, and elite athletes among them—feel trapped even after ticking every box of conventional success. Cassandra unpacks the identity crises, purpose gaps, and feelings of entrapment that often surface in midlife, tracing them back to an outdated masculine blueprint that prizes stoicism and winning over vulnerability. Rather than rejecting masculinity altogether, she makes the case for relearning what it means to be a man beyond those rigid rules. Her work starts with a vision, rather than goals: a more personal picture of where a client actually wants to be, rather that what they feel expected to chase.

The conversation turns to Cassandra's coaching methodology, which draws on NLP, timeline therapy, and motivational mapping to help clients build self-awareness and understand how their motivations have shifted from external validation to internal fulfilment. She also shares the thinking behind her intimate group dinners—safe spaces that give high-achieving men permission to open up honestly with peers, often for the first time. Rob and Cassandra close on what she sees as the real prize of this work: not more success, but emotional freedom, autonomy, and choice.

You will learn:

· Winning isn't the same as fulfilment: many high-achieving men over 40 are feeling trapped despite external success.

· Self-awareness, including understanding shifting motivations is key to creating the life a client really wants, rather than what he thinks he should want.

· How Cassandra's work helps men find emotional freedom, autonomy and choice.

"When a woman tells a coach, "I've never told anyone this before," she means apart from her mother, her sister, her best friend. When a man says it, those words have never left his lips."

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-unlearning-masculinity-high-achievers

In episode 5 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Sam Adams, a coach specialising in healthy masculinity. Drawing from his background in regenerative farming and chaplaincy across Africa, Sam explains how masculinity and femininity exist as complementary energies within everyone. He discusses the shame and confusion many men face today, often rooted in unspoken social expectations, and the reason why so many struggle to ask for help or express what they truly feel.

Central to Sam's philosophy is a single powerful word: permission. He invites men to give themselves permission to feel, to rest, to be uncertain, and to step away from the silent shame to have everything figured out. Sam also draws on the natural world to guide this inner work, using the rhythm of the seasons as a metaphor for life: summer as a time for action and growth, winter as a time for reflection and renewal. His coaching weaves together nature, spirituality, and emotional courage to offer a genuinely holistic path forward.

Sam reframes the idea of strength, by sharing the root meaning of the word 'courage' is 'heart;' Sam reframes that true strength lies not in fearlessness, but in the willingness to be open and vulnerable. It's a reframe that sits at the heart of everything he does. He also discusses the relevance of spirituality in men's lives and its connection to masculinity and shares strategies for achieving balance and setting boundaries in life. Listen and enjoy this warm, honest conversation.

You will learn

· Giving yourself permission to feel, rest, and be uncertain is often the first and most powerful step toward growth.

· Nature's rhythms offer a roadmap to a life of both action and ambition, and stillness and reflection.

· True strength lies not in fearlessness but in the willingness to be vulnerable and open.

'The emphasis is on liberating yourself by connecting with your own freedom and the masculinity and the femininity within.'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-liberating-masculinity-spirituality

In episode 4 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Jess Spiers, a coach who specialises in supporting men in their 40s and 50s who appear successful but feel trapped, unfulfilled, or burned out. Jess shares how a 20-year career in digital content ultimately led her to coaching and why she made men's mental health her focus. It's a candid conversation about a quiet struggle that many men are navigating alone.

Jess discusses the emotional barriers that so often stop men from seeking support, and how coaching creates a safe, non-judgmental space for clients to explore their values, challenge limiting beliefs, and begin to understand their emotions without judgement. As a trained Emotions Coaching Practitioner, Jess makes a compelling case that working with your emotions isn't soft or fluffy — it's one of the most practical tools available for gaining clarity and moving forward.

Jess shares some of the tools she uses, with real life examples that demonstrate their success. The episode closes with an important reframe feeling stuck doesn't always require a dramatic life overhaul. Often, the most meaningful change comes from small, intentional shifts that bring your work and life back into alignment with what truly matters to you. Jess also shares details about her new podcast, Successful on Paper, and leaves listeners with a simple but powerful reminder to be kinder to yourself when seeking help.

You will learn:

· What emotions prevent men from asking for help

· The power of emotional awareness for transformation and change

· Change doesn't have to mean starting over. Small, intentional adjustments that realign your life with your core values can be far more transformative than a dramatic leap into the unknown.

'Men find it quite difficult to reach out and ask for help, so I thought, "You know what? If they're going to do that, that support needs to exist, and I want to be a part of that.'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-emotions-values-mental-health

This is no ordinary episode! This week we hit a remarkable milestone: 300 consecutive weekly episodes without missing a single Monday and to celebrate, the podcast team, Maxine Bell, Smaranda Dochia and Rob Lawrence look back on six extraordinary years of the Association for Coaching podcast. Together they reflect on a journey that has brought together 295 guests, 26 guest hosts, and 33 coaching topics, such as health and wellbeing; marketing; mental health; technology and innovation; creativity; leadership; neurodiversity in the workplace; climate coaching; love; coaching outdoors and getting started as a coach. What began as a show dedicated to the coaching profession has grown into something far greater: a thriving global community where connections, collaborations, and even five international conferences have been sparked by the conversations hosted here.

As one listener put it: "I honestly think the podcasts from the Association for Coaching are some of the best quality and content I have ever come across. The range of topics you offer is huge and so relevant to my coaching practice." That spirit of breadth, quality, relevance and genuine usefulness is exactly what this episode celebrates. We have always believed that coaches deserve a space to feel less alone in their practice, a place that champions professionalism, ethics, reflection and growth but also recognises the everyday lives and practice of coaches across the world.

And now, to honour everything the podcast has become, comes an exciting new chapter. From this episode, the show officially rebrands as Coaching Voices: The Association for Coaching Podcast. This new name better reflects its inclusive, diverse, and global reach, and the many coaches it has helped find their own authentic voice within the profession. With new hosts, new topics, and the ever evolving coaching landscape ahead, including AI, systemic change, and much more, the team is as committed as ever to meaningful conversations. New episodes drop every Monday on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. We look forward to the next 300!

You will learn:

· How six years of consistent, weekly conversations have shaped and strengthened the global coaching community.

· Why platforming diverse voices — across backgrounds, topics, and experiences — lies at the heart of everything the podcast stands for.

· What's next for Coaching Voices, and how you can be part of the next 300 episodes, as a guest or host.

"What I find particularly meaningful about this podcast is that it's never been just one voice or one perspective; it's always been a platform for many voices across the coaching profession."

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-special-episodes-300-coaching-voices

In episode 3 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence speaks with Jamie Robins, a coach specialising in supporting men through some of life's most challenging transitions. Jamie shares his personal journey into men's coaching and how the COVID-19 pandemic inspired him to create Safe Harbour - an online sharing space designed to give men a place to open up without fear of judgment. He unpacks why so many men struggle to ask for help in the first place, exploring the deep-rooted social conditioning that teaches men to suppress emotion and "just get on with it."

Jamie dives into the specific fears men face around vulnerability: from the fear of appearing weak, feeling unsafe to open up, lacking permission, to anxiety that decades of bottled-up emotion might come flooding out all at once. He explains how structured men's sharing circles, like Safe Harbour and Andy's Man Club, work to dismantle these fears through simple but powerful ground rules: no advice-giving, strict confidentiality, and ensuring every man gets a chance to speak. Jamie also teaches men to listen on all three levels: head, heart and presence – a way of holding space for others that is transformative.

Jamie shares how he is reaching men through social media and from requests there, he started his Thrive nature walks, monthly group experiences where men gather outdoors, with periods of talking, walking in silence, and answering reflective questions. His description of the effects of these walks is moving and hopeful. Throughout, Jamie makes clear that the men he works with typically in their 30s to 60s aren't lacking strength; they're lacking safe spaces to be and discover who they are beyond their roles. His work is a timely reminder that community, connection, and permission to be human are just as vital for men as for anyone.

ou will learn:

· Men are far more willing to open up when they feel safe and know there's no risk of being judged, advised, or 'fixed.'

· Many men have inherited generational patterns of emotional suppression, and unlearning them requires community, permission and modelled behaviour from other men.

· Nature and ritual have a role to play. Structured outdoor experiences, like Jamie's Thrive walks, offer men a non-threatening entry point into emotional reflection and genuine connection with others.

"On the outside, everything looks fantastic. On the inside, totally lonely and alone, isolating themselves emotionally"'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-midlife-community-groups

Have you ever felt the weight of being the "strong one" — the person everyone else leans on, while you quietly wonder who you can lean on?

In episode 2 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Vicky Kelly, a coach who has spent over 15 years specialising in working with men. Vicky shares how, after launching her coaching business in 2009, she found herself naturally drawn to male clients and discovered a profound gap in the support available to them. Her insights into why men often delay seeking help, and what happens when they finally do, are both eye-opening and deeply human.

Vicky works primarily with high-performing professionals and CEOs, who from the outside, appear to have it all together. But beneath the success, many are running on empty, held back by invisible pressures: societal expectations around strength and vulnerability, stress responses that hijack their best thinking, and long-held stories about who they are and what they deserve. Vicky explains her approach of building genuine psychological safety, regulating the nervous system, and gently but powerfully challenging the narratives that keep her clients stuck.

The conversation also ventures beyond the boardroom. What happens when you've climbed the ladder and find yourself asking, "Is this it?" Vicky shares how she helps clients reconnect with forgotten passions and rediscover who they are outside of their professional identity. She also introduces her upcoming group programme, The Capacity Project, designed to help high performers sustain their success without burning out.

You will learn:

· The Safe Space Paradox - Men are often slower to seek coaching but once they commit, they go all in.

· How your nervous system is running the show. Vicky's work with high performers isn't just about strategy; it's about helping men to learn to regulate themselves, so they can actually access the best of their thinking.

· Questioning the Stories We Tell Ourselves Vicki offers a deceptively simple but powerful question to start dismantling them: "What am I believing here that might not be 100% true?"

"So, it's multiple different demands and a lack of resources: how do I carry myself through all of this without dropping the plates that are spinning or without just sort of spontaneously combusting?"

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-safe-space-high-performing-leaders

What does it take for a high-achieving man to stop, admit he's struggling, and ask for help? In this first episode of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence speaks with Will Johnson, a facilitator and coach who guides men to live and lead with greater authenticity and peace within and about themselves. Will draws on his own experience of burnout in a senior finance role, where he suddenly ran out of energy, but through asking for help, he attended a retreat with the Centre for Courage and Renewal, which awakened a part of himself he had lost and became the start of a transformational journey that called him to a new adventure.

Will went on to train as a facilitator with the Centre for Courage & Renewal, and he now runs Circle of Trust® retreats where men are invited to slow down, listen inward, and share their stories without pressure to perform or fix. Working mythopoetically, he uses poetry, mythology, and imagery to help men bypass intellectual defences and reach something deeper. These spaces work, Will explains, because they remove the masculine reflex to solve and compete, creating room for genuine presence and self-awareness instead.

At the heart of Will's philosophy is a distinction between the ego story — the CV, the achievements, the ladder climbed — and the soul story, which lives in struggle, failure, and the moments that have truly shape us, and connect us each to our own unique 'thread.' He believes men carry more wisdom than they give themselves credit for, but that it often takes community to help them trust their own inner voice and become comfortable with difficult emotions. He explains why he no longer uses the term toxic masculinity, instead embracing the term 'shifting the masculine mind.' His message is both challenging and compassionate: acknowledging our limits, embracing vulnerability, and going public with our authentic selves is not weakness: it is where real growth begins.

You will learn:

· Burnout is a beginning, not just an ending. Giving yourself permission to ask for help is the first, but best step

1. Embracing difficult feelings, including failures, and tuning into their inner voice is where men can find their soul story and live more authentically.

2. Community matters. The isolation many men experience is one of the biggest barriers to their development so joining safe, structured group spaces is where the real work happens, and where men learn to trust themselves again.

'Now write your soul story. That's the story I want to hear. Tell me about your struggle. Tell me about when you messed up. Tell me when you've disappointed somebody.'

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-myth-poetry-group-work