Kim Morgan has a mantra for everything she does. It's about the learning space, and its power as a vehicle for change.

That space is one she grew up in, with parents she describes as very psychologically aware, and Kim went on to train as a humanistic person-centred therapist before finding herself in need of "something grittier".

Via Freudian psychotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming, she discovered her gift for developing training and experienced a revelation when she realised that not everyone grew up, like her, constantly absorbing new perspectives and reframing situations.

Barefoot Coaching is now world renowned, but Kim established it – with its name inspired by a cherished poem – at a time when there was very little training for coaches available in the UK.

Nearly 15 years later, a tragedy struck that altered Kim's perspective on her life and her work. But remarkably, she returned to deepen her practice and grow even further the many joyous success stories of more than 4,000 Barefoot alumni.

In this episode, we talk about:

The story of how Kim built Barefoot into one of the most successful coaching organisations in the UK

How training as a coach mirrors the process of coaching

The way adults learn, and how it differs from children

The conditions in which transformational moments occur

What happens when training is both fierce and compassionate

How to honour endings in our coaching engagements, and how to make them matter

Kim also speaks movingly about the devastation of loss, the perspective shift that came with her grief, and the support she found in the least expected places.

For more information about Kim, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdkimmorgan/

For information about Robbie’s wider work and writing, visit www.robbieswalecoaching.com.

Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg

To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community

Things and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in):

~5: Barry Ennis on the Coach’s Journey https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-9-barry-ennis-follow-the-fire

~16: “The learning space is the optimal development atmosphere and vehicle for change in which meanings can be played with and understood. An area of psychological experience located between wishes and reality, between one's inner and outer worlds. It allows for certainties about self and others to loosen in order to allow for playful reflection and creativity to enable shifts in self-identity.” - DW Winnicott, Playing and reality. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?hl=en&publication_year=1971&author=+Winnicott%2C+D.W.&title=Playing+and+Reality

~12: Wheel of Anything https://elisabethgoodman.wordpress.com/tag/wheel-of-anything/

~19: Jack Mezirow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Mezirow

~22: Humanistic person-centred therapy https://www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html

~25: Neuro-Linguistic Programming https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/neuro-linguistic-programming

~25: Solution-focused brief therapy https://solutionfocused.net/what-is-solution-focused-therapy/

~25: Robert Holden's Happiness Project https://www.robertholden.com/the-happiness-project/

~25: Positive psychology coaching https://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-life-coaching/

~30: I'd Pick More Daisies http://www.devpsy.org/nonscience/daisies.html

~31: Coach U https://www.coachu.com/home/

~35: Sir John Whitmore https://www.performanceconsultants.com/sir-john-whitmore

~35: Joseph O'Connor https://internationalcoachingcommunity.com/joseph-oconnor/

~40: Nancy Kline https://www.timetothink.com/nancy-kline/

~40: Jamie Smart https://www.jamiesmart.com/

~40: Damian Hughes http://liquidthinker.com/

~40: Julie Starr https://starrcoaching.co.uk/

~40: John Perry https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-perry-71490867/?originalSubdomain=uk

~45: Kim Morgan Coaching Cards for Every Day https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Cards-Every-Day-Barefoot/dp/0992898943

~1.05: The Coach's Casebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25017473-the-coach-s-casebook

~1.14: Cruse bereavement services https://www.cruse.org.uk/

~1.14: The grief recovery method https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/

~1.14: The Good Grief Project https://thegoodgriefproject.co.uk/

~1.15: Rio Ferdinand, Being Mum and Dad https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08kzclp

~1.17: West Midlands Coaching Pool https://www.wmemployers.org.uk/what-we-do/coaching/west-midlands-coaching-and-mentoring-pool/

~1.28: Joel Monk https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-6-joel-monk-conversations-at-the-cutting-edge-of-coaching

~1.43: Coaching Skills for Family Life https://www.barefootcoaching.co.uk/news-blog/coaching-skills-family-life

~1.45: PG Cert in Coaching Supervision https://www.barefootcoaching.co.uk/courses/pg-cert-coaching-supervision