Oasis Podcasts

In this episode, the second in our series about creating meaning in later life, you’ll hear two wise older women - Marion Ragaliauskas & Pam Winter -  in conversation, as they explore the experience of women transitioning into later life. What’s similar for women in this phase of life compared to men? And crucially, what’s different for women? 

As older women, both Marion and Pam are practicing and living their own inner work of aging, which brings into play areas as loss, review, evaluation and re-imagining: exploring the letting go of who we once were and learning how to embrace and experiment with who we are becoming, or could become. 

A great reflection for anyone going through or approaching this stage of life, or if you want to understand more about it, or if you are helping others to go through it. 

Additional resources 

From Age-ing to Sage-ing A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Old by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald Miller 

Hagitude by Sharon Blackie 

The Inner Work of Age Shifting From Role to Soul by Connie Zwig 

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis

In this episode, you’ll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Oasis Associates and coaches Jane Bytheway and Carole-Ann Jones as they discuss the benefits of taking a coaching approach at work. 

In today's rapidly evolving and changing world of work, leaders cannot be expected to have all the answers. So there is a need to find a way of untapping the potential of others, embracing a shift in mindset towards taking a more developmental approach, so we can get the best from the people we work with, and in turn, deliver great results. 

Together, Glyn, Jane and Carole-Ann explore the true benefits of work based coaching, address some challenges that can arise, and the factors that support this kind of approach in practice. 

This episode will be great for you if you are wanting to create a coaching culture within your organization, or if you're a leader or manager who wants to learn this brilliant skillset. 

Oasis Human Relations offers a two day programme for organisations wanting to create an empowering coaching culture, which you can find here: https://www.oasishumanrelations.org.uk/programmes/leader-as-coach/

Additional resources

The Coaching Habit book by Michael Bungay Stanier book by Michael Bungay Stanier plus his Tedtalk ‘How to tame your advice monster’

Brilliant Coaching: How to be a brilliant coach in your workplace book by Julie Starr

Coaching for performance book by John Whitmore

 The Oasis Seven Stage model pdf & audio book

Time to Think book by Nancy Kline

In this episode, you’ll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Oasis Associate, practitioner, coach, writer and activist Gill Coombs as they discuss Deep Ecology. What is Deep Ecology? Gill suggests that as we have evolved, our rational minds have taken over, with a tendency to dominate over the natural world causing an imbalance of power. Deep Ecology is a way of recognising the harm we have done to our relationship with other living beings and to begin the process of healing it.

We explore how the world of work has evolved and changed over time, along with Gill’s thoughts on essential, wise principles by which individuals and organisations can work towards creating and nurturing a healthy world in their own authentic way.

We also discuss how we can bring Deep Ecology into coaching. This could be as simple as bringing in external elements of nature to our coaching space, or going for a walk with someone outside rather than simply sitting facing. Both of these can add a vibrancy and healthy shift in the relationship between coach and coachee.

Additional resources

The book Gill highly recommends starting with is old(ish) but good: Spiritual Ecology, edited by Llewellyn Vaughn Lee.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is also excellent, and From What Is to What If, by Rob Hopkins, and The Nature of Business by Giles Hutchins. Also Manda Scott’s podcast Accidental Gods is superb.

And Gill’s own book Hearing our Calling.

Also Bill Plotkin’s Wild Mind, as some listeners may well be interested in eco psychology, the people practitioners’ facet of Deep Ecology. 

Creating meaning after work

in conversation with David Dawson & Matt Walsh

In this episode, you’ll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Oasis Associates David Dawson & Matt Walsh as they discuss creating meaning after work once you grow older, stop working reach “a certain age” and transition into a new phase of life.

 Both David and Matt had challenging and successful careers in leadership in the NHS, and are now both working as coaches and consultants. Their experiences of the ending of their former careers have made both of them passionate about supporting others reaching that stage.

 We explore the idea of what retirement looks like today and how this differs from years gone by, as well as the upheavals and challenges of stopping working in an arena you have been involved with for a long time. And we discuss how coaching can really help to create a trusted space to help navigate through a period which for some appears as a final stop whereas for others it is a welcome blessing.

 Additional resources

 Exploring meaning, moral purpose, and relationships in later life transition: "The second mountain; the quest for a moral life." David Brooks

 Considering the practical implications of 30+ years of post-career living: "The 100 year life: living and working in an age of longevity." Lynda Gratton and Andrew J Scott

 Contemplating ambiguity and spiritual possibilities as identities and roles change as new ways of living emerge: "Falling upwards: a spirituality for the two halves of life." Richard Rohr

 A series celebrating the diversity of how barely known dreams can come to be: The Guardian's series - "A new start after 60..." e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/a-new-start-after-60

 A route into the statistics on our ageing population...

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/ageing/articles/livinglongerhowourpopulationischangingandwhyitmatters/2018-08-13

 Finding meaning in the second half of life; James Hollis

A Shift in Being; Leon Vanderpol

Becoming Wise; Krista Tippett

The Inner work of Age; Connie Zweig

 The writing of Rebecca Solnit, specifically A Field Guide to Getting Lost

 The writing of Mary Oliver, Felicity, Blue Horses and A Thousand Mornings...and everything else.

 The writing of John O'Donoghue

 The writing of David Whyte

In this episode, you’ll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Anna Jaques as they discuss neurodiversity in coaching. 

Anna is People & Change Director for Bettys, part of the Bettys and Taylors Group. 

Neurodiversity is a hot topic in the news of late, highlighted by celebrity diagnoses and more recognition and acceptance in general. However, there is quite a bit of mis-reporting and mis-understanding about what neurodiversity actually means.

 We explore what neurodiversity is, how it is perceived, how it relates to the way people see the world around them, and what  it means to be neurodiverse aware as a coach. We also touch on why our whole person coaching approach is really suited to working with neurodiverse clients when coaching.

Additional resources 

Useful social media account on the topic of ADHD

Accessible and easy to read. Lots of infographics, tips and strategies are shared in bite-sized chunks and there is humour too.

Ingri | Certified ADHD Coach✨🧠 (@adhd_couple) • Instagram photos and videos

Online learning

Written and delivered by Kings College, University of London, on the Future Learn platform. It’s an online course, so easy to dip in and out of, learning at your own pace. Although it has a scientific bias, the content is mixed with interviews and case studies that are very accessible. It is currently being offered with a free option and is CPD eligible. 

 Understand ADHD - Online Course | King's College London (futurelearn.com)

News article on ADHD

Amid a sea of other news stories on ADHD in recent months (well known people who have been recently diagnosed, shortages in ADHD medication, delays and challenges with diagnosis), this is useful article on ADHD.

ADHD has become an identity, not just a disorder. We need a new way to talk about it | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | The Guardian

A good book on neurodiversity - ‘Divergent Mind’ by Jenara Nerenberg (Published by HarperOne)

This is a relatively new book, published in 2021. Jenara uses a blend of her own experience and those of others to explore how neurodivergent women navigate the world of relationships, work and their own wellbeing.

In this episode, you’ll hear the audio book version of The Oasis Seven Stage Model, spoken by Oasis Co-Director Glyn Fussell. 

It’s an accessible introduction to The Oasis Seven Stage Model for effective working relationships, developed from years of research and practice by Oasis. The model is designed to help you establish, nurture and develop effective working relationships.

The Oasis Seven Stage Model provides a  simple overview of  what makes relationships work and what you might do if things go wrong . As well as offering a complete model, each of the seven stages offers specific skills that can be applied according to the needs and priorities of a relationship.

The model simplifies the realities of practice and acts as a guide to what you might do. It provides a much-needed framework to help you make decisions and be more effective, as well as transferable skills and understanding which can be applied to your work with people, as well as projects, systems and processes.

The written version of The Oasis Seven Stage Model can be found HERE

In this episode, you’ll hear Nick Ellerby and Glyn Fussell, Oasis Co-Directors, discussing Team Coaching. 

If you are already established as a coach, particularly within an organisational setting, or if you've been wondering how you could use your skills and expertise to help teams, then this episode will be a particular interest to you. 

We explore what you might need to know before embarking on team coaching, the fundamental differences between coaching and the facilitation of team development and what this might look like in practice. We'll also touch on the qualities and skills that you might need when working with teams 

Nick Ellerby has been working in multidimensional culture change for over 30 years. During that time, he's worked as a coach, mentor, consultant, and facilitator locally, nationally, and internationally with a wide variety of different leaders, teams, and organisations.

Additional resources 

For those interested in developing self-managing teams and ways of working this will be of benefit - it was co-created by organisations to reflect their practice and encourage others to be more peer based and collaborative.

https://www.oasishumanrelations.org.uk/resources/developing-practice/peerworks-a-guide-to-collaborative-working/ 

Nick referred to helpful ways of looking at team working, here are links to some of them: 

Fundamental Interpersonal Relations - developed by the wonderful Will Shutz, someone we enjoyed working with.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_interpersonal_relations_orientation#:~:text=The%20theory%20is%20based%20on,%2Fopenness%2C%20control%20and%20inclusion.

The Wisdom of Teams by Katzenberg and Smith - published in the 90s. Its relevance today is remarkable and we suggest related to the quality of research within it. Many of the ingredients of what makes a team, and what makes a group might be timeless. They have produced further publications and there will be no shortage of summaries on-line.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisdom-Teams-First-Printing-Katzenbach/dp/B003Q5NAKI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E4Q8S4A5CWDZ&keywords=the+wisdom+of+words+katzenberg+and+smith&qid=1689346736&s=books&sprefix=the+wisdome+of+words+katzenburg+and+smith%2Cstripbooks%2C63&sr=1-1

For those who want a little more on team coaching…

We love the work of Centre for Creative Leadership and have had links and been partners for decades in relation to developing globally responsible leadership

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/the-dynamics-of-team-coaching/#:~:text=Team%20coaching%20involves%20a%20single,stretch%20beyond%20their%20current%20abilities.

We also enjoy the work, encouragement and insights that Peter Hawkins brings to this field. 

Leadership Team Coaching: Developing Collective Transformational Leadership https://amzn.eu/d/jinpC1d

And of course feel free to drop Nick a message if you would like to discuss team coaching for you team - we have a great team of coaches here at Oasis [email protected]

Diversity and inclusion are hot topics, and can unleash powerful emotions and deep rooted beliefs. Both are challenging concepts, and it can be difficult to know where to begin: what to call someone; how to phrase something; what is acceptable and what is not; fear of causing offence. 

It’s an ever changing landscape, and can be tricky territory as a coach. So knowing how to help both ourselves and our clients find ways through is key. All with a view to understanding where we belong, and how we fit in. 

In this episode, you’ll hear coach, consultant and Performance Psychology Practitioner Mo Ford and Glyn Fussell, Oasis Co-Director, discussing the concepts of inclusion, diversity and belonging in coaching. 

Mo’s passion for equalities work puts her in the ideal position to be able to offer steps to help navigate through the language and labels associated with identity, power dynamics and reflect on where to begin with all of this as a coach. 

Additional resources 

Association for Coaching  podcast series https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/diversity_inclusion_podcast_series 

Blog post on Diversity and inclusion in coaching (focus largely on race & ethnicity)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bringing-diversity-inclusion-coaching-practices-chowdhury-he-him-/ 

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in Coaching, a practical Guide Salma Shah 

https://oasiscoaching.oasishumanrelations.org.uk/blog/exploring-equality-diversity-amp-inclusion-in-coaching

https://oasiscoaching.oasishumanrelations.org.uk/blog/exploring-equality-diversity-amp-inclusion-in-coaching 

some fantastic resources from Charmaine Roche of Life flow balance coaching

https://www.lifeflowbalance.co.uk/speak-up-speak-out-podcast/ 

Oxfam inclusive language guide

https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inclusive-language-guide-621487/

Speaking about the future can make us uneasy, particularly as we are currently living through some exceptionally challenging times politically, environmentally, and socio-economically. It can be difficult to see a way forward and as coaches it can be tricky to know how to help our clients find their way through these turbulent times.

In this episode, “Hope in a time of collapse” you’ll hear author, Oasis Associate and Director of the Oasis Foundation Chris Taylor and Glyn Fussell, Oasis Co-Director, discussing what we need to face into the uncertainty we are living with in such massive issues as climate change, pandemics, and the end of our civilization as we know it.

Grief and loss are part of everyday life. We all know that. But over the last year, perhaps more than ever before, our sense of loss and grieving for “normal life” has been in evidence due to COVID. Coaching and Executive Development has been very much in demand, as we try to navigate our way through our heightened sense of loss and grieving. As a coach, this is a landscape that can be tricky to handle.

In this episode, entitled “Coaching through grief and loss,” you’ll hear Oasis Co-Director Glyn Fussell reflecting on his experience of coaching clients through periods of grieving and sadness, how to still be of service to the client as their coach, and the need to take care of yourself in the process.