In this episode, Rachael and Hazel turn their attention to how we can lead through challenge and change. When a challenge shows up, psychological safety is really important for individuals, but it can also help leaders think about what others need and how to navigate challenges most effectively.

Hazel and Rachael explore how things can ramp up when we don’t feel safe, resulting in more difficult or critical thoughts just at a time when compassion and inner safety are crucial. They discuss and share examples from their lives and their work.

If you’re interested in how to lead through change and challenging times - for you, for your team, or for your clients - then this episode is for you.

This episode is focused on climate and sustainability in coaching. In this episode Hazel and Rachael discuss the challenge of managing the short-term and longer-term impact of our behaviour. They also discuss some new challenges related to climate, such as eco-anxiety and the high resource use of technology and AI.

If you’re interested in how to create a thinking space for sustainability, finding your ‘climate-positive’ thing, or the conditions for social change - all wrapped up in a big dose of self-compassion - then this episode is for you.

For more info on the Sustainability Coaching Coalition you can visit the SCC website here - https://www.sustainabilitycoachingcoalition.org/

You might have heard the term ‘thought disputation’ from CBT, and wondered why in ACC we focus on changing our relationship to thoughts instead.

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael outline the reasons why we don’t try to change thoughts in ACC, what the evidence shows about changing thoughts, and what we can do instead of doing things like thought disputation.

This episode is a deep dive into how to tackle what our minds give us, including what we can do with it and why. A perfect listen if you want to know more about how to work with your own thoughts or those of your clients in your coaching practice.

Image by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

This month, Hazel and Rachael explore the communities of practice, teams, and other groups we are part of professionally and personally. We know humans have evolved to be social, so what are the benefits, or costs, of being part of different communities?

This is a great listen for anyone who wants to critically reflect on the benefits of groups, and how groups can work best together, as well as the costs of spending time in groups and communities.

If you’re interested in finding more about pro-sociality and Ostrom’s core design principles for the efficacy of groups this article provides an accessible overview - https://www.prosocial.world/posts/conscious-multilevel-cultural-evolution-theory-practice-and-two-case-studies

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash

This episode is all about the spaces we create in coaching and how we use them. Hazel and Rachael explore a myth of good coaching practice - that coaching should always be non-directive. They talk about the different approaches to coaching and how those approaches might see non-directiveness differently. They also explore how this relates to the development of AI coaching.

Hazel and Rachael talk about how in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching we might use normalisation, psycho-education and skill development with our clients. They also discuss what coaches might want to think about when they are being more directive with their clients.

This is the perfect listen for anyone interested in how we create coaching spaces.

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore coaching psychology and what it means to be a coaching psychologist.

They talk about why sometimes goal setting isn’t enough and how psychology can help coaches do their best work. They also talk about the role coaching psychologists can play in the wider coaching community, especially in supporting the development of evidence-based coaching.

This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about coaching psychology, or coaches reflecting on the role of coaching psychology in their practice.

After speaking at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham, UK, Hazel and Rachael reflect on health and wellbeing at work - and what organisations can do to improve it. They talk about the challenges and systemic factors, and how important both organisational context and scientific evidence are.

Areas they touch on include managing demands and resources, burnout and biometrics, self coaching, safety culture, and just how tricky this wellbeing stuff can be for organisations and leaders to get right.

If you're looking to address health and wellbeing issues in the workplace, this reflective discussion may provide valuable insights and new perspectives.

This episode was a request from a listener who was interested in how to use ACT in career coaching. Hazel and Rachael reflect on their own career experiences, the coachee’s they have supported, and the role of the coach in career coaching.

This episode covers some key parts of career decisions and coaching, such as: How values can help find the right direction of travel for someone; and the importance of our work to our sense of who we are.  

If you’re interested in how to navigate tricky career decisions with a coachee’s purpose and meaning, or how to support  clients when they feel paralysed because of the uncertainty of a career change, then this is the podcast for you.

Stories are important in creating change. In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore the transformational power of metaphors, and explore some commonly used ones from ACT. 

If you’re interested in how metaphors create change, and how they are used in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, then this episode takes you on the grand tour. 

This is the perfect listen if you’re curious about how to create change using stories about swamps, mountains, baby chicks, or buses.

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael share personal recommendations for books related to Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.
Perhaps you’re looking for ideas for your continuing professional development, or maybe just some inspiration for 2025. This episode will give you plenty of options to choose from. Rachael and Hazel talk about some of the different books they have read and that have influenced their practice.
We’d love to hear your book recommendations and inspiration, so get in touch if you have ideas to share in a future episode.

Details of books mentioned in the podcast:

Coaching Through Burnout by Hazel Anderson-Turner https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222516799-coaching-through-burnout?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_24

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning

Acceptance and Commitment Coaching: Distinctive Features by Jon Hill and Joe Oliver https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41416943-acceptance-and-commitment-coaching

Maximize Your Coaching Effectiveness with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Richard Blonna https://www.newharbinger.com/9781572249318/maximize-your-coaching-effectiveness-with-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy/

The Little ACT Workbook by Dr Michael Sinclair and Dr Matthew Beadman https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/29737265-the-little-act-workbook

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753738-the-choice

The Mindful and Effective Employee: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training Manual for Improving Well-Being and Performance by Paul E. Flaxman, Frank W. Bond and Fredrik Livheim https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13436396-the-mindful-and-effective-employee

ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Russ Harris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7219947-act-made-simple

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT by Russ Harris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3250347-the-happiness-trap

A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters by Steven C. Hayes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43330899-a-liberated-mind

Healthy Habits Suck: How to Get Off the Couch and Live a Healthy Life… Even If You Don’t Want To by Dayna Lee-Baggley https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40890197-healthy-habits-suck

Learning RFT: An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory and Its Clinical Application by Niklas Törneke https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8190520-learning-rft

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/653396.Feel_the_Fear_and_Do_It_Anyway

In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development by Carol Gilligan https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101880.In_a_Different_Voice

Burnout Solve Your Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagoski https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/438617/burnout-by-emily-nagoski/9781785042096

Mindfulness and Acceptance in Multicultural Competency: A Contextual Approach to Sociocultural Diversity in Theory and Practice edited by Akihiko Masuda https://www.newharbinger.com/9781608827473/mindfulness-and-acceptance-in-multicultural-competency/

Evidence-Based Management: How to Use Evidence to Make Better Organizational Decisions by Eric Barends and Denise M. Rousseau https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40576613-evidence-based-management

Compassion Focused Therapy For Dummies by Mary Welford https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30531101-compassion-focused-therapy-for-dummies

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53330118-chatter