The Courageous Coach Podcast

In this season finale of the Courageous Coach Podcast, host Melissa Hague steps back for a solo reflection on the core theme of the past series: Grounded Confidence. Moving away from high-energy finales, this episode offers a slower, deeper exploration of what it means to come back to your own ground rather than constantly reaching for something new.

Melissa weaves together the insights shared by her season guests, exploring how values, emotional agility, mindfulness, and embodiment all intersect to create a practice of courage in coaching and life.

Key Takeaways

• Defining Grounded Confidence: Drawing on Brené Brown’s definition, Melissa describes it not as posturing or arrogance, but as a state built on self-awareness, courage, and the "quiet joy of mastery"
• Values as Anchors: A look back at the conversation with Jane Gilham on how values steady us during times of grief and uncertainty, acting as directions rather than rigid directives.
• Practical Emotional Agility: Melissa reflects on her experience with Susan David’s work and a conversation with Donna Ward Higgs, highlighting the importance of noticing when we are "hooked" by stories and learning to open up the space between stimulus and response.
• Micro-Mindfulness: Inspired by guest Emily Young, Melissa discusses building the "mindfulness muscle" through ordinary moments—like boiling a kettle—rather than relying solely on formal, hour-long practices.
• The Myth of the Mastery Endpoint: A reflection on the episode with Claire Norman regarding the professional pressure of accreditation. Mastery is reframed as a "forever practice" and a devotion to one's craft rather than a final destination.

Reflective Questions for the Listener

• "What do you return to when things feel difficult?" 
• "Where could mindfulness be made smaller and more livable for you?" 
• "Where am I practicing rather than performing?" 
• "What does grounded confidence look like for me right now, in this moment?" 

Grounded confidence isn't a badge to be claimed; it is something lived through patience, compassion, and staying connected to oneself. Thank you for walking through Season 3 with us—we look forward to continuing the journey in Season 4.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About the Guest

Clare Norman is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coaching Federation, possessing over 20 years of coaching experience. She is dedicated to enabling people to feel truly seen for who they are and empowers individuals to find their authentic voice. In addition to her work challenging leaders to prioritise people alongside profits, Clare specialises in mentor coaching and coaching supervision to help fellow coaches sharpen their edge and stay safe and sane. A prolific writer, speaker, and thought leader, Clare has authored several books, including Mentor Coaching: A Practical Guide, The Transformational Coach, Cultivating Coachability, and her latest, Love as a Revolutionary Coaching Practice, due for publication in October 2026. She lives in the New Forest, Hampshire, with her husband and bloodhound.

You can connect with Clare here:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: https://www.clarenormancoachingassociates.com 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-norman-mcc

About the Episode

Welcome to Episode 32 of the Courageous Coach podcast! In this episode, host Melissa Haigh is joined by Master Certified Coach Clare Norman to explore the profound, elusive, and continuous journey of mastery in coaching.

Together, Melissa and Clare unpack why mastery isn't a final destination or a simple tick-box exercise, but rather an "amorphous blob" that shifts as we grow. They discuss the exhausting yet joyful reality of doing the inner work, and why true development requires us to step outside of our coaching bubbles to embrace our full, messy humanity.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Beyond Competencies: Why coaches must learn their tools and frameworks well, but ultimately transcend them to bring humanity, love, and soul-to-soul connection into the coaching space.
• Who We Are is How We Coach: Exploring Edna Murdoch's philosophy and understanding why integrating therapy, such as Gestalt or shadow work, is crucial for getting our own blocks out of the way.
• Unconventional Development: How unexpected hobbies profoundly shape our coaching presence—from watercolour painting (learning to let go of control) and choir singing (practising harmonious partnership) to weightlifting (building postural strength) and line dancing (embracing courage and playfulness).
• Vertical vs. Horizontal Growth: Why the journey to mastery isn't just about accumulating more tools or taking another content-heavy course (horizontal growth), but rather diving into the sometimes uncomfortable depths of self-awareness (vertical growth).
• Deliberate Development: The importance of intentionally planning your personal evolution each year rather than just checking off required continuing education hours, and why this challenging path of mastery is one you should never walk alone.

If you've ever felt boxed in by coaching rules or exhausted by the endless pursuit of getting it "right," this conversation is a much-needed breath of fresh air. It is a powerful reminder that committing to mastery is about embracing your glorious humanity, finding joy in the practice, and trusting the process. Tune in to discover why sharpening your edge might just look like picking up a paintbrush or putting on your dancing shoes!

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About The Guest:
Emily Young is a Coach with over 20 years of experience, having begun her life-coaching journey two decades ago. Today, Emily specialises in anxiety and wellbeing coaching, splitting her time between her private practice and working with a local hospice, where she supports the wellbeing of staff and volunteers. Passionate about all things human, Emily is deeply interested in helping people understand themselves - including how their brain and physiology work - so that individuals can learn to work with themselves. Her coaching approach supports balance, peace, and a deeper realisation of an individual’s unique self.

You can connect with Emily here:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mylifecoaching 
• Instagram: @anxietybustingwithemily 
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/anxietybustingwithemily 
• Website: www.mylifecoaching.co.uk 
• Email: [email protected]

About the Episode:
In this episode, host Melissa Haig sits down with Emily Young to explore the vital role of mindfulness in coaching and how it helps us cultivate grounded confidence. Together, they delve into the importance of slowing down to show up at our best, and how being truly present can transform our coaching practice.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Redefining Mindfulness: Emily breaks down the myth that mindfulness is about emptying the mind, explaining that it is not the absence of thinking, but rather the presence of awareness and paying attention non-judgmentally.
• The Neuroscience of Presence: How over-thinking activates our stress response, and how dropping into a mindful state helps dial down the emotional brain so our rational brain can make magical, creative connections with our clients.
• Habit Stacking: Practical advice on how to integrate mindfulness into your everyday routine - like washing the dishes or brushing your teeth - so that your brain easily remembers the pathway to a calm state when you actually need it.
• The Power of the Breath: Why simply noticing your breath, particularly focusing on a longer out-breath, is an incredible "hack" to signal safety to your nervous system and instantly regulate your state.
• Soaking in the "Glimmers": The importance of taking a mindful moment after a coaching session to intentionally focus on what went well, counteracting our evolutionary negativity bias and actively building self-trust.
• Observer Mode: How doing a quick physical check-in allows you to observe your thoughts and bodily tension without judgment, freeing you from believing unhelpful narratives and fostering deep self-compassion.

If you've ever felt caught in a relentless cycle of "thinking, thinking, thinking" before or during your coaching sessions, Emily's compassionate and deeply practical approach is the perfect antidote. Whether you are making your morning coffee, brushing your teeth, or just taking a deep breath, this episode will inspire you to weave small, powerful moments of mindfulness into your everyday routine. Tune in to discover how simply "checking in" can transform not just your coaching practice, but your entire way of being.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About the Guest

Alison Roberts is a qualified executive coach, senior Learning and Development professional, and the founder of Comms Lab. Throughout her diverse career, which spans roles from Sales Director to Founder to Trainer, she has focused on cultivating the essential "human skills that AI can never replicate," such as intuition, listening, empathy, and connection. Her deep-seated curiosity and desire to understand the multiple levels of human communication have been a guiding force in her life.

About the Episode

In this episode, Melissa is joined by Alison Roberts to explore the transformative power of curiosity in coaching and developing grounded confidence.

If you've ever been told you "need to be more curious" or "ask better questions"—and wondered how to actually do that—this episode is for you. Melissa and Alison discuss how curiosity isn't just a coaching tool, but a courageous way of living that requires us to unlearn the corporate conditioning that rewards being a "knower" rather than a "learner".

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• The "Say-Do" Gap: Why simply telling someone to "be more curious" is a meaningless instruction without actionable steps.
• Re-framing Vulnerability: How focusing on being in service to your client can help bypass the discomfort of vulnerability, allowing you to ask the difficult questions.
• The Link Between Playfulness and Curiosity: The importance of being fascinated by the world around you and embracing a childlike state of free play.
• Unlearning the "Knower" Mindset: The struggle of transitioning from a corporate environment that praises expertise to a coaching space that requires you to sit with not knowing.
• Sitting with Discomfort: Why coaches must practice sitting with discomfort in all areas of their lives, and how stepping out of your comfort zone builds true agility.
• Beating to Your Own Drum: Embracing the intention to live authentically and asking yourself, "Will I regret this if I don't do it?".

Whether you are seeking to deepen your coaching practice or find new ways to connect authentically in your business and life, this conversation offers an inspiring look at the courage it takes to remain curious.

Find Alison Online:
https://alisonroberts.my.canva.site/leading-with-connection

https://comms-lab.com/

https://tidycal.com/commslab/30-minute-meeting

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About  the Guest:
What if all leaders and organisations oriented towards positive social impact and serving life?If we emphasised connection and being, not separation and doing? What gifts and potential are we not accessing?

Glyn offers compassionate guidance and companionship as people step into the questions and conversations that are urgently needed. A space to slow down, sort through mess, question conditioning and habits, be vulnerable. To explore the living systems within and around us, and the unseen energy, processes and blocks which shape behaviour.

Exploring different ways of sensing, being and knowing through body and mind, Glyn invites people to expand space and ease constriction. Space where we feel and see more clearly, where possibility and potential flow, where we can step into purposeful, life-affirming action.

The joy of life, nature, belief in human potential and the wounds of lived experience (organisations, life burnout, multiple life transformations) inform Glyn’s work, which evolves as he integrates new learning and experience.

Glyn brings over 10 years’ as an international coach, facilitator, mediator, organisation development consultant and charity board member. This builds on a diverse 20-year international career in leadership, strategy, change and operations, including over a decade as a diplomat.

He is based between Hamburg and Devon.

Always open to a chat to explore life, contact Glyn at:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/glynbottrell/

Email: [email protected]

About the Episode:

In this episode, host Melissa is joined by Glyn Bottrell to explore the concept of embodiment and why it is a crucial element in fostering courageous coaching and developing grounded confidence.

Melissa and Glyn have a candid and curious conversation about the modern trap of living entirely in our heads, often ignoring the early warning signals our bodies send us. They delve into the ongoing journey of integrating embodiment into daily coaching practices and the absolute necessity of staying present and connected during client sessions.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Knowledge vs. Embodied Wisdom: The critical difference between learning a coaching tool intellectually and truly practising it as a "way of being".
• The Body's Truth: Acknowledging that while the head is quick to create false stories and interpretations, the body can only signal the truth of our present physical experience.
• Early Warning Signals: How to tune into subtle physiological cues to catch old, unhelpful patterns before they take over your reactions.
• Developing Granularity: Expanding emotional literacy by slowing down to feel the exact physical location and temperature of an emotion, rather than just throwing it into a broad bucket like "angry".
• Accessible Grounding: Simple, immediate practices for regulating yourself mid-session—such as feeling your feet on the floor, your bum in the chair, and connecting with your breath—without needing to step away to meditate.
• Tracking Your Energy: Using physical sensations to determine if your coaching is serving the client or your own ego, specifically noting if you feel grounded in your belly versus anxious and "fizzy" in your head.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About the Guest - Dr Julia Carden PhD MSc PCC FCIPD

Julia was born and raised in Cornwall and “made in the Royal Navy”, and now lives in Hampshire. She has been and continues to be on a lifelong journey in developing her own self-awareness. She works as a relational coach and coach supervisor practitioner, with an academic underpinning.  Her work focuses on working with the whole person (both individuals and teams) to expand and deepen self-awareness, so that individuals can connect deeply with others and develop the capacity to sit with uncertainty. 

Julia has a deep interest in self-awareness and how it helps individuals develop and grow, by enabling firstly self-connection and then connection with others. This approach is underpinned by her PhD research into Self-Awareness. Alongside her coaching and supervision practice, she is a visiting tutor at Henley Business School, teaching on the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, MSc in Executive Coaching for Behavioural Change and heads up the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision.

Julia’s book “You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are” was published in October 2025.

About the Episode

In this episode, host Melissa is joined by Julia Carden to delve into the foundational and deeply human theme of self-awareness.

Together, Melissa and Julia explore how doing the inner work allows us to leave our ego at the door, drop the exhausting need to "perform," and build true, grounded confidence. They discuss practical ways to cultivate self-awareness, ranging from formal coaching supervision and therapy to taking mindful dog walks in nature. Importantly, they emphasise that self-awareness isn't a final destination or a neat box, but rather a messy, tangled "ball of wool" that requires continuous unravelling.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Dropping the Performance: How true self-awareness frees coaches from the need to "perform" or "fix," allowing them to comfortably hold space for a client's uncertainty.
• The Components of Self: Breaking down self-awareness into intrapersonal elements (beliefs, values, motivations, and somatic responses) and interpersonal elements (how others perceive our behaviours).
• Moral Courage in Coaching: Learning to trust that somatic "sharp edge" feeling and having the bravery to ask the difficult questions that no one else will dare to ask.
• The Power of Meaning-Making: Why life experiences—whether trekking up a mountain in Morocco, painting, or doing yoga—only build real awareness when paired with intentional reflection.
• The Ripple Effect of Compassion: How accepting our own "messy" shadow sides and unhelpful inherited beliefs fosters self-compassion, which then creates a ripple effect of love and compassion for our clients and communities.

Whether you are just beginning your reflective practice or are deeply engaged in navigating the tangled threads of your own inner work, this episode is a beautiful reminder that self-awareness is an ongoing, courageous journey.

Connect  with Julia:

Carden Consulting: https://carden-consulting.co.uk/
On LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliacarden/
More about the book "You Are Not As Self-Aware As You Think You Are": https://youarenotasselfawareasyouthink.com/

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About the Guest
Donna Ward-Higgs is a leadership coach, supervisor, and trusted Wing Woman to leaders, managers and coaching business owners navigating growth, pressure and big decisions. She supports people to untangle the noise, challenge unhelpful “shoulds”, and lead in a way that actually fits — combining sharp thinking, honest conversations and deep respect for the human side of leadership. 
 

Donna is a dear friend of host Melissa and a returning regular guest on the podcast. With a deep understanding of coaching and personal growth, Donna brings a calming and insightful perspective to complex emotional topics, emphasising the importance of giving ourselves the space to process feelings without forced judgment or expectation.

About the Episode

In this reflective and unscripted conversation, Melissa and regular guest Donna Ward-Higgs dive into the transformative concept of emotional agility.

Recording just 48 hours after returning from a rigorous emotional agility certification program with Susan David, Melissa shares her fresh, vulnerable insights and real-time personal experiences from the trip. Together, Donna and Melissa unpack what it means to stop fighting our feelings and start using them to cultivate long-term change and grounded confidence.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• Emotions as Data, Not Directives: Learning to view our feelings as helpful information rather than absolute truths that must dictate our actions.
• Recognising the "Hook": Identifying the deeply ingrained stories that trap us, and physically creating the necessary space between stimulus and response to make empowered choices.
• Agility vs. Rigidity: The crucial difference between letting emotions pass through you and holding onto them so tightly that they define you.
• The Power of the Pause: Donna and Melissa discuss how stepping back to ground yourself—whether through taking a quiet walk in nature or simply petting a dog—is essential before reacting.
• "You Are the Sky": Embracing the liberating concept that our emotions are just the "clouds" passing by; they are a part of us, not all of us.

Whether you are navigating your own emotional hurdles or looking to better support your coaching clients, this candid episode offers practical wisdom on finding your ground and replacing old stories with courageous new choices.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About Jane Gilham:

Coach | Advocate for Women’s Wellbeing & Leadership | Grief Educator in Training

Jane Gilham is a coach and mentor for high-achieving women who’ve spent years carrying responsibility, pushing through overwhelm, and quietly losing pieces of themselves along the way. She helps female leaders, executives, and professionals reclaim clarity, meaning, and
emotional freedom, without burning out or abandoning their own needs.

Her work is deeply rooted in her own story, decades of high performance, caregiving and navigating complex relationships. The grief of losing her father and the gradual erosion of self that can happen when you’re endlessly strong for everyone else. These experiences shape her compassionate, grounded approach to coaching, one that welcomes the whole human, not just the polished parts.

She supports clients through challenges such as self-doubt, over-responsibility, imposter feelings, grief (in all its forms), work-life imbalance, and the pressure to hold everything together. Her coaching blends emotional resilience, psychological flexibility, values-led growth and nature-based reflection to help women reconnect with who they are beneath the expectations. Jane is currently completing her Grief Educator Certification with David Kessler’s 2025 Fall cohort, expanding her work to support individuals through the many forms of loss, not just death, but identity shifts, life transitions, and the quiet, unnamed losses that shape us.

She is the founder of Awareness Coaching, where she offers 1:1 coaching, workshops, and reflective spaces for women who want to live intentional, meaningful, and healthier lives. Her leadership background, alongside years of mentoring and advisory work, gives her a unique ability to ask courageous questions and guide others through periods of change. She is also a volunteer youth coach.

When she’s not coaching, you’ll find her walking in nature with Woody, her cocker Spaniel, studying or spending time with her family.

Jane is a member of the Association of Coaching, Dare to Lead™ Trained and part of the Henley School for Coaching Alumni.

About the Episode:
In this episode, Melissa pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build grounded confidence and live courageously.

Melissa is joined by Jane Gilham for a rich, honest conversation about the vital role values play in our lives and businesses. While many of us can list our values, Jane and Melissa dig deeper into the difference between simply professing them and actually practising them—especially when life gets hard.

In a vulnerable and powerful discussion, Jane shares her personal journey of identifying her core values—Compassion, Curiosity, Family, Health, and Nature—and how they have served as an essential anchor during a season of profound grief and physical challenge following the loss of her father.

Key topics explored in this episode include:

• From "Fixer" to Curious Observer: How leaning into the value of Curiosity helps coaches avoid the trap of "fixing" and instead build a 3D context for their clients.
• Values as a Compass: How values like Nature and Compassion can guide difficult decisions and daily habits, even in the midst of trauma and loss.
• The Hard Work of Alignment: The reality of living into your values when they are being tested, including managing boundaries and avoiding emotional enmeshment.
• Grounded Confidence: Using values to filter out the "noise" of the world and stop worrying about what others think.

Whether you are new to values work or looking to deepen your existing practice, this episode offers a moving real-world example of how values support us to be courageous with our clients, our businesses, and our lives.

Jane's Links:

www.awarenesscoachinghr.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-gilham-8765a32b/

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About This Episode

Welcome to the premiere of Season Three! In this solo episode, host Melissa Hague sets the foundation for a season dedicated entirely to Grounded Confidence. Moving past the myths that confidence is about being loud, shiny, or perfect, Melissa explores a steadier, more human form of confidence that allows coaches to step into courage without "armouring up".

Drawing heavily on the "Arena" metaphor from Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead work, Melissa breaks down what it means to be vulnerable in our coaching practice and introduces the core components of grounded confidence that will be explored throughout this season

Key Topics Discussed

The Myth of Confidence: Why confidence isn't about boldness, certainty, or polish, but rather about self-trust, presence, and steadiness.
The Arena Metaphor: Understanding the "arena" as any moment where we share ourselves (opinions, feelings, work) without control over the outcome.

Armouring Up: How we use self-protection mechanisms like over-preparation, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and even reflective practice to avoid vulnerability.

Defining Grounded Confidence: A confidence built on solid ground—rooted in self-awareness, courage, and practice rather than arrogance or posturing.

The Core Components of Grounded Confidence:

• Values: Practising values behaviorally (e.g., using curiosity when you don't know an answer) rather than just professing them.
• Emotional Awareness & Regulation: Staying with emotions rather than suppressing them to shape our presence.
• Self-Awareness: Understanding our patterns, triggers, and blind spots to create clearer boundaries.
• Curiosity: The vulnerability of admitting "I don't know" and leaning into uncertainty.
• Mindfulness: The power of the "pause" to create space between stimulus and response.
• Embodiment: Moving out of our heads to access the wisdom and cues of our bodies.
• Mastery: A commitment to being a student of the craft, prioritising practice over perfection.

Next Week

Join us for Episode 2, where Melissa will be joined by Jane Gilham to dive deep into Values—specifically how they serve as an anchor for grounded confidence during challenging times.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa
Connect with me on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/melissa-hague

Sign up to my mailing list here - https://mailinglistsignup.melissahague.com/landing-page-8347

Or, If you’d like chat about all thing’s courage, then you can book a chat with me here - https://calendly.com/melissahague/let-s-talk

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.

About The Episode Host:

Kate Chastey is a business mentor and marketing strategist known for helping solo business owners (especially women) build financially stable, emotionally sustainable businesses rooted in clarity, courage, and joy.

After 15 years building her own freelance business into a respected franchise, The Passionate PA, Kate made the bold decision to close that chapter in 2024. That transformation was supported by Melissa Hague through the Dare to Lead™ programme—a pivotal experience that helped Kate realign her future with greater authenticity and purpose.

Now, through her consultancy, Kate offers mentoring and strategy for service-based solo business owners who want more than just income—they want impact, intention, and a business they don't need a holiday from. Her specialisms include marketing strategy, outsourcing advice, and business growth mentorship, particularly supporting freelancers and consultants to move past the £5k/month barrier with smart strategy and mindset support.

Kate lives on a small farm on Dartmoor and runs her business from her "office with a view," often accompanied by her Barketing Assistant

This podcast episode represents a full-circle moment for Kate—from being coached by Melissa to now interviewing her, bringing insight, warmth, and curiosity to a conversation about courage, leadership, and personal evolution.

Connect with Kate:

• Website: www.katechastey.co.uk
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katechastey/

About The Episode:

Welcome to episode 24 of the Courageous Coach podcast—something a little different this time! Host Melissa Hague has handed over the mic to the brilliant Kate Chastey, business mentor, marketing specialist, and someone who has walked her own incredibly courageous path.

In 2024, Kate made the bold decision to close The Passionate PA, a franchise business she had built from the ground up over 15 years, to step into more aligned and meaningful work. This transformation was supported by Melissa through the Dare to Lead™ programme—a pivotal experience that Kate describes as her biggest arena moment.

Now the tables have turned, and Kate brings her insider's perspective to interview Melissa about her journey from employed life to entrepreneurship, the pivotal moments that shaped her career, and what it really means to be a courageous coach. This conversation offers a rare glimpse into Melissa's own vulnerability, her arena moments, and the ongoing work of building courage both personally and professionally.

It's a full-circle moment that beautifully illustrates how courage builds courage, and how the work we do on ourselves ripples out to transform others—and sometimes comes back to us in the most unexpected and beautiful ways.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Self-awareness is just the beginning: Melissa emphasises that while coach training teaches models, techniques, and tools, the real transformation comes from doing your own inner work. You can't just tell people to be courageous—you have to role model it authentically, which requires knowing yourself deeply and doing the ongoing work of personal development. 
• Loosen your grip on perfectionism: One of Melissa's key insights for coaches is learning to trust yourself earlier and hold less tightly to rigid structures. If you don't know the answer, that's okay—you're not meant to know. If you've forgotten where you are in a coaching model, that's fine too. This trust and flexibility creates more flow and ease in coaching relationships. 
• Arena moments happen daily, not just in big life transitions: While we often think of courage as grand gestures, Melissa reminds us that arena moments happen all day, every day. Every new client conversation, every vulnerable share, every time you step into uncertainty as a coach—these are all opportunities to practice ordinary, everyday courage. 
• The transformation happens between sessions, not during them: A crucial realisation for coaches is that the biggest breakthroughs and "aha moments" typically don't happen in coaching sessions; they happen in the spaces between, when clients are processing, reflecting, and applying what they've explored. This takes the pressure off coaches to create immediate transformation. 
• Who you are is how you coach—so get deliberate about knowing yourself: This isn't just a nice coaching philosophy—it's a practical imperative. Melissa advocates for being intentional and deliberate about your own development work rather than just hoping you'll figure it out along the way. The more consciously you do this work, the more authentic and effective you become as a coach.

Go Deeper with The Courageous Coach Program

If these conversations are resonating, you might be ready to go deeper. The Courageous Coach program is designed for qualified coaches in the early years of building their independent practice. If you want to coach with more courage, clarity, and humanity and grow a business that truly reflects who you are, this is for you.

You can find all the details here: https://www.melissahague.com/courageous-coaches

Connect with Melissa

Come and find Melissa on LinkedIn. Whether you have questions about the program, want to share what resonated from this episode, or just fancy a chat, she'd love to connect.

Support the Podcast:

• Follow & Subscribe: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.
• Share with a fellow coach: Know someone who could use a little courage boost? Pass this episode on—courage is contagious, after all.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, stay curious, stay human and keep choosing courage.