Do you ever feel like you're just not being heard? Or like you’re under pressure and no one understands how much you’re juggling? Especially in high-stress careers, few of us have the chance to truly be listened to – and coaching can help with that.

Coaching isn’t therapy or listening to someone else’s advice. It's about exploring solutions yourself, with guidance. Coaching gives you permission to take a tricky situation and ask "If this were different, what would I notice?".

Coaching allows you to “think to the end of your thoughts”, with someone who listens and asks really effective questions.

Better still, by adopting a coaching mindset, you can help your teams solve problems using the skills and knowledge they already have.

If you’ve felt burnt out, ignored or resentful, help is at hand. This week, transformational coach, trainer, and author Tom Dillon joins Rachel to explore how different coaching approaches can help you reclaim your agency, think more clearly, and act positively.

Listen to this episode to

1. Learn about the benefits of coaching, including how it can transform your life and provide a space for thinking and exploration
2. Understand how coaching differs from therapy and mentoring, and why coaching is a valuable tool for healthcare professionals
3. Discover different coaching approaches, like the person-centred and solution-focused approaches, and how they can be used to help you generate options and make your own decisions

Episode highlights

• [00:02:46] What haas coaching ever done for us?
• [00:05:30] Coaching vs therapy
• [00:07:12] The power of being listened to
• [00:10:51] Hearing back what you've just said
• [00:12:43] The person-centred approach to coaching
• [00:14:29] Are doctors good listeners?
• [00:16:27] The solution-focused approach to coaching
• [00:23:57] When negative beliefs prevent us from imagining solutions
• [00:29:42] Cognitive behavioural approach
• [00:31:50] Somatic approach to coaching
• [00:34:09] Neuroscience approach
• [00:39:48] Gestalt coaching approach
• [00:45:17] Coaching "the uncoachable"
• [00:48:25] Taking a coaching approach
• [00:53:00] Work with Tom
• [00:53:21] Your Coaching Journey

Resources

• Your Coaching Journey – Use the code FROGSPAWN for a 20% discount on Tom’s course
• Connect with Tom via LinkedIn
• Free coaching provided by the NHS
• Episode 163 – Why Can’t I Say No
• Episode 67 – Bringing Your Best Self to Work, with Dr Sarah Goulding
• Episode 63 – How to Survive Even When Times are Tough, with Dr Caroline Walker
• Dr Jill Bolte Taylor – The 90 second life cycle of an emotion
• Sign up to receive a link to the episode workbook and CPD form downloads for each podcast. You can use them for reflection and to submit for your appraisal.

Mentioned in this episode:

Permission to Pause

A free 60-minute sanctuary for doctors – a quiet hour in the middle of winter where your role can fall away and you can reappear.

Say it So You’re Heard

A crib sheet for clear and calm communication in high-stress moments.