The Curious Coach Podcast

What would happen if we were in control of constructing our reality?  And that we discovered we had more than five senses?  Well, guess what.... that's what this week's reflective episode is all about! Welcome to my world... and it's going to be different to your world!

This week's self-reflective episode starts with a small question:  “Is the digital world making us less human?”  and goes from there!  I hope this episode leads to useful self-reflection on what being human might mean to you and how you might demonstrate more of your own humanity in this increasingly digital world! Find out more at https://stephenclements.ie

I'm back!   As I'll explain in this episode, I've been on my own transition over the last year and now I'm back, recharged, re-energised and ready to go!   And as you start a new year, what might you be looking to bring into or let go of within your own life? Visit Stephen's homepage at https://stephenclements.ie for more

This week I revisit strengths - something that was first discussed in Episode 11.  This time I'm reflecting on what happens when you overplay a strength and it actually starts to work against you! Full details and show notes can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-121/  

Emotional Self-awareness is all about becoming aware of your own emotions and feelings, and becoming aware of the events and triggers associated with them.  However, what happens when you reflect on the underlying needs that may, or may not, be met - is this what the emotion or feeling is trying to tell you?

We all have dreams and aspirations.  However, are they dreams that you're doing something about or simply day dreams?  And is it fear that might be holding you back?  Fear of failure or even fear of success?  Or fear or something else altogether!     More info and full details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-119/ 

What's the connection between courage and emotional awareness and how does this link to self-worth and who you are?  I started to muse this over and that's how I arrived at this week's podcast!    Full details and more:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-118/

When you're being curious, are you really being curious and open to unlearning, or are you confirming what you already know through your confirmation bias? Full details:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-117/  

Are you deluding yourself about the regular and decisive action that you're taking when it comes to achieving your dreams and goals?  In fact, might it be the exact opposite where you have inaction? For full details and show notes - please visit https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-116/

In this episode, my reflective challenge is about change, and recognising that change is a constant within our lives – whether we recognise it or not.   Full details and show notes at: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-115/

In this episode I'm looking for your thoughts on how we're all working harder and harder these days - to the point of overworking and potentially on the path to burnout.  And if you're travelling that path, what needs to happen for you to take a different path and make a change? Find out more at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-114/  

This week my challenge is for your notice and explore the differences between conceptual and embodied self-awareness. Full details at: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-113/  

Are you being busy rather than productive?  This week, after going down the techie rabbit hole of DNS, DMARC, DKIM, SPF, PTR records and more, I realise that all of this was a distraction from actually doing the work that would add more value to the goals I have for my own coaching practice!   Have a listen and let me know what resonates with you…. Find out more at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-112/

This week I'm curious about time.  Where do you spend most of your time?  Is it reflecting on future events, past events or in the present moment?  And what is the emotional energy that you're creating as a result.   Full details and show notes at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-111/

This week I ask about courage!  If you had the courage, what is it that you'd do? For more information please visit: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-110/  

This week's reflective question is about fear and being curious about how that might be holding you back.   See more at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-109/

This week's reflective question was prompted by a friend and coach Paul Smyth from https://possible.ie when he did a recent presentation to a group of coaches on Positive Psychology.   Full details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-108/  

As we enter into February, have you abandoned your New Year resolutions yet?  If so, you're probably not alone.  This week's reflective challenge is to look at what stopped you and what can you learn so you can try again and have hopefully have a different experience.     Full details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-107/

Are you trying to focus on too many things at once?  Then this week's challenge is just what you need!   Full details at:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-106/  

Whilst it's great to have a dream about your goals and aspirations for 2021, who do you need to become in order to achieve them?   This is my challenge for you this week as we set off with hope into 2021! More details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-105/  

Whilst you might be tempted to write off and try to forget 2020 - don't!  Let me try to convince you to look back and reflect on the growth you've still managed to achieve! Full details:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-104/    

This week's reflective challenge is about minimising and discounting our own achievements and successes.     For full details and more information, please check out the episode homepage at:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-103  

In this interview edition, I got to spend time talking with Michael Cahill, a coach, trainer, facilitator and someone who's gone on, and continues to travel on, a journey filled with curiosity, learning and understanding – not only about us as humans but also a deep exploration of himself.  In this interview, we discover how Michael went from staring out as an equity analyst and then set off another journey.  We covered a range of topics that went from different coaching modalities, coaching presence, our left and right hemispheres of our brain, the importance of what beliefs you're holding about your client, the link between success and love, the unconscious mind and then a sprinkling of mBraining and a small touch on systemic work… and we still had lots more to talk about.  Hopefully that might happen in a part 2, in the near future.   So, grab a cuppa, sit back, and enjoy this wide ranging conversation – as I had over to Michael to introduce himself.   Full details and show notes can be found here:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-102/

This episode is something very different.  It's a voice guide for doing an activity called Balanced Breathing.  Balanced breathing is where we focus on making our inhales and exhales of equal duration.  Ideally aiming for breaths of 5-6 seconds in duration.  When doing this activity, breath in and out through your nose.  Aim to make your transitions from inhale to exhale as smooth and gentle as possible.  Doing this for even a couple of minutes, causes our autonomic nervous system to reach a point of balance.  This balance creates the optimal state for us tap into our head, heart and gut intelligences.   If you'd like to know more about connecting in with your head, heart and gut intelligences, check out mBraining and work of the late Grant Soosalu. If you'd like to use this audio guide but without the podcast jingle and initial explanation, you'll find a version here for your future listening pleasure:  https://stephenclements.ie/bb/  

Welcome to the 100th Episode of The Curious Coach Podcast.  A massive thank you to all those loyal listeners for making this such a labour of love for me!     This week's reflective challenge is about coherence.   Given that the world is currently full of so much separation and division at the moment, where could you benefit from thinking about coherence instead? Full details:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-100/  

Do you believe that your should find your passion so that you never have to 'work a day in your life'?  Or is that something that works for other people?  In this mini reflective episode, my reflective challenge is about refraining how your view work, purpose and passion - so that you free yourself from the pressures of trying to align all these things.  For full details:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-099  

Using the metaphor of a car... this week's reflective challenge is about reflecting on how you're currently travelling the highways of life and inviting you to take a pit stop! For full details, see https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-098  

In this mini episode, I incorporate one my hobbies into this mini reflective challenge – photography!  And no, my challenge isn't about asking you to go out and take a stunning picture.  Rather, it's about using the metaphor of photography as a model to reflect upon what's going on for you.   Further details can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-097/  

In this mini episode, I invite you to do a force field analysis on a project or life goal, reflecting on what might be within your control to change or influence as well as gaining more insight into the forces at play!    Further details can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-096/  

In this full-length interview episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Sonya Shellard, a UK based executive coach, trainer, supervisor, Managing Director, and co-founder #RideTheWave – a professional coach training provider with a coaching model built around the wave metaphor.  And you'll hear that metaphor bubble up all the way through this wonderful conversation.  Aside from discovering more about #RideTheWave, we also explored how she left the corporate world and continued her own journey into coaching; her passion for connection, community and diversity, and touch briefly on the Association for Coaching.    Find out more at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-095/

This week's episode is about unleashing your inner scientist to move from simply reflecting to forming theories, creating experiments and having new experiences.... otherwise known as Kolb's experiential learning theory!  Further details can be found at the showpage:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-094  

This week's mini reflective challenge is about a psychological concept called the locus of control and noticing whether you're internally or externally oriented and what this might mean for you.  Full show notes can be found at htttps://stephenclements.ie/podcast-093  

This week's challenge is about two thoughts:  Doing the same things over and over again and getting the same results, and experiential learning and doing something new!  Find full details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-092 

This week's episode is about minding your language!  No, it's not what you might think - it's about noticing whether you're using rigid or flexible language... listen to find out more and for full show notes please visit https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-091

This week's reflective challenge is about ANTS! And no, I don't mean those amazing little insects... Full details can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-090

In this week's episode my challenge is about reflecting on whether you're surviving or thriving!   Full details at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast-089/    

This week's reflective challenge is about the learning experience and recognising those times when we might have forgotten that we're still learners and then beat ourselves up for not getting it right!   Full details can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/088  

This week's mini episode is challenging your to be aware of where you are putting your focus... Details and show notes at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/087

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Sinclair.  Tracy is an executive coach, coach trainer, coach mentor, coach supervisor and much much more!  And if that wasn't enough, Tracy also serves on global board of the ICF.   In our conversation we talked about her own journey from working in the financial services industry by day, whilst supporting drug and alcohol addicts and their families as a counsellor at night; how she then discovered coaching; her own beliefs and thoughts around the potential for coaching to really impact societal change; right through to her writing a book that aims to bring the new ICF competencies to life – and much more! I really enjoyed this interview.  The depth, the richness and in some ways, how passionate Tracy is for the coaching profession.  ‘Evangelic' is a word that pops up during this interview;  and it does seem very fitting.   Full details and show notes can be found: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/086  

Building on last week's episode where I talked about visioning and dreaming, and then adding in the other two states of resisting and reflecting, I realised this week that there was another state missing:  right now!  Listen to learn more about this week's challenge!  Full details:  https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/085

In this week's mini episode: When you think about the words ‘dreaming' and ‘visioning' – what comes up?  And as you think about the differences, which is it that you do most of?   Full details and further information can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/084

How do you start your day when the alarm goes off?  This week's mini episode is all about being curious about what happens in that moment and seeing whether you can choose to respond with a different thought. Full details can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/083

This week's challenge is all about energy and noticing what drains or recharges your own internal battery. Full details and show notes can be found at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/082  

Metaphors are something that we use, probably unconsciously, all the time.  They're an essential part of us and can give insights into our inner workings.  Take a simple question: how are you feeling?  Do you respond metaphorically or with a descriptive feeling.  The challenge this week is become conscious of your own metaphors and start to explore them.  Have a bit of fun! Find out more at https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/081  

Kurt Lewin, a 20th century phycologist came up with an equations for behaviours.  He proposed that our behaviours are a function of our person and our environment.  Given the change to our environments in recent times, what, if anything, have you noticed about changes in your behaviour? Full show notes, transcript and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/080 Let me know how you get on!

Have you ever noticed how we, and others, tend to apply a judgement to emotions;  that they're positive or negative.  This week's challenge, with the help of a battery and a light, is to be curious about what this really means and whether it's really helpful or not. Full show notes, transcript and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/079 Let me know how you get on!

Welcome to the latest full-length episode of The Curious Coach Podcast during which I had the pleasure of interviewing Jean François Cousin, an executive coach based in Thailand.  In 2019 he was the chair of the global board of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).  In 2015 he published a book called Game Changers at the Circus:  How Leaders Can Unleash Greatness in Their Organisations.  Along the way, he's also logged over 12,000 hours coaching! In this extensive interview we'll hear about some of the mistakes and learnings that he made along the way, the importance of authenticity, finding your niche, how he came to be involved with the ICF and how he missed out on a dream gig which would have involved coaching in the Maldives.  We'll also hear his thoughts on the future of coaching and how this may be disrupted by technology such as AI.  In fact, we covered a lot!  Full show notes, and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/078

Imagine you could pull 4,264 pieces of Lego from a big box of Lego over your lifetime – one for each week.  What you would build? Full show notes, transcript and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/077 Let me know how you get on!

This week's reflective is about procrastination.  What's is it that you have been procrastinating about?  This week's challenge in about reflecting on the reasons you're procrastinating and then moving beyond it. Full show notes, transcript, further information and a new video version of the show, can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/076 Let me know how you get on!

This week's reflective is about social connections in this time of ‘social distancing'.  Who are you connecting with?  And is this a good time to reach out to someone you've not talked to a while? Full show notes, transcript and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/075 Let me know how you get on!

This week's reflective episode draws upon Autonomy – one of the five domains from David Rock's SCARF model. What autonomy do you still have in the current climate? Full show notes, transcript and further information can be found on the show page: https://stephenclements.ie/podcast/074 Let me know how you get on!