Three OG Coaches Talking Shop

19. How do you know if your coaching is going well? Sas hosts a conversation about how we know when our coaching is going well (and when it's not landing). We explore the importance of self-reflection in coaching practices, with a mentor or supervisor. We also chat about the trickiness of assessing our own effectiveness, particularly if self-doubt pops up!Enjoy. 

18. Opening to The Mystery in your coachingBridgette opens by asking us how we work with The Mystery—the ineffable, divine, soul, and spirit—in our work. We discuss how this shows up for each of us, the difference between coaching mastery and allowing the mystery to work through us. We also cover projection and entanglement with clients, spiritual maturity and Sophiac wisdom. Such a rich chat!

Lianne hosts this episode's discussion about whether anyone is cut out to be a coach.This turns out to be a rich conversation in which we share and disagree on many aspects of the qualities we each believe coaches need to do this work effectively.What do you think? Can you get really great training and then do this work?  

Sas hosts a conversation about the place of politics in our coaching work. Does it have a place? How do we navigate marketing our work in these times? Should we be? How do political, social, and economic contexts show up in our client work?If you've ever felt a bit 'crunchy' about sharing your work in an increasingly uncertain world or discussing these topics with clients, listen in!Resources for you:Calling In by Loretta RossPulling the Thread podcast: Elise Loehnen interviews Loretta Ross

A return to our spicy roots! One of our founding ideals is to equip coaches and travellers in the self-help and coaching worlds, to be discerning. There IS snake oil and problematic practices that seek to exploit the vulnerabilities of this work.Bridgette hosts this discussion prompted by the recent death of James Arthur Ray, who rose to prominence in The Secret and was then convicted of negligent homicide after three people died at a sweatlodge ritual he ran. We start with Ray, and dive into other 'gurus' in the self-help world, what to look out for, and what you will never see ethical practitioners do or say. 

Lianne kicks off our 2025 season with an in-depth chat about the books that fortify us. We also chat about how we find a lot of self-help feels like fast food ( we have opinions!), and the books that have nourished us in more satisfying ways.We share fiction, podcasts and other sources of sustenance. We've included the books and podcasts we mention below:Books Self-help by Gabby BernsteinBeyond Anxiety by Martha BeckNo Bad Parts by Richard SchwartzLet Them by Mel RobbinsAn article about the Poem by Cassie Phillips that preceded Mel Robbins' bookOnce and Future Witches by Alix HarrowThe Courage to be Disliked Kishimi and KogaThe Fifth Sacred Thing by StarhawkWhen Things Fall Apart by Pema ChodronLet Your Life Speak by Parker PalmerThe Courage to Teach by Parker PalmerThe Untethered Soul by Michael SingerTen Poems to Change Your Life by Roger HousdenWoman on the Edge of Time by Marge PiercyPodcastsReThinking with Adam Grant The Handsome PodcastWiser Than Me with Julia Louis DreyfusWhere Should We Begin? With Esther PerelAll There Is with Anderson CooperLITerally  with Lacey StylesThe Rest is EntertainmentKim Hill Wants to Know with Kim HillCourage & Spice with Sas Petherick

Part two of our conversation moves to our predictions for the coaching industry next year.Sparked by an Instagram post of Sas' we talk about the following trends we are seeing:Growing preference for experiences over productsIncreased value placed on becoming vs consumingDecline of "vibes-based" coaching towards values-based coachingReturn to local, in-person offeringsGrowth in private, contained spaces for community (like Substack)The role of AI Moving away from algorithm-driven socialsIndustry maturationMore emphasis on depth of practice and expertiseGreater focus on ethics and responsibilityWhy we need to pay attention to Soul Cycle!

12. Planning & Predictions for 2025 (Part 1)It turns out we had quite a lot to say about this topic and so we have created two episodes! In part one, we share our different relationships with planning and goals. From "tumultuous" to having a "love affair", having a fluid emergent approach, to having a structured framework, we each have different preferences.During our conversation, we discuss the importance of following intrinsic motivation rather than external "shoulds" and the value of staying in a relationship with goals/intentions over time.Part two comes next week!Mentioned in this episode:·      Bridgette's Mosaic Framework·      Sas' Courage-based Goals ·      Lianne's Mentoring programme 

11. Meeting the moment: after the US election This episode is a break from our planned conversation to focus on the outcome of the US election: what we are experiencing, how we are supporting clients and most importantly, what we can do as coaches. We talk about what this moment might be asking from us and how our skills, training and presence is ideally placed for this time. Mentioned in this episode: Join or Die on Netflix The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk (she also has an excellent Substack) Ursula Le Guin  Sarah J. Maas   

10. Healthy Client Love + Attachment Lianne leads a rich and nuanced conversation about love and attachment. We go beyond popular ideas of an attachment style to talk about ‘agape' - a Greek word for the love of fellow humans – to go beyond loving personality or behaviour and to love a person's soul.  When we think about the purpose of attachment – to grow us up into our human potential – how do we sit in this idea as coaches? What does love mean for us as coaches?  Do we have a role to make our client's feel loved? And if not, what does our role involve. We talk about the ways our own unhealthy attachments get involved with our client relationships and what we can do to take care of ourselves and our clients.  

Sas introduces the concept of parallel process – when our work with clients activates our growth. Often, this isn't pretty or easy—it's the moments when we notice patterns we are engaging in as part of our work. Sometimes, clients' particular challenges or approaches can feel really uncomfortable - it might be something we share with our clients.Coaching is relational, so parallel process is of course, inevitable. We will get entangled with clients - its part of the work. And our clients will project on to us all the time! Transference and counter-transference is part of the work.Often, our experience is not helpful to share with our clients. When we are going through something that has not yet been processed, its probably inappropriate to bring into sessions.So, how do we hold ourselves steady in these moments? What are the ethics and good practices that support us and our clients?

Bridgette introduces a rich conversation about both the helpfulness and the more problematic aspects of mindset-dominant coaching approaches.We talk about what the effectiveness of this kind of coaching might really be down to and what to do if you want to broaden the scope of your practice.If you've ever wondered if thought work, mindset, affirmations or cognitive behavioural approaches are all they are purported to be, this episode is worth listening to.

In this episode, Lianne leads a conversation about the future of coaching.Does coaching have a future? And if so what might it look like? We discuss alternatives to the creepier aspects of the industry and the hopeful ideas for the maturation and evolution of the industry. Its a juicy one!Got a question for the OG's?If you have a question about your coaching practice, we'd love to help. You are warmly invited to submit a question to us fro an upcoming Q&A episode. You might want us to weigh in on a topic about the industry generally or something specific to do with your client work or running your coaching business. Please send all the details to: asktheogcoaches@gmail.com 

In this episode, Sas shares the concept of Tūrangawaewae - tūranga (standing place) and waewae (feet) is our place to stand. Tūrangawaewae are the external and internal places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, where we feel at home. As coaches, this includes our unique experiences and histories, our training and coaching philosophy, all filtered through our specific personalities!We chat about how to find your place to stand – a practice of discernment and listening to your heart.Don't miss - Free Workshop with Bridgette!Bridgette has a free workshop coming up in her Coaching Salon: The Gift of Disillusionment. If you have been disappointed and let down by a coach training, teacher, or the industry, this is ideal for gaining insight and perspective and returning to your own discernment. Got a question for the OG's?If you have a question about your coaching practice, we'd love to help. You are warmly invited to submit a question to us fro an upcoming Q&A episode. You might want us to weigh in on a topic about the industry generally or something specific to do with your client work or running your coaching business. Please send all the details to: asktheogcoaches@gmail.com

In this episode, Bridgette starts off our conversation about visibility and the discomfort this can bring. We chat about why this is so uncomfortable for so many of us, how to decide the ways you want to market your coaching work that feel good to you, how to navigate self-doubt, how to support your business and yourself to get your work out there! Got a question for the OG's?If you have a question about your coaching practice, we'd love to help. You are warmly invited to submit a question to us fro an upcoming Q&A episode. You might want us to weigh in on a topic about the industry generally or something specific to do with your client work or running your coaching business. Please send all the details to: asktheogcoaches@gmail.com

Lianne sparks a conversation about how to create a coaching practice that feels like an eco-system rather than an ego-system.This evocative metaphor takes the conversation on a journey to discover what is ‘downstream' of each of us. We talk about who inspires us, who mentors us, and what we are learning. It was joyous to discover we all have teachers and mentors (sometimes quite far!) outside of the coaching world. References:Lianne's Inspirations:Marion WoodmanCarol GilliganIsabella RosselliniIlse CrawfordSteal like an ArtistSas' Inspirations:Hilma af KlimtTheosophyNora BatesonUFO Rabbit Hole PodcastBridgette's Inspirations:Pema ChodronParker PlamerMichael SingerSmartless podcastHandsome podcastFortune FeimsterToko-Pa Turner BelongingDavid WhyteMartin ShawGot a question for the OG's?If you have a question about your coaching practice, we'd love to help. You are warmly invited to submit a question to us for an upcoming Q&A episode. You might want us to weigh in on a topic about the industry generally or something specific to do with your client work or running your coaching business. Please send all the details to: asktheogs@gmail.com

Personal coaching, group work, retreats, teaching, business consulting, big programmes, intimate circles, getting a day job: between us, we've made our money in all the ways! In this episode we talk about how we each make money, how we offer our coaching work, how this has evolved and changed over the years, and how our coaching work gets to be a unique expression of each of us.We hope this helps you consider how your coaching work can be a unique expression of you.

As our first episode went out, the New York Times published an article titled: 'They Spent Their Life Savings on Life Coaching: some people who wanted to improve their lives and careers through coaching found themselves trapped in what they described as a pyramid scheme'. In this episode, we respond to the article and discuss the origins of the pyramid scheme in the coaching industry. We also talk about how to market and sell coaching services with thoughtful integrity. It's a juicy one!NYT ArticleWatch us on YouTube and share your thoughts in the comments!

In our first episode, we discuss 'Coachfluencers' where coaches and social media meet. We talk about how we each define 'coachfluencing' and how we navigate the choppy waters of social media.