The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins

What could change in a coaching conversation if we asked a different opening question?
We often fall into familiar habits when a coaching session begins. In this episode, we explore how the first question can shape a client's focus, the direction of the conversation and how present they feel. We share a range of coaching questions designed to help clients notice what matters to them, rather than relying on the same opener every time.
Some questions help a client sort through competing priorities. Others invite them to notice what feels most alive, what they might need to leave outside the room, or where they could make progress. We also explore questions that make room for uncertainty, unresolved issues and the parts of a person that may not yet have had a voice. As we discuss each one, we reflect on how a question might land differently depending on the client and what they bring to the session.
We found ourselves returning to the importance of curiosity, choice and partnership. Questions about courage and possibility can open up new ways of thinking, while asking what the coach should be mindful of can strengthen the coaching alliance. We also discuss the power of a small word like "yet" to ease pressure and invite a sense of possibility.
These questions are invitations, not a checklist. We talk about using them thoughtfully, in the context of the client's goals and the work already underway. Our hope is that coaches and people developing coaching skills will find a question that helps them listen differently, create space for reflection and support meaningful progress.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why coaching openers matter
01:47 Sorting through competing priorities
03:22 Asking what feels most alive
05:15 Making space to be present
06:48 Inviting courage into the conversation
08:29 Focusing on progress
09:43 Making room for the unresolved
11:22 What someone has been trying to resolve alone
12:10 Giving a part of the client a voice
14:10 Exploring what has not yet been discussed
15:04 The possibility in the word "yet"
15:30 What the client wants the coach to be mindful of
19:38 Asking what is possible today
20:31 Exploring an avoided conversation
22:51 Choosing questions with care
23:56 Coaching course information
Key Lessons Learned:
The opening question can influence the focus and tone of a coaching session.
A question about energy or what feels alive may reveal more than asking only about the most urgent problem.
Clients can choose what to bring into a session and what to leave outside.
Questions about courage, uncertainty and possibility can create space for deeper reflection.
Asking what the client wants from their coach can strengthen partnership and the coaching alliance.
A question is an invitation, not a tool to apply automatically. Its value depends on the client and the context.
The word "yet" can reduce pressure and help a client see that change remains possible.
Keywords:
Coaching questions, types of coaching questions, powerful coaching questions, coaching conversation, coaching session, coaching skills, coaching clients, coaching alliance, coaching practice, coach training,
Links & Resources
mycoachingcourse.com, mentioned as a place to take a quiz and explore coaching courses.

Have you ever felt your mind go blank in a coaching session and wondered what you are supposed to do next?
We explore the moments coaches can experience as panic: a client arrives with an unexpected goal, shares something difficult, asks what we would do, or sits in silence while we search for the perfect question. We reflect on how these moments can show up as anxiety, uncertainty, shock or feeling lost, for new and experienced coaches alike.
We discuss how panic can be information rather than a problem to eliminate. When we rush to fill silence, reach for a model, give advice or steer the conversation towards a solution, we may be trying to manage our own discomfort instead of staying alongside the client. We consider how to recognise whose panic might be present, notice what is happening in the body and mind, and question the expectations we place on ourselves. Coaching does not require us to have an instant answer, and the client remains responsible for their own progress.
We share practical ways to work with a blank mind or a stalled conversation, including asking what feels important, what the client is noticing, or what might happen if we did not try to solve the issue yet. We also explore how coaching supervision and reflective practice can help us understand recurring patterns beneath our panic. The conversation returns to a central idea: the coach's presence, curiosity and capacity to sit with uncertainty can be more valuable than having another tool to use.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introducing panic in coaching
02:47 Treating panic as information
04:52 Whose panic is in the room?
06:57 When interventions ease the coach's discomfort
09:25 Expectations and the fear of not knowing
12:00 Questions to use when a session feels stuck
15:33 Moving beyond problem solving
18:24 Exploring recurring panic in supervision
22:02 Building self-understanding as a coach
23:57 Pausing, grounding and returning to the relationship
25:36 Emotions coaching practitioner training
Key Lessons Learned:
Panic can offer useful information about the coach, the client or the wider context.
Before intervening, ask whose discomfort the intervention is trying to resolve.
A moment of silence or uncertainty does not mean the session has failed.
The client is responsible for their progress; the coach does not need to solve the goal for them.
Simple questions can reopen exploration when a coach feels stuck.
Supervision can help uncover the beliefs and patterns behind recurring coaching anxiety.
Self-awareness helps coaches notice activation and return to curiosity and connection.
Keywords:
Coaching panic, coaching anxiety, emotions coaching, coaching supervision, reflective practice for coaches, coaching skills, client autonomy, managing uncertainty in coaching.
 
Links & Resources
Emotions Coaching Practitioner Training: igcompany.com/emotionscoaching

When does a coaching model help us stay present with a client, and when does it start to get in the way?
In this episode, we explore the relationship between coaching models, confidence and the conversations our clients need. Drawing on our experiences as coaches and coach educators, we discuss why coaching frameworks can be so reassuring when we are starting out. Clients rarely arrive with a neatly packaged goal. Their thoughts, emotions and competing priorities can take us in several directions, and models such as GROW, CLEAR and OSCAR can help us find a useful focus. We reflect on the importance of understanding why we ask a question, rather than concentrating only on which question comes next.
We also share how structure continues to support our coaching practice as we gain experience. A framework held in the background can help us notice a missing goal, an unexplored emotion or a conversation that has lost its direction. Sometimes, explaining a structured activity and asking whether it would be helpful gives the client a clearer sense of what we are offering. We reflect on how this transparency can build trust and reduce cognitive load for both people. Referring to notes can be part of thoughtful, effective coaching, and we do not need to perform expertise by pretending that support is unnecessary.
The tension emerges when completing the model becomes more important than responding to the person. We explore what happens when a client discovers something significant, such as recognising that their career has been shaped by a desire to please a parent. Moving immediately to options or actions could miss their need to pause and understand that discovery. This brings us back to the wider coaching skills that make a difference: listening, silence, intuition, ethics, safeguarding and contracting. For us, coaching mastery involves developing the judgement to stay with a structure, adapt it or step away, according to the client and the moment.
We finish by reflecting on how coach development moves from learning models to choosing, adapting and integrating their principles into our own coaching style. Our IKEA furniture metaphor reminds us that skipping the learning process is not the same as mastering it. We also explore why models are never neutral: every framework directs attention towards particular aspects of a client's experience. Whether we are using emotions coaching tools or another approach, we hold responsibility for what we introduce. This conversation invites us to become more deliberate about how we use structure, while remaining curious and responsive to the person in front of us.
Timestamps:
·         00:00 Welcome and the coaching models question
·         01:14 Why frameworks help new coaches
·         02:57 GROW, CLEAR and OSCAR
·         04:31 Using models to refocus a conversation
·         05:29 Offering structured activities to clients
·         06:50 Transparency, trust and cognitive load
·         07:45 Learning and integrating a model
·         09:50 Helpful structure and knowing when to step away
·         11:18 Responding to significant discoveries
·         13:19 Coaching skills beyond models
·         14:31 The journey towards coaching mastery
·         15:58 The IKEA furniture metaphor
·         18:03 Why coaching models are not neutral
·         19:44 Exploring further coach training
Key Lessons Learned:
·         Understand the purpose behind the question. A model becomes more useful when we understand what its questions invite the client to explore.
·         Structure can serve the client as well as the coach. Explaining an activity and checking whether it would help can create clarity, trust and a sense of direction.
·         Using notes does not undermine credibility. How we introduce a framework matters more than whether we remember every step.
·         A discovery may need space before action. The next question in a model may be less useful than pausing with what the client has recognised.
·         Models are one part of effective coaching. Listening, silence, intuition, ethics, safeguarding and contracting all shape the conversation.
·         Mastery includes choice. Developing as a coach means learning when to follow a framework, adapt it or work more emergently.
·         Every model directs attention. We need to consider what our chosen approach brings into focus and what it may leave unexplored.
·         Learn before letting go. Practising and understanding a model gives us a stronger foundation for integrating its principles into our own style.
Keywords:
Coaching models, coaching frameworks, GROW, CLEAR, OSCAR, coaching practice, effective coaching, coaching skills, coaching mastery, coach development, coaching style, emotions coaching, cognitive load, coach training, The Coaching Crowd,
Links & Resources
https://igcompany.com/

What if finding your purpose is less about discovering one perfect career and more about understanding what makes you feel alive?
People often come to coaching at a crossroads. From the outside, life may look successful: a career is progressing, responsibilities are being met, and there is no obvious reason to change course. Yet there can be a persistent feeling that something is missing. In this episode, we explore why that feeling deserves attention and how coaching can help us make sense of it.
Our own experiences gave us two ways to look at purpose. For Jo, coaching became deeply connected to the contribution she wanted to make. For Zoe, coaching is an expression of a broader purpose: being part of a journey that helps someone feel more fulfilled. That distinction matters. If purpose can take more than one form, we do not have to put pressure on ourselves to find the single job that will make everything fall into place.
We talk about the clues that can help when the answer is unclear. When do we feel most like ourselves? What kind of contribution matters to us? Who do we most enjoy working with, and where in their journey do we want to help? Zoe reflects on exploring other people-focused careers before finding that coaching offered the kind of conversations and relationships she was looking for.
We also reflect on how our needs change through different stages of life. Work that once felt fulfilling may no longer fit around family, freedom or the person we are becoming. That does not make the years we spent doing it a mistake. Those experiences can help us recognise our strengths, values and priorities more clearly. For some people, coach training leads to a new career. For others, it changes how they lead, volunteer, parent or relate to the people around them.
Finding meaningful work does not mean finding work that is always easy. Building our coaching business brought uncertainty alongside the conversations and contribution we loved. Perhaps a more useful question than "What would make me happy all the time?" is "What matters enough to me that I am willing to work through the difficult parts?"
If you are considering a career change, exploring coach training or wondering what purpose means for you, we hope this conversation gives you space to notice what already matters. You may find that coaching is your next step, or that it helps you see another path more clearly.
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome and finding your purpose through coaching
00:37 Why career crossroads raise questions about purpose
02:24 When success on paper does not feel meaningful
04:53 Coaching as an expression of purpose
07:30 The many ways we can make a difference
08:50 Finding the people and work that fit
10:32 Meaning, independence and building something of your own
12:07 How purpose takes different forms through life
16:09 Why coach training does not require a career change
18:32 Training as a bridge to different possibilities
20:51 Why purposeful work can still be difficult
23:09 Exploring your own next chapter
Key Lessons Learned:
Purpose does not have to point to one perfect job. It can be expressed through different kinds of work and relationships.
A career crossroads can be a sign that your needs and priorities have evolved.
The work that makes you feel most alive offers clues about the contribution you want to make.
Understanding who you want to help can be as useful as deciding how you want to help.
Coach training can support self-discovery even if you do not plan to become an independent coach.
Skills learned through coaching can shape leadership, volunteering, parenting and everyday conversations.
Meaningful work may involve risk, uncertainty and discomfort. Those challenges do not make it less meaningful.
Keywords:
Finding your purpose, purpose through coaching, coach training, career change, meaningful work, career crossroads, becoming a coach, coaching skills, personal fulfilment,
 
Links & Resources
https://igcompany.com/

Who supports the coach when a client conversation stays with them long after the session has ended?
In this episode, we explore why every coach needs supervision and why it is far more than a professional requirement. Every coaching conversation brings together different histories, identities, beliefs and emotional experiences. As coaches, we carry our own stories into the room too. Supervision gives us a confidential reflective space to explore what may be influencing our work, particularly when a client interaction leaves us feeling stuck, uncertain or unable to stop thinking about the conversation.
We also reflect on the isolation that can exist within coaching. Confidentiality means that few people witness our client conversations, making it easy to carry questions or concerns alone. Coaching supervision provides a professional support structure where we can think clearly, protect our wellbeing and continue to serve our clients effectively. It helps us recognise patterns, explore blind spots and close some of the mental tabs that might otherwise remain open.
At the heart of the episode are the three purposes of supervision: normative, formative and restorative. Normative supervision supports safe and ethical practice, helping us navigate complex situations without expecting someone else to make the decision for us. Formative supervision develops our confidence, flexibility and reflective practice beyond our initial training. Restorative supervision helps us process the emotional demands of coaching, separate our experiences from those of our clients and resist the urge to rescue, fix or take responsibility for their outcomes.
Ultimately, supervision helps us become less reactive, more patient and more comfortable with uncertainty. It can strengthen our ethical awareness, deepen our reflective practice and give us greater courage to challenge, experiment and trust the coaching process. Supervision is not surveillance or a judgement on our capability. It is an essential professional space that supports the wellbeing of the coach, protects the quality of the work and helps us become the thoughtful, ethical and responsive coaches our clients deserve.
Timestamps:
00:01 Welcome and why every coach needs supervision
00:58 Professional expectations and accreditation
01:44 Blind spots, emotional reactions and open mental tabs
03:55 Helping fatigue and coach wellbeing
05:18 The three purposes of coaching supervision
05:35 Normative supervision and ethical practice
07:08 When an ethical dilemma becomes high stakes
09:30 Formative supervision and coach development
11:15 Why better-supported coaches serve clients better
12:45 Reflective practice as a core coaching skill
13:31 Restorative supervision and emotional demands
14:59 Responsibility, rescuing and the urge to fix
16:53 How supervision changes coaching practice
19:41 Supervision is not surveillance
20:10 Invitation to supervision training
 
Key Lessons Learned:
Supervision is a core professional support structure, not a judgement on whether a coach is capable.
Strong reactions, recurring thoughts and feelings of being stuck can be useful signals that deserve reflective attention.
Normative supervision helps coaches navigate ethical complexity, safeguarding, confidentiality and conflicts of interest without expecting a supervisor to provide a simple answer.
Formative supervision supports continuing professional development, helping coaches move from reliance on models towards a more fluent and flexible coaching approach.
Reflective practice strengthens every other coaching skill by helping us notice what is happening within the coach, the client, the relationship and the wider system.
Restorative supervision helps prevent helping fatigue by giving coaches somewhere to process the emotional weight of client work.
The desire to help can become an urge to fix, rescue or take responsibility for a client's outcomes. Supervision helps us recognise and release that pattern.
Well-supported coaches are often less reactive, more patient, more courageous and more comfortable with uncertainty.
Looking after ourselves as coaches directly supports client safety, the quality of the coaching relationship and the sustainability of our practice.
Keywords:
coaching supervision; why coaches need supervision; coach supervisor; reflective practice for coaches; ethical coaching practice; coach wellbeing; coaching CPD; normative formative restorative supervision; professional coaching development; coaching ethics; accredited coach supervision; helping fatigue in coaching; supervision training for coaches,
Links and Resources
International Group for Coaching, Supervision Training: https://igcompany.com/supervisiontraining
EMCC Global: https://emccglobal.org/
Association for Coaching: https://www.associationforcoaching.com/
International Coaching Federation: https://coachingfederation.org/
Global Code of Ethics: https://www.globalcodeofethics.org/