Coaching Voices: The Association for Coaching Podcast

In this final episode of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Al Kennedy, a coach who works exclusively with men navigating midlife. Al's own path from graphic designer and business owner to full-time coach grew out of his personal midlife questioning, and it's given him a grounded, deeply caring approach to holding space for other men. He talks about midlife not as a crisis to be fixed, but as a genuine threshold: a rite of passage that Western culture rarely marks or supports, even though many other cultures have rituals for exactly this kind of transition.
 
Al shares how he creates the safe, intentional spaces men so rarely get: three-day walking pilgrimages he calls "Long Walks," regular men's circles, and creative practices like journaling and poetry. Nature isn't just scenery for him — it's an active part of the work, slowing men down, reconnecting them to their bodies, and mirroring the internal shifts they're going through. He's also thoughtful about accessibility, adapting his methods for online coaching and for men with disabilities or health concerns, so the work stays open to more people, not fewer.
 
What comes through most in this conversation is Al's warmth toward the men he works with. He pushes back gently on the idea that men are naturally closed off, describing emotional armour as often "just a couple of millimetres deep" — meaning that with the right conditions, openness comes surprisingly fast. It's a fitting, hopeful note to end the series on: a reminder that community, care, and simply being asked "how are you, really?" can be quietly transformative.
 
You will learn:
·       Midlife is a threshold, a rite of passage — approached with intention, it can lead to real renewal rather than just crisis.
·       Safe, intentional spaces give men rare permission to slow down and explore without needing to "fix" anything.
·       Men's emotional armour is often thin and nature, genuine connection and deep listening can unlock vulnerability faster than we assume.
 
"It's too easy just to say that men aren't showing up in the right way; we have to provide different types of spaces for men to be able to surface the things that they're really holding down."
 
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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit: 
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-nature-pilgramage-masculinity-midlife

In episode 5 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence talks to Cassandra Andrews, author of Unlearning Masculinity: Redefining Success for High Achieving Men over 40, to explore why so many successful men—CEOs, founders, and elite athletes among them—feel trapped even after ticking every box of conventional success. Cassandra unpacks the identity crises, purpose gaps, and feelings of entrapment that often surface in midlife, tracing them back to an outdated masculine blueprint that prizes stoicism and winning over vulnerability. Rather than rejecting masculinity altogether, she makes the case for relearning what it means to be a man beyond those rigid rules. Her work starts with a vision, rather than goals: a more personal picture of where a client actually wants to be, rather that what they feel expected to chase.
 
The conversation turns to Cassandra's coaching methodology, which draws on NLP, timeline therapy, and motivational mapping to help clients build self-awareness and understand how their motivations have shifted from external validation to internal fulfilment. She also shares the thinking behind her intimate group dinners—safe spaces that give high-achieving men permission to open up honestly with peers, often for the first time. Rob and Cassandra close on what she sees as the real prize of this work: not more success, but emotional freedom, autonomy, and choice.
 
You will learn:
·       Winning isn't the same as fulfilment: many high-achieving men over 40 are feeling trapped despite external success.
·       Self-awareness, including understanding shifting motivations is key to creating the life a client really wants, rather than what he thinks he should want.  
·       How Cassandra's work helps men find emotional freedom, autonomy and choice.
 
 
"When a woman tells a coach, "I've never told anyone this before," she means apart from her mother, her sister, her best friend. When a man says it, those words have never left his lips."
 
Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review! Your feedback helps us bring you more valuable content.
 
For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit: 
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-unlearning-masculinity-high-achievers

In episode 5 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Sam Adams, a coach specialising in healthy masculinity. Drawing from his background in regenerative farming and chaplaincy across Africa, Sam explains how masculinity and femininity exist as complementary energies within everyone. He discusses the shame and confusion many men face today, often rooted in unspoken social expectations, and the reason why so many struggle to ask for help or express what they truly feel.
Central to Sam's philosophy is a single powerful word: permission. He invites men to give themselves permission to feel, to rest, to be uncertain, and to step away from the silent shame to have everything figured out. Sam also draws on the natural world to guide this inner work, using the rhythm of the seasons as a metaphor for life:  summer as a time for action and growth, winter as a time for reflection and renewal. His coaching weaves together nature, spirituality, and emotional courage to offer a genuinely holistic path forward.
Sam reframes the idea of strength, by sharing the root meaning of the word 'courage' is 'heart;' Sam reframes that true strength lies not in fearlessness, but in the willingness to be open and vulnerable. It's a reframe that sits at the heart of everything he does. He also discusses the relevance of spirituality in men's lives and its connection to masculinity and shares strategies for achieving balance and setting boundaries in life. Listen and enjoy this warm, honest conversation.
 
 
 
You will learn
·       Giving yourself permission to feel, rest, and be uncertain is often the first and most powerful step toward growth.
·       Nature's rhythms offer a roadmap to a life of both action and ambition, and stillness and reflection.  
·       True strength lies not in fearlessness but in the willingness to be vulnerable and open.
 
'The emphasis is on liberating yourself by connecting with your own freedom and the masculinity and the femininity within.'
 
Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review! Your feedback helps us bring you more valuable content.
 
For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit: 
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-liberating-masculinity-spirituality

In episode 4 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Jess Spiers, a coach who specialises in supporting men in their 40s and 50s who appear successful but feel trapped, unfulfilled, or burned out. Jess shares how a 20-year career in digital content ultimately led her to coaching and why she made men's mental health her focus. It's a candid conversation about a quiet struggle that many men are navigating alone.
 
Jess discusses the emotional barriers that so often stop men from seeking support, and how coaching creates a safe, non-judgmental space for clients to explore their values, challenge limiting beliefs, and begin to understand their emotions without judgement. As a trained Emotions Coaching Practitioner, Jess makes a compelling case that working with your emotions isn't soft or fluffy — it's one of the most practical tools available for gaining clarity and moving forward.
 
Jess shares some of the tools she uses, with real life examples that demonstrate their success. The episode closes with an important reframe feeling stuck doesn't always require a dramatic life overhaul. Often, the most meaningful change comes from small, intentional shifts that bring your work and life back into alignment with what truly matters to you. Jess also shares details about her new podcast, Successful on Paper, and leaves listeners with a simple but powerful reminder to be kinder to yourself when seeking help.
 
You will learn:
 
·       What emotions prevent men from asking for help
·       The power of emotional awareness for transformation and change
·       Change doesn't have to mean starting over. Small, intentional adjustments that realign your life with your core values can be far more transformative than a dramatic leap into the unknown.
 
'Men find it quite difficult to reach out and ask for help, so I thought, "You know what? If they're going to do that, that support needs to exist, and I want to be a part of that.'
 
Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review! Your feedback helps us bring you more valuable content.
 
For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit: 
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-coaching-men-emotions-values-mental-health

This is no ordinary episode! This week we hit a remarkable milestone: 300 consecutive weekly episodes without missing a single Monday and to celebrate, the podcast team, Maxine Bell, Smaranda Dochia and Rob Lawrence look back on six extraordinary years of the Association for Coaching podcast. Together they reflect on a journey that has brought together 295 guests, 26 guest hosts, and 33 coaching topics, such as health and wellbeing; marketing; mental health; technology and innovation; creativity; leadership; neurodiversity in the workplace; climate coaching; love; coaching outdoors and getting started as a coach. What began as a show dedicated to the coaching profession has grown into something far greater: a thriving global community where connections, collaborations, and even five international conferences have been sparked by the conversations hosted here.
 
As one listener put it: "I honestly think the podcasts from the Association for Coaching are some of the best quality and content I have ever come across. The range of topics you offer is huge and so relevant to my coaching practice." That spirit of breadth, quality, relevance and genuine usefulness is exactly what this episode celebrates. We have always believed that coaches deserve a space to feel less alone in their practice, a place that champions professionalism, ethics, reflection and growth but also recognises the everyday lives and practice of coaches across the world.
 
And now, to honour everything the podcast has become, comes an exciting new chapter. From this episode, the show officially rebrands as Coaching Voices: The Association for Coaching Podcast. This new name better reflects its inclusive, diverse, and global reach, and the many coaches it has helped find their own authentic voice within the profession. With new hosts, new topics, and the ever evolving coaching landscape ahead, including AI, systemic change, and much more, the team is as committed as ever to meaningful conversations. New episodes drop every Monday on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. We look forward to the next 300!
 
You will learn:
 
·       How six years of consistent, weekly conversations have shaped and strengthened the global coaching community.
·       Why platforming diverse voices — across backgrounds, topics, and experiences — lies at the heart of everything the podcast stands for.
·       What's next for Coaching Voices, and how you can be part of the next 300 episodes, as a guest or host.
 
"What I find particularly meaningful about this podcast is that it's never been just one voice or one perspective; it's always been a platform for many voices across the coaching profession."
 
Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review! Your feedback helps us bring you more valuable content.
 
For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit: 
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-special-episodes-300-coaching-voices