The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins

What if the reason your client is stuck is not a lack of motivation or clarity, but the way their executive functioning is wired? 

In this episode, we explore eight powerful lenses that can completely transform the way you coach neurodivergent clients and, in truth, the way you coach all clients. Executive functioning sits at the heart of how we plan, start, organise, regulate emotions, manage impulses and adapt to change. When we understand it, coaching becomes more inclusive, more compassionate and far more effective. 

We begin with a simple but important reframe. Executive functioning is not only relevant for clients who identify as neurodivergent. Many people remain undiagnosed, and every human being has a unique profile of strengths and challenges across these functions. When we bring this awareness into our practice, we move away from labelling behaviours as procrastination, lack of focus or resistance and instead start working with the real barrier. 

As we walk through each of the eight areas, we share how easily traditional coaching approaches can unintentionally create shame. Asking a client how to get motivated when the real challenge is task initiation creates a completely different experience from recognising what is actually happening in their brain. That moment of being seen and understood often unlocks progress faster than any strategy. 

We talk about organisation and the importance of helping clients design systems that work with their brain rather than forcing themselves into methods that were never built for them. We explore planning and prioritisation through the lens of demand avoidance and spontaneity, recognising that for some clients the plan itself is the obstacle. 

Working memory brings a powerful reflection on coaching style. Keeping questions simple, using visual anchors and contracting around how to hold the thread of the conversation makes coaching more accessible and more effective. 

Self monitoring and emotional regulation reveal the deep emotional impact of executive functioning challenges. Many clients carry a lifetime of self criticism without realising that what they are experiencing is a difference in processing rather than a personal failure. Coaching becomes a space for self acceptance as much as progress. 

Impulse control and flexible thinking invite us to move beyond deficit based models. Impulsivity can be a source of energy, creativity and connection. Rigidity often signals a need for safety. Our role is not to fix these traits but to help clients use their strengths and create support structures that allow them to thrive. 

Throughout this conversation, what stands out is that neurodivergent inclusive coaching is not about having the answers. It is about having the lens. When we understand executive functioning, we accelerate trust, deepen our coaching relationships and enable clients to achieve their goals in ways that are aligned with who they truly are. 

This is coaching that replaces judgement with curiosity, removes shame and gives clients practical levers for change. It is inclusive, ethical and deeply human. 

 

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction to coaching neurodivergent clients through executive functioning 00:31 What executive functioning means in coaching 01:24 Inclusivity for diagnosed and undiagnosed clients 02:21 The executive functioning wheel as a coaching tool 04:18 Task initiation and removing the shame of procrastination 07:10 Organisation and creating brain aligned systems 08:59 Body doubling and in session action 10:24 Planning and prioritisation with demand avoidance 13:29 Working memory and adapting your coaching style 16:17 Practical ways to support working memory in sessions 16:46 Self monitoring and the emotional impact of over analysis 18:41 Emotional regulation and accessing resourceful states 22:55 Why emotions coaching and neurodivergent coaching fit together 23:25 Impulse control as strength and challenge 24:48 Moving beyond the imposter syndrome label 25:35 Flexible thinking and creating safety in change 27:52 Using strengths to support flexibility 28:47 Why executive functioning matters for all clients 29:17 How to continue your learning 

 

Key Lessons Learned: 

Executive functioning provides a powerful lens for inclusive coaching. 



Many behaviours labelled as procrastination or resistance are task initiation challenges. 


Brain aligned systems are more effective than forcing traditional productivity methods. 


Coaching style must adapt to support working memory and accessibility. 


Self compassion is a critical outcome of neurodivergent inclusive coaching. 


Impulsivity and flexibility can be strengths when understood and supported. 


Awareness of executive functioning accelerates trust and progress in coaching. 


 

Keywords: 

coaching neurodivergent clients, executive functioning in coaching, ADHD coaching strategies neurodivergent inclusive coaching, task initiation procrastination coaching, working memory coaching techniques, emotional regulation for neurodivergent clients, flexible thinking coaching strength based neurodiversity coaching, ICF neurodivergent coaching training, 

 

Links & Resources: 

Neurodivergent Inclusive Coaching programme: https://www.igcompany.com/nd

What if the reason your client cannot access clarity, action or decision making has nothing to do with their mindset and everything to do with their nervous system?
In this episode, we explore a dimension of coaching that sits beneath the questions, the goals and the models. Every coaching conversation is not only a meeting of minds. It is a meeting of two nervous systems. When a client arrives in a state of urgency, overwhelm or shutdown, the most powerful coaching move is often not another question. It is the creation of safety.
We reflect on moments in our own coaching and supervision where dysregulation was present and how quickly everything shifted when the focus moved from performance to regulation. A single breath. A slowing of pace. A gentle acknowledgement of what was happening in the body. These are the moments that allow a client to return to themselves and re access their thinking, their resourcefulness and their learning.
What becomes clear is that dysregulation does not only appear in the big life events. It can show up in the everyday pressure of a full diary, the urgency before a holiday, a difficult conversation that happened that morning or the weight of time and responsibility. Without the ability to recognise and work with these states, a coaching session can remain on the surface, even when the client is highly capable and committed.
We talk about co regulation and the role of the coach as a steady nervous system anchor. When we are grounded, calm and present, we invite our clients back into their own window of tolerance. From this place, curiosity returns. Reflection becomes possible. Decision making becomes clearer. Action becomes meaningful.
We also explore the different ways dysregulation can present. It may look like anxiety, restlessness and pressure. It may look like fogginess, disconnection and a lack of motivation that could easily be mislabelled as resistance. With awareness, we stop pushing for progress and instead resource the client so that progress becomes possible.
This work sits firmly within the role of a coach. If a dysregulated nervous system is the obstacle to a client's goal, then supporting regulation is part of working in the gap between where they are and where they want to be. It is ethical, it is powerful and it is deeply human.
We also turn the lens towards ourselves as coaches. Our own nervous system is part of the coaching relationship. Noticing when we become activated, understanding our triggers and knowing how to return to regulation is essential if we are to hold safe, effective spaces for our clients.
Ultimately, this episode is about presence. It is about recognising that transformation does not happen when a client is in survival mode. It happens when they feel safe enough to think, feel and choose. And sometimes the most valuable coaching session is the one where the goal is not achieved, but the client leaves regulated, resourced and reconnected to themselves.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Coaching as a meeting of two nervous systems
00:27 Why dysregulation blocks progress
00:56 A supervision example of co regulation in action
02:24 Coaching happens in the body as well as the mind
02:51 The coach as a nervous system anchor
03:19 How to help clients arrive in safety
04:44 Everyday examples of nervous system activation
06:09 When coaching feels like an interruption for the client
07:07 Resourcing before support and challenge
08:27 Simple regulation invitations and awareness
09:50 When past experiences are triggered in coaching
11:12 Dysregulation is not doing harm
12:09 Window of tolerance explained simply
13:36 Fight, flight and shutdown in coaching sessions
15:24 Working ethically with regulation as the goal
16:23 Coaching in the gap between goal and obstacle
17:49 Nervous system awareness for trauma and neurodivergence
18:44 Connection before progress
19:39 When clients cannot access future thinking
20:31 Powerful regulation focused coaching questions
21:39 Holding safety until the client can return to themselves
23:07 How quickly regulation can restore clarity
24:33 The coach's own nervous system in the relationship
25:28 Further learning through neurodivergent inclusive coaching
 
Key Lessons Learned:
Coaching effectiveness depends on the client's nervous system state.
Co regulation is a core coaching capability, not an optional extra.
Dysregulation often appears in everyday pressure, not only major events.
Shutdown can be misinterpreted as resistance without nervous system awareness.
Regulation is sometimes the most valuable outcome of a session.
The coach's own regulation directly impacts the quality of the space held.
Nervous system literacy is essential for trauma informed and neurodivergent inclusive coaching.
 
Keywords:
coaching the nervous system, nervous system regulation in coaching, trauma informed coaching skills, window of tolerance coaching, co regulation in coaching sessions, neurodivergent inclusive coaching, somatic coaching awareness, how to help clients feel safe in coaching, executive functioning and coaching, advanced coaching presence,
 
Links & Resources:
Neurodivergent Inclusive Coaching programme: https://www.igcompany.com/nd

What becomes possible in your coaching when you are no longer afraid of emotions, but fully equipped to work with them?
In this episode, we open the door to a programme that so many coaches feel drawn to, yet often hesitate to step into. We wanted to explore not only what the Emotions Coaching Practitioner training is, but why it has such a profound impact on the way we coach, the way we experience our work and the way our clients transform.
The most powerful coaching conversations have always been the ones where emotions are present. They are the moments where change happens in real time. There is no long list of actions to take away and force into an already busy life. Instead, the shift happens in the session. Clients see themselves differently. They experience their challenges differently. Something that once felt fixed dissolves because it has finally been seen and understood.
We talk about how this depth of work amplifies every part of your coaching practice. Your confidence grows because you know how to hold the space when life happens for your clients. Senior leaders navigating grief, diagnosis, burnout, fertility struggles or overwhelming pressure do not need to be turned away or redirected. They need a coach who can stay present, ethical and grounded while still working towards their goals. That is the mastery this training develops.
There is also a personal dimension that cannot be separated from the professional. As you expand your own emotional capacity, your ability to co regulate, remain present and work within the coaching competencies becomes stronger. You are no longer second guessing whether something is too much. You are equipped, supported and deeply resourced.
We share how this training gives coaches the courage to finally step into the niche they feel called towards. So many people carry lived experience of menopause, neurodivergence, burnout, divorce, grief or major life transitions and feel a strong pull to support others in those spaces. Yet they dilute their message because they are unsure how to hold the emotional depth. This programme removes that barrier. It gives you the tools, the ethical framework and the community to go all in on the work that matters most to you.
What continues to move us is the feedback from our alumni. They describe the programme as life changing, as the missing piece of coaching, as a direct route to deeper client transformation. They talk about the immediate difference in their sessions, the new services they create, the group programmes they design and the impact they bring into organisations through workshops and wellbeing initiatives.
We also reflect on the future of the coaching profession. In a world where AI can replicate structured coaching models, what will always remain uniquely human is presence, emotional depth and the ability to sit with another person in their most real moments. This is mastery level coaching. It is how you future proof your practice and raise the standard of the industry.
At its heart, this programme is about belonging to something bigger. It is about being part of a movement that brings emotional work into coaching in a way that is ethical, rigorous, practical and deeply human. And it is about creating a space for yourself as a coach where your own growth, resilience and authenticity are continually supported.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to the Emotions Coaching Practitioner
00:31 Why coaches feel called to this training
01:00 The power of emotional work in client transformation
02:36 Greater enjoyment and depth in your coaching practice
03:06 Real client impact at senior leadership level
03:33 Alumni experiences and life changing outcomes
04:26 Programme structure and learning experience
05:21 Coaches with lived experience and the call to niche
06:21 Working in emotive fields with confidence and ethics
07:18 Holding space for complex client realities
08:17 Creating psychological safety for your clients
10:10 Coaching versus therapy and staying within contract
11:08 Co regulation and coach resilience
13:28 The missing piece in many coaching approaches
14:27 From natural supporter to skilled practitioner
15:26 New services, group programmes and organisational delivery
16:24 A mastery level CPD experience
17:21 Future proofing coaching in an AI world
18:19 Sustaining yourself emotionally as a coach
19:17 The intimacy and community of the programme
20:33 Depth, authenticity and transformative learning
22:20 A full spectrum understanding of emotions
22:58 How to find out more and enrol
 
Key Lessons Learned:
Emotional work creates immediate and lasting transformation for clients.
Mastery in coaching comes from the ability to hold presence in complex human experiences.
Expanding your own emotional capacity strengthens your professional confidence and resilience.
This training enables coaches to step fully into meaningful niches.
Deep emotional competence is a way to future proof your coaching in an AI influenced world.
The programme supports personal growth, commercial expansion and ethical practice.
Belonging to a community of emotionally focused coaches elevates standards across the profession.
 
Keywords:
emotions coaching practitioner, emotional intelligence coaching training, mastery level coaching skills, coaching with emotions, trauma informed coaching CPD, niche coaching confidence, future proof your coaching business, advanced coaching certification UK, coaching presence and co regulation, transformational coaching methods,
 
Links & Resources:
Emotions Coaching Practitioner programme: https://www.igcompany.com/emotions-coaching

What if building a career in coaching did not require you to run your own business at all?
In this episode, we open up a conversation that we realise we have not explored nearly enough. We often talk about creating a coaching business or becoming a coaching leader, yet there is a growing and exciting landscape of coaching jobs inside organisations that deserves real attention.
This discussion was sparked by the noticeable rise in coaching roles appearing across LinkedIn and within our own community. As we began to explore them more closely, we reflect on our own experience of returning to an in-house role where coaching formed the heart of my work. It brought together everything we loved about developing people, with the stability of a regular income and without the constant need to generate clients. That combination created a deep sense of alignment and ease.
We share the wide range of ways coaching now shows up in organisations. Some roles are fully dedicated internal coach positions. Others sit within learning and development, people development, leadership, apprenticeships or culture transformation. In many cases, coaching becomes the differentiating skill that allows someone to move from one profession into another and close the experience gap that once felt like a barrier.
What becomes clear in this conversation is that there is no single pathway. For some people, the idea of running a business and stepping into a CEO identity is energising. For others, it is not where their passion lies. There is equal value in a role where you are paid to do the work you love every day, making a tangible difference to individuals and teams, without needing to manage marketing, sales and operations.
We also reflect on the increasing recognition within organisations that coaching improves performance, supports wellbeing and helps retain talented people. As executive coaching has proven its impact, companies are now asking how to create that same level of support at scale. This is where internal coaching capability and coaching cultures are being built, and it is opening doors to roles that simply did not exist a decade ago.
One of the most important themes running through this episode is possibility. Coaching training is not only about becoming a coach in private practice. It is a powerful, transferable professional development that allows you to reshape your current role, step into a new one or design a portfolio career that blends stability with independence.
We also talk about timeframes, because the journey is often far more achievable than people imagine. Within a year to eighteen months, it is entirely possible to gain a qualification, apply your existing experience and position yourself as the ideal candidate for roles that previously felt out of reach.
At its core, this episode is about contribution. It is about being paid to make a meaningful difference, to work with people in a way that feels purposeful, and to build a career that reflects how you truly want to spend your time.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to coaching jobs in organisations
00:26 Jo's in-house coaching role and the value of income stability
01:48 Searching for coaching roles and surprising results
03:17 Using coaching to bring strengths and passions together
04:17 A success story of moving into an internal coaching role
05:11 New and emerging coaching career pathways
06:05 Coaching qualifications as a bridge into people roles
07:02 The scope and creativity within L&D and development roles
08:27 Portfolio careers and university coaching work
09:24 The rise of in-house coaching in global organisations
10:23 Building coaching capability at scale
11:21 Organisational support for coaching development
12:13 Coaching roles shaped by culture and organisational need
13:10 Business owner versus employed coach pathways
14:04 Part-time roles and blended career models
15:00 Being paid to make a meaningful difference
15:56 How quickly career change can happen through coaching
16:52 Transferable skills from other industries
17:22 First steps to explore coaching opportunities
 
Key Lessons Learned:
A coaching career can exist fully inside an organisation without running a business.
Coaching qualifications create powerful bridges into people development and L&D roles.
Internal coaching is growing as organisations seek performance, wellbeing and retention at scale.
Portfolio careers allow a blend of stability, flexibility and independence.
Transferable skills from many industries align naturally with coaching.
It is possible to reposition your career within one to eighteen months.
Being paid to make a meaningful contribution is a valid and achievable goal.
 
Keywords:
coaching jobs in organisations, internal coach roles UK, learning and development coaching careers
coaching qualification career change, people development roles coaching, portfolio coaching career
coaching culture in organisations, executive coaching internal capability, transferable skills into coaching, coaching career pathways,
 
Links & Resources:
IG Company website: https://www.igcompany.com
Coaching course quiz: https://www.mycoachingcourse.com

What if the real transformation from coaching is not the career, but the way every relationship in your life begins to evolve?
In this episode, we explore a conversation that began with a simple observation about how difficult it can feel to form meaningful friendships in adulthood and unfolded into something far more profound. As we reflected on our own journeys and the experiences of the coaches we train, it became clear that coaching is not only a professional pathway. It is a catalyst for deeper connection, richer communication and a more intentional relationship with ourselves and others.
We share how learning to coach invites a level of self-awareness that reshapes what we look for in friendships, partnerships and working relationships. For us, this has meant moving towards more soulful, values-led connections. Relationships become less about proximity or history and more about alignment, growth and authenticity. That shift can feel expansive and, at times, confronting, particularly when boundaries become clearer and we recognise what no longer fits.
We talk openly about how coaching can strengthen marriages and long-term partnerships, not because the relationship is the focus of the coaching, but because personal insight changes the way we communicate, express needs and listen. When one person grows, the relationship is invited to grow too. Sometimes that leads to renewal and deeper intimacy. Sometimes it leads to difficult but necessary change.
There is also a powerful ripple effect. When one person invests in their development, it often inspires others to pursue their own path, whether through coaching, therapy or long-held ambitions. This is self-leadership in action. Going first creates permission for others to follow in their own way.
We reflect on the subtle transformations that coaching brings to everyday life. The relationship with work can shift from endurance to joy. The way we lead teams becomes more empowering and less about control. Parenting becomes more conscious. Even our relationship with time, health, possessions and rest can change as our values become clearer.
One of the most meaningful themes in this conversation is the evolving relationship with ourselves. Coaching reveals the hidden beliefs and internal patterns that quietly shape our decisions. As those come into awareness, we begin to live more by design and less by default. With that comes greater self-trust, a stronger connection to the future version of ourselves and the courage to take steps that once felt out of reach.
This episode is an honest reflection on growth. Coaching does not remove life's complexity, but it gives us the capacity to navigate it with intention, compassion and clarity. And in doing so, every relationship we have begins to change shape.
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to how coaching changes relationships
00:30 Why meaningful friendships can feel harder in adulthood
01:28 The search for purpose, connection and depth
02:24 How coaching strengthens partnerships and marriages
04:15 Boundaries and relationships that no longer fit
05:10 Inspiring growth in others through self-leadership
06:37 Redefining expectations of joy in work
07:35 Coaching and the changing relationship with children and teams
09:28 Closure, reintegration and subtle personal shifts
10:53 Discovering blind spots and hidden beliefs
12:38 Living life by design and conscious choice
14:04 Changing relationships with health, time and physical possessions
15:37 Trusting intuition and following the inner call to coach
17:33 Finding your people through coaching
18:02 Connecting with your future self
20:27 Recognising clarity, purpose and momentum in others
22:12 Big life changes during coach training
23:09 How to start your coaching journey
 
Key Lessons Learned:
Deep self-awareness transforms the quality and depth of every relationship.
Clear boundaries create space for more aligned and sustainable connections.
Personal growth often inspires growth in partners, friends and colleagues.
Coaching shifts leadership from control to empowerment and legacy.
Living by design strengthens self-trust and decision making.
Joy at work is a belief that can be learned and embodied.
Following the pull towards coaching is often a response to an inner knowing.
 
Keywords:
coaching and relationships, how coaching changes your life, coach training personal transformation
self awareness and relationships, values based living, coaching for confidence and clarity, leadership and coaching skills, boundary setting and personal growth, finding your purpose through coaching
life by design coaching,
 
Links & Resources:
IG Company website: https://www.igcompany.com
Coaching course quiz: https://www.mycoachingcourse.com