In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore coaching psychology and what it means to be a coaching psychologist.

They talk about why sometimes goal setting isn’t enough and how psychology can help coaches do their best work. They also talk about the role coaching psychologists can play in the wider coaching community, especially in supporting the development of evidence-based coaching.

This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about coaching psychology, or coaches reflecting on the role of coaching psychology in their practice.

After speaking at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham, UK, Hazel and Rachael reflect on health and wellbeing at work - and what organisations can do to improve it. They talk about the challenges and systemic factors, and how important both organisational context and scientific evidence are.

Areas they touch on include managing demands and resources, burnout and biometrics, self coaching, safety culture, and just how tricky this wellbeing stuff can be for organisations and leaders to get right.

If you're looking to address health and wellbeing issues in the workplace, this reflective discussion may provide valuable insights and new perspectives.

In this episode Rachael and Hazel explore burnout - how it shows up, the behavioural science around demands and resources at work, and what we can do in coaching to support burnout-related issues with our clients.

Hazel shares ideas, strategies and techniques to use in coaching with clients to reduce their likelihood of burning out, like noticing your 'enough point'. They discuss the systemic nature of organisational issues in relation to burnout; and the role of leaders in balancing demands and resources - an especially difficult challenge when leaders are also experiencing high demands.

There are also burnout related frog stories!

They would love to hear your questions and ideas of what you'd like us to cover, so get in touch.

In this first episode Rachael and Hazel chat about their plans for the podcast, and share a bit about what they hope to cover in future episodes.

They introduce some key aspects and ideas in ACT, and how that relates to coaching. They also talk about how they want to make this podcast useful for coaches and leaders of any background.

They would love to hear your questions and ideas of what you'd like us to cover, so get in touch!

This episode was a request from a listener who was interested in how to use ACT in career coaching. Hazel and Rachael reflect on their own career experiences, the coachee’s they have supported, and the role of the coach in career coaching.

This episode covers some key parts of career decisions and coaching, such as: How values can help find the right direction of travel for someone; and the importance of our work to our sense of who we are.  

If you’re interested in how to navigate tricky career decisions with a coachee’s purpose and meaning, or how to support  clients when they feel paralysed because of the uncertainty of a career change, then this is the podcast for you.

Stories are important in creating change. In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore the transformational power of metaphors, and explore some commonly used ones from ACT. 

If you’re interested in how metaphors create change, and how they are used in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, then this episode takes you on the grand tour. 

This is the perfect listen if you’re curious about how to create change using stories about swamps, mountains, baby chicks, or buses.

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael share personal recommendations for books related to Acceptance and Commitment Coaching.
Perhaps you’re looking for ideas for your continuing professional development, or maybe just some inspiration for 2025. This episode will give you plenty of options to choose from. Rachael and Hazel talk about some of the different books they have read and that have influenced their practice.
We’d love to hear your book recommendations and inspiration, so get in touch if you have ideas to share in a future episode.

Details of books mentioned in the podcast:

Coaching Through Burnout by Hazel Anderson-Turner https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222516799-coaching-through-burnout?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_24

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning

Acceptance and Commitment Coaching: Distinctive Features by Jon Hill and Joe Oliver https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41416943-acceptance-and-commitment-coaching

Maximize Your Coaching Effectiveness with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Richard Blonna https://www.newharbinger.com/9781572249318/maximize-your-coaching-effectiveness-with-acceptance-and-commitment-therapy/

The Little ACT Workbook by Dr Michael Sinclair and Dr Matthew Beadman https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/29737265-the-little-act-workbook

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eger https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753738-the-choice

The Mindful and Effective Employee: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training Manual for Improving Well-Being and Performance by Paul E. Flaxman, Frank W. Bond and Fredrik Livheim https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13436396-the-mindful-and-effective-employee

ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Russ Harris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7219947-act-made-simple

The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT by Russ Harris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3250347-the-happiness-trap

A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters by Steven C. Hayes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43330899-a-liberated-mind

Healthy Habits Suck: How to Get Off the Couch and Live a Healthy Life… Even If You Don’t Want To by Dayna Lee-Baggley https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40890197-healthy-habits-suck

Learning RFT: An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory and Its Clinical Application by Niklas Törneke https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8190520-learning-rft

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/653396.Feel_the_Fear_and_Do_It_Anyway

In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development by Carol Gilligan https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101880.In_a_Different_Voice

Burnout Solve Your Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagoski https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/438617/burnout-by-emily-nagoski/9781785042096

Mindfulness and Acceptance in Multicultural Competency: A Contextual Approach to Sociocultural Diversity in Theory and Practice edited by Akihiko Masuda https://www.newharbinger.com/9781608827473/mindfulness-and-acceptance-in-multicultural-competency/

Evidence-Based Management: How to Use Evidence to Make Better Organizational Decisions by Eric Barends and Denise M. Rousseau https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40576613-evidence-based-management

Compassion Focused Therapy For Dummies by Mary Welford https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30531101-compassion-focused-therapy-for-dummies

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53330118-chatter

This is a geeky one, so brace yourselves! If you’re interested in the principles that explain ACC or have heard the mysterious term ‘RFT’, then this is the episode for you.

This episode sees Rachael nerd out, while Hazel provides light relief and excellent insights. We explore what RFT is and why it’s useful in coaching. 

We hope this makes the ideas of RFT more accessible, whether you are a coach, a leader or a practitioner. We’d love to hear what you think!

In this episode we offer you a different kind of 'social media challenge' - one where you can practice your own acceptance skills.

This episode sees Hazel and Rachael get into the topic of how acceptance can help us to navigate life's challenges.  They share their current 'ups and downs' and how allowing themselves to feel what they are feeling, without judgement has helped them. 

As always, they also talk about how they use this skill development within their coaching practices, giving you practical ideas for how you can apply the skill of acceptance or 'willingness' within your own life and work.

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore procrastination.

They talk about their own experiences and struggles, exploring how normal procrastination is, how people might commonly respond to it and some more helpful responses.

It's the perfect listen for when you've got things to do.

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel 'unpact' imposterism.

They explore their experiences of importserism, both personally and when it shows up for their clients.

They discuss how they help their clients when they feel like an imposter, and Hazel generously shares a case study of a client from her practice.

There's also a bonus bit of relational frame theory thrown in at the end - what more could you want from a podcast?!

In this episode Rachael and Hazel explore the F-word of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching - fusion.

They discuss what fusion is and why it's so important in their coaching practice. If you've never heard of fusion, Rachael is going to try and sell it to you!

They explore how fusion might show up in unhelpful ways, using examples like parenting, our work lives and how we feel about ourselves. They compare defusion techniques and how they use them in their coaching practice. They also discuss their different approaches to working with fusion and defusion in their practice. 

As always, they would love to hear your questions and ideas of what you'd like them to cover, so get in touch.

This episode is all about the spaces we create in coaching and how we use them. Hazel and Rachael explore a myth of good coaching practice - that coaching should always be non-directive. They talk about the different approaches to coaching and how those approaches might see non-directiveness differently. They also explore how this relates to the development of AI coaching.

Hazel and Rachael talk about how in Acceptance and Commitment Coaching we might use normalisation, psycho-education and skill development with our clients. They also discuss what coaches might want to think about when they are being more directive with their clients.

This is the perfect listen for anyone interested in how we create coaching spaces.

This month, Hazel and Rachael explore the communities of practice, teams, and other groups we are part of professionally and personally. We know humans have evolved to be social, so what are the benefits, or costs, of being part of different communities?

This is a great listen for anyone who wants to critically reflect on the benefits of groups, and how groups can work best together, as well as the costs of spending time in groups and communities.

If you’re interested in finding more about pro-sociality and Ostrom’s core design principles for the efficacy of groups this article provides an accessible overview - https://www.prosocial.world/posts/conscious-multilevel-cultural-evolution-theory-practice-and-two-case-studies

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash

You might have heard the term ‘thought disputation’ from CBT, and wondered why in ACC we focus on changing our relationship to thoughts instead.

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael outline the reasons why we don’t try to change thoughts in ACC, what the evidence shows about changing thoughts, and what we can do instead of doing things like thought disputation.

This episode is a deep dive into how to tackle what our minds give us, including what we can do with it and why. A perfect listen if you want to know more about how to work with your own thoughts or those of your clients in your coaching practice.

Image by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

This episode is focused on climate and sustainability in coaching. In this episode Hazel and Rachael discuss the challenge of managing the short-term and longer-term impact of our behaviour. They also discuss some new challenges related to climate, such as eco-anxiety and the high resource use of technology and AI.

If you’re interested in how to create a thinking space for sustainability, finding your ‘climate-positive’ thing, or the conditions for social change - all wrapped up in a big dose of self-compassion - then this episode is for you.

For more info on the Sustainability Coaching Coalition you can visit the SCC website here - https://www.sustainabilitycoachingcoalition.org/

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel turn their attention to how we can lead through challenge and change. When a challenge shows up, psychological safety is really important for individuals, but it can also help leaders think about what others need and how to navigate challenges most effectively.

Hazel and Rachael explore how things can ramp up when we don’t feel safe, resulting in more difficult or critical thoughts just at a time when compassion and inner safety are crucial. They discuss and share examples from their lives and their work.

If you’re interested in how to lead through change and challenging times - for you, for your team, or for your clients - then this episode is for you.

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel start by thinking about what emotions are, where they come from, and how we might respond to them in the most helpful way.

This includes the common link between strong, challenging emotions like anger and the things that are meaningful and important to us (i.e. our values). They discuss how simple techniques can help us notice and name emotions, and to sit with them to reduce the powerfulness of those emotions.

They also discuss how we can relate to and express our emotions in ways that are more workable, especially when we feel strong and difficult emotions.

Watch this space for auditions for the punk band ‘Riot Coaches’!!

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash

Happy New Year!! Here’s a book related episode to kick-start your professional development in 2026.

Rachael and Hazel discussed their professional and personal development goals for 2026, with a particular focus on self-compassion, climate, and emotional intelligence, through various books and resources.

They explore topics including compassion-focused therapy, neurodiversity, and relational frame theory, while also discussing the importance of climate coaching and cultural competence in their practices.

This episode is a chance to nerd out and inspire your own learning for the coming year.

Perfect for anyone looking for a bit of inspiration and a reflection on your own continuing professional and personal development strategy.

Photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash

In this episode, Hazel and Rachael explore what it means to use coaching skills in a leadership context. They discuss how important it is to bust leadership myths; and see leadership as a process of motivating other people by shaping beliefs, values, and understandings, rather than just telling people what to do.

They explore some common leadership challenges, and offer concrete examples of coaching skills for leaders. They draw on resources such as the Coaching Through Burnout book - a fantastic resource to learn more if this episode whets your appetite!

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore high performance in high demand situations, connecting it to leadership and strategies for supporting teams to avoid burnout.

They discuss how high demand is essential for high performance, but high demand makes psychological flexibility even more critical. This flexibility and our ability to adapt to changing contexts and challenges is key to managing both crisis situations and everyday cognitive demands.

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in how to avoid “tripping themselves up” and avoiding burnout in high demand, high performance situations.

Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel explore the unique relationship between a coach and coachee; exploring the characteristics of the coaching relationship and the powerful types of conversations held within it.

They discuss the ways in which coaching is a special and different type of relationship - one that is safe, focused entirely on the client, and requires clients to be open and vulnerable. They discuss why contracting and deeply understanding a client’s needs and values forms the foundation of successful coaching.

They also share their personal ways of contracting and understanding coachee needs as Acceptance and Commitment Coaches, and their mental models of coaching, as well as feedback from previous clients.

This episode is perfect if you’re interested in achieving transformation in non-judgemental, compassionate coaching that makes space for understanding who you are, how you feel, and what really matters to you.

Photo by Anastasia Petrova on Unsplash

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel dive into the nuts and bolts of running your own coaching practice or business. They explore the real-world realities of being a coaching business owner and tackling critical questions like:

* How can we make our business more resilient?

* What is it truly like running your own practice?

* How do you effectively connect with people who want what you do?

They also discuss the importance of being values driven in your business, recognising the power of the coaching community, and how you can consciously evolve your practice.

Whether you’re just starting out or reflecting on your existing practice, this episode is packed with insights to help your coaching business thrive.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com M on Unsplash

In this episode, Rachael and Hazel respond to a question about how to survive and thrive when we choose to do tough stuff. They explore the science behind this and share examples from their own lives.

They cover the basics of well-being, such as sleep and diet, and the importance of incorporating “active rest”. They also discuss the importance of self-care strategies that emphasise creating opportunities over following unhelpful rules; and self-kindness as a way to avoid getting caught up in the external “shoulds” of our choices. Central to it all is the concept of managing short-term needs and long-term gain.

If you are interested in how to achieve balance when choosing to do tough stuff, then this episode is for you.

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash