The Coaching UnpACT Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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.