In this playful and precise episode of the Towards Solutions podcast, we sit down with Paul Z. Jackson — author, improviser, and co-creator of The Solutions Focus — to explore what it means to build on what’s working and invite change through conversation.

From his roots in journalism and theatre to decades of coaching and consulting, Paul brings a rare blend of performance, clarity, and practical insight. Together, we dive into:

• The power of saying “yes, and…” — and why improvisation matters in leadership and coaching
• How lightness, precision, and curiosity can turn any moment into a chance for movement
• The discipline of noticing — and how to work with what’s already present
• What Solution Focused practice offers when we resist the urge to solve and instead choose to build

Paul reminds us that transformative conversations don’t need to be dramatic — they just need to start from where you are, with what you have.

Whether you’re coaching a team, leading through uncertainty, or simply wanting better conversations, this episode offers clarity, humour, and plenty of moments that will stay with you.

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In this vibrant and energising episode of Toward Solutions, we sit down with Ayse Adil — co-founder of Family Based Solutions — to explore what it means to stay truly client-led.

Ayse shares her journey from early scepticism (“I thought Solution Focus was wishy-washy!”) to becoming a passionate and creative advocates. Drawing on her experience with families, young people, survivors, and those who have used violence, she shows how Solution Focus can flex to meet the moment — even in silence.

Together, we explore how a light touch, a strong intuition, and deep respect can unlock new possibilities, even in complex or high-risk situations. Ayse introduces her metaphor of the “brain librarian,” the surprising power of silent sessions, and how humour, humility, and courage to improvise can shift everything.

We explore:

• Moving from scepticism to living Solution Focus as a way of being
• Preparing families to move from problem-focus to possibility-focus
• Adapting Solution Focus to work with survivors, perpetrators, and children
• Letting go of being “strictly Solution Focus” to stay truly client-led
• Why silence, humour, and mistakes can lead to real change

Ayse’s warmth, honesty, and creativity shine in this conversation.

Find out more about Ayse's work at https://familybasedsolutions.org.uk/ 

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"It’s not about being an expert. It’s about being interested.”

In this energising episode of the Towards Solutions podcast, we sit down with Dutch Solution Focused practitioner and organisational consultant Paut Struik, whose wisdom, warmth, and practicality make this a must-listen.

Here’s what we explore:

• What makes a truly surprising conversation—and how to invite one
• How to shift an entire organisation’s culture, starting with leadership
• Why SF doesn’t stop at the frontline—and how it grows by osmosis
• How to use “Intervision” to sustain team learning and energy
• And a small question that can quietly transform any meeting: 

Paut reminds us that powerful change doesn’t require grand plans—just small moments of real interest, repeated with intention.

Whether you’re in coaching, leadership, education, health, or just love great conversations—this one’s for you.

Check out one of Paut's projects here; https://www.sfio.org/interaction/2023-1/sf-supporting-system-change/

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In this beautifully expansive conversation, we sit down with Dr. Haesun Moon — communication scientist, author of Coaching A to Z, and creator of the Dialogic Orientation Quadrant — to explore what it means to dwell in meaningful conversations.

Together, we unpack the art of listening for good reasons, explore hypertext as a metaphor — where each word becomes a doorway to new possibilities — and reflect on how conversations can either shrink or grow our sense of hope, purpose, and possibility. Along the way, Haesun shares powerful stories from her teaching, writing, and personal reflections on what makes Solution Focused practice both humble and sophisticated.

Whether you're a coach, a leader, or someone simply trying to have better conversations, this episode invites you to slow down, listen with greater care, and reimagine what it means to work with — not on — people.

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In this episode, we sit down with Chris Iveson — co-founder of BRIEF and one of the leading voices in Solution Focused Brief Therapy.

Chris shares decades of wisdom in a way that only he can: clear, humble, and deeply insightful.

Whether you’re a therapist, leader, coach, educator or simply curious about how small conversations can unlock big changes — this one is well worth your time.

We explore how not knowing can become a strength, how simplicity helps people discover their own next steps, and how Solution Focused conversations shield us from burnout by drawing strength and renewal from witnessing the resourcefulness and growth of others.

If you enjoy this please leave us a review on your favourite platform! It really helps more people find these great conversations. 

If you got value from this podcast, please leave us a review on your favourite podcast platform.   

In this special episode of the Towards Solutions podcast, Dion Sing and I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with the wonderful Jenny Clarke from SFWork (The Centre for Solutions Focus at Work).

Jenny shares unforgettable stories, sparkling insights, and reflections from decades of bringing Solution Focus into workplaces — from glass factories to finance firms. ✨

We dive into:

🔹 Why it’s more important to know what you want than to understand the problem

🔹 How collective hopes can transform team dynamics

🔹 The ‘aha’ moments when people truly get Solution Focus

🔹 Why listening for good answers beats asking clever questions

🔹 What it really means to build memories of a better future

This conversation is rich, joyful, and full of practical wisdom — perfect whether you’re new to Solution Focus or have been around it for years.

🎧 Tune in, enjoy the laughter, the stories, and the serious lessons about bringing Solution Focus to life — not just talking about it.

Make sure you go read Jenny's article, Another Copernican Revolution  

Jenny's talk at the SOLWorld Conference 2014 SF or not - what's the difference?

For a limited time you can find a video of Jenny's Rap available here. Lyrics can be found here.  

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“Common Sense Codified: Andrew Gibson on Keeping Solution Focus Simple”

In this energising episode of the Towards Solutions podcast, Dion and Jason chat with Andrew Gibson—author, coach, and SF practitioner—about the power of simplicity in solution focused practice. Andrew unpacks why codified common sense and social capital are at the heart of meaningful change, and how SF is making a real difference in organisations like the NHS. From wild boar analogies to challenging overcomplicated models, Andrew invites us to reframe problems, shift our questions, and rediscover clarity in the chaos. If you’re craving practical wisdom and a refreshing take on SF, this one’s for you.

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Welcome to the Toward Solutions Podcast! Hosted by Jason Pascoe and Dion Sing, this podcast explores the transformative power of Solution Focused practices across leadership, coaching, and organisational change.

In our first episode, we sit down for a very enjoyable conversation with Anton Stellamans, a highly respected Solution Focus practitioner with over 26 years of experience. Anton shares profound insights on:

🔹 The Pragmatics of Hope and Respect – how embracing curiosity and a “not knowing” stance leads to powerful, ethical conversations.

🔹 The Power of Listening – why the way we listen changes the way people think, feel, and act.

🔹 Creating the Right Space – how physical and emotional environments impact interactions and transformation.

🔹 Making Music Together – how Solution Focus is like jazz, where adaptability, presence, and collaboration create something extraordinary.

If you’re a leader, coach, educator, or someone passionate about better conversations and positive change, this episode is for you!

👍 If you enjoyed this episode, like, comment, and subscribe! Share this with anyone who might benefit from a fresh perspective on leading and working with people.

💡 Stay connected and keep exploring the power of Solution Focus!

#SolutionFocused #Leadership #Coaching #Podcast #Innovation #OrganisationalChange #PersonalGrowth

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In this thought provoking, confronting and practical episode, we are privileged to speak with Victoria Spatchenko — intercultural coach, trainer, and author — about the power of small shifts, daily practices, and what it means to live a Solution Focused life.

Drawing on years of work with educators, businesses and public service, Victoria shares how the Solution Focused approach shapes her conversations, her mindset, and her way of being. From coaching and facilitation to national mental health programs, she reflects on how the language of strength, progress, and potential can quietly transform how we work and connect with others.

We explore:

• How Solution Focused principles can show up in journalism, education, and national wellbeing programs
• What it means to practise “glimmering” — and how to train your attention toward moments of hope and connection
• The difference between using Solution Focused tools and embodying a Solution Focused stance
• Why pausing to notice strengths can lead to better decisions and braver actions
• How everyday conversations can become spaces for presence, perspective, and possibility

This conversation is full of practical ideas and grounded wisdom — offering a clear example of how Solution Focused practice can be lived, shared, and sustained over time.

Find out more about Victoria here 

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In this practical and engaging episode, we connect with Annette Gray to explore what it really takes to create meaningful change in people, teams, and systems.

Annette is a leadership development consultant and leadership coach. 

In our conversation Annette reflects on how her thinking has evolved — from seeing Solution Focus as something that sits alongside coaching, to recognising it as the coaching approach. A way of working that centres on asking more and telling less.

Drawing on her experience across global organisations, leadership programs, and high-pressure environments, Annette shares how Solution Focus cuts through complexity, helping people quickly identify what’s wanted and take steps toward it. She highlights how leaders often grasp the approach immediately and are able to apply it in their everyday conversations.

Together, we explore how small shifts in language and attention can build ownership, strengthen relationships, and support more collaborative ways of working — not just in one-to-one conversations, but across whole systems.

Here’s what we explore:

•  Why Solution Focus works well in complex and fast-paced environments 
•  How leaders can apply the approach immediately in their day-to-day work
•  Moving from telling to asking in leadership conversations  
•  The role of co-creation and curiosity in creating sustainable change 
•  Working with people, rather than trying to fix them 

This episode offers a clear and practical look at Solution Focus as a way of working — with accessible and immediately usable insights are.

You can find out more and get in touch with Annette at https://www.annettegray.com.au/ 

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In this warm, rich and deeply practical episode, we sit down with Vicky Essebag — therapist, educator, coach, and founder of Relation Spaces — to explore what happens when Solution Focus moves into the heart of school communities. 

Vicky has spent decades working across the school system — as a teacher, counsellor, and administrator — and what she's seen is remarkable. Fewer suspensions. More engaged students. Teachers who stay past the bell. Parents who show up. Administrators who stop butting heads and start co-creating. 

In this conversation we explore: 

• Why Solution Focus is just as much a communicative model as a therapeutic one
• What it really looks like to bring SF into classrooms, staffrooms, and leadership teams
• Her six principles of Relational Spaces — and how they help parents, teachers and administrators get into a solution focused mindset fast
• The ripple effect of SF in schools: fewer suspensions, more engaged students, teachers who stay past the bell, and parents who show up
• Why asking a struggling young person "how come nobody ever told you how kind you are?" can change everything

Whether you work in schools, lead organisations, or simply care about how we talk to young people — this one is for you.
 
🎧 If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on your favourite platform. It really helps more people find these great conversations.
 
 
Connect with Vicky

• Website: relationspaces.com
• Email: info@relationspaces.com
• Podcast with Tara Gretton: School Solutions Talk 
• YouTube: youtube.com/@VickyEssebag

Vicky's Book Relationspaces: A Solution-Focused Handbook for Parents — available on Amazon
 

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Toward Solutions 2.0 is a second series running alongside our usual monthly show - same passion for Solution Focus, different format. Shorter conversations, a little less structured, and a lot more wide-ranging. We catch up with past guests to follow the ripples, and we bring in new voices too; coaches, therapists, leaders, educators, and practitioners applying Solution Focus across all kinds of different contexts.

Think of it as the conversations that happen after the main event. The ones over coffee, at the edge of a conference, or on a random Tuesday when someone has something worth saying.

If you're new here, the main Toward Solutions series is a great place to start. If you've been with us for a while - welcome to 2.0.

Andrew Gibson was our second ever guest, and that conversation quietly set something in motion.

Andrew is a coach, trainer, and Solution Focus practitioner based in Leeds, UK. He came back to tell us a story, about a stranger at a conference in Belgium, a talk with no slides, an afternoon in a garden in the Netherlands, and how all of it traces back to an episode of this podcast recorded a year earlier. The result is a brand new book: The Essence of Solution-Focused Practice 485 words that distil what Andrew believes Solution Focus actually is at its core. You can read it in the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Get the book 

Single copies: amazon.com/dp/191677668X 

Bulk orders: contact Andrew directly

Find out more about Andrew 

andrew-gibson.com linkedin.com/in/growthbusinesscoach 

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In this warm, curious and quietly profound episode, we head off into the unknown with Dr Stephan Natynczuk, a self-employed academic, accredited counsellor, and Solution Focused practitioner who takes useful conversations outdoors. Stephan has spent decades co-adventuring for change with young people in forests, rivers, caves and on mountainsides.

Stephan started out as a scientist, studying social odours in mammals, before following his curiosity into experiential education, the care sector, and eventually training with BRIEF. What ties it all together is a simple mission he names without grandeur: to generate contributors to a better world. 

This is a conversation full of stories, gentle wisdom, and the kind of practical insight that only comes from doing the work for real.

In this conversation we explore:

• The low visibility navigation metaphor for change: knowing where you are, where you've been, and being able to picture exactly what it will look like when you arrive
• Why Stephan rarely explains Solution Focus and instead just gets on with it, asking the questions and seeing what happens
• Leave No Trace as an ethic borrowed from the outdoors, and what it means to do the work with people rather than to them
• Why his parting advice for a good conversation is simply to listen hard and be curious

Whether you work outdoors, sit in a therapy room, lead a team, or simply care about having better conversations, this one is for you.

🎧 If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on your favourite platform. It really helps more people find these great conversations.

Show Notes Resources

Connect with Stephan

• Website: sparekrab.com
• Email: sparekrab@icloud.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephannatynczuk

Stephan's Book
Solution-Focused Practice in Outdoor Therapy: Co-Adventuring for Change by Will W. Dobud and Stephan Natynczuk (Routledge, 2023). Available to order online via Routledge, Amazon, and most major booksellers (print on demand). A free field manual is available with purchase of the book. 

• Routledge (publisher): https://www.routledge.com/Solution-Focused-Practice-in-Outdoor-Therapy-Co-Adventuring-for-Change/Dobud-Natynczuk/p/book/9781032108810
• Amazon (paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Solution-Focused-Practice-Outdoor-Therapy-Dobud/dp/1032108819

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