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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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’!!

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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.

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, 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.

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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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.

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?!

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.