A varied day in the life of a coach started with a journey to find an old church hall in the centre of one of the UK’s northern cities, where I was to meet with an experienced coach who wanted some coaching supervision. He’d been triggered by something recently and wanted to more fully understand this and shift a sense of stuckness. 

What a creative session this turned out to be as we found a quiet space which opened onto a small but secluded garden. My client shared his story eloquently, painting a picture using rich metaphors. As he was telling the story a ginger cat came and sat by the door as if listening in. The little cat drew our attention to the wonderful light and shade in the garden and we moved out into the space. What unfolded was a deep, embodied session, using nature to paint the picture of the metaphors. We took our time to stroll around the scenes noticing small shifts in emotional and bodily sensations as we explored. Nature bought a calmness within a busy city which helped to hold a safe space to go where we needed to go. What fun, flow and privilege to be able to work in this way.

The afternoon took me to another church in the city, this one a very different space and very different work. Myself and another team coach were to work with a senior leadership team, meeting them for the first time in person and the first time some of the team had met too. This was a big team so the need to contract and develop safe and productive boundaries for the work was important. We started to help them think about their collective purpose within the context of complexity, challenge and multiple stakeholder relationships.

I can’t say the work we do is boring, far from it, what a stimulating day. I now appreciate the need for a restful evening – to reflect and recuperate is important to be able to be fully present in undertaking these different types of work.