The Coach's Journey - build a coaching business with integrity
Robbie Swale
112 episodes
2 weeks ago
What does the future of coaching look like… and what can we learn from those who helped build it?
Ruth Rochelle returns to The Coach’s Journey Podcast to reflect on how the coaching world has evolved over the past four decades and where it might be heading next.
Prompted by a listener’s question, Ruth shares stories from the early days of coaching - when it was more movement than industry - through the professionalisation of the 1990s to today’s fast-changing, tech-enabled landscape. Alongside the history, she offers her vision for what’s emerging now: deeper work, greater humanity, and a renewed sense of trust.
Ruth and Joey explore how coaching has shifted from performance to presence, from achievement to wholeness, and from certainty to curiosity. They discuss scepticism in the early days (and now), the rise of coaching bodies such as the ICF and EMCC, the impact of technology and AI, and why compassion and simplicity remain at the heart of great coaching.
In this episode, Ruth talks about:
Why the earliest coaching approaches focused on the inner game and self-belief
How the field grew from informal practice to global profession
The evolution from performance and achievement to whole-person coaching
Why trust, compassion, and presence still matter most for coaches today
Ruth also invites every coach to listen inwardly and lead the way forward for the profession.
If you’ve ever wondered how the coaching profession began - or where it’s going next - this conversation offers wisdom, warmth, and hope for coaches building meaningful, sustainable practices in a fast-changing world.
For more information about Ruth, visit https://www.ruthrochelle.com/
For more information about host Joey Owen, visit http://www.joeyowencoaching.com/
Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
FREE Ebook: An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/thecoachingbusinessflywheel
Ruth Rochelle on The Coach’s Journey Podcast (previous episode) https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/78-ruth-rochelle-insight-seminars-systems-theory-and-the-path-to-our-current-truth
International Coaching Federation (ICF) https://coachingfederation.org/
European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) https://www.emccglobal.org/
Tim Gallwey – The Inner Game of Tennis https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/1447288505
Robert Kegan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan
Suzanne Cook-Greuter https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-cook-greuter-60056322b/
Bill Torbert https://gla.global/team_member/professor-bill-torbert/
For more on Adult Development on The Coach’s Journey, see our interview with Jennifer Garvey Berger https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-42-jennifer-garvey-berger-the-answer-to-either-or-is-both
Sir John Whitmore – Coaching for Performance https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Performance-Principles-Personal-Professional/dp/1473658128
The Coach’s Journey Podcast with Ruth Rochelle and Joey (video version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kby9-D_5JwA
BIOGRAPHY FROM RUTH
For more than 25 years Ruth has been a coach – an executive and team coach, workshop facilitator, transformational coach and coach supervisor – with private clients and with organisations.
Ruth is an Accredited Master Executive Coach with APECS, an IFS (Internal Family Systems) Practitioner with the IFS Institute and a Coaching Constellations Practitioner, and her clients have included creative professionals, start-up founders, senior managers, young emerging leaders, celebrities, coaches, and many more.
Ruth supports her clients to create and achieve their visions, enrich their relationships, navigate changing circumstances, embark on new life directions, start and grow businesses, address specific challenges, experience greater wellbeing and connect to a meaningful purpose.
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What does the future of coaching look like… and what can we learn from those who helped build it?
Ruth Rochelle returns to The Coach’s Journey Podcast to reflect on how the coaching world has evolved over the past four decades and where it might be heading next.
Prompted by a listener’s question, Ruth shares stories from the early days of coaching - when it was more movement than industry - through the professionalisation of the 1990s to today’s fast-changing, tech-enabled landscape. Alongside the history, she offers her vision for what’s emerging now: deeper work, greater humanity, and a renewed sense of trust.
Ruth and Joey explore how coaching has shifted from performance to presence, from achievement to wholeness, and from certainty to curiosity. They discuss scepticism in the early days (and now), the rise of coaching bodies such as the ICF and EMCC, the impact of technology and AI, and why compassion and simplicity remain at the heart of great coaching.
In this episode, Ruth talks about:
Why the earliest coaching approaches focused on the inner game and self-belief
How the field grew from informal practice to global profession
The evolution from performance and achievement to whole-person coaching
Why trust, compassion, and presence still matter most for coaches today
Ruth also invites every coach to listen inwardly and lead the way forward for the profession.
If you’ve ever wondered how the coaching profession began - or where it’s going next - this conversation offers wisdom, warmth, and hope for coaches building meaningful, sustainable practices in a fast-changing world.
For more information about Ruth, visit https://www.ruthrochelle.com/
For more information about host Joey Owen, visit http://www.joeyowencoaching.com/
Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
FREE Ebook: An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/thecoachingbusinessflywheel
Ruth Rochelle on The Coach’s Journey Podcast (previous episode) https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/78-ruth-rochelle-insight-seminars-systems-theory-and-the-path-to-our-current-truth
International Coaching Federation (ICF) https://coachingfederation.org/
European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) https://www.emccglobal.org/
Tim Gallwey – The Inner Game of Tennis https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/1447288505
Robert Kegan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan
Suzanne Cook-Greuter https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-cook-greuter-60056322b/
Bill Torbert https://gla.global/team_member/professor-bill-torbert/
For more on Adult Development on The Coach’s Journey, see our interview with Jennifer Garvey Berger https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-42-jennifer-garvey-berger-the-answer-to-either-or-is-both
Sir John Whitmore – Coaching for Performance https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Performance-Principles-Personal-Professional/dp/1473658128
The Coach’s Journey Podcast with Ruth Rochelle and Joey (video version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kby9-D_5JwA
BIOGRAPHY FROM RUTH
For more than 25 years Ruth has been a coach – an executive and team coach, workshop facilitator, transformational coach and coach supervisor – with private clients and with organisations.
Ruth is an Accredited Master Executive Coach with APECS, an IFS (Internal Family Systems) Practitioner with the IFS Institute and a Coaching Constellations Practitioner, and her clients have included creative professionals, start-up founders, senior managers, young emerging leaders, celebrities, coaches, and many more.
Ruth supports her clients to create and achieve their visions, enrich their relationships, navigate changing circumstances, embark on new life directions, start and grow businesses, address specific challenges, experience greater wellbeing and connect to a meaningful purpose.
#100 – How I Became a Full-Time Coach Less Than Two Years After Starting My Training
The Coach's Journey - build a coaching business with integrity
33 minutes 12 seconds
5 months ago
#100 – How I Became a Full-Time Coach Less Than Two Years After Starting My Training
To celebrate the 100th episode of The Coach’s Journey Podcast, Robbie takes us back to where the whole Coach’s Journey adventure began: the story of how he grew his coaching business so it could support him full time, less than two years after he started training as a coach.
As you’ll hear him say in the introduction, coming back to this story - which forms the basis of Robbie’s most-read piece of writing about coaching - reminded him how, when it comes to the fundamentals, little has changed in how he thinks about and works on his business.
Indeed, much of what you’ll hear Robbie talk about in this episode maps onto The Coaching Business Flywheel, brought to life through the eyes of a new coach, fresh from experiencing the successes, failures, glory and mistakes of the first two years of his business.
In particular, Robbie gets into:
The principles of invitation and referral as a way to build a coaching business.
How to find shortcuts to the client critical mass.
Why you MUST keep coaching.
How if you aren’t making space for your business to grow, you may not be serious about coaching.
We hope you take as much inspiration from this story as thousands of coaches have over the years.
And thanks for being with us on this amazing journey - we hope you’ll be with us for the next 100 episodes!
For the transcript of the episode and loads of links, visit: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/writing/how-i-became-a-full-time-coach-less-than-two-years-after-starting-my-training
If you like this episode, you’ll love Robbie’s ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, visit https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel
For more information about Robbie, visit https://www.robbieswale.com/
Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
The first episode in our series giving an overview of The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/75-how-to-grow-your-coaching-business-coaching-business-fundamentals
The second episode in the series, focusing on Connecting with People: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/77-how-to-make-connections-who-become-clients-coaching-business-fundamentals
The third, focusing on offering people the opportunity to experience you more, is here: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/80-dont-wait-for-coaching-clients-create-them-coaching-business-fundamentals
The fourth, focusing on creating insight for people, is here: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/82-want-more-clients-create-more-insight-coaching-business-fundamentals
The fifth, focusing on talking about how you work and how much it costs, is here: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/83-if-you-want-to-make-more-money-talk-about-money-more-coaching-business-fundamentals
The sixth, focusing on working with clients and generating referrals, is here: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/85-get-more-referrals-for-your-coaching-business-coaching-business-fundamentals
A diagram of The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel
Katie Harvey on The Coach’s Journey: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-1-katie-harvey-14000-hours-of-coaching-being-part-of-the-uk-coaching-vanguard-and-being-a-generalist-coach
Phil Bolton on The Coach’s Journey: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-2-phil-bolton-from-forensic-accountant-to-the-go-to-career-coach-in-london-and-on-to-work-with-ceos-mds-and-founders
Joel Monk on the Coach’s Journey: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-6-joel-monk-conversations-at-the-cutting-edge-of-coaching
Mike Toller on The Coach’s Journey: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-32-mike-toller
Catriona Horey on The Coach’s Journey: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-4-catriona-horey-too-far-away-from-the-joy
How to choose a coaching training programme: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/89-how-to-choose-a-coaching-training-programme-
The Coach’s Journey Community: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/community
The Coaching Business Flywheel Booster Pack: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel-booster-pack
The full transcript of the episode, including lots more links: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/writing/how-i-became-a-full-time-coach-less-than-two-years-after-starting-my-training
The Coach's Journey - build a coaching business with integrity
What does the future of coaching look like… and what can we learn from those who helped build it?
Ruth Rochelle returns to The Coach’s Journey Podcast to reflect on how the coaching world has evolved over the past four decades and where it might be heading next.
Prompted by a listener’s question, Ruth shares stories from the early days of coaching - when it was more movement than industry - through the professionalisation of the 1990s to today’s fast-changing, tech-enabled landscape. Alongside the history, she offers her vision for what’s emerging now: deeper work, greater humanity, and a renewed sense of trust.
Ruth and Joey explore how coaching has shifted from performance to presence, from achievement to wholeness, and from certainty to curiosity. They discuss scepticism in the early days (and now), the rise of coaching bodies such as the ICF and EMCC, the impact of technology and AI, and why compassion and simplicity remain at the heart of great coaching.
In this episode, Ruth talks about:
Why the earliest coaching approaches focused on the inner game and self-belief
How the field grew from informal practice to global profession
The evolution from performance and achievement to whole-person coaching
Why trust, compassion, and presence still matter most for coaches today
Ruth also invites every coach to listen inwardly and lead the way forward for the profession.
If you’ve ever wondered how the coaching profession began - or where it’s going next - this conversation offers wisdom, warmth, and hope for coaches building meaningful, sustainable practices in a fast-changing world.
For more information about Ruth, visit https://www.ruthrochelle.com/
For more information about host Joey Owen, visit http://www.joeyowencoaching.com/
Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com.
Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg
To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community.
THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
FREE Ebook: An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/thecoachingbusinessflywheel
Ruth Rochelle on The Coach’s Journey Podcast (previous episode) https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/78-ruth-rochelle-insight-seminars-systems-theory-and-the-path-to-our-current-truth
International Coaching Federation (ICF) https://coachingfederation.org/
European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) https://www.emccglobal.org/
Tim Gallwey – The Inner Game of Tennis https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/1447288505
Robert Kegan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan
Suzanne Cook-Greuter https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-cook-greuter-60056322b/
Bill Torbert https://gla.global/team_member/professor-bill-torbert/
For more on Adult Development on The Coach’s Journey, see our interview with Jennifer Garvey Berger https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-42-jennifer-garvey-berger-the-answer-to-either-or-is-both
Sir John Whitmore – Coaching for Performance https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Performance-Principles-Personal-Professional/dp/1473658128
The Coach’s Journey Podcast with Ruth Rochelle and Joey (video version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kby9-D_5JwA
BIOGRAPHY FROM RUTH
For more than 25 years Ruth has been a coach – an executive and team coach, workshop facilitator, transformational coach and coach supervisor – with private clients and with organisations.
Ruth is an Accredited Master Executive Coach with APECS, an IFS (Internal Family Systems) Practitioner with the IFS Institute and a Coaching Constellations Practitioner, and her clients have included creative professionals, start-up founders, senior managers, young emerging leaders, celebrities, coaches, and many more.
Ruth supports her clients to create and achieve their visions, enrich their relationships, navigate changing circumstances, embark on new life directions, start and grow businesses, address specific challenges, experience greater wellbeing and connect to a meaningful purpose.
