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.
#106: How to Lead a Powerful First Conversation With a Potential Coaching Client
The Coach's Journey - build a coaching business with integrity
19 minutes 49 seconds
2 months ago
#106: How to Lead a Powerful First Conversation With a Potential Coaching Client
In this episode, Robbie walks you step‑by‑step through how he leads the first conversation with a potential coaching client - with authenticity, honour and integrity, and without being salesy or pushy.
Packed with clear guidance and real‑world examples, you'll learn how to:
Prepare clients in advance and set expectations before the call
Model leadership in the first conversation to build credibility and trust
Guide the conversation through contracting, coaching, and honesty
Lead naturally toward a decision: no pressure, just clarity about what comes next
If you’re tired of ‘discovery calls’ or ‘coffees’ that feel awkward or wind down without clarity… this episode is for you.
Download Robbie’s ebook, An Introduction to The Coaching Business Flywheel, here.
Buy The Coaching Business Flywheel Booster Pack - including all the emails Robbie sends to his clients at every stage of his business, plus a flowchart, coaching agreements and his favourite emails for creating clients.
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 ROBBIE MENTIONED THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
The Coaching Business Flywheel: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel
The Coaching Business Flywheel Booster Pack: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/the-coaching-business-flywheel-booster-pack
The video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/ub_gFNZ8bsY
Episode #8, containing this and lots more nuts and bolts of coaching: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/robbie-on-structure-first-conversations-marketing-price
My video about contracting as a coach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhjuhKWx9iA
Phil Bolton on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: 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
Rich Litvin: How To Coach Someone You Don't Yet Know - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1mBCDWOX-I
Jamie Smart on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-16-jamie-smart
Giovanna Capozza on The Coach’s Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-20-giovanna-capozza
Rich Litvin: The Art of the Proposal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjwzfLIA8w0
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.
