Why Walk and Coach?

Being coached while walking can produce better coaching outcomes because:

• we think better: The rhythm of walking, the different kind of attention we have when outdoors improves the quality of our thinking, reducing many of the interferences that often inhibit our creativity
• we are less cluttered: just as we leave most of what we own behind when we go out walking, so we also leave our responsibilities and, to some extent, our roles behind. And, partially unencumbered by the usual complexities of our lives, we are free to be more authentic and connect to what is most meaningful for us

• we are energised: humans have co-evolved with the natural world - and we can know ourselves more fully when we are in that world, rather than in the unnatural world of concrete offices, brick houses, and steel transport we spend most of our time in. Immersing ourselves in the nautural world, even for short periods of time, is naturally curative.
• we think more spaciously: the external spaciousness we experience while up on the Malverns is reflected in an inner spaciousness when out walking that allows us to have conversations we don't normally have the space, time or context for. People are able to bring more of who they are to conversations they have - and so have conversations that make a difference.
• connects us to a greater whole: Modern life and offices have isolated us from many natural rhythms and events. When we walk we are much more aware of them because they directly affect us - dusk falling, a shower of rain, the heat of the sun, a gust of wind. By living more closely entwined with the world, we realise that we are part of the world - we can only be healthy when it is too.
• give us a clearer sense of ourselves. Life, especially organisational life, throws a continual stream of challenges at us and we easily lose a sense of which parts of our experience are merely responses to these situations - and which are our essential selves. Out in the open in the reflective space I can help you hold, you more clearly know who you are.
• it relaxes us and makes us fitter: we carry stress in our muscles. Walking helps unknot these muscles and release the tension.

Walking and coaching is particularly well suited for engaging with the bigger, deeper issues that we face around our purpose in life, who we are as leaders, what our vision for the future is - though sometimes its just about blowing the cobwebs out of our minds!

Practicalities

The Malverns are criss-crossed by a network of paths. This allows us to choose walks with gentle gradients or more demanding walks as preferred. And even when the weather has been wet we can choose walks where we won't get bogged down in mud. Bring walking shoes or trainers and a waterproof. If, on the day, you decide you'd rather not go out on the Hills, we can easily substitute an indoors sessions. Other walking locations are also possible.

For more information please contact me: