731. Why The Body Matters So Much To Coaching - With Mark Walsh

I dive into why working with the body is so powerful in coaching and training. You can’t just tell someone to “feel differently” or “think positive” and expect it to work. But when we shift the body, perspective changes, and that makes transformation possible. In this session I share practical ways to bring embodiment into coaching, from noticing patterns, to creating more useful states, to simple centering practices that reduce stress and open up creativity. We also explore self-care, boundaries, culture, and why disembodiment is such a modern epidemic. If you coach, lead, or simply want change that lasts, this is about putting the body back at the heart of transformation. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

In this session I explore what it really means to teach confidence. Not just telling people to “be confident,” but showing them how through embodiment, modelling, and practice. I share ways I work with clients and students — from exaggeration and contrast exercises, to using archetypes like Freddie Mercury, to simple poses that shift how we carry ourselves. We look at how confidence is often learned unconsciously, why it’s more about “how you do you” than copying someone else, and how even a minute a day of practice can make a difference. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

I wanted to discuss a subject that gets talked about a lot but rarely taught well: self-care. I share what I’ve learned from years of coaching and teaching people around the world, including the mistakes I’ve made, the traps most teachers fall into, and the difference between real self-care and consumer nonsense. We also look at how culture shapes what people think they need, and why teaching self-care is different from just giving lifestyle tips. This session is taken from our 2024 Self-Care event. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

In this session I break down the most common mistakes I see facilitators making - whether you’re a coach, trainer, yoga teacher, martial artist, or anyone leading groups. After decades of teaching in over 50 countries, I’ve seen the same patterns crop up again and again, and I wanted to put them all in one place. I talk about the practical traps that can derail a session, the mindset issues that limit impact, and the blind spots facilitators often don’t see until it’s too late. I also share the habits that separate great facilitators from average ones, and how small shifts can make your teaching far more effective. This session was recorded live at The Embodiment Festival 2024. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

I sat down with Steve March, founder of Aletheia Coaching, to explore what it really means to coach beyond surface-level change. We talked about his unique developmental model, how it integrates somatic, emotional, and cognitive work, and why true transformation often means going deeper than goals or performance. Steve shared insights from decades of experience in the coaching world, including his time teaching at New Ventures West and the evolution of his own practice. We dug into the difference between fixing problems and fostering growth, how to work with clients at multiple layers of depth, and what it takes for a coach to develop themselves to do this kind of work well. Find out more about Steve's work here: https://integralunfoldment.com/ ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

I sat down with Dr. Srikumar Rao, one of the most popular speakers from the Embodiment Conference, to explore what really makes people happy or unhappy. We talked about why most of us aren’t living in the “real world”, how our mental chatter creates unnecessary suffering, and the practical ways to step out of that trap. Srikumar shares how ancient wisdom traditions can be translated into everyday life without losing their depth, and why letting go of the need to control everything is key to freedom. We discuss the limits of success, the illusion of security, and how to shift your mindset so joy becomes less conditional. Find out more about Srikumar's work here: https://www.theraoinstitute.com/ ----------------------------------------------- Dr. Srikumar Rao is a speaker, former business school professor, and head of The Rao Institute, based out of New York. He is also an executive coach to senior business executives, whom he helps find deeper meaning and engagement in their work. Dr. Rao’s programs have helped thousands of executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs all over the world achieve quantum leaps in effectiveness, resiliency and overall happiness. Graduates of his workshops have become more creative and more inspiring leaders in some of the world’s most successful companies. He helps leaders around the globe transform their lives so that they can experience abundant joy, no matter what comes their way. Dr. Rao is a TED speaker, author and creator of the pioneering course, Creativity & Personal Mastery. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

If you've ever wondered what the most powerful coaching tool is, you won’t find it in a book or behind a paywall. It’s you. In this solo episode, I unpack the real heart of coaching - not just techniques or tricks, but the human being behind them. I talk about how personal presence, lived experience, and behavioural range shape the effectiveness of any coach. We get into what it means to teach through who you are, why embodied wisdom matters more than intellectual knowledge, and how real transformation demands practice, not just ideas. I also explore different learning styles, the limits of propositional knowledge, and how being grounded in your nervous system, culture and personal story changes the impact you have. If you’re a coach, or training to become one, this is about getting honest with your own development. This session was recorded live at The Embodiment Festival 2025. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $1200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CEC25PODCAST More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

I’ve spent the past two years teaching trauma education in Ukraine - sometimes in classrooms, sometimes in basements, and once or twice with air raid sirens going off overhead. In this solo episode, I share what that’s actually been like. I talk about what trauma education looks like in a country where it’s not a luxury, but a lifeline. I’ve worked with therapists, teachers, soldiers, and volunteers, and I’ve learned a lot about what helps, what doesn’t, and what most of the Western trauma world gets wrong. This is also a personal one. I talk honestly about burnout, about coming home shaken, about the women I’ve mentored who now lead some of the most important trauma trainings in Ukraine. I also share the small rituals and practices that helped me keep going, and why humour - even dark humour - saved me more than once. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CECPOD  More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

Stephen Jenkinson doesn’t offer comfort. He offers presence, precision and poetry. In this wide-ranging and unsparing conversation, we explore what it means to live in a time of endings, and why grief isn’t something to get over, but something to serve. We speak about the crisis of meaning in modern life, the cost of a death-phobic culture, and how elderhood is a task, not a stage. Stephen challenges the spiritual bypasses of modern healing work, questions the ease with which people chase transcendence, and asks what it might take to stay loyal to a world that breaks your heart. Read more about Stephen's work here: https://orphanwisdom.com/about/ ----------------------------------------------- Stephen Jenkinson is a teacher, author, storyteller and founder of the Orphan Wisdom School. With a background in theology and social work, he has spent decades working with dying people and their families, exploring grief, elderhood and cultural redemption. A former programme director in palliative care and master storyteller, Stephen is also known for his work in ritual, ancestral wisdom and land-based living. He tours internationally with the Nights of Grief and Mystery, a blend of music, ceremony and teachings on the human condition. ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CECPOD  More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram 

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Helen for a chat about something we all need more of - rest. Not just sleep, but the kind of deep rest that actually restores us. We go into how rest supports the nervous system, helps with burnout, and why most of us aren’t nearly as good at it as we think. I share how my own views on rest have shifted over the years, and Helen brings some great insights around embodiment, trauma, and why slowing down is sometimes the smartest move. We also talk a bit about changes coming to our Embodiment Coaching Certificate and why now’s the time to join if you’ve been thinking about it. ----------------------------------------------- Our new two-year membership program, Embodied Flourishing, is a supportive and pressure-free space to explore well-being, boundaries, embodiment, and more. Find out more and join us here: embodimentunlimited.com/flourish ----------------------------------------------- As a special gift for you, our loyal listeners, we are offering $200 off our flagship course, the Certificate of Embodiment Coaching when you use code: CECPOD  More info here: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec ----------------------------------------------- Check out our YouTube channel for more coaching tips and our Podcast channel for full episode videos Uplevel your coaching with a free copy of Mark's latest eBook, The Top 12 Embodiment Coaching Techniques  Join Mark for those juicy in-person workshops and events Fancy some free coaching demo sessions with Mark?  Connect with Mark Walsh on Instagram