760. Coaching In The Presence Of Trauma: Boundaries, Confidence & Ethics - With Julia Vaughan Smith

Julia Vaughan Smith joins me to explore what it really means to be a trauma-aware coach. We unpack the fear many coaches carry of getting it wrong, causing harm, or stepping outside their scope, and how that can undermine confidence. We look at the difference between working with trauma and working on trauma, and why coaching doesn't need to become therapy to be effective. We also explore the shadow sides of both coaching and psychotherapy, the rise of popular approaches like parts work, and how to stay grounded in good practice. Towards the end, we dive into the powerful dynamics between mothers and daughters, trauma entanglement, and how early relationships shape identity and behaviour. Find out more about Julia's work here: www.becomingourselvs.co.uk. ----------------------------------------------- Julia Vaughan Smith is a master accredited coach and supervisor, a retired registered psychotherapist and an author of three books including 'Coaching and Trauma', one of the very few books that deals with this topic and 'Daughters: How to Untangle Yourself from your Mother' which considers the trauma behind difficult and painful daughter/mother relationships and the entanglements that ensure. She has been teaching and talking about coaching and trauma since 2010 and ran Masterclasses with Jenny Rogers on the topic over several years. Other than coaching and psychotherapy, she has had a long and varied career.  ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 

Dr Helen Machen-Pearce joins me again to look at what's happening in the modern trauma conversation. Trauma awareness has done enormous good, but we explore how the term is now being stretched, misunderstood, and sometimes used in ways that can disempower people rather than help them heal. We discuss the rise of self-diagnosis, the influence of social media psychology, and how trauma language can sometimes become identity, authority, or even ideology. We also look at the pressures inside the coaching and therapy world, including financial incentives, popularity dynamics, and the risk of trauma-informed work becoming what Helen calls "trauma-deformed". See more of Helen's work here: www.yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 

This week I'm joined by GS Youngblood to explore what healthy masculinity actually looks like in modern relationships. We get into masculine–feminine polarity, why so many men get stuck between "nice guy" passivity and hyper-masculine posturing, and what real relational leadership means in practice. We unpack his three-part blueprint: respond instead of react, provide structure, and create emotional safety. We look at co-regulation, communication breakdowns, financial and physical safety, and why intimacy is often harder than leadership at work. We also dive into embodiment as daily training for men who want to stay grounded under pressure, and I ask GS what advice he has for younger men navigating dopamine addiction, loneliness, and cultural confusion around masculinity. Find out more about GS Youngblood's work here: gsyoungblood.com ----------------------------------------------- GS Youngblood is the acclaimed author of the groundbreaking book "The Masculine in Relationship", which challenges the modern notion that all Masculinity is toxic by offering a model - the Masculine Blueprint - for men to become grounded in their own power AND more relational with their Feminine partner.  In his 2nd book "The Art of Embodiment", GS teaches that a daily embodiment practice is the foundation of men living more in their masculine.  The practices that he teaches help men ground their nervous system, and as a result become more powerful, choiceful, and relational.   ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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, Helen and I unpack the uncomfortable truth about manipulation in coaching and personal growth. From authority claims and social proof to trauma bonding, love bombing, and cult-like dynamics, we explore how influence can quietly become coercion. We look at red flags - dependency on the teacher, blocked disagreement, emotional state manipulation, endless upselling - and also the subtler traps like vague language, borrowed authority, and identity-based pressure. We also talk about green flags: teachers who evolve, encourage challenge, build self-trust, and genuinely want students to outgrow them. This isn't about attacking the coaching industry - we're part of it. It's about discernment. Whether you're a coach, leader, or client, this conversation will help you spot unhealthy dynamics and build integrity into your work. See more of Helen's work here: yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 sit down with leadership thinker and complexity expert Jennifer Garvey Berger to explore what leadership really looks like in an anxious, fast-changing world. We dig into mind traps, adult development, and why leading today isn't about having the answers, but building the capacity to work with complexity, uncertainty, and multiple perspectives. We talk about the breakdown of trust in institutions and leaders, how anxiety shrinks our circles of trust, and why people often look for strong or even bullying figures when they feel powerless. Jennifer explains adult developmental stages in practical terms - how we move from external validation to internal authority to deeper wisdom - and what coaches and leaders can actually do to grow. We get into reflection, getting off autopilot, and the key developmental move of turning judgment into self-inquiry. We also explore big cultural swings - from postmodern fragmentation to a possible "re-enchantment" of meaning - and ask whether current global pressures will push us into regression or growth. We finish with the role of community, love, and intentional relationship, including Jennifer's experiment living in a shared house in France, and why real development happens in connection, not isolation. Read more about Jennifer's work here: https://www.cultivatingleadership.com/team-member/jennifer-garvey-berger ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 

Dr Helen and I explore what resilience coaching really means in today's stressed, overstimulated culture. We look at burnout, nervous system regulation, and why simple tools are often not enough without community, meaning, nature, and spiritual depth. We discuss coaching young men, addiction to phones, games and ultra stimulation, and how technology is actively undermining resilience. We also cover co regulation, ritual, embodiment practices, sleep, and the importance of relationships and financial stability as part of well being. We challenge the idea that holidays fix burnout and instead point to lifestyle, structure, and support as the real foundations. See more of Helen's work here: yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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'm joined by Shirzad Chamine, creator of Positive Intelligence, to explore what it really means to learn in difficult times. We talk about fear-based "saboteur" patterns, why toxic positivity makes things worse, and how negative emotions can be useful signals rather than flaws to suppress. We look at trauma as something all humans experience on a spectrum, how post-traumatic growth actually works, and why compassion must come before reframing. We also explore religion, secular belief systems, technology, political polarisation, and why both faith and rationality get hijacked by fear when we're not paying attention. This is a wide-ranging conversation about learning to lead — ourselves and others — from love rather than fear, especially in a fractured world. Read more about Shirzad's work here: positiveintelligence.com ----------------------------------------------- Shirzad is a New York Times bestselling author of Positive Intelligence, translated into 20 languages.  He has been CEO of the largest coach training organization in the world, has trained more than 100,000 coaches, and trained faculty at Stanford and Yale business schools. Shirzad lectures on Positive Intelligence at Stanford University.  His Saboteur Assessment has been used by more than 2 million people and a majority of Fortune 100 companies. A preeminent C-suite advisor, Shirzad has coached hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams.  He holds a BA in psychology, an MS in electrical engineering, and an MBA from Stanford. ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 again by Dr Helen Machen-Pearce, psychiatrist and long-time autism specialist, to explore what autism really means and how it shows up in coaching, teaching, parenting, and relationships. We talk about the autism spectrum, neurodiversity, and why diagnosis has changed so much over the years. Helen shares how sensory processing, predictability, communication style, and nervous system regulation shape autistic experience, and what coaches can do to work more skillfully with autistic clients. We look at practical coaching adaptations, clear language, structure, boundaries, and why too much choice can be overwhelming. We also explore trauma, masking, creativity, embodiment, touch, and the overlap with ADHD. See more of Helen's work here: yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 

Dr Helen joins me again this week to unpack what well-being coaching really looks like in practice, and why it matters so much right now. We talk about burnout, ageing, energy, motivation, and how staying mentally healthy can feel like a part-time job in today's world. We explore why health is always multifactorial, the dangers of one-size-fits-all advice, and how easy it is to get lost in supplements, trauma theories, or wellness clichés. We also look at what coaches can offer that AI and medicine often can't: accountability, motivation, lived experience, and a bit of firm, caring challenge. See more of Helen's work here: yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Become a certified embodiment coach. Coach beyond mere words and support clients to transform their lives: https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/ ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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 back-to-basics episode, I'm joined again by Dr Helen Machen-Pearce to explore what it really means to work with the body in coaching. We unpack common misunderstandings, and explore how embodiment offers real-time information, deeper presence, and a way out of endless storytelling. The conversation covers regulation, insight, action, and why so many coaching challenges come down to stress and capacity rather than mindset. We also reflect on the rise of nervous system coaching, the limits of learning through social media, and why embodied skills require practice over time. A grounded introduction for new listeners and a useful reset for experienced coaches. See more of Helen's work here: yogarogue.co.uk ----------------------------------------------- Join our membership program for coaches, facilitators, therapists and educators who want sustainable growth: https://embodimentunlimited.com/flourish/ ----------------------------------------------- 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