Catalyst 14 Blog

Below you’ll find some articles on coaching, mindfulness and personal leadership from Catalyst 14. You’ll also find links to some other resources at the bottom of this page, and to ensure you don’t miss any posts, click here to subscribe to updates. Enjoy!


Latest posts

Wonder

In this post, we explore how a sense of wonder can help invite new thinking and new ideas.

CPD resources 2024

In this post we share a list of our favourite CPD resources that we’ve produced recently — and help support your coaching work in 2024.


Coaching

Wonder

In this post, we explore how a sense of wonder can help invite new thinking and new ideas.

CPD resources 2024

In this post we share a list of our favourite CPD resources that we’ve produced recently — and help support your coaching work in 2024.

Image of a footprint in the sand, symobolising impermanence

In this post we discuss how embracing impermanence can lead to coaches developing greater resilience and peace of mind.

Change paradox image

In this post, we explore how the change paradox could be a helpful concept for executive coaches to help unlock change.

A record player. Image accompanying a post about music in coaching

In this post we look at the use of music in coaching. Can it help develop coaching conversations and improve the coaching relationship?

Imperfection

In this post, we share some some thoughts on how the psychology of imperfection — Wabi-Sabi can enhance our coaching practice.

Drawing

We dive into 7 ways that drawing and visuals can support coaches in their work.

A person on an online coaching session

In this post, we explore the online disinhibition effect and how it affects the coaching relationship.

Image of plants growing (symbolising International Coaching Week)

We share resources to celebrate International Coaching Week 2023 and support your development as a coach.

Image of a lighthouse accompanying a blog post about leadership and coaching.

We share 10 characteristics of an impactful leader as coach – one who will inspire and guide their team members towards achieving their goals.

A coaching conversation

In this post, we outline the components of a great coaching relationship.

Two people engaged in a dialogue

In this post, we discuss how the change in communication patterns from serial monologues to real dialogue is beneficial for everyone.

Image of two people having a coaching conversation — such conversations can be enhanced via an awareness of reactive tendencies

In this post, we look at how you can use an awareness of ‘reactive tendencies’ to handle difficult conversations successfully.

Take a look at all the Continuing Professional Development opportunities available from Catalyst 14 in 2023.

Gratitude in coaching

In this post we discuss the positive impact that practising an attitude of gratitude can bring to your coaching — and to your life as a coach.

In this post Monica Ross explores the beginnings, middles and endings of a coaching journey.

The road ahead - image serving as a metaphor for coaching CPD opportunities

We share our latest CPD resources that are designed to help you develop as a coach.

Giving advice (image of an arrow)

We explore why giving advice may have become a hardwired conversational habit — and what we can do to shift from “doing” to “being” in a coaching conversation.

Ma

In this post we explore the ‘aha’ moments that a traditional Japanese concept, ‘Ma,’ can provide in coaching.

Summer CPD resource (image of a plant growing in sand)

In this post we share some resources to provide you with CPD opportunities over the summer and during the year ahead.

Transformation

In this post we discuss our use of transformational coaching – working with a client in a way that moves beyond the surface of the presenting topic.

Taking notes

In this post we discuss how note-taking can affect a coaching session.

Myles Downey

Access the recent masterclass on Leader Performance Coaching with Myles Downey to celebrate the 5th birthday of Catalyst 14.

CPD resources (image of plants growing)

In this post we share some videos, blog posts and mindfulness sessions to support coaches through the difficult start to 2022.

Winter coaching walk

Welcome to our winter coaching walk, the next in our series of blog posts about using the natural seasonal shifts as prompts for our thinking.

In this blog post we look at how creative methods can be successfully introduced into a coaching session.

Managing emotion within the coaching session

In this post we look at what happens when emotions arise within the coaching session – and how to manage them.

Autumn

Juliet Flynn invites you to kick through some leaves with her and wander and wonder, in search of Autumnal prompts for self-coaching.

Boundary

In this post, we discuss how you can identify and deal with situations where the boundaries between coaching and therapy start to overlap.

Some useful CPD resources for coaches to prepare you for the coming Autumn months.

Following a successful 2021 Catalyst 14 Gathering event, we share some of the key learning points from each of the sessions delivered.

The intention of this post — the third in a three part series about internal coaching — is to support our clients with establishing, maintaining and evolving a successful internal coaching provision.

A look at the benefits that ‘clean language’ can bring to the coaching relationship.

Group coaching skills workshop

The second part in a series of posts on how to create a strong internal coaching provision.

Insights on how we can realise when our inner critic is at work — and ways to use this to our advantage.

On the one hand, inspired leadership has never been more called for.  On the other, workplace burnout has never been so endemic.  Working with that dichotomy has been […]

Reflective writing can provide us with a consistent anchor, a grounding and a rich resource to help us navigate difficulties and be with ‘what is’ without fear of […]

This blog post — the first of three on the topic — will explore the five key ingredients to consider when setting up internal coaching programmes.

One of the impacts that Covid-19 is having is that we all need to operate in an uncertain environment. In this post, Paul Golding looks at ways to be successful in it.

To further your CPD, we’d like to share some recordings of our recent webinars with you.

In this post, we highlight some simple preparatory elements that can support impactful coaching programmes.

In this blog post, we consider the impact on the coaching space that ‘compassionate listening’ can create.

At the end of 2020, you may be pausing and considering how you will ‘sharpen your saw’ next year. To support you and our Alumni, we want to share some resources and options for your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with us in 2021.

In this post we explore the key questions you need to answer before committing to internal coaching.

A blog post containing some useful free CPD resources on coaching supervision and reflective writing.

In view of our own and clients’ current contexts, we want to offer you a free grounding exercise to support you being present in how you are showing up in your work and life.

In this post, Fi Macmillan outlines some key benefits of systemic coaching in nature.

In this post, we explore the impact on organisations of failed transitions; what makes the transition to a senior leadership position particularly challenging; and why and how coaching (and specifically group coaching), could be valuable.

Monica Ross explores what it means to work in a more embodied way as a coach and discusses how one might begin to support clients through greater use of self as instrument.

12 must-read tips on how to run a successful online coaching session.

Ruth Simpson asks an important question in the context of the COVID-19 crisis: where does the need for resilience end and the need to adapt begin?

Research consistently shows that we are heavily influenced in ways that are completely hidden from our conscious mind in how we view and evaluate both others and ourselves. How does ‘unconscious bias’ this affect coaching?

Based on our experiences as coach trainers, along with real-life experiences from coaches that we have trained, we’ll explore how you can unlearn, and then relearn, being directive in a coaching conversation.

In this blog post, Martin Turner — a past participant of our Diploma in Transformational Coaching course — outlines some of his experiences of studying with Catalyst 14 and how being actively involved in the learning process was the key to his successful development as a coach.

Damion Wonfor and Monica Ross discuss the personal and professional benefits of attending a retreat.

In this blog post, we highlight the many benefits of coaching outdoors and discuss how it can bring about sustainable change.

This blog post aims to enhance your current knowledge on presence in coaching by sharing some research on the topic. In addition, it aims to provide you with some development strategies to enhance your current coaching practice.


Mindfulness

Mindfulness advent calendar

To support you in the run up to Christmas, here are our recommendations for some mindful activities that you can build into your day.

Image of a footprint in the sand, symobolising impermanence

In this post we discuss how embracing impermanence can lead to coaches developing greater resilience and peace of mind.

Image of a signpost. Accompanies a blog post about mindfulness.

To help you to pause and reset, we will be providing a free guided online mindfulness practice every Monday.

Image of a signpost. Accompanies a blog post about mindfulness.

To help you to pause and reset, we will be providing a free guided online mindfulness practice every Monday.

In a year that has been full of threats, triggers and challenges, how might you pause and really take in the good?

World Mental Health Day session

Catalyst 14 will be supporting World Mental Health Day by offering you the chance to join a free guided mindfulness practice.

As the early months of 2021 bring another lockdown, we will again be offering free mindfulness sessions throughout it — to help you find a regular space to support your self care.

“Our mind becomes more spacious, more open, and happier as we move past our avoidance and denial to see what is true.” — Joseph Goldstein As England moves […]

To support you during the current crisis, we’re pleased to extend our free mindfulness sessions in June 2020.

As lockdown continues, and the psychological impacts of isolation and staying at home start to be felt by us all, we want to continue to support your personal wellbeing.

In these challenging times, we want to provide additional support to you by offering a series of free mindfulness group sessions.

In this post, we look at nine key principles of mindfulness practice.

In our busy lives, especially in the final weeks of the year, where we are focused on finishing our work and preparing for the festive season, it can be a struggle to find the space to breathe. In this post we look at ways you can make space for reflection and practise self-care; we also explore the benefits of doing so.

Damion Wonfor and Monica Ross discuss the personal and professional benefits of attending a retreat.

In this blog post we look at self-compassion as an important way of building resilience, and share an audio exercise to help you practice it.

When we are lost in our negative thoughts, leaders’ ‘buttons’ often get pushed and they start to react – or over-react – before being consciously aware of it. In this post we discuss how attaining a habit of pausing during the day provides us with the opportunity to wake up from autopilot and develop a more conscious style of leadership.

In this post we define mindfulness, explore some common myths associated with it and give some practical tips on how to introduce mindfulness to your everyday life.

In this blog post, we discuss some key things to consider when setting up a formal mindfulness practice, including location, posture and habit formation.

Here we look at how you can snap out of automatic pilot, and embed a mindfulness practice in your daily life.


Personal leadership

In this post we look at the concept of ‘following your bliss’: listening to your heart, your truth and trusting the deep impulse within you to live a life that truly makes you feel alive.

In this post, Tracy May explores one of the most pressing questions that needs to be answered in the COVID-19 era: ‘’What is the task of leadership?’’

If the first week of lockdown has been a bit of a struggle, this post is for you: it discusses what you could have been experiencing — and what could make the next few weeks a bit better.

How journaling and reflective writing can be strong tools for strengthening and cultivating emotional intelligence capabilities.

Asking a question when we don’t really mean to inquire is common mismatch between what we are trying to communicate and what we actually say. In this post, Liz Palmer takes a look at how to be clearer and avoid the danger of being misunderstood.

In this post, Liz Palmer discusses how changing our ‘voice’ brings the flexibility to vary our contribution — and achieve improved outcomes.

This time of year and the season of winter symbolically provide us with an opportunity to take an important pause, a time for personal contemplation and reflection, a chance to go within and dwell in some silent introspection. In this post we share a useful guided exercise with you to help you reflect on where you’ve been and where you want to go.


Other resources


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