Maternity Coaching
The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
Release Date: 08/25/2025
Accelerate your Coach CPD in 2026
The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
2026 CPD Accelerator: What if the way you approach your CPD this year could fundamentally shape your confidence, energy, and impact as a coach? In this episode, we sat down to have an honest, grounded conversation about what continuous professional development really looks like for coaches in practice, not theory. As Master Accredited Coaches and founders of an accredited coach training provider, we reflected openly on our own CPD journeys, including the years of intense learning, the quieter phases focused on business growth, and the moments where CPD crept up on us through deadlines,...
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
What does a year of growth really look like when you step away from the highlight reel and tell the truth? As we reach the end of 2025, we wanted to pause and pull back the curtain on what this year has genuinely been like for us behind the scenes. This episode is an honest, reflective conversation about the reality of running a values led coaching business through a year of challenge, change, and deep learning. We talk openly about the tension between what people often see from the outside and what it has actually felt like to be inside the business. This year has asked a lot of us. There...
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
What happens when coaches slow down, listen deeply, and answer the questions they are rarely asked out loud? This episode felt different from the outset. This week we sat down without scripts, without rehearsed answers, and without certainty about where the conversation would land. What we had instead was trust. Trust in the coaching process, trust in each other, and trust in the questions our listeners brought to us. We invited our listeners to share the coaching questions they find themselves holding, whether that is something they wrestle with in sessions, reflect on in supervision, or...
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
Have you ever paused to consider where you truly are in your growth as a coach and what your current stage of development reveals about the way you show up for your clients? In this episode, we walk through the evolving arc of our professional identity and the way our presence deepens as we move from doing coaching to being a coach. It is a journey rich with curiosity, discomfort, insight, and ultimately, transformation. During the conversation, we unpack the three broad stages of coach maturity. We explore the ways we develop from novice coach to intuitive practitioner and eventually to a...
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Training to be a Coach after Burnout
The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
Have you ever reached a point where burnout reshaped your sense of who you are and what you want next in life? In this episode, we explore the tender, transformative journey that so many people move through when they decide to train as a coach after experiencing burnout. This conversation matters because burnout rarely leaves life untouched. It rewires priorities, reframes identity, and forces us to acknowledge that our wellbeing is the most important asset we have. Throughout the discussion, we reflect on why individuals arrive at coach training following burnout and what they discover about...
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Is the Coaching Market Saturated?
The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
Have you ever looked around at the growing number of coaches and wondered whether there is still space for you to build a thriving practice? In this episode we explore one of the most common concerns we hear from aspiring and experienced coaches: whether the coaching market is saturated. It is a question often rooted in fear and uncertainty, particularly for those stepping into the profession for the first time. As we reflect on this conversation, we notice how often this question reveals something deeper. It is rarely about the market itself. It is usually about whether there is space for me....
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
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The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
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How to Train as a Coach when Working Full Time
The Coaching Crowd® Podcast with Jo Wheatley & Zoe Hawkins
Have you ever wondered how people manage to train as a coach while juggling a full-time job, family, and everything else life throws their way? In this episode, we explore one of the most common questions we hear: How can I train as a coach when I already work full time? We know from experience that most people who come to train with us are balancing busy lives, full-time jobs, caring responsibilities, and personal commitments. And yet, many find that their coaching qualification becomes the highlight of their week, a time to step into a space that’s entirely for them. We talk about the...
info_outlineHave you ever found yourself torn between who you were before becoming a parent and the new identity that emerges after welcoming a child?
In this episode we explore the deeply personal and transformative journey of maternity coaching.
Becoming a parent is one of the biggest life transitions anyone can go through. We reflect on our own experience of having children while holding onto a strong ambition for our careers and the inner conflict that came with trying to reconcile those two worlds.
We talk about the identity shifts that many parents face, the emotional complexities that can arise during maternity leave, and the challenges of returning to work in environments that may have changed significantly in your absence. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on how valuable maternity coaching would have been for us at that time. Having a confidential space to explore emotions, rebuild confidence, and navigate new responsibilities can be life-changing.
We also expand the conversation to include parental coaching more broadly, recognising that transitions affect all caregivers, whether through adoption, shared parenting, or new family dynamics. Coaching can support individuals in building resilience, having courageous conversations with line managers, and re-establishing confidence in their professional and personal identities.
This discussion highlighted for me how powerful coaching can be in safeguarding against burnout, improving employee engagement, and strengthening relationships at work. It left me appreciating maternity coaching not only as a personal lifeline but also as an organisational strategy that demonstrates care for people beyond their job role.
Timestamps:
- 00:51 – Why maternity coaching matters
- 01:21 – Identity conflict after becoming a parent
- 03:39 – What maternity coaching looks like in practice
- 05:06 – Emotional and cognitive changes during maternity leave
- 06:28 – Rebuilding confidence when returning to work
- 07:48 – Benefits for organisations and leaders
- 09:13 – Extending to parental coaching more broadly
- 11:56 – Productivity shifts after becoming a parent
- 13:21 – Exploring systemic challenges
- 15:39 – Why maternity coaching signals organisational care
- 16:35 – Do we need to label it “maternity coaching”?
- 18:02 – Emotions coaching and life transitions
- 21:46 – Invitation to learn more through our Emotions Coaching Practitioner Training
Key Lessons Learned
- Identity transformation is one of the most significant challenges during maternity leave.
- Maternity coaching offers a safe space to explore emotions without judgement.
- Coaching supports smoother transitions back to work, reducing overwhelm and burnout.
- Employers benefit through stronger engagement, productivity, and loyalty.
- Parental coaching is not limited to mothers, it extends to fathers, adoptive parents, and anyone navigating caregiving transitions.
- Coaching helps differentiate between personal beliefs and systemic realities in the workplace.
- Productivity often increases when parents return to work due to sharper focus and time management.
- Emotional coaching skills are essential for supporting clients during major life milestones.
Keywords:
maternity coaching, parental coaching, coaching for parents, identity shift after parenthood, return to work coaching, emotional coaching, workplace transitions, coaching for new parents, confidence after maternity leave, coaching in organisations,
Links & Resources:
- Emotions Coaching Practitioner Training: igcompany.co.uk/emotionscoaching