In this episode, Helen is joined by Ross Nicholls — coach, mentor, ICF approved coach educator, and the author and editor of Poetry for Coaching: Transformation Through Verse — to explore the surprisingly powerful role that poetry can play in the coaching room.

Helen and Ross discuss:

• How poetry works as a coaching tool — from evoking awareness and reframing perspectives, to helping clients find clarity, affirmation, and a sense of not being alone
• The nine ways coaches can use poetry with clients, plus a tenth use: reflective practice for the coach themselves
• Three poems read live from the collection, chosen for coaches and clients navigating overwhelm
• The reality of producing an anthology — the stakeholder management, the emotional demands of editing creative work, and the power of a clear vision to keep a collaboration on track
• Working with a partnership publisher and what that support made possible

Connect with Helen

Website: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneillhelen

Connect with Ross:

Website: https://www.poetryforcoaching.org

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/990933051982492

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-nichols-pcc-mba-535b4018/

Book: Poetry for Coaching https://amzn.to/4ai2AMk

People and resources mentioned

The Dip by Seth Godin https://amzn.to/4ae8E8w

Rumi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi

Leisure by W.H, Davies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_(poem)

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman https://amzn.to/3OnWrpa

Swatt Books https://swatt-books.co.uk/about/about-sam-pearce

*some of the links above are affiliate links

In this episode, Helen O'Neill speaks with Dr Benita Mayhead, Executive Coach, Coach Supervisor, and Director of Coaching Practice at EMCC UK, and author of ‘Duty of Care in Coaching: A Comprehensive Approach to Navigating the Complexities of Contemporary Practice.’

Benita shares her experience of following a wobbly path to academia that resulted in her completing a doctorate in coaching and mentoring at Oxford Brookes University. She reveals the challenges and insights from transforming her doctoral research into an accessible, practitioner-focused book that serves both professionals in the field and academic programs.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The unexpected path from thesis to published book and why it's not as straightforward as it seems
• How to unlearn an academic writing style and find your voice
• The usefulness and discomfort of feedback
• Choosing a book cover that represents the message within the book
• Why it's never the right time to write a book; and why you should do it anyway

Connect with Helen:

Website: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneillhelen

Join the waitlist for Coach Write 90: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/coachwrite90

Connect with Benita:

Website: https://benitamayhead.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benita-mayhead-840ab95/

Book: https://amzn.to/4qT7Pb9

In this episode, Helen ONeill sits down with Wendy Keir, coach, mentor, and founder of Empower AI, to explore the fascinating intersection of book writing and artificial intelligence.

Wendy shares her journey of writing her book #BeMoreWolf: A Survivor's Story, Breaking the Trauma Cycle over eight months, and we debate whether that’s a long time or not!

We discuss:

• Navigating the emotional challenges of writing about personal trauma
• Her experience of being a writer with dyslexia
• Lessons learned from self publishing on Amazon
• How Wendy has transformed her book into an AI agent
• Ethics and being human in an AI agentic world

Connect with Helen

Website: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneillhelen

Join the January 2026 cohort of Coach Write 90: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/coachwrite90

Connect with Wendy

Website: https://wendykier.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykier/

Book: https://amzn.to/4bCKPrX

Resources mentioned

The Creative Penn Podcast https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/01/05/2026-trends-and-predictions-for-indie-authors-and-the-book-publishing-industry-with-joanna-penn/