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/

In the first episode of 2026, Helen speaks with Kenny Archer business coach and founder of Archer Inspirations. Kenny shares the deeply personal story behind his book, The Story Behind the Coach.

We discuss:

• How to discover your authentic coaching identity.
• How writing can become a tool for healing
• The practical approaches that simplify self-publishing
• Writing from the heart

Resources mentioned:

Free weekly newsletter from Helen: https://www.helenoneillcoaching.com/signup

Coach write 90: https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/coachwrite90

Coaching services: https://www.helenoneillcoaching.com/services

Connect with Helen:

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

Instagram: @helenoneillcoaching

Connect with Kenny:

Website: www.archerinspirations.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyarcher-business-coach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspirationsarcher

Book: The Story Behind the Coach: https://amzn.to/4pkhmX2

*some of the links above are affiliate links

In this minisode, Helen shares her top 10 tips for making your non-fiction book un-putdownable.

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

Resources: People Who Pivot: https://amzn.to/4pdLXFO

EMCCUK Events: https://emccuk.org/groups-and-events/events/

In this milestone tenth episode of the Coach Write Podcast, Helen ONeill sits down with Helen Hopper, co-founder of leadership consulting firm H Cubed and co-author of ‘The Art and Psychology of Board Relationships: The Secret Life of Boards.’

Helen Hopper tells the fascinating story of how a chance conversation around a campfire in Rajasthan led to a four-year journey of researching, writing, and publishing her first book with co-author Joy Harcup. From interviewing 50 board members to navigating the traditional publishing process with Routledge, Helen shares her insights into what it really takes to bring a book to life.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to find and work successfully with a co-author, including simple but effective collaboration techniques
• What to expect when working with a traditional academic publisher
• The ‘ART’ framework developed for the book
• Why sometimes the simplest solutions are the most powerful
• How writing a book can deepen your coaching practice and reconnect you with foundational theory

People and resources mentioned:

Coach Write 90 https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/coachwrite90

People Who Pivot by Helen ONeill: https://amzn.to/4oONVvW

EMCC UK https://www.emccuk.org

Coach Write Blog https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/blog

The Power to Choose by Robbie Swale https://amzn.to/4991Rwc

Leaders quest https://www.leadersquest.org/

Helen’s co-author: Joy Harcup

Routledge https://www.routledge.com/

The Work Revolution by Jonathan Males https://amzn.to/4pCpGm2

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami https://amzn.to/3MXei5u

World of books https://www.worldofbooks.com/

Connect with Helen Hopper

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

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-hopper-h3/

Book: The Art and Psychology of Board Relationships:The Secret Life of Boards https://amzn.to/4acIFyB

Connect with Helen ONeill

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

*some of the links above are affiliate links

In this moving episode of the Coach Write Podcast, Helen speaks with executive coach Carolyn Cowperthwaite about co-authoring ‘The Grief Book’ - a guide for those experiencing loss.

Carolyn shares her journey to becoming an executive coach, and how a kitchen conversation with her neighbour led to a two-year writing collaboration that resulted in a book designed specifically for those ‘middle of the night moments of grief.’

We cover:

• The emotional journey of writing about grief while processing personal losses
• Co-authoring strategies and the importance of trust and care between writing partners
• Why they chose simplicity over academic complexity for their readers
• The decision not to market a grief book and letting it find its audience organically
• How community and collaboration can transform the solitary act of writing

People and resources mentioned:

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

Joanna Lott https://joannalottcoaching.com/

The Coaching Crowd Summit https://youtu.be/SZIXOLFren4?si=5SP7PUJDr5FbBQmT

EMCC UK https://www.emccuk.org/

Emily Powell https://www.emilypowellstudio.com/

Emily Powell Instagram: @emilypowellstudio

Connect with Carolyn

Website: https://cccoachingltd.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-cowperthwaite-61747b141/

Instagram @cccoaching_ukltd

Facebook @carolyn.cowperthwaite

Book: The Grief Book https://amzn.to/4pvsNeQ

In this episode of Coach Write, Helen speaks with Viv Chitty, executive coach, coach supervisor, and author of ‘Coaching for Optimal Energy: A Guide for Executive Coaches.’ Viv shares her journey of transforming her MA research on energy management into a published book, offering valuable insights for coaches considering a similar path.

We cover:

• How to turn academic research into a book
• The difference between traditional and independent publishing
• The importance of finding the right team to help publish your book
• How to market your book
• The debate about AI in coaching

Connect with Viv:

Website: https://vivchittyassociates.co.uk/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viv-chitty-b938b912/

Book: Coaching for Optimal Energy: https://amzn.to/47GAARc

Connect with Helen

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

Website: https://www.helenoneillcoaching.com

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

Instagram: @helenoneillcoaching

Register for the free Coach Write workshop on 3rd or 4th December https://www.coachwrite.co.uk/workshop

Other books and resources mentioned:

Hard Fork podcast https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/podcasts/characterais-teen-chatbot-crackdown-elon-musk-groks-wikipedia-48-hours-without-ai.html

Joanna Lott https://joannalottcoaching.com/

Coaching Crowd Summit https://youtu.be/SZIXOLFren4?si=L0movGVC7b-IrVIL

Seth Godin The Dip https://amzn.to/3K48O83

Joh Whitmore the GROW model (Coaching for Performance) https://amzn.to/47GCPUy

Anne Schooler Meyler Campbell https://www.meylercampbell.com/our-people/anne-scoular/

The School of Coaching https://www.britishschoolofcoaching.com/

Miles Downey https://mylesdowney.com/

Tony Schwartz: On Form: Managing Energy, Not Time is the Key to High Performance, Health and Happiness https://amzn.to/3XubuPl

Adrian Myers https://www.brookes.ac.uk/profiles/staff/adrian-myers

Tatiana Batch-Grover https://instituteofcoaching.org/author/bachkirova-tatiana

Deb Marcy https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbymarcy/

Ingram Spark https://www.ingramspark.com/

Amazon KDP https://kdp.amazon.com/

Oxford Brooks Coaching and Mentoring Conference https://www.brookes.ac.uk/

British Psychological Society https://www.bps.org.uk/

Coaching Perspectives https://www.associationforcoaching.com/general/custom.asp?page=CoachingPerspectiveP

Coaching at Work https://www.coaching-at-work.com/

Coaching Supervision Academy https://www.coachingsupervisionacademy.com/

Association of Executive Coaches https://www.aoec.com/

*some of the links are affiliate links