What are your qualifications and experience in the field of sobriety and coaching?
In terms of coaching, my journey began when I decided to go back to school and pursue a degree. It all started 12 years ago when I read Anthony Robbins' book, "Awaken the Giant Within," which completely transformed my life. In that book, he frequently mentioned a man named John Grinder, with whom he trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). "Awaken the Giant Within" opened my mind to new ways of thinking and acting. Anthony Robbins' references to John and NLP sparked my curiosity, and my life began to change. I became deeply interested in self-development and wondered if it would be possible to train with the person who had trained Anthony Robbins. In my mind, I imagined John Grinder to be someone in Los Angeles, and the training would cost a small fortune. However, when I searched for John Grinder's courses, I was surprised to find that his next course was taking place in Croydon, which was not at all what I expected. So, I took my first step towards becoming an NLP practitioner by attending that course with John Grinder, and it was an incredible experience that expanded my horizons. Although it was a fantastic learning opportunity, I realised it wasn't enough. While the course was enlightening, it lacked practicality and professionalism, and I didn't feel adequately qualified afterward. Nevertheless, the learning was invaluable, and there were moments when I thought, "My friends would be amazed if they saw me now," as some of the concepts were quite unconventional. But I yearned for more, particularly the scientific underpinnings that NLP lacked.
That's when I discovered positive psychology, the science of wellbeing, and found a master's degree course in coaching positive psychology. Keep in mind that I had left school at 16 to pursue a career in professional football, so I had no formal education beyond my GCSEs. This presented some trepidation, but I was so inspired by my initial course that I went back to earn a degree specifically to pursue my master's degree in coaching psychology and positive psychology. It was an amazing journey, and I graduated with distinction.
During this time, I also trained as a mindfulness-based awareness coach, certified by the Association for Coaching, and pursued various other courses. I became a master practitioner of NLP and trained in cognitive- behavioural therapy (CBT). This extensive training and experience made me one of the most qualified coaches globally.
Over the course of a decade, I gained practical experience working with a wide range of individuals, from Premiership footballers to movie stars to everyday heroes. This experience, combined with my coaching expertise, finally put me in a position to give back. My goal was to provide others with the transformative experience I had with John Grinder but in a more professional and competent manner. As for the free resources, I also trained with Gravel Matty and spent a considerable amount of time learning on the job, particularly within the alcohol- free community. This experience led to the creation of our course, where Alcohol Change UK plays an important role in delivering the alcohol-free component. This part of our course is vital because it mirrors the training provided to NHS workers, ensuring top-notch education.
Did you create your course yourself or did you have people help with elements of it? How did that kind of come about?
I created the course myself, and two of our coaches, Sarah Chamberlain and Naomi Morgan, also contributed to its development. This course is essentially a diploma in coaching and positive psychology. I wanted to provide people with a solid scientific foundation, ensuring that they have the necessary knowledge and robustness when they enter the world of coaching. They'll have the weight of science behind them if they choose to bring workshops into the workplace. This ensures their competence and credibility.
Who is the course accredited by?
The way we've organised this is by acknowledging that there isn't much efficient training available for alcohol-free coaching, or for any related fields, for that matter. That's why I decided to develop a comprehensive and accredited coaching program. My motivation for this initiative came from my good friend Sharon Ide, who introduced me to this concept. She authored "The Kindness Method," and, like most people in the alcohol-related space (and perhaps even in addiction-related fields), she learned on the job rather than through formal qualifications. My aim has been to create a program that offers coaching accreditation at a general coaching level and then adds a specialisation in alcohol-free coaching. It's important to note that I'm not training addiction coaches; I'm training coaches to focus on individuals in the middle lane, a substantial group that is often underserved. Therefore, the accreditations primarily pertain to generic coaching qualifications. I believe that in the future, specific accreditations for alcohol-free coaching will emerge, but for now, our accreditation is effectively endorsed by us, the pioneers in alcohol-free coaching.
So in terms of the course, how is it structured? Is it self-paced, live sessions or a mixture of both?
Mixture of both predominantly live, though. I'm all about connection. And I do most of the delivery, which again is really it's really exceptional because normally it's hard to train with the actual person writing for person, person, person. That's really important to me. I'm like fully immersed in the course from start to end. It basically takes place over these two day blocks once a month. There's a two day training over mid-week or weekend, and then we have six of those officially, that's the accredited part because there's an extra two day training, which is the alcohol free coaching component plus. Then I have also started to institute a six week training at the end of the course, which is called like Business Boot camp. I write written for those that want to. Yeah, what it's like it be really relevant to you what you're doing as well. You know, those that want to turn their passion into something that's profitable because I had loads of experience with that.
Are there practical assessment?
It's a highly practical approach. We refer to them as the "five observations." Essentially, these observations occur throughout the six-month period, involving you coaching someone while being recorded. The purpose behind this is that after your initial observation, you receive feedback to help enhance your coaching during the second observation, and this process continues for subsequent observations. The fifth and final observation is the one that's formally graded. The idea here is that as you progress through these five observations, you continually receive feedback, allowing you to improve your coaching skills consistently. So, by the time you complete that final observation, you'll be performing at your best.
In terms of time commitment outside these sessions, what do you recommend?
So I always say it's about 15 to 30 minutes tops a day, probably like a few hours, a few hours a week. So nothing too intensive. What we've tried to do is make the two days quite intensive and enjoyable and then save people like too much work outside of that, because I'd say 90% of people that take the course have got busy careers, busy jobs, busy lives. So yeah, we've specifically set it up in that way. So it's not too time heavy.
Are those two days 9 to 5?
Ten till five. Zooms, actually Zoom's interesting, even because I've done live courses and I've done Zoom courses, the Zoom courses worked brilliantly. Obviously COVID forced this into my life, so it's sort of like people are so used to it. There's no traveling time. People still connect and create this amazing bond that allows me to coach people from all over the world. It's great for the even nicer atmosphere and it cuts down on a lot of the sort of noise that sometimes you don't need. If you don't need to travel for two days a month, you know, people just turn on, whereas the issue stays. And so, yeah, the zooms worked brilliantly for us and the courses engage and it's no one sitting there bored. It becomes this really engaged environment.
Is there a certification awarded upon course completion?
so here's how it works: Once you complete your Diploma in Coaching and Positive Psychology, you will be accredited by me as an Alcohol-Free Performance Coach, Sober Coach, or whatever label you prefer, such as a Dry Coach. Additionally, you will have completed a course accredited by three of the main coaching bodies: the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the Association for Coaching, and the NCC (European Management and Coaching Certification). At this stage, you can choose the coaching body that aligns with your goals. To obtain individual accreditation with any of these organizations, you typically need around 75 to 100 hours of coaching experience. Once you've accumulated the required hours, you can approach your chosen organization and inform them that you've completed the Diploma in Coaching and Positive Psychology, which is associated with their accreditation. They will then guide you on how to apply for individual accreditation if you wish to pursue it. It's important to note that individual accreditation is not a mandatory requirement to start coaching. Some coaches opt for it, while others do not.
When students graduate and have their Diploma’s and then you offer business bootcamp, if graduates want to keep up to-date in that field, do you kind of offer top ups?
We have something called Coach Club, and everyone can join afterward. Historically, it has been for three months, with a small charge. However, I'm very close to making the decision to provide it as a delightful free resource. So, what is Coach Club? Coach Club is a practice group where you can come together to hone your coaching skills. It includes a monthly Q&A session with me. On average, participants receive coaching, support, and supervision. It's a wonderful platform for coaches to establish their own connections and be part of a community.
Do you need any prior knowledge or education level or can anyone kind of jump on board and start?
Yeah, anyone. And because it's a part of my story, I'm really passionate about it. So I had to learn how to manage and start, both with the ladies who help run it. They are both teachers, and they specialize in assisting adults in their learning journey. I am passionate about anyone and everyone coming back into this, especially if they haven't had much of a formal education. There's absolutely no barrier to it. What's been interesting is that we've trained a diverse group, including sports stars, Suzy Shaw and Matt Pink, CEOs, and many everyday heroes, such as stay-at-home parents who left school at 16. It's a lovely mixture." These changes clarify the structure of your sentences and make the text flow more smoothly.
Can you share any stories or anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
I believe that the story behind coaching is something worth embracing. Coaching, for me, is an incredible way to discover more meaning and purpose in life and to potentially give back. Many people on their alcohol-free journey reach a point where they yearn for something more, something beyond their current circumstances. I often describe it as aiming for a target, for something greater. You've undoubtedly experienced moments where you've felt fortunate. Speaking to this target in the article can be profoundly significant—a sense that there must be more to this short and precious life. I believe this transformation occurs when we remove alcohol, providing us with clarity, reconnecting us with our authentic selves. Coaching and counseling offer the opportunity to connect with something meaningful and contribute value to the world; it's a powerful experience. Let me delve a bit deeper into coaching tools, as they are at the core of my coaching course's objective. My goal is to provide everyone with a transformational experience in personal development. I view this training course as one of the best self-development courses available. It stretches you beyond your comfort zone, introducing you to various tools and techniques to help others thrive. Interestingly, while you learn these tools and techniques to support others, you simultaneously thrive yourself. That's one of the unique gifts of coaching—it serves as the ultimate self-development course that never leaves you. You continually update your skills, learn new things, and in the process, enhance your own personal development.
