Poetry for Coaching: Transformation Through Verse
These poems were selected and curated by a team of 7 co-editors standing together as The Creative Coaching Collective: Anjli Gheewala, Kate Jenkinson, Tracey McEachran, Sarah Moores, Ross Nichols, Elizabeth Papalia and Sharon Strimling.
We can all feel stuck at times, limited by difficult experiences. It's not always clear where to find support. Poetry and storytelling can provide appropriate support either as standalone resources or within a coaching context.
Poetry for Coaching is an anthology of poems and the stories behind them, written by coaches, counsellors, and therapists to support personal transformation, empowerment and healing.
This book provides a unique opportunity for the reader to benefit from the depth of experience of qualified coaches and therapists who have faced and overcome rich and textured life challenges. Here they share with you their insights and learning - through the power and beauty of poetry and prose.
The Anthology has been grouped into chapters based on themes that are the stuff of coaching: Connection; Love; Acceptance; Forgiveness; Resilience; and Life. These themes may be used to guide the reader when seeking support for a specific challenge. The book can also be read more generally for inspiration and the sheer beauty of the poems and stories. If you've never read a poem before, you are in the right place! Simply relax, suspend judgment, and let your curiosity draw you to whatever it is you need at this moment, be that a poem or a story. Or perhaps you are a coach, counsellor or therapist and see the value in using this resource in your practice.
Poetry, in its brevity and elegance, engages us with layered meanings. It can take us beyond the words on the page to touch our very souls. As Phillip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, wrote: "Poetry is not a fancy way of giving you information; it's an incantation. It is actually a magic spell. It changes things; it changes you."
From early in my coaching career, I found myself spontaneously sharing poems and stories with my clients. When I did, they almost always found them useful. Later I began to write my own poems and sometimes shared these with my clients, which were generally well received. What I've noticed is that poetry and storytelling can help people to:
- Connect to others' experience
- Gain insights into their own experience
- Be present with their own emotions and go deeper into themselves
- Reframe their experience
- Gain fresh perspectives
- Provoke new ways of thinking
- Evoke awareness of their uniqueness
- Equip themselves emotionally and spiritually for the current stage of their life journey
- Realise they are not alone, that others have walked the same path
- Poetry can also be used as part of a coach's reflective practice
Storytelling adds richness and context to the poems. Combining stories with poems heightens the impact of both: one can unlock new meaning in the other. Applying poetry and storytelling to coaching enhances the art of coaching by enlarging the coaching space, enabling new possibilities to emerge.
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The simple act of an initial flick and a glance though this book immediately cemented its value for me. Within moments, I was transported, engaged, and curious; within seconds I felt resonance and familiarity. I felt understood, seen and uplifted. Within minutes I could see how this book would be of value to me over and over again.
Tracy Sinclair, MCC Coach, Coach Educator, Author Past Chair, International Coaching Federation Global Board
This beautiful book of poetry and the stories behind them can expand the impact of your coaching. I often share a poem in my classes and personally with clients to illuminate what was learned, deepening the transformation and confidence to grow. As an adolescent, I wrote poetry to help me comprehend the world I was growing into. Reading and writing poetry opens doors to insights and reaches into recesses of our memories like music and smells of beloved foods. Savor the pages. Share them freely. I am grateful to Ross for creating this gift.
Dr. Marcia Reynolds, MCC, Author of Breakthrough Coaching and Coach the Person, Not the Problem
This collection is both a gentle companion for those on a personal development journey and an insightful resource for professionals in coaching and therapy. Through the power of verse, Poetry for Coaching illuminates pathways to resilience and emotional freedom, making it a valuable addition to any bookshelf, especially to those in coaching, mentoring and therapeutic professions.
Jayne Morris MCC, ICF UK Associate Board Member Coach, Trainer & Supervisor Author: Burnout to Brilliance
I found this anthology deeply inspiring and rich with insights, making it a powerful resource in my coaching practice. Each poem offers a unique lens for reflection, allowing me to explore deeper emotions and thoughts with my clients. I see endless opportunities to use the poems as prompts for introspection and personal growth, helping individuals process events and challenges in their lives. Whether for personal use or to guide meaningful conversations, these poems and accompanying stories are invaluable for fostering self-awareness and encouraging exploration in a way that feels both gentle and profound. A must-have for any coach seeking creative tools.
Sarah Manley Introvert Career Coach, Mentor and Author of The Quiet Catalyst
Poetry and stories are some of the oldest, most profound pathways we have into something greater; the currents of connection, transformation, and the love and heartbreak of existing. They invite us to sit with them, to walk with them, to see others in their fragile, powerful humanity, and so to remember our own. This book gives you a simple, precious invitation to meet yourself and others in all the myriad struggles and gifts of living. By putting brief, honest, stories alongside poetry born from them, the book creates so many different ways to take a breath, and shift perspective on what you are going through, or simply drop into it. It brings poems to open up the heart and mind, and to connect to something within and without, freeing you up to meet life more fully, as you are.
Dave Rock, poet, storyteller, creator of Flow Speaking www.flowspeaking.com
