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The AC Podcast

The AC Podcast

Association for Coaching 296 Episodes Aug 17, 2026

The AC Podcast is the official podcast of the Association for Coaching (AC). It features educational and thought-provoking conversations with coaches, thought leaders, academics, and industry innovators. Each weekly episode provides actionable tools and proven techniques to enhance personal and professional development, boost coaching businesses, and improve coaching skills. The podcast serves as a resource for both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the coaching industry.

Episodes

308: The Legal and Governance Landscape: GDPR, the EU AI Act and Data Responsibility with Colin Cosgrove and Amber Foster
308: The Legal and Governance Landscape: GDPR, the EU AI Act and Data Responsibility with Colin Cosgrove and Amber Foster Aug 17, 2026 44:54 Most coaches using AI couldn't tell you exactly where their client data actually goes - which platform, which server, whether it's used to train a model. In the third episode of AI, Ethics and Trust in Coaching series, host Smaranda Dochia talks with lawyer and AI governance practitioner Amber Foster, and leadership coach, and technology and compliance specialist Colin Cosgrove to unpack what GDP
307: In Whose Service? Duty of Care in an AI-Augmented Coaching World with Dr Benita Mayhead
307: In Whose Service? Duty of Care in an AI-Augmented Coaching World with Dr Benita Mayhead Aug 10, 2026 54:49 In the second episode of our AI, Ethics and Trust in Coaching series, Smaranda Dochia talks with Dr Benita Mayhead, an executive coach, coach supervisor, researcher, and author of Duty of Care in Coaching, whose empirical research moves duty of care out of the realm of abstract codes and into the lived reality of practice: how coaches actually make decisions, hold ambiguity, set boundaries, use s
306: The Future of Coaching: Human Development in the Age of AI with Dr David Drake
306: The Future of Coaching: Human Development in the Age of AI with Dr David Drake Aug 3, 2026 48:16 In the first episode of a new series, AI, Ethics and Trust in Coaching, host Smaranda Dochia talks with founder of The Moment Institute and creator of Narrative Coaching, David Drake, to tackle the question on every coach's mind: what is coaching actually here to do in an AI-driven world?   Rather than rehashing the tired "AI vs. Humans" debate, David offers a reframe. AI, he argues, isn't simp
305: A Day in the Life of Kate Jenkinson: Coach and Business Poet
305: A Day in the Life of Kate Jenkinson: Coach and Business Poet Jul 27, 2026 01:01:04 This episode is part of our 'A Day in the Life' series, where we talk to coaches about their real lives and businesses. In this insightful episode, host Maxine Bell talks to Kate Jenkinson, creative executive coach, business poet, and founder of Next Step HR and the Business in Poetry conference. Kate shares her unconventional career path, from biologist, HR professional, to the coach and busines
304: Breaking Down the Man Box: Nature, Walking and Vulnerability with Al Kennedy
304: Breaking Down the Man Box: Nature, Walking and Vulnerability with Al Kennedy Jul 20, 2026 45:46 In this final episode of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Al Kennedy, a coach who works exclusively with men navigating midlife. Al's own path from graphic designer and business owner to full-time coach grew out of his personal midlife questioning, and it's given him a grounded, deeply caring approach to holding space for other men. He talks about midlife not as a crisis
303: Letting Go of Winning: What It Really Means to Redefine Success After 40 with Cassandra Andrews
303: Letting Go of Winning: What It Really Means to Redefine Success After 40 with Cassandra Andrews Jul 13, 2026 41:18 In episode 5 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence talks to Cassandra Andrews, author of Unlearning Masculinity: Redefining Success for High Achieving Men over 40, to explore why so many successful men—CEOs, founders, and elite athletes among them—feel trapped even after ticking every box of conventional success. Cassandra unpacks the identity crises, purpose gaps, and feelings of entrapm
302: Liberating Masculinity with Sam Adams
302: Liberating Masculinity with Sam Adams Jul 6, 2026 43:45 In episode 5 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Sam Adams, a coach specialising in healthy masculinity. Drawing from his background in regenerative farming and chaplaincy across Africa, Sam explains how masculinity and femininity exist as complementary energies within everyone. He discusses the shame and confusion many men face today, often rooted in unspoken soc
301: Coaching Men Through an Emotional Lens with Jess Spiers
301: Coaching Men Through an Emotional Lens with Jess Spiers Jun 29, 2026 37:47 In episode 4 of our Coaching Men series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Jess Spiers, a coach who specialises in supporting men in their 40s and 50s who appear successful but feel trapped, unfulfilled, or burned out. Jess shares how a 20-year career in digital content ultimately led her to coaching and why she made men's mental health her focus. It's a candid conversation about a quiet struggle
300: Six Years, 300 Episodes, and a New Name: Introducing Coaching Voices with Smaranda Dochia, Maxine Bell and Rob Lawrence
300: Six Years, 300 Episodes, and a New Name: Introducing Coaching Voices with Smaranda Dochia, Maxine Bell and Rob Lawrence Jun 22, 2026 01:03:31 This is no ordinary episode! This week we hit a remarkable milestone: 300 consecutive weekly episodes without missing a single Monday and to celebrate, the podcast team, Maxine Bell, Smaranda Dochia and Rob Lawrence look back on six extraordinary years of the Association for Coaching podcast. Together they reflect on a journey that has brought together 295 guests, 26 guest hosts, and 33 coaching
299: Creating Safe Spaces for Men with Jamie Robins
299: Creating Safe Spaces for Men with Jamie Robins Jun 15, 2026 49:22 In episode 3 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence speaks with Jamie Robins, a coach specialising in supporting men through some of life's most challenging transitions. Jamie shares his personal journey into men's coaching and how the COVID-19 pandemic inspired him to create Safe Harbour - an online sharing space designed to give men a place to open up without fear of judgment. He
298: The Silent Struggle: Helping Men Lead, Cope and Rediscover Themselves with Vicky Kelly
298: The Silent Struggle: Helping Men Lead, Cope and Rediscover Themselves with Vicky Kelly Jun 8, 2026 50:33 Have you ever felt the weight of being the "strong one" — the person everyone else leans on, while you quietly wonder who you can lean on?   In episode 2 of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence sits down with Vicky Kelly, a coach who has spent over 15 years specialising in working with men. Vicky shares how, after launching her coaching business in 2009, she found herself naturall
297: Beyond the CV: Finding Your Soul Story with Will Johnson
297: Beyond the CV: Finding Your Soul Story with Will Johnson Jun 1, 2026 47:21 What does it take for a high-achieving man to stop, admit he's struggling, and ask for help? In this first episode of our Coaching Men podcast series, host Rob Lawrence speaks with Will Johnson, a facilitator and coach who guides men to live and lead with greater authenticity and peace within and about themselves. Will draws on his own experience of burnout in a senior finance role, where he sud

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