Talking about Coaching

Welcome to this episode of Talking about Coaching, the podcast from coaches for coaches. 
This episode is one of Yannick's deep dives into one topic or person and we're talking to Dr. Britt-Mari Sykes about existential career coaching, and how career development and navigation in the age of AI increasingly brings existential themes to the fore, as clients have to confront questions of identity, authenticity, uncertainty, temporality, meaning, and isolation. 

What you’ll hear in this episode
Why career coaching needs an existential lens
How identity and meaning shift across a career life
The role of resistance, stuckness, and uncertainty
Why “passion” can become a limiting narrative
How deep listening opens up more useful coaching conversations
The importance of descriptive reflection over quick fixes
How AI changes the way people think about work, choice, and human value

Key themes
Where traditional career coaching fails to deliver
The existential layer
Stuckness as information
Challenging narratives around passion and purpose
AI as a third voice in the room

Chapters
0:01 — Why Career Coaching Needs an Existential Lens
1:55 — How Britt-Mari Found Her Calling
4:14 — Beyond Strategy: The Deeper Work of Career Coaching
5:53 — Bringing a Role to Life
7:11 — Why Human Conversations Matter More Than Ever
9:06 — Traditional Coaching vs. Existential Questions
11:06 — Why Practical Steps Come Second
14:35 — When Change Feels Impossible
21:23 — Listening for What’s Really There
23:34 — What “Stuck” Is Really Telling You
28:12 — You Are the Job
33:25 — The “Shoulds” That Shape Careers
39:24 — Passion Paralysis
45:32 — Why Description Beats Labels
48:58 — Reframing Purpose and Value
52:17 — When Work Holds You—and Traps You
54:18 — Stuckness as a Useful Pause
58:20 — Stepping Back to Reflect
63:29 — The Existential Gym
67:51 — Five Minutes That Change Your Day
70:02 — Practicing Reflection Like a Muscle
73:44 — Camus, Sisyphus, and Meaning
76:11 — Commitment, Choice, and Decisions
80:37 — Freedom, Bad Faith, and the Dizziness of Choice
83:30 — Choice, Tradeoffs, and Standing Behind Decisions
87:46 — How Clients Step Into This Work
91:31 — Making Space for Ambiguity and Contradiction
92:33 — Why AI Can’t Replace a Human Coach
98:43 — When AI Becomes a Tool, Not a Relationship
99:16 — Why the Existential Gym Still Matters
100:19 — What Resonated Most
103:17 — The Third Voice in the Room
104:16 — Learn more from and with Britt-Mari

BIO: 
Britt-Mari Sykes, Ph.D., is a Career Counsellor and Consultant, a Career Development Practitioner (CDP), and the founder of CANVAS Career Counselling. She is a member of Career Professionals of Canada and received the 2024 Outstanding Career Professional Award of Excellence. She holds certifications as a Career Strategist (CCS), Work-Life Strategist (CWS), Employment Strategist (CES), Interview Strategist (CIS), and Résumé Strategist (CRS). Britt-Mari has supported a diverse range of clients across Canada for over 16 years, assisting those facing career changes, burnout, or feeling unfulfilled, as well as individuals exploring new work options later in life. She also works with emerging young leaders, senior leaders managing multigenerational teams, and career development practitioners seeking mentorship and guidance. 
Britt-Mari brings an existential and experiential approach to career counselling, guiding clients to explore their relationship with work and careers, reflect on their experiences, choices, and decisions, and develop practical, meaningful next steps. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa and specializes in existential and experiential psychotherapies. Britt-Mari is the author of Questioning Psychological Health and Well-Being (2010), a historical and contemporary exploration of the meaning of psychological health and development. Currently, she is working on her second book, a collection of essays on the meaning of career and our relationship with work from an existential perspective in career counselling. 
In addition to her private practice, Britt-Mari has presented at conferences across Canada, the USA, and Europe on topics such as human development, ethics in everyday life, and the value of work. She continues to teach as a sessional and guest lecturer in university classrooms on the history and development of existential psychology and the theory of Existential Analysis. Committed to lifelong learning and professional growth, she regularly participates in workshops and certificate programs on Existential Analysis, Trauma-Informed Care, and Narrative Therapy. Actively engaged in community service, Britt-Mari currently volunteers as a Certification Assessor with Career Professionals of Canada and, for 8 years, volunteered as a group facilitator with the Discover Year program (a structured gap-year initiative).

Email: hello@mycareercanvas.co
Website: https://mycareercanvas.co 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittmarisykes/ 
Instagram: @mycareercanvas 
Brainz Magazine Profile: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/executive-contributor/britt-mari-sykes 

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Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!

Welcome to this episode of Talking about Coaching, the podcast from coaches for coaches. 
This episode is one of Yannick's deep dives into one topic or person and we’re talking about coaching with Ruth Cooper-Dickson who shares her inspiring journey from doing corporate work to coaching classical musicians, highlighting what it takes to break into a new line of work as well as innovative approaches to wellbeing and resilience through music and positive psychology. In July 2026 Ruth will be presenting the insights and learning from this journey at the European Conference for Positive Psychology (ECPP) in Dublin, and we thought it would be excellent to offer the conference audience (as well as a wider one) access to a deeper dive into how she made this dream happen, her approach to working with musicians and performers, and her experience along the way.
KEY TOPICS
- How to launch a successful coaching pilot
- Building resilience and confidence in musicians
- Community and relationship building through arts
- Using strengths and values in coaching
ABOUT RUTH

Ruth Cooper-Dickson is an award-winning positive psychology practitioner, trauma-informed coach, and founder of Thrivership Coaching™. A published academic, her recent practitioner research focuses on classical musicians, and she has developed and delivered a positive psychology coaching programme for musicians and composers in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Society, bringing evidence-based wellbeing tools to the unique pressures of a life in classical music. Her earlier academic work explored post-traumatic growth and coaching, a thread that continues to underpin her practice.

Ruth launched her wellbeing consultancy after her own experience of mental ill health, including Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and chronic burnout. That lived experience sits at the heart of her work, where she helps individuals and organisations start open, honest, and human conversations about Mental Wealth. Her trauma-informed approach to thrivership coaching supports people to grow after adversity rather than simply recover from it. She has been a patron of the UK anxiety charity No Panic since 2018.

Alongside her coaching, Ruth is a radio broadcaster who has hosted live since 2024, and a keynote speaker who has delivered talks for global brands, combining academic research with real-world insight. A certified breathwork leader and Mental Health First Aid Instructor of over a decade, she has trained thousands worldwide.

Learn more about Ruth and her work at https://ruthcooperdickson.com/ 
Ruth on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthiecoops/ 
Ruth’s Substack Coffee with Coops: https://ruthcooperdickson.substack.com/ 
Ruth’s Podcast Espresso with Coops: https://ruthcooperdickson.substack.com/podcast
Ruth’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthcooperdickson/ 
Listen to Ruth every Friday 0730-1000 BST as she hosts the Breakfast Show: https://www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com/ 

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Coaching and Music
03:11 Ruth's Journey into Positive Psychology and Coaching
06:00 The Intersection of Music and Healing
08:52 Creating a Coaching Program for Musicians
12:07 The Structure and Goals of the Coaching Program
15:08 Navigating the Unique Challenges of Classical Musicians
18:00 The Role of an External Coach
21:00 Feedback and Impact of the Coaching Program
24:00 Personal Reflections and Lessons Learned
33:51 Embracing Creativity and Growth
36:14 Building Relationships in Coaching
39:26 Collecting Stories and Experiences
40:44 Identifying Personal Values and Strengths
42:36 The Importance of Humility in Performance
44:01 Creating Community Connections
45:15 Leveraging AI for Program Development
48:13 The Value of Pro Bono Work
50:56 Reflections on the Program's Impact
57:11 Future Opportunities and Collaborations

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And did you know that you can see COACHING DEMOS from many of our podcast guests as part of Yannick's Coaching Lab. In the Lab you’re a “fly on the wall” for a 45min live coaching demo followed by Q&A and conversations with the coach and client and (optional) experimental breakouts in triads. Members of the Lab can re-watch recordings of sessions they’ve missed and VIP Members have access to the entire Vault of available coaching demos:
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Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!
Support the show
- Never miss an episode:
https://rocketsupervision.com/talking-about-coaching/
- Yannick's Coaching Nuggets: https://gocoachinglab.com/nuggets
- Free Starter Kit for new coaches: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-starter-kit/
- More deep dives at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEK9UENWT66D6uqPJhCznXNhc9Ba9jite
- Short episodes of TaC addressing specific questions: https://www.youtube.com/talkingaboutcoaching
- Support what we do with a positive review, a comment or by telling a friend or colleague about this episode.
- Watch COACHING DEMOS from many of our guests in Yannick's Lab. 
Membership: https://gocoachinglab.com/
Upcoming Labs: https://bit.ly/FutureCoachingLabs
FREE taster sessions: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-lab-coaching-sessions/ 
Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!

We’ve had several questions around how coaches use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in coaching, may that be to grow your business, as part of the coaching, or to improve your coaching skills. Building on our previous two episodes on AI, this episode offers an update with regards to how coaches can utilize AI. We’re signposting to a few custom GPTs we’re using, prompt advise, and highlight both the value and the risks of using AI in coaching. 
See also: 
Episode 91 - How can I use AI to be a better coach? (Part II) 
Episode 89 - How can I use AI to be a better coach? (Part I)
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Support the show
- Never miss an episode:
https://rocketsupervision.com/talking-about-coaching/
- Yannick's Coaching Nuggets: https://gocoachinglab.com/nuggets
- Free Starter Kit for new coaches: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-starter-kit/
- More deep dives at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEK9UENWT66D6uqPJhCznXNhc9Ba9jite
- Short episodes of TaC addressing specific questions: https://www.youtube.com/talkingaboutcoaching
- Support what we do with a positive review, a comment or by telling a friend or colleague about this episode.
- Watch COACHING DEMOS from many of our guests in Yannick's Lab. 
Membership: https://gocoachinglab.com/
Upcoming Labs: https://bit.ly/FutureCoachingLabs
FREE taster sessions: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-lab-coaching-sessions/ 
Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!

Experienced coaches know this: The more leadership we exhibit in coaching consultations, the easier it is to sign up clients, but the harder it is to then work with them “in partnership”, because we set up the relationship with certain expectations. But if we start with co-creating each part of the coaching relationship from the start, we lack the kind of certainty and confidence that helps clients to say yes to coaching with ease. This is what we may refer to as “the leadership paradox in coaching”, and today the Talking about Coaching Podcast hosts Yannick and Siwash are discussing how to navigate this challenge and strike the right balance. 
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If you'd like to stay up to date with new episodes, continue the conversation or generally support what we do: 
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Support the show
- Never miss an episode:
https://rocketsupervision.com/talking-about-coaching/
- Yannick's Coaching Nuggets: https://gocoachinglab.com/nuggets
- Free Starter Kit for new coaches: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-starter-kit/
- More deep dives at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEK9UENWT66D6uqPJhCznXNhc9Ba9jite
- Short episodes of TaC addressing specific questions: https://www.youtube.com/talkingaboutcoaching
- Support what we do with a positive review, a comment or by telling a friend or colleague about this episode.
- Watch COACHING DEMOS from many of our guests in Yannick's Lab. 
Membership: https://gocoachinglab.com/
Upcoming Labs: https://bit.ly/FutureCoachingLabs
FREE taster sessions: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-lab-coaching-sessions/ 
Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!

We hear this from a lot of coaches in recent times: There are too many coaches out there! It’s getting increasingly difficult to reach potential clients amidst the sheer number of coaches trying to keep their businesses afloat. In this conversation, Yannick and Siwash share their perspective on why coaching as an industry can’t be saturated due to existing demands, discuss a solution to the problem of “saturation”, explain why it’s so important to pay attention to your personal narratives, and how marketing and branding are intricately linked to a successful coaching business. At the end you may just feel hopeful about the future of coaching, your business, and the world. 
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If you'd like to stay up to date with new episodes, continue the conversation or generally support what we do: 
Send us your question: http://bit.ly/talkingaboutcoaching
Sign up to our mailing list (no spam, no sales, just a quick shout about new episodes): https://rocketsupervision.com/talking-about-coaching/
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Support the show
- Never miss an episode:
https://rocketsupervision.com/talking-about-coaching/
- Yannick's Coaching Nuggets: https://gocoachinglab.com/nuggets
- Free Starter Kit for new coaches: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-starter-kit/
- More deep dives at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEK9UENWT66D6uqPJhCznXNhc9Ba9jite
- Short episodes of TaC addressing specific questions: https://www.youtube.com/talkingaboutcoaching
- Support what we do with a positive review, a comment or by telling a friend or colleague about this episode.
- Watch COACHING DEMOS from many of our guests in Yannick's Lab. 
Membership: https://gocoachinglab.com/
Upcoming Labs: https://bit.ly/FutureCoachingLabs
FREE taster sessions: https://rocketsupervision.com/coaching-lab-coaching-sessions/ 
Thanks for being a coach. You're making the world a better place!