The Human Behind the Coach: How great coaches transform themselves first

Ever come away from a coaching session feeling it didn’t quite hit the mark, despite your skills and knowledge?

It’s not just the words we use, it’s the music, the lyrics and the dance of the conversation that make a difference to the quality of the outcome, and getting these right demands not just skill but humanity.

Explore the human qualities that great coaches need to develop - humility, vulnerability, courage, and more - based on research from thousands of real coaching sessions, with stories, reflections, practical examples and tips on how to develop yourself and your work.

This is a book for anyone who wants to deepen their work without adding more tools and techniques, and who is willing to do some deeper work in service of having more transformational conversations.

Claire Pedrick is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with over 15,000 hours of coaching experience and a founding partner of 3D Coaching, established in the 1990s. She is known for her philosophy that coaching is simple yet profound, focusing on facilitating deep thinking and real human connection. Claire is the author of Simplifying Coaching and The Human Behind the Coach (Specialist Business Book of The Year 2024), which explores coaching beyond techniques, with humility, presence, and partnership. She hosts The Coaching Inn podcast and has received a number of awards, including the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Coaching Award from Henley Business School and a Points of Light Award from the UK Prime Minister for her voluntary work. Claire’s approach is informed by systemic thinking and a commitment to equity and fairness, and she draws on her personal experiences, such as walking the Camino de Santiago, to deepen her coaching insights.

Lucia Baldelli is an ICF Master Certified Coach, the 3rd in the world for the Agile space, and a mentor coach. She is a native Italian. Moving abroad exposed her to multicultural environments that opened her mind and horizons and gave her the opportunity to become fluent in English and Spanish. In her 20+ years of experience in Organisational Coaching, she developed a strong focus on the human and relational aspect of the workplace to nurture cultures where people can thrive.
Lucia is the founder and the heart of the global coaching school Coaching Outside the Box, bringing passion and commitment to her students’ success. Her mission is to unleash human potential through coaching and mentoring other coaches towards mastery. Lucia is a wife and a mum who enjoys family travelling as a way to discover new cultures. Her husband is teaching her padel and oil painting.