Rooted and Rising - Coaching Conversations with Anna-Marie

Episode Thirteen - Rooted & Rising reflections: Insights from season one

‘I feel really touched. I feel really blessed. There's an element of sadness that season one is coming to a close. I set out on this journey and I didn't know where I was going at all. It was just such an unknown. Each conversation, has carved arc and now it's ending. How can I do the season justice and draw it to a close, have a pause, and then come back for series two. There is definitely going be a series two. That's not a spoiler alert’ - Anna-Marie Watson From the autumn to spring equinox eleven guests have kindly shared insights and stories from their lives that trace their roots and what rises within them as coaches or psychotherapists and human beings in connection with our natural world.  In our thirteenth episode Anna-Marie and Rob who’s usually behind the scenes as podcast producer reflect on their journey over the last seven months and share their thoughts on the main themes that have emerged with transformation, change, purpose, play and notice the gaps that have also arisen. Anna-Marie offers her perspectives as podcast host and how each podcast guest has influenced her work and life. Season one draws to a close for Anna-Marie with a mixture of pride, joy, sadness and gratitude.  About Change agent, connector, coach, collaborator and podcaster Anna-Marie combines her passion and curiosity for peak performance across her work and life. She brings a wealth of over twenty-five years’ international experience to craft a portfolio career.  She is a self-certified learning junkie with a Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Coaching from the University of Derby and Master’s in Teaching from the University of Sydney; amongst other psychological and psychometric based coaching tools. Happiest outdoors Anna-Marie loves to escape the confines of four walls and co-create coaching conversations with nature.  Anna-Marie is on a mission to encourage a different approach to work where our natural environment is valued within the business world. She facilitates outdoor coaching supervision circles; co-hosted the biweekly ‘Coaching Outdoors’ podcast for five years; co-wrote chapters in ‘The Coaches Handbook’ and ‘Succeeding as a Coach’ on eco-coaching and was a driving force behind the two successful Coaching Outdoors Podcast LIVE @ Henley Business School festivals. Former British Army Officer, she has worked in challenging environments from snowy Arctic tundra to hot and sandy deserts though currently resides within the rolling countryside of Somerset. Alongside her passion for performance and coaching Anna- Marie has a severe ultra-running habit and has raced competitively at an international level. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/awatson4/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rfmcoaching/] To find out more: www.rootedrisingpodcast.com [https://www.rootedrisingpodcast.com]

Episode Twelve - Bridging the gap: Removing barriers to outdoor coaching

‘When I started looking at all of this, I did have that presumption that everyone can access nature. Nature is there for everyone, and unpacking that unconscious bias is really powerful and really important, and recognising, wow, I didn't know that, but now I do know that. And, I'm going to try to do something about that, because that's really important to me’  Ruth Geddes, coach & supervisor with a passion for equity  ‘Is outdoor coaching an accessible and equitable practice?’ Driven by the threads of nature, equity and outdoor coaching Ruth Geddes posed this question for her Masters research project at the University of East London despite considerable personal and professional discomfort. Her conversations with coaches and clients revealed the gap which exists with seen and unseen, spoken and unspoken conscious and unconscious needs. She invites coaches to ponder the following questions:  * Who may feel excluded from my coaching practice and why? * How could I be proactive in adapting my marketing and coaching practice to increase accessibility? * When looking around a local nature space, see it with fresh eyes. Can everyone access this space? If not, why not? The roots of her mantra ‘informed by psychology, inspired by nature’ can be traced back to a wee village on the east coast of Scotland with fond memories from the beach, rock pools and sea. Ruth is on a mission to spread awareness on equity, inclusivity, safety and belonging within the outdoor coaching realm.  Bio: Ruth Geddes is a Positive Psychology practitioner with an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, a Senior Practitioner Coach accredited by the EMCC and an accredited supervisor. Her research explored barriers to participation in outdoor coaching, with a particular focus on accessibility and inclusion. Ruth’s coaching integrates evidence-based positive psychology with nature-based approaches, helping people reconnect with themselves and nature through the often-overlooked magic of everyday outdoor spaces. Alongside her coaching practice, Ruth works in Higher Education as a Wellbeing Team Manager. Her work is informed by psychology, inspired by nature. Ruth Geddes Coaching [https://www.ruthgeddescoaching.com] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-geddes-862ab1176/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nature_coaching_southsea] Resources:  Conceptual article in Journal of Positive Psychology - Outdoor Coaching – an Accessible and Equitable Practice? Ruth Geddes, MSc., Alison Bishop, PhD - Journal of Positive Psychology Coaching (JPPC) Vol 3, 2026 [https://www.journal.theippc.com/article/157520-outdoor-coaching-an-accessible-and-equitable-practice] Dr Alison Bishop [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alison-bishop-a08907235/] To find out more: www.rootedrisingpodcast.com [https://www.rootedrisingpodcast.com]

Episode Eleven - When life gives you lemons - Life after a spinal injury

'In 2018, I had a spinal injury. I just stopped making artwork for, about 18 months, I was completely stuck. I couldn't… couldn't do anything. And funnily enough, when lockdown came, I sort of became unlocked. I don't know what it is. I think it was because I felt I wasn't the only one trapped indoors. I wasn't missing anything, because there was nothing to miss anymore’. Tracey Falcon, Life Coach, Artist Educator and Wheel Chair User  Artist and creative life coach Tracey Falcon joins us from Whitstable, Kent where she lives with her youngest son, dog and a steady stream of refugees. In 2018, her spinal injury prompted an inner search to redefine value within herself and discover ‘who she is’ and ‘what she does’. How she navigated this huge life transition and relationship with grief is a testament to her perseverance and determination. Tracey speaks openly about the challenges she faces as a wheel chair user from accessibility, vulnerability and her enemy otherwise known as mud.  Discover the pun behind her business name ‘Still Life Coaching’ and her strap line based on the concept of ‘lemonading’ that brings an element of playfulness and resilience into her work. Plus, the influence of philosophical enquiry that enters her coaching; ‘what do I think I know?’, ‘why do I think know it, and can I be certain? If not, then what other possibilities could there be?’ From tadpoles to prosthetic tree limbs our conversations are filled with metaphors, perspectives, possibilities…  Bio As an artist educator working in galleries, museums and even in a forest, also teaching at universities, Tracey creatively worked with vulnerable groups and individuals, igniting curiosity and connecting to places, people, objects and ideas. A spinal injury in 2018 limited what she can now cope with physically and subsequently had to rethink her career. She learned a great deal through her major life change experience. A disabled, single parent, she is no stranger to a struggle. Drawing on this and her creative project work helping people gain confidence and problem solve, she decided to retrain, first gaining two counselling qualifications and then as a life coach. She has a passion for nature, especially trees and continues to make art.  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-falcon-4617865a/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tracey.falcon/] Instagram - Still Life Coaching [https://www.instagram.com/stories/still.life.coaching/] Instagram - Tracey Falcon [https://www.instagram.com/tracey_falcon/] Instagam - Treesee Falcon Artwork [https://www.instagram.com/treeseefalcon] Resources Disability Rights UK [https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org]  Moving Social Work [https://getyourselfactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Moving-Social-Work-Summary-PE.pdf] The Polyphony [https://thepolyphony.org] Give Us a Shout [https://giveusashout.org] - text 85258  Refugees at Home [https://refugeesathome.org]  The Conversation Agency [https://www.theconversationagency.co.uk]  Blog – Lemons and Lemonade [https://stilllifecoaching.com/lemonading/f/lemons-and-lemonade] Concept ‘lemonading’ from research by Shen X and Crawley Z (2025) How does playfulness (re)frame the world? Evidence for selective cognitive and behavioral redirecting in times of adversity. Front. Psychol. 15:1462980. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462980 [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1462980/full#cite]   To find out more: www.rootedrisingpodcast.com [https://www.rootedrisingpodcast.com]

Episode Ten - Mother nature - Healing from postpartum psychosis

‘I had no hope of recovery, I didn't understand what was happening. I felt very out of control and powerless in my own life. I couldn't really see what the future would bring.’  Tracey Robinson, Coach, Occupational Therapist and Post-partum Psychosis Survivor.  From occupational therapist turned coach and founder of Mother Nature Coaching Tracey is on a mission to raise awareness about postpartum psychosis. This severe and sudden though treatable mental illness effects 1 to 2 in 1,000 women in the days or weeks after child birth. She openly shares insights into her personal experiences with mania, exhaustion, hallucinations, disassociation and overwhelm as she narrowly avoided being sectioned after the birth of her first child.  This unexpected shift from NHS service provider to mental health patient gave her valuable insights that led to her role as an ardent change maker within the system.  Her work helped introduce the recovery approach to mental health and peer support within countrywide specialist perinatal mental health services and maternity transformation programme. After a period of burn out she recently re-trained as a coach and stumbled across ‘walking and talking’ coaching. Over the last eighteen months she’s intuitively followed her desire to deepened her connection with nature and support mothers who’ve experienced mental health issues during their maternity leave.  Please note: At times our conversation is difficult and emotionally charged. Please take care of yourself if you’re feeling emotionally fragile or vulnerable. The following organisations offer support:  Samaritans: www.smaritans.org [https://www.samaritans.org/] / 116 123 Action on Postpartum Psychosis Charity: www.app-network.org [https://www.app-network.org]  Bio Tracey uses nature connected coaching to support women returning to work after they've experienced mental health issues during maternity leave. Before setting up her own business Mother Nature Coaching in 2025 she worked in the NHS for over 30 years. She is a mental health occupational therapist who progressed to senior leadership roles in service improvement programmes across mental health and maternity services. Her passion for this career was driven by her personal experience of postpartum psychosis.  She is a trustee for Action on Postpartum Psychosis a specialist national charity who raise awareness of the illness and provide support. She has told her story in the media to raise awareness and trained as a peer supporter. Tracey’s journey into coaching and nature connection was a response to workplace burnout alongside managing perimenopause symptoms.  She now balances her work with spending reflective time outdoors in local woodland and travelling to mountains and lakes whenever she can. Linkedin profile [https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceyrobinsoncoach/] Mother Nature Coaching on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/mothernaturecoaching] Charity: Action on Postpartum Psychosis [https://www.app-network.org]  Resources Jane Lloyd - Postpartum Psychosis Advocate [https://www.instagram.com/jadealloyd/] Coaching Outdoors Podcast [https://coaching-outdoors.com/the-podcasts/] Dr Annette Bauer, London School of Economics [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/annette-bauer] Animas Coaching Programme [https://www.animascoaching.com/coach-training-course/] Coaching Outdoors Getting Started Programme [https://coachingoutdoors.com/cogs] Lesley Roberts [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-roberts/] Jackee Holder [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackeeholder/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenliebenguth/ To find out more: www.rootedrisingpodcast.com [https://www.rootedrisingpodcast.com]

Episode Nine - Hive Logic and Emotion

‘The bees started as a hobby, completely separate to work, but you know, I was also sitting outside my office one day, noticing people coming and going, and the buzz, and coming and going through a small door in a big office, and inside it's busy, and inside there's lots of communication and amazing products, and instead of honey, it was cancer medicines.  And I just started using the bee metaphor at work to help have better conversations. To help have conversations about communication, or conflict, or diversity, or decision making’ - Philip Atkinson, Found Hive Logic and Beekeeper From a chance encounter deep in the forest when Philip stumbled across the infamous Alsace Bee Club lessons from the hive unexpectedly infiltrated across his life; then work. His work shifted from being employee 767590 for twenty-five years within a multi-national company in Switzerland to building his own consultancy and coaching business ‘Hive Logic’ - though with hindsight admits ‘Hive Emotion’ would be more appropriate.  Steeped in bee metaphors our conversation draws analogies around change, teamwork, skills, diversity and inclusion and more. Philip regales stories as a beekeeper with an emergency swarm rescue at Basel airport and the annual Honey Day harvest otherwise known by his children as the ‘stickiest day of the year’. He then strongly advocates for our individual responsibility on how to protect this vital keystone species within our world.  Bio: Philip Atkinson is a leadership team expert and organisational coach and shares his wisdom of his two great passions together in his book, Bee Wise - 12 Leadership Lessons from Inside a Beehive. All proceeds from the book go directly to the charity Bees for Development [https://www.beesfordevelopment.org].  As a beekeeper, Philip lives in Alsace, France and loves to spend the summer tending to and observing the precious bees and spending the winter learning, reading and writing about them. Throughout the whole year, Phillip supports leadership teams and leaders to grow and develop. He is the founder of Hive-Logic Coaching and Communications. The company is run like a collaborative beehive and they support senior leaders and teams at multinational organisations to perform at their best with coaching, training and facilitation. Website: www.hive-logic.com [https://hive-logic.com] and www.beewisebook.com [https://beewisebook.com] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipatkinsonhivelogic/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/beewisebook] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570064660723&rdid=rbsFvirxzo2qzeCD&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1FJ9S417Gv] To find out more: www.rootedrisingpodcast.com [https://www.rootedrisingpodcast.com]