coaching health and wellness shownotes

Why Cultivating Coachability Is Key For Effective Coaching With Clare Norman

Jul 08, 2025

Shownotes For Podcast Episode 20: Why Cultivating Coachability Is Key For Effective Coaching With Clare Norman

In this episode of the Health and Wellness Coach Journal Podcast, Dr. Jessica Singh sits down with Clare Norman, Master Certified Coach and author of Cultivating Coachability. With over twenty years of experience in coaching and coach supervision, Clare is on a mission to encourage coaches to be more vocal about coachability, expecting more of coaching custodians and thinkers alike such that those thinkers are coaching-ready.

Together, Clare and Dr. Singh explore the often-overlooked but essential concept of coachability: what it is, how it differs from coaching readiness, and why it matters. Clare offers thoughtful distinctions that speak to the heart of what many coaches experience in practice: misalignment, unclear expectations, or clients who may not yet be ready for the work coaching entails. This conversation highlights how coaches must cultivate coachability to stay aligned with their ethics and scope of practice, regardless of their niche or practice setting.

In this episode, Clare Norman also explores the often-overlooked role of the coaching custodian—those who hold responsibility for the structure, delivery, and integrity of coaching within organizations. In private practice, the coach often assumes this role themselves, making intentional coach screening and assessing whether coaching is appropriate particularly important. Clare offers thoughtful guidance on setting boundaries, screening for coachability, and reframing success in ways that support more ethical, sustainable coaching relationships. Her insights equip coaches to lead with greater clarity, care, and accountability—whether they’re working independently or within a broader system.

Clare's Insights on Cultivating Coachability

Clare’s work is deeply rooted in the belief that coaching is not just a skillset but a relational journey that requires two willing participants: the coach and the “thinker.” In this compelling conversation, Clare and Dr. Singh explore the overlooked and often misunderstood concept of coachability. Clare unpacks the difference between coaching readiness and coachability, and how mismatches, unclear expectations, or lack of screening at the outset can limit coaching’s impact. Clare offers practical wisdom for coaches navigating these challenges and reminds us that clarity and courage are essential to honoring the coaching agreement.

Turning Points in Coaching Practice

Drawing from her new book, Cultivating Coachability, Clare shares how pivotal moments in her own career led her to redefine what effective coaching looks like. She discusses the necessity of disrupting old paradigms especially those that focus on “fixing” clients and instead invites coaches to hold space for reflection, ownership, and accountability. Through anecdotes and research, Clare highlights how transformational coaching requires an honest look at a client’s willingness to think differently and do the work between sessions.

As a Coach and a Thinker, Be Your Own Advocate

One of the most empowering takeaways from this episode is Clare’s call for both coaches and thinkers to become better advocates for themselves. For coaches, this means establishing clearer boundaries and expectations, especially when working in organizational systems where coaching custodians may not understand the depth of coaching work. For thinkers, this means showing up with a readiness to reflect, act, and own their growth.

Whether you’re an experienced coach, a program coordinator, or a health and wellness leader, Clare’s message is both refreshing and grounding. She challenges us to elevate coaching through transparency, ethics, and a deep commitment to partnership.

Takeaways

This episode offers a candid and timely reminder that effective coaching begins with cultivating coachability, and that coaching readiness must be nurtured. Coaches are not responsible for a client’s motivation, but they are responsible for co-creating the conditions where powerful transformation can occur. With humility, Clare Norman invites us to be intentional, knowledge-seeking, and bold in how we show up for ourselves and for those we serve.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Norman, Clare. Mentor Coaching: A Practical Guide. McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 2020.
Norman, Clare. The Transformational Coach: Free Your Thinking and Break Through to Coaching Mastery. Right Book Press, 2022.
Norman, Clare. Cultivating Coachability: How to Leverage Coaching Readiness So Thinkers Can Optimise Value. Right Book Press, 2024.