In Coaching Stories: Flowing and Falling of Being a Coach, Karen Dean and Sam Humphrey intimately share their varied experiences as executive coaches in forty-eight stories â?" some where they were flowing and glorious, and others where they were falling and ashamed.

Being a coach is a deeply rewarding profession, but even the best coaches encounter moments of uncertainty and doubt. In Coaching Stories: Flowing and Falling of Being a Coach, Karen Dean and Sam Humphrey intimately share their varied experiences as executive coaches in 48 stories - some where they were flowing and glorious, and others where they were falling and ashamed. Dean and Humphrey guide the reader through the journey from a novice to a master coach by exploring twelve distinct themes, underpinned by the four parts of Dean's 'Exceptional Achievement' framework: setting out, doing, integrating and being. Each chapter focuses on a different theme, presenting specific examples and stories from the authors' work and reflecting on their learning and development at each point. Dean and Humphrey expertly assess topics, including confidence, talent, purpose and fulfilment, by examining times where they performed effectively as well as those where they fell short. In each case they consider what they wish they had asked or known about in advance, and each story provides an insightful look at what being a coach is really like. Practical and accessible, the book concludes with a section on further reading and study, explaining relevant theories, models and frameworks. Coaching Stories: Flowing and Falling of Being a Coach will be a compassionate and pragmatic companion for coaches of all kinds, both in practice and in training. It will also be a valuable guide for other professionals seeking development, including internal coaches, managers in a coaching role, HR and L&D professionals and will be a useful text for academics and students of coaching and coaching psychology. Dean and Humphrey are award-winning authors and have written a number of articles for leading coaching publications.

'Karen Dean and Sam Humphrey have done a FAB-U-LOUS job in bringing the reader closer to an understanding of what 'really' goes on in the mind of coaches and helps the reader share the values of personal experiences from real people in their prospective fields. It's a great book for anyone wanting to develop both their coaching and personal leadership skills so you can truly be that confident and inspiring person you know you are.' - Craig Revel Horwood, from the foreword 'I've been coached and in turn coached others, first in sport and now far beyond, walking with clients through some of the most challenging personal and business chapters of their lives. I now have a cohort of colleagues who provide support and challenge in equal measure, but I know my journey in coaching would have been enhanced by a book like this, where key elements of coaching practice are illustrated with heart-warming stories, all within a cogent coaching framework, from which we can all take something - no matter our coaching background or experience.' - John Amaechi OBE; organisational psychologist, Chartered Scientist, New York Times best-selling author and CEO of APS, a leadership consultancy working in Europe and the United States 'Karen and Sam are up to something, inspiring you to dream, learn and be more of who you are as a coach and leader.' - Steve Radcliffe, leadership expert and author of the UK's top leadership book Leadership Plain and Simple 'This highly personal account by two seasoned coaches takes you behind the scenes. Packed with numerous real examples from their professional practice Karen Dean and Sam Humphrey candidly describe their ups and downs and the challenges they have faced as coaches. By far the most important take away I believe is that through it all they have continued learning - and so will you.' - Ian McDermott, Founder of International Teaching Seminars, creator of 'Mastering the Coach Approach' and author of The NLP Coach, Your Inner Coach and The Coaching Bible 'What a rare treat?to walk alongside two pioneer coaches as they navigate the challenges, set-backs and triumphs emblematic of the journey from beginner to master coach. Their journey is even more admirable when we consider that they began their careers before most of the major professional coaching bodies were even born or were in their infancies. Through humility, humour and grace, their stories illuminate how coaching holds the promise of tremendous value, is not for the faint of heart, cannot be done by just anyone, and requires highly specialized knowledge, skills and abilities on the part of the coach. This book shows us how courage, critical reflection, appropriate education and training and a fierce commitment to an ongoing learning journey are imperatives for any coach wishing to offer credible personal or business coaching services in the marketplace today.' - Wendy Johnson, founder, President/CEO of the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) 'Karen and Sam show coaching from the inside-out and this book delightfully and generously shares the inner experience of the coach's journey, from starting out to mastery, from early failures and unexpected successes, through growing discernment and confidence to an ease that comes from flow.'-Peter Hawkins, Professor of Leadership Henley Business School, Chairman of Renewal Associates and author of Leadership Team Coaching and many other coaching and leadership books.