"And if I can coach in a way where someone is really attuned to what's happening in their mind and body as one, not as two separate things, then I think, well, I've found it. It's just magical... They would kind of find themselves at their best. They go on to do things where they're, the phrase I like to use is, they're surprised by what they can do." Mike Porteous

Mike Porteous is an endurance sports coach and author of Beyond Belief: The art of confidence-centred coaching. But this episode isn't only about sport. It's about what happens when we stop trying to fix people and start paying attention to what's actually going on for them in their bodies, in the space between coach and athlete, in the moments before an event. Mike describes confidence not as a thing someone has or doesn't have, but as something much more. He speaks about thrill and anticipation, control and uncertainty, fluency and the kind of in-the-moment experience where we can lose and find ourselves at once. We talk about what it means to coach from presence and why the question "how did it feel?" matters far more than "how did it look?" There is also unexpected theme we touch on through this episode: beauty. We talk about being captured by something in front of us, feeling fully alive and the wonder that can arise when someone surprises themselves with what they can do.

Mike Porteous has zigzagged between various careers and life changes: from academia (DPhil research in Brazil); to government (leading major change programmes for business); and now to the world of sports coaching. He runs a private endurance coaching business, ZigZag Alive, alongside developing Confidence-Centred Coaching for coaches of all sports - captured in his recently published book Beyond Belief: the art of confidence-centred coaching. He mentors triathlon coaches, teaches disabled children swimming and is a co-host for monthly Wellbeing Dips in the sea. His personal philosophy starts with openness: to others, experiences, ideas and learning.

Connect with Mike

Through his website: www.zigzagconfidence.com

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-porteous-11754235/

Resources Mentioned:

Beyond Belief: The art of confidence-centred coaching

Steven Rollnick and Motivational Interviewing

Alison Jones and Practical Inspiration Publishing