‘The Power of Coaching’ – New Bestselling Book Explores Evidence Based Coaching to Lift the Lid on an Often Misunderstood Industry
“Simply put you’ll recognise how impactful coaching can be as an intervention.”
As the billion pound coaching industry continues to boom, and the concept of coaching becomes ever more mainstream, well-known coaching powerhouse Ruth Kudzi, from London, celebrates the launch of new collaboration book; ‘The Power of Coaching – Nurturing Leadership and Personal Development’, where she has bought together ten experts from around the globe, in a bid to help people understand the power of coaching and change the way people think, feel and act.
Only a few hours after the book’s release, it flew to the top of the Amazon book charts with six number ones across many different categories including; Coaching and Mentoring.
Launched during National Reading Month (March), which is designated to motivate people of all ages to read every day, Ruth, who is a Psychologist, Neuroscience Expert, Master Coach and multiple best-selling author, alongside being a 7 figure entrepreneur and the Founder of Optimus Coach Academy, releases this book with Optimus alumni authors as part of her continued mission to create a ripple effect through the power of coaching, for individuals as well as within organisations as well as to showcase each individual author.
Ruth has facilitated this collaborative book, drawing upon experiences from those she has trained, celebrating their transformations, knowledge and expertise too.
Representing both male and female coaches and coaches from minority groups, and with many of the co-authors being neurodivergent, Ruth is proud to celebrate sharing the voices of many who often feel unrepresented, as the book explores authenticity, how to overcome challenges of working with ADHD and how to get out of our own way to achieve our dreams.
‘The Power of Coaching’ comprises chapters by ten coaches from diverse backgrounds including; GPs, career coaches and wellbeing coaches who all bring their own experience and expertise to life. They each share their own case studies demonstrating the impact of coaching personally and professionally. Ruth adds; “Simply put you’ll recognise how impactful coaching can be as an intervention.”
Ruth said: “One of the themes of this book is that coaching works across contexts and is useful for marginalised groups. Whether we look through a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens or focus on neurodivergent people, coaching helps people to be more authentically them. If coaching was integrated into school curriculums, many people could feel more confident and resilient, which would have a positive impact on outcomes and the community.“
Ruth said; “Coaching is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. As of 2022, the coaching industry’s market size reached an estimated $20 billion, securing its position as the second-fastest-growing global sector, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – revenue witnessed an impressive 62% increase from 2019, totaling $4.564 billion in 2023. The increase in demand for coaching is fabulous as more and more people become more connected to the personal development world, which for years has peaked in entrepreneurial space – it’s fabulous to see it become more mainstream – and to see it being embraced more in the UK”.
Exploring the questions: ‘What is coaching? and how does it help people?’ Ruth explains; “Coaching can help change the way people think, feel and act. It supports people to make new connections in their brains so they re-wire them from the inside out. I have worked with thousands of clients and seen huge transformations. In this book, I wanted to bring to life the impact coaching can have from a range of perspectives.”
With the book Ruth also wanted to recognise and explore preconceived notions around what coaching is and the image that the term ‘life coaching’ can bring up. She said: “As the coaching boom from the US spread to the UK there was lots of unease and mistrust of it as a practice, with many preconceived ideas and misconceptions taking place about what’s involved. With this book, as with everything I do I wanted to present evidence-based examples of its power, to help lift the lid on what coaching really looks like, and the impact it can have.”
Ruth is passionate about the industry, given her own personal experience alongside decades of training, she explains; “I grew up thinking I was different which made me choose to study Psychology from the age of sixteen. Looking back, I realise I didn’t fit in because
there were a lot of things going on in my life, alongside neurodivergence. I struggled with my mental health from a young age: I had anxiety and spells of depression. After a tragic accident when I was eighteen I suffered from complex PTSD and often drank, partied or shopped in my attempt to feel better, which didn’t really work. I was curious about personal development and understanding people as I wanted to understand myself and feel less like a misfit.”
“I first heard about coaching back in the 1990s while studying Psychology and Management. Our lecturer described the most effective leadership styles and talked about a coaching approach which differed from the more traditional directive models. I already had experience of working with a directive boss (and rebelling against it) so my ears pricked up: to me this made so much sense.”
“Over the years I imagined becoming a life coach and immersed myself in reading about personal development, studying more Psychology and doing mindfulness training. It was at a festival a few years after finishing my degree that I met two people who were coaches and it started to seem like a career in coaching was possible. Back then, I felt I needed to get my life more in order before I was able to help others, despite the fact I was a teacher!”
“Our personal experiences can be important in helping us connect and have empathy with others, yet we don’t need to be the finished article – if that even exists. It is all about being a work in progress.”
“As an educator I’d always loved seeing people get their own results and learn new things, and coaching seemed like a natural progression.”
Nearly a decade later, Ruth’s relentless pursuit of knowledge and commitment to excellence have earned her recognition as one of the UK’s top Master Certified Coaches, independently verified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Chartered Psychology and Psychology Coach status, she’s become the Founder one of the world’s leading coach training providers and has spoken across the world, as a guest speaker for the likes of; UCL, Birkbeck, Goldsmiths and Natwest as well as being a regular speaker for the ICF in India, Israel, Iran, SE Asia and Bulgaria. She also regularly contributes to charities such as; Young Minds, Shelter, Crisis, Oxfam, Mind, The Stroke Association and Unicef.
She added about the book: “Coaching skills are essential for our own personal and professional success. If you’ve been considering using a coaching approach in your professional life, getting a coach or training as a coach (or you’re already in the field)… you’ll find inspiration and real world examples. The chapters traverse coaching in a range of environments with both individuals and teams, different approaches and the huge impact that coaching can have on underrepresented groups supporting the creation of a more equitable society.”
To purchase a copy of the book, please visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Coaching-Nurturing-Leadership-Development/dp/1915771641?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
