Coaching in Conversation: The Phenomenology of Presence
15 January 2025
Coaching in Conversation with Tracy Sinclair | Episode 29
I was delighted to join Tracy Sinclair MCC on her Coaching in Conversation podcast in January 2025 — a series that explores not just how coaches can grow and develop, but how coaching itself is evolving as a vehicle for genuine human transformation.
The conversation ranged widely, but presence was at the heart of it: what it actually means to be present, why it matters so much in coaching, and what phenomenology brings to our understanding of it. We also talked about my own journey — from a long career in technology and engineering leadership, through to discovering coaching and eventually developing the phenomenological approach that now sits at the centre of my work.
What we explored
From engineering to coaching. I came to coaching from a background in technology, having worked across large multinationals in senior engineering and product development roles. That transition — and what it revealed about how I'd been relating to myself and others — shapes a lot of how I think about coaching today, particularly for leaders and professionals who live predominantly in their heads.
Presence as more than a technique. In coaching conversations, presence is often treated as a skill to be developed — something you can get better at by practising active listening or managing your own distractions. But phenomenologically, presence is something richer than that. It's a mode of being, a quality of attunement to the other person and to what is actually arising in the space between you. We explored what it means to inquire deeply into experience rather than simply respond to content.
The phenomenology of presence. Drawing on phenomenological philosophy — particularly the work of thinkers like Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger — we looked at how presence involves our whole embodied being, not just our minds. What are we actually doing when we're truly present with another person? What becomes possible in that space that isn't available when we're operating from the surface?
Coaching as a way of being. One of the threads running through the conversation was a question that I return to often: is coaching something you do, or something you are? The competency frameworks and toolkits have their place, but the most transformative coaching often happens in moments that can't be planned or replicated — moments of genuine encounter.
Listen to the episode
You can listen to the full 47-minute conversation on the Coaching in Conversation website, or find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Overcast.
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About Coaching in Conversation
Coaching in Conversation is hosted by Tracy Sinclair MCC, founder of Coach Advancement. The podcast brings together coaches and coaching thinkers from around the world to explore how the field is evolving and how coaching can fulfil its potential as a powerful vehicle for human development.