Why Somatics & Embodiment Matter In Coaching

Coaching isn’t just about what we think, it’s also about what we feel and inhabit. Somatics and embodiment bring awareness to the body, energy, and lived experience, helping you integrate insights into lasting change.

Whether you’re navigating career transitions, leadership challenges, or personal growth, connecting head, heart, and body creates a grounded, sustainable path forward.

Many of us, especially in the Western World, seem to forget or avoid the fact we have bodies. We ‘think’ things through. We think about how we feel. We may not even like to use the word, ‘feel’ as if that means something soft and weak, and our egos don’t like that!

But, have you ever been sad, angry, happy, calm? How did that state affect your experience, decisions, actions and how did it affect those around you? And vice versa, when have you walked into a room and instantly ‘felt’ the tension? How did that impact the interaction and your own perfornance?

You see my point. We are not just talking heads. We are bodies. We are hearts. And minds.

While insight in our mind is essential, it is not enough. Our bodies hold patterns, emotions, unconscious and historic trauma, and experiences that can either support or limit growth.

Somatic (also called ‘embodied’ or ‘felt-sense’ approaches) coaching helps:

• Release tension, stress, and habitual reactivity

• Build awareness of body signals and emotional responses

• Strengthen presence, resilience, and clarity

• Align values, intentions, and actions in daily life

By attending to the body alongside thought and emotion, we create an integrated, authentic way of being that supports real transformation.

How I Work with Somatics in Coaching

I use a trauma-informed, embodied approach to coaching that blends reflection, somatic practices, and actionable insights. This might include:

• Mindfulness and breath awareness

• Movement and gesture exploration

• Voice and creative expression

• Practical exercises connecting body sensations to decisions and goals

These practices help you notice unconscious patterns, release old tension, and cultivate authentic self-expression. Coaching becomes more than insight but instead it becomes something you can feel, inhabit, and live.

Who Benefits from Embodied Coaching

Somatic coaching can support:

• Leaders navigating stress, burnout, and complex challenges

• Individuals in career or life transitions needing clarity and integration

• Highly sensitive people seeking grounded strategies and self-care

• Anyone ready to move beyond thinking to feeling, acting, and expressing authentically

For answers to frequently asked questions about profiling and understanding ‘who you are’ please go here.

Coaching is a way through the loops and confusion of life. Together, we create space to pause, reflect, and move forward with clarity, courage, and confidence.

Trauma-Informed Executive, Leadership, Career & Life Transitions Coach (PCC) in New Zealand.

Return to Home Page.