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We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Coach Katie Duckworth, diving into her deep passion for coaching and her extensive 30-year background in the non-profit sector. Katie shares how she acts as a critical friend, offering invaluable support and creating a space for meaningful reflection for the professionals she works with in the homelessness sector.

Why are you passionate about coaching?

I'm passionate about coaching because I think it gives people who have got busy lives and haven't got time to think, space and time to step away from whatever's on their plate at the moment. This will quite often be day-to-day challenges. Coaching lets them take that time to lift their gaze up above it all, think big, and come back to resourcing themselves.  

And the beautiful thing about having a coach is they've got no dog in the fight. They're there to be your critical friends. Challenging you, pointing things out for you, allowing you to see things differently, but also being your absolute raving fan.

One of your specialisms is leadership coaching, why do you think having a coach is so important for leaders in the homelessness sector?

It's tough at the top. It can be isolating at the top as a chief executive or a senior leader. And to have that ally alongside you every step of the way supporting you, it's so invaluable. The sector you're working in is difficult and you need all the support you can get.

I think sometimes when you get to the top of your organisation, you can have blind spots that you're not seeing. And it's quite difficult to get that kind of feedback from other people. People aren't always that honest about what they need from you.

I love helping purpose-driven leaders to thrive in their roles - however tough the issues being faced day-to-day. I support them to find that elusive ’sweet spot’ between going all out to create positive change in the world and loving their work, enabling their teams to thrive and do their very best work, too.

How would you describe your coaching style?

One of my clients once described me as ’infectiously enthusiastic’ and it’s true, I am, whether I’m coaching, training, running a workshop or doing a speaking event.

My approach is challenging, forward-thinking, warmly compassionate, and most importantly, playful and fun. This work is serious, but it really doesn’t have to be po-faced. I can be a bit of a rule-breaker, too. I’m not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. But I’ve found a coaching style that I love, that is authentic and gets the best out of the non-profit leaders and their teams who are drawn to work with me.

What Katie's coachees say about her

To enquire about coaching with Katie, please contact Lucy Horitz, Lucy.Horitz@homelesslink.org.uk or 07939 967206.

Tailored coaching for homelessness leaders

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