International Coaching Week 2025

Last week, we celebrated International Coaching Week 2025 – we took some time at Barefoot to pause, reflect and reconnect – with the roots of coaching, our own journey, and where we’re heading next. We started the week by exploring the history of coaching. From Socratic dialogue to the rise of coaching psychology, from early executive coaching to today’s digital platforms and AI, the evolution of coaching has been rich, thoughtful and ever-growing.

What began as a philosophical exploration of human flourishing has now become a global profession, deeply grounded in psychology, learning theory, and human connection. Barefoot has been proud to walk that path for over 25 years, supporting coaches to work ethically, psychologically and impactfully. With over 6,000 coaches trained in 28 countries, our approach has always been about more than just skills – it’s about helping people make meaningful change, for themselves and for others.

We also took a moment this week to reflect on our own roots. Barefoot began 30 years ago when Kim Morgan founded what was then Barefoot Training. Since those early days, we’ve evolved alongside the profession – always growing, always learning, and always committed to holding onto what matters: depth, ethics, curiosity, and care.

This year, we’ve been thinking a lot about how coaching continues to evolve – and that theme runs right through our 2025 Barefoot Coaching Conference. We’ll be exploring where coaching came from, what’s shaping it now, and where it might go next. It’s a conversation we’re really excited to be part of.

Alongside this, we’ve also been quietly working on two new offerings – both reflecting the way coaching and learning are continuing to shift and grow.

One is a new Certificate in Coaching for Grief and Loss, created and led by Kim Morgan. For many years, our one-day course on grief and loss has been one of our most in-demand sessions. This new, longer programme builds on that foundation—offering coaches a deeper, more psychologically grounded exploration of working with grief in all its forms. It’s been a real labour of love, and we’re looking forward to sharing more soon.

The other is something new for us – our first on-demand learning session: The Psychology of Coaching at Work, hosted on the Barefoot Academy. In it, our CEO Andy Chandler explores the psychology behind coaching – how we can better understand ourselves, and others, in the workplace. It’s designed to be practical, thoughtful, and full of insight – whether you’re a coach, a leader, or someone simply curious about what drives people.

Are you interested in learning more about coaching? Why not come along to one of free coach training taster sessions? You will learn, and even get to try out some coaching techniques in this two hour, online session.