Reflective Writing and Authenticity: Writing essays that truly reflect you

One of the most valuable aspects of the Post Graduate Certificate in Business and Personal Coaching is the emphasis on reflective writing. Yet many students find reflective writing challenging — unsure how personal to be, how to balance theory with experience, or how to write in a critically reflective way.

Barefoot Write Club creates space to explore reflective writing in a way that feels practical, and authentic. During the session, we revisit reflective models such as What? So What? Now What? (Boud, Keogh & Walker (2013)) and explore how they can help organise your thinking while keeping your writing personally meaningful.

Students are encouraged to move beyond simply describing what happened and instead focus on what they learned, how their thinking has shifted, and what they will do differently in practice.

A recurring theme in Write Club is authenticity. You don’t need to write in a voice that doesn’t feel like yours, and you don’t need to over-rely on AI or academic jargon to sound “good enough.” Instead, the emphasis is on clarity, reflection, and genuine engagement with your coaching practice. When personal experience is thoughtfully woven together with research, essays become more coherent, insightful, and compelling.

Barefoot Write Club also reminds students to be kind to themselves. Reflective writing can feel exposing, but it is also where the deepest learning happens. With gentle structure and reassurance, students often leave feeling more confident about trusting their voice and letting their learning show on the page.