What if the body could speak in a coaching conversation?
In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, speaks with David Ridley-Parris, ACC, about somatic coaching and what becomes possible when coaches expand their attention beyond the verbal and conceptual.
David shares how his work with clients experiencing grief and loss led him to somatic coaching. He noticed that, at times, “their language hadn’t necessarily caught up to what their body already knew.” From there, the conversation explores how the body, the client’s environment, objects, movement, and physical space can become additional sources of awareness within a coaching conversation.
David explains the distinction between conceptual and embodied self-awareness, addresses the concern that somatic coaching may feel “too woo-woo,” and describes how he introduces somatic exploration as an invitation rather than something imposed on the client.
The conversation includes practical examples—from simply taking a few breaths or walking, to using body shapes, moving through physical space to explore decisions, and working with everyday objects as metaphors. All of David’s somatic coaching is conducted virtually, with clients exploring their own bodies and environments from their own space.
At its heart, this is a conversation about expanding the vocabulary of coaching beyond words—and considering what else might support a client in becoming more aware of what is happening for them.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:21 - Why David Came to Somatic Coaching
04:13 - What Is Somatic Coaching?
06:08 - Is Somatic Coaching Too “Woo-Woo”?
08:51 - Introducing Somatics Into Coaching
10:38 - Letting the Body Speak
11:29 - Exploring Decisions Through Movement
13:47 - Somatic Coaching on Zoom
14:01 - When Objects Become Metaphors
15:13 - Beyond Words
16:29 - David’s Invitation to Coaches
17:01 - Closing
About David Ridley-Parris
David Ridley-Parris, ACC, is a coach based in Portugal who works with clients around the world. With a background in HR and a coaching practice that includes grief and loss as well as executive clients, David explores how somatic approaches can expand the ways coaches support awareness and exploration.
PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.
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