A Bioenergetic View of Coach Learning and Development

Abstract

Recent years have seen huge growth in coaching and an associated focus on how it can be optimized through a well informed and appropriately professional coaching workforce. An ongoing focus of coaching researchers has been the importance of sufficiently reflective coach learning and development, with an emphasis on the development of sufficiently critical and analytical thinking. This paper shines a light on an area that we believe has a fundamental influence on the aforementioned thinking processes but has been underconsidered in the coaching literature to date: namely, bioenergetics and the impact of energy metabolism. We provide an outline of the bioenergetic view, with a focus on energy metabolism and mitochondrial function and the influence they may have on coach learning and development. We then offer ideas on how coaches might address these impacts through promoting a better appreciation of the impact of stress and diet on energy metabolism. We conclude with a call for open dialogue and further research on this important area.