Coaches On The Couch

Hosted by Rachel Birchmore and Louise Rodgers

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Coaches On The Couch is the podcast from the coaches behind Step Up (stepuplondon.com) the leadership development programme for architects and built environment consultancies. Co-hosts Rachel Birchmore and Louise Rodgers bring their experience and knowledge of the sector and coaching insights to explore the world of work and progressive leadership through conversations with special guests. Our publication 'Learning from Lockdown' marking 12 months of the podcast is available at http://www.stepuplondon.com/shop/cotc-the-book Produced by Aral Sea Sounds https://www.aralseaproductions.com/

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 15, 2026Episode 132 min

Yemi Aladerun LB Ealing “Joy for me creates perspective, it stops uncertainty becoming the only thing in the room”

“Reclaim the Joy” is our 100th episode Louise and Rachel are joined by Jo Bacon of Allies and Morrison, Matt Mason of Crosstree, Sam Elbahja of ISO Collective, Noris Ojibiaku of TheDesignSuite, Yemi Aladerun of LB Ealing, Jay Morton of Bell Phillips and a live audience to reclaim the joy! “Reclaim the Joy” explores whether our capacity for joy helps us cope with uncertainty, whether joy is temporary wholeness and how leaders create the conditions for joy in their teams. Thank you to Allies and Morrison for hosting and PMK Consult for sponsoring the event. https://www.pmkconsult.com/ Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

September 17, 2026Episode 1041 min

Maria Loreto Flores, Eleni Stathi and Rachael Davidson of Women in Architecture "Behaviours that potentially I experienced ten years ago are not appropriate now."

Louise and Rachel are joined by representatives from ZHA, HTA and SMITHS to explore mentoring. We hear more about Women in Architecture’s mentoring programme and learn how mentoring is structured in these three very different organisations. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

September 10, 2026Episode 930 min

Dorian Proudfoot, CEO of Donald Insall Associates “I know I don’t know all the answers, I know I need to navigate through using others’ skills too”

Rachel and Dorian explore how leadership of conservation projects informs his approach to leading practice and people, and why this experience is particularly important in our increasingly uncertain world. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

July 9, 2026Episode 833 min

Russell Curtis, director of RCKa "There are obvious problems, that we all know about, and they need to be called out, and we need to do something about them."

Rachel, Louise and Russell talk about the power of being provocative, weathering a ‘lumpy’ market, and finding joy in challenging times. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

June 4, 2026Episode 735 min

Jonny Wong, director of dMFK. “"Self-awareness in leadership is not about introspection, it is about understanding the effect you have on others in the room."

Louise and Rachel chat self-awareness with Jonny Wong of dMFK and he shares how learning more about himself, his immediate colleagues and the role they each play in the team, supports the business to grow itself and its people. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

May 7, 2026Episode 630 min

Pauline Blanchet, founder of Aral Sea Productions, Cumberland Lodge Fellow and producer of COTC. “I have always been interested in built environment megaprojects and how they impact communities.”

As Rachel and Louise approach the 100th episode of the podcast, they talk to its producer Pauline Blanchet about the intersection of film-making and built environment leadership as explored through Coaches On The Couch. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

April 16, 2026Episode 529 min

Sean Hatcher, creative director of MCM "Part of my role is to develop and propagate not only creativity and ideas but also our people."

Sean Hatcher of MCM talks to Louise and Rachel about the ‘sliding door’ moments of his early career and how creativity is faring in a world of major disruptors, such as AI and globalisation. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

March 26, 2026Episode 431 min

Rachel Birchmore, coach and co-host "These four new services… are all to do with the way we coach and the theme that links them together is ‘humanity’.”

Louise and Rachel introduce the four new strands of specialist coaching they are now offering, aimed at tackling the barriers to people not just surviving, but thriving, at work.

March 13, 2026Episode 331 min

Chris Bryant, co-founder of Alma-nac “Behavioural change is the missing piece in the architects’ toolkit. It should be the starting point, rather than an afterthought."

Chris Bryant of alma-nac explains to Rachel and Louise what the practice discovered about behavioural change when it applied architectural thinking to a project aimed at making schools more energy-efficient. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

February 19, 2026Episode 227 min

Nathan Spencer, MD of UKREiif “The culture we have created makes people want to remain in the business for the long term. We are proud to have a team that is sticking together.”

The first episode of 2026 features Louise and Rachel in conversation with Nathan Spencer, Managing Director of UKREiif. They chat about his leadership journey; the values that underpin the culture of the organisation, including its commitment to D&I; and what’s next for this rapidly growing brand. Coaches On The Couch is co-hosted by Louise Rodgers and Rachel Birchmore who are exec and leadership coaches. They design and deliver bespoke leadership development programmes and coaching for architects, engineers and other consultancies across the built environment. For more information, please visit www.StepUpLondon.com

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