Partnering with Animas Centre for coaching

The challenge

Animas Centre for Coaching approached us with a clear ambition: to equip their coaches with a deeper understanding of how to work confidently and effectively with neurodivergent clients. They aimed to ensure coaches could build meaningful partnerships with neurodivergent individuals and leaders, while remaining aware of the broader organisational and societal contexts that shape client experiences.

What we found

Our initial conversations revealed that coaches were eager to better support neurodivergent clients but needed more confidence and clarity around how to do so. While they already possessed strong foundational skills, many were unsure how to apply these effectively when working with neurodivergent individuals. There was also a clear need for practical strategies, alongside space to reflect and explore this topic without fear of getting it wrong.

What we did

We designed and delivered a series of training sessions as part of Animas’s professional development programme. These focused on exploring coaching principles—such as partnership, listening, and contracting—through a neurodiversity-informed lens. We aimed to help coaches recognise what they already did well, while giving them the tools to stretch and adapt their practice.

As the programme evolved, our role expanded. We were invited to deliver further sessions focused on ADHD, autistic traits, and other neurodivergent presentations. These offered practical techniques coaches could apply immediately. We also introduced content on coaching neurodivergent couples, supporting practitioners to navigate the dynamic between two different processing styles within a single coaching relationship.

The results

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Coaches consistently highlighted Nathan Whitbread’s sessions as among the most valuable in the entire programme. The training was described as insightful, thought-provoking, and immediately applicable. Feedback showed that the sessions provided a rare combination of psychological safety, challenge, and clarity, deepening participants’ understanding of neurodivergence and boosting their confidence in working with complexity and difference.