Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School

The Business of Coaching: Perspectives on Becoming a Working Coach with Sarah Howells and Mike Simon

In this episode host Whitney Dawn Pyles is joined by Sarah Howells and Mike Simon, both graduates of The Somatic School, for an honest, grounded conversation about what it actually looks like to build a coaching practice.
 
This conversation weaves lived experience, professional reflection, and somatic insight to ask:What becomes possible when we let go of one “right way” to succeed—and listen to what our nervous systems need?
 
Mike reflects on claiming his work before it was fully formed, navigating identity, titles, and sustainability while building his practice alongside other work.
Sarah shares how coaching has taken shape through multiple roles, creative careers, and organizational work—allowing her practice to grow with stability, variety, and care.
Together, they explore success as something felt from the inside out, not measured by hustle-culture metrics.
 
Topics include:• Becoming a working coach through process, not perfection• Building a coaching practice alongside other work as one valid pathway• Titles, niches, and evolving professional identity• Financial safety, nervous-system regulation, and sustainability• Redefining success beyond external achievement
 
This episode is an invitation for coaches to honor their own path into practice, whether that’s gradual, nonlinear, supported by other work, or something entirely their own and to remember that coaching businesses, like people, grow in many ways.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Sarah Howells: 
 
Sarah Howells is a creative fulfilment coach with 20 years of experience as a full time music artist. Having toured the world and reached millions of streams with her music, she trained at the Somatic School and qualified as a certified body oriented coach in 2023. Her work helps you use body awareness to make grounded decisions and move with clarity. Sarah supports creatives who are launching or growing a career and want success defined from the inside, not by external pressure or comparison.
 
Mike Simon: 
 
Mike Simon is a Somatic Dramaturg, Movement Artist, Reiki Practitioner & Facilitator. 
 
Graduating from The Somatic School in 2022 as an accredited body-oriented coach — Mike’s work guides creative leaders ready to build impactful solo businesses, and dance artists creating meaningful projects to do so from the truth that lives in their body.
 
Instagram: @themikegsimon
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles: 
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles, ACC is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, Dance/Movement Facilitator, and award-winning artist. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Supporting Whole People: ADHD through a Somatic Lens with Tessy Beckené and Lucy Carliell

In this episode of Radio Somanaut, host, Whitney Dawn Pyles, is joined by Tessy Beckane, ADHD coach and counselor, and Lucy Carliell, a somatic coach in training who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. 
 
This conversation weaves personal experience, professional insight, and somatic wisdom to illuminate what becomes possible when we move out of performance and into permission.
Tessy shares how her work shifted from assessment-based, system-limited interventions to deeply relational, body-oriented coaching, where emotional regulation, co-regulation, and self-acceptance become central. She speaks to the power of somatic practices in supporting ADHD adults and parents of ADHD children, especially when traditional approaches leave people feeling misunderstood, pathologized, or stuck.
 
Lucy reflects on her late ADHD diagnosis and how somatic work has supported a reconnection with herself—mind and body together—without pressure to “fix” or “optimize.” She names the relief of spaces that allow rest, curiosity, and vulnerability, and the profound impact of being met as a whole person rather than a problem to solve.
 
Together, the three explore:
ADHD through a somatic, relational lens
Emotional regulation, shame, and the ripple effects within families
The false split between mind and body and how dissolving it changes everything
Permission, agency, and choice in a world that often demands conformity
How small, embodied shifts can create meaningful change in individuals, relationships, and the collective
 
This episode is ultimately an invitation to remember our innate wholeness—beyond diagnoses, roles, or expectations—and to reconnect with the wisdom that already lives within us. It gestures toward a more compassionate, embodied way of being with ourselves and one another, and asks what might become possible if we met difference not with correction, but with curiosity, presence, and care.
 
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Tessy Beckane: 
 
Tessy was born and raised in Luxembourg, where she has since returned to live and work. She studied Educational Sciences and Psychology in Germany and completed a Master’s degree in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the UK. Following her studies, she spent three years in Kenya and Western Sahara teaching kitesurfing.
After returning to Luxembourg, Tessy worked in special educational services across a wide spectrum of abilities, from intellectual disabilities to high abilities and giftedness. She spent five years at the national competence center for learning difficulties and ADHD, where she was involved in diagnostics and assessments with neurodivergent children and adolescents.
 
Approximately two years ago, Tessy completed her training with The Somatic School and became self-employed shortly thereafter. She has since been running her own practice as a counsellor and coach, offering individual sessions as well as trainings focused on neurodiversity, emotional and mental health, and mental health first aid. She has also completed training in EMDR.
 
Tessy primarily works with adults—many of whom are neurodivergent—as well as with parents of children with ADHD or suspected ADHD. Alongside her clinical and coaching work, she also facilitates outdoor group experiences for young people during the summer, including mountain biking, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and play-fighting. She has additionally volunteered for several years as an enduro mountain bike trainer.
She is set to begin Somatic Experiencing training in March.
 
Website: www.terrasomatics.comInstagram: @terra_somaticsLinkedIn: Tessy Beckené, Terra Somatics
 
Lucy Carliell:
 
Lucy is a newly emerging Somanaut drawn to explore and rediscover the wisdom of her Bodymind following personal experiences of burnout and nervous system dysregulation. She feels called to walk alongside her clients as they remember and reconnect with their own inner wisdom. Lucy brings a deep curiosity, a joy for learning, and a belief in the magic of connection. Guided by her intuitive, soul-led approach and lived experience within the corporate world along with her own becoming, as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent mum of two. She holds a rich and evolving awareness of how we can consciously choose how we show up in the world.
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles:
 
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

From Cognitive to Embodied: Exploring Somatic Group Coaching with Venniece Robbins

In this episode, Whitney Dawn Pyles and longtime life coach Venniece Robbins explore what happens when we bring somatic awareness, trust, and curiosity into the world of group coaching — and into our everyday lives.
 
With more than twenty years of experience as a coach, Venniece shares her journey from traditional facilitation to Body-Oriented Coaching, and how The Somatic School’s training transformed her approach to presence, trust, and embodiment. 
 
The two dive into what it means to coach from the body, how group spaces can become containers for emergence, and how slowing down, sensing, and self-trust open the door to genuine transformation.
 
Together they explore:
The shift from cognitive coaching to embodied presence
Discovering the nervous system as an instrument of attunement
The evolution from “mini-manager” to space-holder
What emerges in groups: clarity, courage, and connection
Trusting clients and groups to unfold in their own rhythm
 
Throughout the episode, Whitney and Venniece reflect on how The Somatic School’s teachings ripple outward into personal and professional life—revealing new ways to relate, rest, and create from the inside out. 
 
A great listen for coaches, facilitators, and space-holders ready to evolve from a purely cognitive approach into a more embodied, balanced way of working or those ready to explore the power and potential of group coaching.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Venniece Robbins: 
 
Venniece Robbins is a seasoned life coach with over 20 years of experience helping women navigate transition, identity shifts, and the foggy in-betweens of life. 
 
She’s especially passionate about working with women in midlife who are asking deeper questions about purpose and what’s next. 
 
Venniece is also a writer, public speaker, wife, mom to three adult children, and proud grandmother of three. Her work creates space for clarity — not by forcing answers, but by helping women slow down, listen inward, and trust what they find. With warmth, honesty, and grounded insight, she guides women back to their own voice. Whether through one-on-one coaching, journaling tools, or reflective conversations, her message is clear: You’re not lost — you’re becoming.
 
Find her on Instagram @venniece
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles:
 
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Live from Planet Somatic: Diverse Bodies, Diverse Practices Americas Panel with Bryony Duncan, Caro Gomez & Darin Harris

Recorded live at Planet Somatic on September 2, 2025, this Americas panel brings together graduates from The Somatic School from El Salvador/London, Brazil, and the U.S. to explore how Body-Oriented Coaching takes root in diverse cultural, professional, and community contexts. 
 
Host Whitney Dawn Pyles is joined by three Americas-based Somanauts, Caro Gomez, Bryony Duncan, and Darin Harris, to reflect on what “Diverse Bodies, Diverse Practices” means in real life and real work. They each contribute to a rich conversation on ancestry, creativity, community, and the future of somatic practice and explore: 
 
The creative metaphors of somatic practice — weaving, painting, cooking, music, textiles
Somatic coaching as a grounding framework for creativity and group dynamics
The potential of somatics to reconnect us in an age of AI and disconnection
Practical stories of restorative practices, group messiness, and embodied trust
 
The episode closes with reflections on what each panelist is leaving with: hope, threads of connection, and a deepened sense of resonance across continents.
 
This episode is for coaches, therapists, facilitators, leaders, and anyone curious about weaving somatics into their work — especially those considering a shift into body-oriented practice. If you’re wondering how to bring more humanity, creativity, and connection into groups or organizations, you’ll find inspiration here.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Bryony Duncan is from Scotland and has been living in Brazil for 15 years, currently in Niterói with her 7 year old son, who was born in Rio. She's at a moment of weaving threads. She's in the middle of the training for new Somanauts, in the Grey Wolf pack. She's nearly at the end of her post-graduate training in music therapy, in Rio. And she just launched an online space for people to come in contact with what arises, as they practice communicating in a different language (English).  Bryony also practices and performs improvisation with a group of artists from diverse modalities.
 
 
Caro Gomez is a life-long student of Mayan mysticism, an award winning fashion and textile designer and an unconventional business coach for multi-passionate creatives. She has a deep appreciation of moving to the rhythm of the most delicious Latin beats. She believes joy is an act of revolution as it takes courage to fly the Joy Flag in the modern age.
 
Darin Harris brings energy, curiosity, and inspiration to address complex challenges in today's chaotic times. Groups from around the world call on
Darin to facilitate their full engagement and creative participation. He is co-founder of Living Giving
Enterprises, an organizational and
leadership development company which
houses Journeyofcollaboration.com.
His clients include: Large Scale Manufacturers, Banks, Housing and Real
Estate, Universities, Non-Profits, School
Districts, and Local and State Governments.
He draws from a suite of professional skills including: coaching, group facilitation and problem solving, strategic planning, process improvement, project
management, and policy analysis and
evaluation.
 
Host:
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles is a certified Somatic Coach (ACC - ICF), facilitator, and creative devoted to curiosity, connection, and embodied expression. At The Somatic School, she serves as Radio Somanaut host and Community Connector, tending the threads between past, present, and future students while celebrating the many paths of Body-Oriented Coaching. Through movement, 1:1 and group coaching, and self-paced programs, Whitney supports people in reconnecting with their bodies and each other, reclaiming movement as medicine, and embracing joy and authenticity as guiding forces for transformation.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Live from Planet Somatic: Diverse Bodies, Diverse Practices Europe Panel with Ali Pember, Clément Marceau & Sanela Lukanovic

Recorded live at Planet Somatic on September 2, 2025, this conversation gathers three graduates of The Somatic School to reflect on what “Diverse Bodies, Diverse Practices” means in real life and real work. Host Whitney Dawn Pyles (Community Connector at The Somatic School and host of Radio Somanaut) is joined by:
Sanela Lukanovic: Senior leadership coach supporting ambitious, values-driven leaders to lead with courage, authenticity, and accountability.
Ali Pember: Psychotherapist and somatic coach specializing in motherhood and parenthood across the lifespan.
Clément Marceau: Somatic coach & breathwork facilitator with a background in architecture and systems design; supports changemakers facing eco-anxiety and loss of meaning.
 
Together they explore:
 
How somatic coaching becomes a bridge between doing/understanding and being/embodiment.
Why this work is life-saving for burned-out parents and transformational for leaders stuck behind armor.
Culture & language: translating “somatics” in France, the UK, Spain, and lessons from South America.
Practical translation: why labels matter less than presence, and how to invite skeptics with a 5-minute orientation practice.
Modeling humanity in sessions: permission, pacing, water breaks, screens off, and letting sessions be human, not tidy.
Includes a brief guided orientation to settle listeners into the space.
 
This episode is for coaches, therapists, and anyone curious about bringing the body into their work — as well as leaders, parents, or people considering a field shift into somatic practice. If you’re exploring what it means to show up more fully human in your work and life, you’ll find resonance here.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
 
Ali Pember is a Humanistic Psychotherapist and Somatic Coach, specialising in perinatal mental health. Her interest in working with the whole body-mind was ignited by teaching Pre/Postnatal Yoga and Hypnobirthing classes in her local community. She now works online, offering a blend of therapy and coaching, supporting clients around topics such as neurodiversity, emotional regulation, and reparenting. She sees matrescence (the process of becoming a mother) as a time of unparalleled mental, physical and social challenge that also opens up enormous opportunities for personal growth. You can find out more about Ali’s work at ⁠www.goodenoughmama.co.uk⁠.
 
Clément Marceau is a Paris-based certified somatic coach and transformational breathwork facilitator, working in both French and English. He supports changemakers, activists, and leaders in cultivating clarity, embodied confidence, and inner resilience. His background spans architecture and collective projects in the ecological transition, while significant time spent in South America deeply influences his coaching style—bringing a grounded, embodied, and culturally attuned presence. Combining scientific rigor with experiential depth, he helps people reconnect with their full potential in service of meaningful change 
 
Sanela Lukanovic is a senior leadership coach and founder of Selfdom.life. With a global client base spanning finance, pharma, fintech, and consulting, she works with high-achieving, value-driven leaders to amplify their confidence, credibility, and impact. Drawing on 15+ years of experience, Sanela blends somatic and traditional coaching models to create body–mind transformation that enables leaders to live and lead with courage, clarity, and authenticity.
Having transformed her own perfectionism into a catalyst for courageous leadership, Sanela now helps others create impact with authenticity. She is the creator of a signature course on perfectionism, a suite of self-development workbooks, and works privately with leaders through her one-to-one coaching programmes.
 
Host:
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles is a certified Somatic Coach (ACC - ICF), facilitator, and creative devoted to curiosity, connection, and embodied expression. At The Somatic School, she serves as Radio Somanaut host and Community Connector, tending the threads between past, present, and future students while celebrating the many paths of Body-Oriented Coaching. Through movement, 1:1 and group coaching, and self-paced programs, Whitney supports people in reconnecting with their bodies and each other, reclaiming movement as medicine, and embracing joy and authenticity as guiding forces for transformation.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Somatics, Internal Family Systems, and the Power of Presence with Annique Sampson

In this tender and illuminating episode of Radio Somanaut, host Whitney Dawn Pyles is joined by fellow Somatic School graduate Annique Sampson, PCC, certified Somatic Coach, Internal Family Systems (IFS) practitioner, and former midwife.
 
Together, they explore:
Her personal story about what happens when we stop trying to “fix” our anxiety and instead make space for it
Her journey from mindset coaching to parts work and Body-Oriented Coaching
How IFS and somatics beautifully complement each other in coaching practice
Why presence is a coach’s most powerful tool
Language, accessibility, and working with clients new to somatics or IFS
 
A great listen for current coaches, aspiring coaches, or anyone curious about somatics or IFS. 
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Annique Sampson:
 
After many years as a busy midwife, Annique discovered her passion for coaching in 2015 and has coached thousands since then. 
 
She's a trauma-informed Professional Certified Coach, with a special love of helping coaches and moms cultivate unconditional self-love and take bold action on their dreams. She also helps train and mentor other coaches.
 
Annique is a seasoned facilitator of many transformative approaches including Somatic Coaching, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Solution Focused Brief Coaching - always keeping the nervous system in mind.
 
Annique loves steaming pots of tea, long walks, morning birdsong, and puttering in her small but mighty garden. 
 
You can connect with Annique via her website:
www.anniquesampson.com or on Instagram at @anniquesampson.
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles:
 
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Body-Oriented Coaching: A Somatic Framework for Integrating Modalities and Deepening Presence with Nic Robertson and Rachel Blackman

In this episode of Radio Somanaut, host Whitney Dawn Pyles welcomes two very special guests from across the globe:Rachel Blackman, long-time trainer with The Somatic School based in the UK,and Nic Robertson, Somanaut and regional lead for the Australasian intake, joining from New Zealand.
 
Together, they explore what it really means to create a human-first coaching space — one rooted in presence, nervous system literacy, and deep permission to show up exactly as you are.
 
Whether you're a seasoned coach, a practitioner looking to expand your skillset, or someone navigating a career pivot into somatic or coaching work, this is a nourishing conversation about:
 
What gets unlocked when we’re truly welcomed
How Body-Oriented Coaching enhances and integrates with EFT, Compassionate Inquiry, meditation, and more
Why presence and attunement often matter more than any skill
The beauty (and challenge) of showing up unmasked
And how our upcoming Australasian training cohort is helping make this work more accessible across time zones and continents
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Nic Robertson:
 
Nicole (Nic) Robertson (she/her) is the founder of Unapologetically
Robertson and the Regional Lead for Australasia at The Somatic School.
Nic is on a mission to help ambitious women and individuals reconnect
with their authentic selves, break free from burnout, and thrive-no
apologies, no compromises. Her work is a blend of lived experience
(she’s walked through depression, anxiety, ADHD, and trauma herself)
and deep professional expertise, including professional training in
Dr. Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry, somatic coaching, EFT tapping,
and meditation.
 
Connect with her via her website, LinkedIn or Instagram.
 
Rachel Blackman:
 
Rachel Blackman is a Somatic Coach, Trainer and Educator, Mentor, Theatre Maker and Feldenkrais Practitioner. She trains coaches to work with embodied intelligence at The Somatic School. Themes that really bring her alive include creativity and the generative principle, biological intelligence and supporting change at the level of neuroplasticity. She is an Animist and loves to hold spaces that weave together connections between the sacred, the embodied and our biosphere.
 
Connect with her via her website or Instagram.
 
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles:
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Beyond Burnout: Somatic Coaching, Belonging, and Regenerative Leadership with Tamu Thomas

What happens when we stop optimizing for toxic productivity and start listening to our bodies?
 
In this episode of Radio Somanaut, Whitney Dawn Pyles is joined by Tamu Thomas—somatic specialist, leadership coach, and author of Women Who Work Too Much: Break Free from Toxic Productivity and Find Your Joy. Together, they explore the ripple effect of reclaiming humanity in a culture that prizes performance over presence.
 
Tamu shares her journey from burnout to embodiment, and how training with The Somatic School shaped her evolution—from social worker and coach to sought-after speaker and thought leader. They delve into the challenges of codependency in coaching, the difference between capacity and capability, and the revolutionary idea that hope, joy, and regeneration are birthrights—not luxuries.
 
A powerful conversation for practitioners, changemakers, and anyone seeking a more sustainable way to lead, live, and work.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.
 
Tamu Thomas:Tamu is a somatic leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Live Three Sixty. After a long career as a children and family social worker, she experienced deep burnout—leading her to discover the power of somatic practices. Now, she supports ambitious women in leadership through regenerative practices, nervous system awareness, and the power of presence. Her work bridges personal and systemic transformation, empowering women to stop outsourcing their worth and start leading from a place of embodied integrity.
 
Find her at www.livethreesixty.com or on Instagram @livethreesixty.
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles:
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. Whitney is passionate about helping individuals and groups access deeper presence, self-compassion, and authentic expression through embodied awareness. She believes in joy as a form of resistance, and in the healing power of community, creativity, and connection.
 
Connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.

Supportive Pathways: The Interplay of Gestalt Therapy and Body-Oriented Coaching in Practice with Steffi Young

What happens when two powerful modalities meet in one practice?
In this episode of Radio Somanaut, Whitney Dawn Pyles is in conversation with Steffi Young—Gestalt therapist, coach, and graduate of The Somatic School. Together, they explore how somatic coaching can complement and deepen a therapeutic approach. Steffi shares her experience of completing our training while simultaneously pursuing a master’s in Gestalt Therapy—and how the two paths inform one another.
 
They also delve into Steffi’s personal journey, the potential of somatic work, and a beautiful conversation about the inner child, self-allowing, and the gentle practice of showing up just as you are.
 
A rich listen for practitioners and helping professionals curious about integrating modalities—and anyone on a path of growth who is learning to soften into presence.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for a free Taster Session.
 
***Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.***
 
Steffi Young:
 
Throughout her long career in management and finance, Steffi always felt a deep passion for psychology. After years of personal experience with mental health challenges and feeling stuck in traditional approaches, Steffi discovered the transformative power of somatic approaches. In her 30s, she decided to take the plunge and pursue a career in psychotherapy which also led to studies in body-oriented approaches. Now, she is dedicated to helping others through a body-centered approach to healing and lasting change. In her work, she integrates a focus on attachment and a deep awareness of the inner child.
 
Find her on website: https://www.steffiyoung.com/ 
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles: 
 
Whitney is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a multi-faceted helping professional who weaves together her experience and training as a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. She is dedicated to guiding individuals and groups towards self-forgiveness, nervous system regulation, passion, purpose, and play. Whitney believes the magic happens when we allow ourselves to show up authentically in all of our beautiful complexity, that dance is our BIRTHRIGHT, movement is medicine, and that our job, during our short time on this planet, is grounded in enJOYment and empathy. You can connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram. 

The Embodied Leader: Business, Somatics, and Relational Connection with Rosa Abili and Houston Poem

In this episode of Radio Somanaut, Whitney Dawn Pyles sits down with Rosa Abili and Houston Poem to explore how somatic coaching can support, shape, and empower leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs—as well as what it means to be an embodied leader.
Rosa shares her journey to The Somatic School and how the training enhanced her coaching business and built upon her business background. As Houston’s coach, she offers insights into the techniques that resonated most with her, while Houston provides a client’s perspective on the impact of the skills they both learned at The Somatic School.
 
This conversation is an inspiring listen for coaches, entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone curious about integrating embodied awareness into their personal and professional growth.
 
For more information on The Somatic School, you can follow us on⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠LinkedIn,⁠⁠ or⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ or head to our website⁠ ⁠thesomaticschool.com⁠⁠. Follow Radio Somanaut on Instagram⁠ @radiosomanaut. ⁠You can also learn more by registering for our free 40-minute WebClass. 
 
***Please note that the views, opinions, and expressions shared by our guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Somatic School. The information shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as official advice or endorsement by the school.***
 
Rosa Abili:
 
Rosa helps entrepreneurs and leaders build sustainable, successful businesses by combining strategic systems with deep personal transformation. She works with clients to attract high-paying clients consistently—not just through proven business strategies but by addressing the deeper layers of identity and nervous system work needed to expand their capacity for wealth and success. Her coaching ensures her clients feel confident, authentic, and capable of navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship while staying true to themselves.
 
She is a certified somatic coach from The Somatic School, with additional certifications in Leadership & Purpose Coaching and Neo Emotional Release. 
 
Website: https://www.rosaabili.com/unshamed-rewildened
Email: compassion.lightworker@gmail.com
Instagram: @compassionlightworker
 
Houston Poem: 
 
Lifelong teacher and coach, Houston believes deeply in the leadership power of each individual. Using somatics, dance, qigong, and many other disciplines, he turned his neurodivergence into neuromastery. Now, he helps others do the same.
 
Website: https://www.houstonpoem.com
Instagram: @houstonpoem
 
Whitney Dawn Pyles is the producer and host of Radio Somanaut by The Somatic School. She is a multi-faceted helping professional who weaves together her experience and training as a certified Body-Oriented Coach, accredited Life Coach, Human Design Guide, and Dance/Movement Facilitator. She is dedicated to guiding individuals and groups towards self-forgiveness, nervous system regulation, passion, purpose, and play. Whitney believes the magic happens when we allow ourselves to show up authentically in all of our beautiful complexity, that dance is our BIRTHRIGHT, movement is medicine, and that our job, during our short time on this planet, is grounded in enJOYment and empathy. You can connect with Whitney on her website or Instagram.