Not Knowing can feel deeply unsettling. As coaches we strive to help our clients move forward, to anchor them in confidence and clarity – but what happens when clarity refuses to emerge?

Sometimes the most transformative breakthroughs come not from striving but surrender – from allowing ourselves, and those we support, to drift beyond the familiar into uncharted waters.

Join Nick Thorpe – coach, supervisor, trainer and real-life voyager – as he playfully explores the counter-intuitive power of unknowing, surrendered like the jellyfish to the flow of the tide.
Drawing on insights from philosophy, psychology and spiritual traditions as well as Nick’s own navigational archetypes and real-world examples, this lecture touches on:

• The Gestalt concept of the Fertile Void – where unknowing nurtures creativity and possibility.
• Letting Go vs Failure – How embracing uncertainty shifts our perspective, inspired by Rilke’s wisdom: “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.”
• Coaching at the edge of Spirituality – from Jung’s archetypes to Internal Family Systems, how a surrender to something greater open new dimensions of growth?

In a world of constant upheaval, we’ll explore how leaning into ambiguity enriches our coaching, opens more authentic conversations and empower our clients to navigate life’s uncertainties with creativity, courage and curiosity.

About the Speaker

Nick Thorpe – an award-winning writer, PCC-credentialed coach

Nick Thorpe is an award-winning writer, PCC-credentialed coach, supervisor and trainer for Animas Centre for Coaching. In his private practice in Edinburgh, he leans towards person-centred, integrative coaching, with a particular passion for midlife/career transition, parts work, shadow work, spiritual & creative process and intentional drift. 

He also coaches on executive leadership programmes with Senior Academics and Head Teachers seeking fresh thinking. In his 25-year career as a journalist he produced three acclaimed travel memoirs, worked across most UK broadsheets and BBC radio, and voyaged 2500 miles to Easter Island in a home-made reed boat.

Website: www.nickthorpe.co.uk
Email: nickthorpeanimascoaching@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickthorpewriter/