Coach Write

How much does it cost to self-publish a book? Helen walks through the six main areas where you can spend money, with UK figures for 2026, and shows how to choose between bootstrapping, independent publishing, and hybrid publishing.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The three price point options (bootstrapping, professional independent publishing and hybrid) and what each one is likely to cost you
• Why editing is the one area to...

How do you take an idea from a free PDF to a hardback planner in its seventh edition? Helen talks to Fay Wallis, career and executive coach, host of the HR Coffee Time podcast and creator of the Essential HR Planner, about iterating a product, working with printers and Amazon, and how what you publish can be part of a service led business.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How a free PDF of HR awareness days became a hardback ...

In this solo episode, Helen answers listener questions about her own path to publication, sharing an honest look behind the scenes of an independent author's book launch on the eve of releasing her fifth book, Enough: Rethinking Resilience in a World That Never Stops.

In this episode you'll discover:

• Where the idea for Enough came from, and the three pillars, affiliation, achievement and autonomy, that shape Helen's model for ...

We're tackling a common misconception this week: that writing has to be a solitary pursuit. Helen unpacks why we default to picturing writers working alone, and makes the case for why writing alongside other people, particularly virtually, changes everything.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why the image of the lone author at a mahogany desk is a myth, and where that image actually comes from
• The three reasons we default to ...

Helen is joined by Heidi Dawson and Dr Lorenzo Mugnai, co-founders of Y Root Coaching, to talk about how a chance meeting turned into a coaching practice, and how their framework became a book, The Y Root Method, published just days before this recording.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How a corridor conversation between an astrophysicist and a leadership programme facilitator led to a coaching business and a shared framewo...

In this solo episode, Helen explores what a strengths-based approach can teach coaches about how they show up not just with clients, but on the page. Drawing on frameworks like Clifton Strengths, DISC, MBTI, and the Enneagram, she looks at how understanding your own strengths can shape a writing process that actually works for you.

In this episode you'll discover

• Why a strengths-based approach beats a deficit-based one, both i...

In this episode, Helen is joined by Becca Syme, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, USA Today bestselling novelist, and founder of the Better Faster Academy, for a conversation about writing rules, strengths and building a coaching and author business that stays true to your values.

In this episode you'll discover:

• Why "everything works for someone, and nothing works for everyone" became the guiding philosophy behind Becca's mos...

In this solo episode, Helen shares why your email list should be the backbone of your marketing as a coach or author, and exactly how to build, maintain, and use it well.

In this episode:

• Why social media is "rented space" and what happens when platforms change or disappear
• Why coaches and authors are in the credibility business, and how a consistent newsletter builds trust and connection
• Choosing an email platform (Wix, Kartr...

In this episode of the Coach Write Podcast, Helen speaks with Claire Fitzsimmons, co-founder of If Lost Start Here, a wellbeing journal for the anxious, disconnected and uncertain, co-created with illustrator and psychologist Amanda Sheeren. Claire is an ICF Associate Certified Coach, a certified Emotions Coach Practitioner, and host of the podcast A Thought I Kept.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How a serendipitous d...

Helen ONeill reflects on her first year of hosting the Coach White Podcast, sharing insights on format, technical setup, audience engagement, and monetisation strategies to help aspiring podcasters and authors.

Key topics

• Podcast format and length preferences
• Technical setup and editing tools
• Audience engagement and feedback
• Scheduling and consistency strategies
• Monetisation and supporting the show financially
• Adapting content...

In this episode, Claire Pedrick shares her journey of writing and publishing her coaching books, the lessons learned along the way, and insights into the evolving world of publishing, including the importance of accessibility, branding, and authenticity.

Key topics

• Claire Pedrick's journey to publication
• Lessons learned from writing multiple books
• The importance of editing and cover design
• The role of accessibility and neurod...

In this episode, Martin Cavannagh, head of content at Reedsy, shares insights on content strategy, editing, cover design, and building a successful author platform. Perfect for authors and coaches looking to leverage content and community for growth.

Key topics

• Content strategy for authors and coaches
• Choosing the right editor and cover designer
• The role of AI in publishing and design
• Building a community and platform for grow...

This episode explores how writers and publishers can make their content more inclusive and accessible. Helen O'Neill discusses terminology, conscious language, and practical publishing choices to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Key Topics

• Understanding D-E-I-B principles in writing
• Conscious language and mindful word choices
• The importance of context and consequence in language
• Writing for a specific audien...

In this episode, Helen ONeill speaks with Hayley Brackley, neurodiversity consultant, coach, speaker, and founder of Great Minds Don’t, about the journey behind her book The Seven Lenses: A New Way of Seeing Neuroinclusion.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why there’s no single “right” way to write a book.
• How accessibility choices can expand your audience, not shrink it.
• How having the right sup...

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why the British vs. US English decision is rarely just a spelling question, and what it reall...

In this episode you'll discover:

• How a car accident, an induced coma and a brain injury led Dr Fatima Syed to poetry, and why she calls her poems "five minute poems" written straight onto her phone
• Why she chose to self-publish her book, Yaqeen, Stitched From Sorrows, to keep her raw, unedited words exactly as they were written
• How using AI as a light-touch editing tool, rather than a co-writer, helped her stay true to her own...

In this episode of the footnotes, Helen ONeill shares her key takeaways from SPS Live 2026, the largest independent author conference in Europe. Here are some speakers whose sessions resonated most:

Tom Donnelly on separating your creative and critical brain when you write

Becca Syme on questioning the writing rules you've always been told to follow

Becca Syme on the eight types of fans and what they mean for your coaching practice

Avreil Price is a leadership coach, consultant and founder of AV Consultancy, who helps senior leaders step back, recognise the impact they have already made, and shape what comes next. Her debut book, The Legacy Coach: Your Next Chapter, Your Legacy, Your Way, grew out of her own experience of life-changing transition, including recovering from a brain haemorrhage in 2020, relocating from England to Wales, and leaving a 30-year ca...

One of the questions Helen gets asked most often is this: should I write the book first, or build the programme first? In this episode of The Footnotes, Helen digs into the chicken-and-egg reality of aligning a signature coaching programme with a book, and why doing both can be one of the most powerful things a coach can do for their business and their credibility. She covers four key benefits of having both, four pitfalls to watch...