The Art and Joy of Stuckness for Coaches and their Clients

This book offers an existential understanding of the process of stuckness, exploring how we can soften stuckness and become more fluid in our work and world. We can’t avoid getting stuck, it’s a vital part of learning and healing, but we can develop the skills to get stuck less painfully and recover quicker. When we do this, stuckness can enable us to process our pasts and incubate our futures. Illustrated by relatable, global case studies, this book will help readers and coaches understand and work with stuckness in their own and their clients’ lives. Based on the author's doctoral research and extensive experience as a coach and coach trainer globally, this book is valuable to coaches, therapists, and human development practitioners.

Table of Contents:
1. The World of Stuckness and Fluidity 2. Understanding Stuckness and Fluidity from a Human and a Coach Perspective 3. Understanding Stuckness and Fluidity from a Context Perspective 4. An Incomplete Wound finds a Salient Context and Hope Blossoms 5. Losing Self and Sedimentation 6. Experiencing Contextual Shifts (or not) 7. Losing Others and Isolation 8. Losing Meaning and Falling into the Void 9. Experiencing Stuckness 10. Growing Self 11. Growing Relationships with Others 12. Growing Meaning 13. Experiencing Fluidity 14. Growing in Spite of our Self

About the Author :
Dr Julia Kukard is a well-seasoned leadership coach and Existential psychotherapist from Cape Town, South Africa, working with leaders across the world. She has a doctorate in Existential Psychotherapy, an MBA, MA, and BA Hons. Her passion for exploring stuckness grew from personal experience, as well as through partnering with leaders grappling with complex, volatile, and sometimes inhumane corporate and institutional worlds.

Review :
‘Kukard does two astonishing things with this book: first, she takes something we hate (stuckness) and makes it our generative friend, and second, she tells us how to move through stuckness to fluidity. The combination will help anyone who has ever tried to get themselves or someone else unstuck. A groundbreaking and helpful book!’ Dr. Jennifer Garvey Berger, CEO Cultivating Leadership, author Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps ‘A useful process-based book, which will help practitioners and coaches to rethink their own, as well as their clients and colleagues-, historical mental models, old ways of being and the resulting behaviours. It encourages readers to practically adapt for contextual relevance, and facilitate more authentic enactment(s) in the world.’ Prof. Kurt April, Allan Gray Chair, University of Cape Town ‘The Cycle of Stuckness is a cycle of loss and healing, rupture and repair. Loss and grief are natural companions as we grapple to merge our past into the creation of our new lives. Kukard describes how we coaches can flow with these cycles whilst supporting our clients to do so as well. It is a manual for the cycles of life and a must-read for all coaches.’ Dr Helena Dolny, Author of Before Forever After, Leadership Coach, Co-founder of LoveLegacyDignity (NPO encouraging life-affirming conversations about mortality) 'Leaders get stuck in outdated ways of responding to the world. As a result, they make decisions that do not create the outcomes their organisations need. Leadership ‘stuckness’ has become an epidemic with severe negative impact for the future of human life on earth. This excellent book helps those who support leaders, their coaches. It describes coaching practices that unlock stuckness in leaders and help them to be more agile and responsive to an increasingly complex context.’ Prof Richard Calland, Sustainability Strategist, Governance Professor, Political Commentator, Author