Welcome back to The Engaging Marketeer podcast. I’m your host, Darren Jamieson, and in today’s episode, we’re diving into something a bit different—but incredibly relevant to anyone interested in mindset, business performance, mental health, or even just how to ski without fear.
My guest today is Louise Pode, founder of ProAbility—a coach whose work spans across industries, countries, and even snowy mountains. Louise has coached everyone from anxious skiers to RAF pilots to business owners trying to build high-performing teams. She’s worked in the NHS, with the British Army, and now helps people transform fear into confidence—whether that fear comes from a ski slope or a boardroom.
This one’s a bit of a journey—from hip replacements and military rehabilitation to mindset coaching, NLP, and becoming one of the only coaches in the world helping people with skiing anxiety.
Let’s get into it.
Darren: Louise, welcome to the podcast. Let’s start at the beginning—how on earth did you end up coaching people with anxiety on ski slopes?
Louise: (Laughs) It definitely wasn’t something I set out to do from day one! I actually started skiing in my late twenties, and then more regularly as a family in my thirties. But at that point, I had both of my hips replaced—which, yes, is quite young. I was born with a condition that made it necessary.
So I was skiing with this physical limitation, and then I had a pretty serious accident. I was on crutches for four months and had to ask myself a question: do I give up skiing—or do I find a way to reconnect with it?
Darren: That’s a tough decision—especially if you’re balancing family trips and your own fear.
Louise: Exactly. My kids absolutely loved skiing. They were thriving on it. And I thought—do I want to step back from all of that and just sit in the chalet? Or do I want to be part of the memories?
What I came to realize was—it wasn’t about my hips anymore. The fear I was experiencing on the slopes was entirely mental. It was anxiety. That’s what led me to explore mindset work, and I started applying my coaching and NLP training to myself. And, eventually, I fell back in love with skiing.
Darren: So that was the turning point?
Louise: It was. And interestingly, a journalist from The Sunday Times wrote an article where someone had written in saying, “I’m going on a ski trip with my family in a few months, but I’m an anxious skier. What course can I do to help with that?”
And the journalist listed technical ski training courses—which are great, but none of them really addressed the anxiety. That’s when I realized, this is a real gap. There’s a need here that’s not being met.
So I started offering mindset coaching for anxious skiers—based entirely on my own experience and training. And now I work with clients one-on-one, run masterclasses with Ellis Brigham, and collaborate with ski schools across the Alps.
Darren: And just to clarify—you don’t actually teach people how to ski?
Louise: No! I don’t do technical tuition at all. Every client I work with already knows how to ski. It’s not about skills—it’s about confidence, about mindset. It’s about managing that voice in your head, that sense of panic when you’re frozen on a steep slope, or the fear that you’re holding everyone else back.
From Physio to the Military
Darren: Let’s rewind a bit—your career didn’t start in coaching, did it?
Louise: No, not at all. I originally trained as a physiotherapist in Leeds. After I qualified, I went straight to Australia—worked in Perth as a community physio, then in Sydney. Met my husband out there, moved back, and eventually worked at Guys Hospital in London.
From there, I moved back up north and took a role with a military training battalion. That was the start of a whole new chapter.
Darren: I’m curious—how does a civilian end up working with the military?
Louise: I was looking for new challenges, and I wanted to work in a more dynamic outpatient setting. Around that time, my husband joined the Army Air Corps, so I was already familiar with the culture. I got a role working with phase one recruits at Strensall, and then later set up a physio clinic at RAF Linton.
Darren: Did you notice a lot of patterns in the injuries?
Louise: Absolutely. We were seeing the same injuries over and over again, which led me to question the training methods. Repetitive strain, poor biomechanics, improper rest cycles—things like running on roads with a slight camber, which caused imbalance.
That curiosity led me into ergonomics, and eventually to a Master’s degree at Loughborough. That opened my eyes not just to physical environment—but the emotional and cultural environment of work.
Mental Health & the Birth of a Coaching Philosophy
Louise: After my Master’s, I began to see a gap in how we supported people in the workplace—especially those with long-term health conditions or mental health challenges. This was around the time the Disability Discrimination Act was emerging.
I pitched an idea to the DWP for a mental health coaching service for Access to Work. It became a two-year pilot supporting people who were off sick due to anxiety, depression, trauma—you name it.
Darren: And you said earlier, it was just seven hours of coaching per person?
Louise: On average, yes. Spread over a few months. But that coaching was focused. We helped people understand their barriers, set emotionally aligned goals, and create step-by-step action plans to return to work.
And the result? 70% of them got back to work—and were still in work six months later. It was transformational.
Transferring Those Lessons to the Slopes
Darren: So let’s connect the dots again. What does coaching someone through work anxiety have in common with coaching someone stuck halfway down a red run on a ski slope?
Louise: (Laughs) Quite a lot, actually. The same principles apply. Anxiety narrows your world. You go into fight or flight. Your mind floods with white noise. Your muscles tense up. You freeze.
With anxious skiers, it’s about catching that moment and rewiring it. Teaching people how to stay calm, how to recognize the early signs of anxiety, and how to re-anchor themselves emotionally. That might mean breathing exercises, self-talk, or visualizations.
Darren: And the physical stakes are a bit higher when you’re halfway up a mountain, right?
Louise: Exactly. That’s why this isn’t about eliminating fear—fear is useful. It keeps you alert. But we want to stop it from becoming overwhelming. Because that’s when people become vulnerable and make poor decisions.
Once clients believe they can manage whatever comes their way, that confidence spills into every part of life.
Business Coaching & Culture Building
Darren: Let’s talk business—because a lot of our listeners are entrepreneurs. What does your executive coaching look like?
Louise: I work mainly with SMEs—businesses with 6 to 40 employees. Often, the business owner is at a crossroads. They need clarity on their vision or feel disconnected from their team.
We start with the why. Why does your business exist? What are your values? Once we have that, we can co-create a culture that reflects it. The real work begins when we embed that across the team—so it’s not just a vision on paper, but something lived day to day.
Darren: What’s the outcome for businesses that go through that process?
Louise: Increased motivation. A deeper sense of purpose. Better staff retention. People want to be part of something meaningful. When you create a culture people belong to, they’ll go the extra mile for you.
It’s not always about revenue—it’s about creating legacy, community impact, and building teams that actually enjoy working together.
Giving Back & Legacy
Darren: Speaking of legacy—you do quite a bit of giving back as well, don’t you?
Louise: Yes. I work with charities like YouthFed, offering resilience training so they can better support the communities they serve. Coaching should be accessible—not just to executives who can afford it, but to anyone navigating adversity.
Last year, I wrote a book: How to Get There: Your Personal Coaching Guide to Take You to the Next Level. It’s for anyone feeling stuck—people who want to reflect on their values, set a meaningful goal, and create a mindset for growth.
Darren: I love that. And for anyone listening thinking “I want to work with Louise,” what’s the best way to reach you?
Louise: You can find me at www.proability.co.uk or my personal site www.louisepode.com. You can also find my book there, or drop me an email—Louise@proability.co.uk. I’m always happy to chat.
Darren: Louise, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I’ve learned a ton—about coaching, skiing, ergonomics, and yes, even how to almost pronounce “musculoskeletal.”
Louise: (Laughs) You’re getting there, Darren. Almost!
Darren: Brilliant. For everyone listening, all the links to Louise’s sites, book, and coaching programs are right below this episode in the show notes. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave us a review, and share this episode if it helped you.
Until next time—keep engaging.
Connect with Louise:
Louise Pode is an executive resilience coach and founder of ProAbility Ltd, with over 25 years of experience helping individuals and organizations build confidence, overcome challenges, and thrive in high-pressure environments. Her unique background in physiotherapy and ergonomics informs her holistic coaching approach, which spans executive leadership, personal development, and mental wellbeing. Louise is particularly known for her pioneering work in coaching anxious skiers, offering mindset strategies through her ‘Ski With Confidence’ program. She is also the author of How to Get THERE: Your Personal Coaching Guide to Take You to the Next Level, and works extensively with charities and businesses alike to make coaching more accessible and impactful across diverse communities.
You can connect with Louise by reaching out via the below links.
Website: https://www.louisepode.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-pode/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freetoski/
ProAbility page: https://www.proability.co.uk/louise-pode/
About your host:
Darren has worked within digital marketing since the last century, and was the first in-house web designer for video games retailer GAME in the UK, known as Electronics Boutique in the States. After co-founding his own agency, Engage Web, in 2009, Darren has worked with clients around the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/engaging-marketeer/id1612454837
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjamieson/
Engaging Marketeer: https://engagingmarketeer.com
Engage Web: https://www.engageweb.co.uk
