Walking the Path Together: Why Walk-and-Talk Coaching is Perfect for Access to Work Clients
If you’ve been awarded Access to Work coaching, you’ve already done something important: you’ve acknowledged that the way you work needs to change – and that you deserve support to make that possible.
The next question is often:
“What kind of coaching will actually help my ADHD/autistic/chronically ill brain – in real life, not just on paper?”
For many of the neurodivergent and chronically ill professionals I work with in Southend-on-Sea and across the UK, the answer is walk-and-talk coaching in nature.
Rather than squeezing another intense hour into a fluorescent office or a busy video call schedule, we move our Access to Work sessions outdoors – walking slowly through Priory Park or Prittlewell Square, pausing on benches, letting your brain decompress as we work on your workplace strategy.
Here’s why walk-and-talk Access to Work coaching is such a good fit if you’re ADHD, autistic, AuDHD, dyslexic, or living with M.E./CFS, Long Covid, chronic fatigue or pain.
Quick reminder: what your Access to Work coaching is for
You know this already, but it’s worth naming the frame.
Access to Work (AtW) is a UK government grant that funds practical support if you have a disability or long-term health condition and need help to start, stay in, or return to work. That can include workplace strategy coaching, assistive technology, support workers, travel support and more.
If you’ve been awarded coaching, the aim is to help you:
understand the impact of your ADHD, autism, dyslexia or chronic illness on work
put concrete systems and reasonable adjustments in place
build sustainable routines around focus, fatigue and executive function
navigate tricky things like masking, burnout, rejection sensitivity, discrimination and internalised ableism
That work can happen online or indoors. But for many people, taking it outside makes it far more effective, and studies have shown being outdoors as very effective for mental health and ADHD and autistic folks.
Why nature-based, walk-and-talk coaching works so well
There’s a growing body of evidence that combining coaching with walking in nature improves mental health, reduces stress and increases job satisfaction. A 2021 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people with stress-related complaints who took part in walk-and-talk coaching in nature reported almost twice as many positive changes as those in standard coaching. That fits exactly with what I see in Access to Work sessions outdoors in Southend.
1. Your nervous system gets to breathe
Most Access to Work clients arrive overloaded:
too many screens
too many meetings
too much masking and micro-managing their own behaviour
Sitting in another small room talking about how stressed you are can leave your body feeling just as trapped.
Outdoors:
your visual field opens up – sky, trees, water, open paths
natural light helps regulate circadian rhythm and mood
movement and rhythm calm the stress response
The result is usually a softer, more regulated state, which makes it easier to think, plan and problem-solve.
2. Walking unlocks clearer thinking (especially for ADHD)
If you have ADHD or traits of it, you’ll know that sitting still while trying to talk about executive function or time management is often torture.
Walking:
gives your body the low-level movement it craves
provides natural “fidgeting” through pacing, gesturing and looking around
stops the session becoming a staring contest with a laptop screen
Research repeatedly links walking with better creativity, problem-solving and idea generation.
In practice, that means Access to Work walk-and-talk sessions often produce:
more realistic planning
more honest self-reflection
more creative reasonable adjustments to take back to your employer
3. It’s less intense for autistic and AuDHD brains
Traditional indoor meetings can be a sensory minefield:
humming lights
echoey rooms
other people’s movement, chewing, typing
strong smells
Outdoors, we can choose quieter routes and times of day, avoid crowded spaces, and create predictable loops (a lap of Priory Park; a seafront stretch and back).
Walking side-by-side rather than sitting face-to-face also reduces the intensity of eye contact, which many autistic clients find draining. There’s space for:
longer pauses
stimming without feeling watched
thinking in images or metaphors as we walk past trees, water, open space
That combination often makes it easier to talk about things like masking, burnout, meltdowns, shutdowns and workplace trauma without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Chronic illness and fatigue can be better paced
If you live with M.E./CFS, Long Covid, chronic fatigue or pain, the idea of “walk-and-talk coaching” might sound impossible at first glance.
The difference with Earth Coaching’s approach is that we pace around your body, not the other way round:
slow walking with frequent breaks
sessions that include sitting on benches, leaning on railings, or using mobility aids
clear check-ins about energy levels and pain before and during the session
flexibility to switch outdoors/online depending on your health that day
Access to Work is specifically designed to support you to stay in or return to work with the body you have now, not the one you wish you had.
Walk-and-talk coaching lets us practise that in real time: honouring your limits, pacing your energy, and building in movement or rest you can carry into your workday.
5. Nature makes abstract workplace strategy more concrete
Access to Work coaching covers everything from organisation and planning to values, boundaries and communication.
Outdoors, nature gives us ready-made metaphors:
a shady tree becomes a way to talk about boundaries and shelter at work
a winding path can represent your career journey and future choices
a crowded path vs. a quiet corner mirrors social energy and sensory load in the office
watching the tide or the changing sky helps us talk about fluctuating capacity and chronic illness
These metaphors are not just poetic. They help many ADHD and autistic brains anchor ideas in sensory experiences, making it easier to remember and actually use the strategies later.
How walk-and-talk fits inside your Access to Work award
From a practical perspective, walk-and-talk coaching is still Workplace Strategy Coaching – just delivered in a different format.
Typically:
your Access to Work award will specify a certain number of coaching hours
those hours can usually be delivered online, by phone or via walk-and-talk sessions (as long as they meet the aims of your award)
you work with your Access to Work case manager and your coach to agree the pattern (for example: monthly online, monthly walk-and-talk in Southend)
At Earth Coaching:
sessions are tailored to your award budget and availability
we can provide quotes and written information for Access to Work to show how walk-and-talk fits your support plan
you can combine online sessions (ideal for screen-heavy tasks, working on your calendar or digital systems) with outdoor sessions (ideal for big-picture thinking, burnout recovery, unmasking and nervous system work)
If you’re not sure whether walk-and-talk coaching would be approved on your particular award, we can talk that through in a discovery call and help you phrase it clearly to your assessor or case manager.
Who especially benefits from walk-and-talk Access to Work coaching?
In my practice, outdoor Access to Work sessions are particularly helpful if you:
are ADHD or AuDHD and think better when moving
are autistic and find offices, video calls and waiting rooms exhausting
live with M.E./CFS, Long Covid, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia or chronic pain, and need gentle, paced movement plus nervous system support
experience anxiety, depression, burnout or shutdowns linked to work
spend most of your week indoors and crave time outside but struggle to “justify” it
feel disconnected from your body and values, and want coaching that honours both
Because Access to Work is there to support your way of working, it makes sense to choose a format that your brain and body can actually tolerate – not just what looks conventional.
How to get started if you already have an Access to Work award
If you’ve been awarded coaching and you’re curious about using part (or all) of it for walk-and-talk sessions in Southend-on-Sea or Essex, here’s a simple sequence you can follow:
Check your award letter
Look at how many coaching hours you’ve been funded for and any notes about format (for example, “Workplace Strategy Coaching” or “Specialist coaching for ADHD/autism”)Book a free discovery session with Earth Coaching
We’ll explore your access needs, preferred locations (e.g. Priory Park, Prittlewell Square, seafront), energy levels and sensory profile.
We’ll sketch a provisional programme that might blend online and walk-and-talk sessions.
Request a quote / outline for Access to Work
I can provide a written quote and a brief description of the service for your case manager or finance team, clearly labelled as Access to Work Workplace Strategy Coaching.Agree practicalities with your employer (if relevant)
That might include:using work time for sessions (as they are work support)
planning travel and recovery time
integrating outcomes into your reasonable adjustments plan
Start with one or two outdoor sessions
You don’t have to commit to an entire year outdoors. Many people start by alternating: one online, one walk-and-talk, and then we refine from there depending on how your body and brain respond.
Closing thoughts
Access to Work exists because disabled, neurodivergent and chronically ill people deserve proper, funded support to create sustainable ways of working – not just to “try harder”.
Walk-and-talk coaching is one of the most effective ways I’ve found to deliver that support:
your nervous system settles
your thinking clears
your values and goals have space to breathe
strategy becomes grounded in the reality of your body and the land you live on
If you’d like to explore walk-and-talk Access to Work coaching in Southend-on-Sea or Essex, or a blend of online and outdoor sessions, you can:
book a free discovery call
bring your award letter and questions
and we’ll map out a programme that works with your ADHD, autism, dyslexia or chronic illness – not against it.
Your Access to Work funding is there to help you thrive, not just survive. Taking your coaching out under the trees or by the sea might be exactly the shift your nervous system has been quietly asking for.
Please Note:
This website is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition before making changes. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
