Fran Fisher walked on stage in 1997 without her notes and defined coaching as a sacred space of unconditional love. The definition stuck. Fran, MCC, helped build the ICF credentialing system. She chaired the Credentialing Development Committee and has assessed coaches since 1997. In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, she shares the history most coaches never hear. Two rival coaching associations merged in an Atlanta hotel room and drew straws for the name. She also names an uncomfortable finding. When MCC candidates kept failing assessment, the assessors looked past the coaches and found the gap sat with their mentors.

Fran Fisher walked on stage in 1997 without her notes and defined coaching as a sacred space of unconditional love. The definition stuck.Fran, MCC, helped build the ICF credentialing system. She chaired the Credentialing Development Committee and has assessed coaches since 1997.In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, she shares the history most coaches never hear. Two rival coaching associations merged in an Atlanta hotel room and drew straws for the name.She also names an uncomfortable finding. When MCC candidates kept failing assessment, the assessors looked past the coaches and found the gap sat with their mentors.

The Coaching Edge Podcast

Coaching as a Sacred Space of Unconditional Love: Fran Fisher on Building the ICF Credentialing System

AI will not run your coaching practice while you sip a drink on a beach. Colin Scotland, who heads the AI for Coaches mentorship at coaching.com, explains why the coaches getting real value from AI start somewhere unexpected: writing down who they are. He walks through context engineering, operational AI that completes tasks on its own, and why the first step toward using the technology well is knowing yourself. A grounded, human-first take on a tool most people still misunderstand.

AI will not run your coaching practice while you sip a drink on a beach. Colin Scotland, who heads the AI for Coaches mentorship at coaching.com, explains why the coaches getting real value from AI start somewhere unexpected: writing down who they are. He walks through context engineering, operational AI that completes tasks on its own, and why the first step toward using the technology well is knowing yourself. A grounded, human-first take on a tool most people still misunderstand.

Get It Out of Your Head and Onto Paper: Colin Scotland on Why AI Rewards Coaches Who Know Themselves

You are the bottleneck in your own business. Elle Oren has seen it across tech giants and solo coaches alike. After years building go-to-market strategy for Microsoft, Cisco, and Equinix, Elle now helps small business owners shift from operator to owner. Your qualification is the delivery, not the solution. Build trust into the business instead of yourself, partner outward into an ecosystem, and you turn a job into an asset built to outlive you. A direct, practical conversation for any coach ready to think like a business owner.

You are the bottleneck in your own business. Elle Oren has seen it across tech giants and solo coaches alike. After years building go-to-market strategy for Microsoft, Cisco, and Equinix, Elle now helps small business owners shift from operator to owner. Your qualification is the delivery, not the solution. Build trust into the business instead of yourself, partner outward into an ecosystem, and you turn a job into an asset built to outlive you. A direct, practical conversation for any coach ready to think like a business owner.

Why Your Coaching Business Should Outlive You: Elle Oren on the Shift from Operator to Owner

Paul Dupuis turned around a failing operation of around 75,000 people by asking questions, not giving orders. The former Randstad India and Japan CEO joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to share his belief: the answers are in the room. Learn his three-question approach to listening, the power of "What if," and his E5 Movement model of leadership. A practical conversation for coaches and leaders who want to lead change without pretending to know everything.

Paul Dupuis turned around a failing operation of around 75,000 people by asking questions, not giving orders. The former Randstad India and Japan CEO joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to share his belief: the answers are in the room. Learn his three-question approach to listening, the power of "What if," and his E5 Movement model of leadership. A practical conversation for coaches and leaders who want to lead change without pretending to know everything.

The Answers Are in the Room: Paul Dupuis on Leading a Turnaround by Asking Better Questions

A podcast spot, a book, or a TV interview gets you noticed once. Then most experts go quiet, and the attention disappears.Dr. Trudy Beerman has produced hundreds of expert interviews as CEO of PSI TV. She holds a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University. In this episode she explains the back end most experts forget.Visibility now decides who gets hired. Search engines and AI recommend the people who show up with relevance, recency, and repetition. Your name and message need to match across every platform, or the algorithm reads you as a stranger.Trudy and hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave map a clear starting point. Own your website first. Build outward from there. Play the long game, and your effort compounds.

A podcast spot, a book, or a TV interview gets you noticed once. Then most experts go quiet, and the attention disappears.Dr. Trudy Beerman has produced hundreds of expert interviews as CEO of PSI TV. She holds a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University. In this episode she explains the back end most experts forget.Visibility now decides who gets hired. Search engines and AI recommend the people who show up with relevance, recency, and repetition. Your name and message need to match across every platform, or the algorithm reads you as a stranger.Trudy and hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave map a clear starting point. Own your website first. Build outward from there. Play the long game, and your effort compounds.

The Back End Most Experts Forget: Dr. Trudy Beerman on Building Digital Authority

Being a great coach will not build your business. Brooke Summer Adams learned this the hard way before she went full-time.Known as The Coach's Coach, Brooke recovered from body image struggles through life coaching, built a six-figure business in 18 months, and now helps new coaches replace their salary and work for themselves. In this episode she names the split most coaches miss: coaching gives people what they need, while marketing gives people what they want. Two skill sets, two learning curves. She shares the three questions behind a strong personal brand and explains why the cringe of the early days is the price of entry, not a sign you chose wrong. Practical, direct, and honest about the work involved.

Being a great coach will not build your business. Brooke Summer Adams learned this the hard way before she went full-time.Known as The Coach's Coach, Brooke recovered from body image struggles through life coaching, built a six-figure business in 18 months, and now helps new coaches replace their salary and work for themselves. In this episode she names the split most coaches miss: coaching gives people what they need, while marketing gives people what they want. Two skill sets, two learning curves. She shares the three questions behind a strong personal brand and explains why the cringe of the early days is the price of entry, not a sign you chose wrong. Practical, direct, and honest about the work involved.

Being a Great Coach Is Not the Same as Building a Business: Brooke Summer Adams on 8 Years of Coaching Coaches

Clients pick coaches for authenticity, not credentials. That was the ICF finding 20 years ago, and Cynthia Loy Darst says it still holds.A co-active coaching pioneer since 1992, Cynthia helped found the ICF, served as ACTO president, and now oversees leader development at CTI. She talks with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave about presence, the difficulty of self-curiosity, the inside team approach to internal voices, and where AI fits in coaching. Direct, grounded, and drawn from 34 years inside the profession.

Clients pick coaches for authenticity, not credentials. That was the ICF finding 20 years ago, and Cynthia Loy Darst says it still holds.A co-active coaching pioneer since 1992, Cynthia helped found the ICF, served as ACTO president, and now oversees leader development at CTI. She talks with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave about presence, the difficulty of self-curiosity, the inside team approach to internal voices, and where AI fits in coaching. Direct, grounded, and drawn from 34 years inside the profession.

Why Most People Find Self-Curiosity So Hard: Cynthia Loy Darst on 34 Years of Co-Active Coaching

Most teams avoid the conversations that would solve their biggest problems. Gaby Jordan, founder of Source Elements Group, has spent 20+ years teaching leaders how to have them. A former Manhattan trial lawyer turned coach, Gaby has taught at MIT, NYU, Stanford, and over 80 institutions worldwide. She joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to unpack champion conversations, the role of agency in leadership, and why a $2 billion company hit its targets by focusing on people, not sales. A practical episode for coaches and leaders working with teams in transition.

Most teams avoid the conversations that would solve their biggest problems. Gaby Jordan, founder of Source Elements Group, has spent 20+ years teaching leaders how to have them.A former Manhattan trial lawyer turned coach, Gaby has taught at MIT, NYU, Stanford, and over 80 institutions worldwide. She joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to unpack champion conversations, the role of agency in leadership, and why a $2 billion company hit its targets by focusing on people, not sales. A practical episode for coaches and leaders working with teams in transition.

Champion Conversations and the Power of Agency: Gaby Jordan on Bridging Education and Business Through Coaching

Sports coach turned practice developer Simon Harling joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to challenge how coaches build their work. Author of Good Coach, Bad Coach, Simon brings 15+ years from pro football, squash, and national governing bodies into a conversation about environmental design, stakeholder alignment, and the tension between development and performance. Hear why moving from "am I good enough?" to "I know what my practice is for" changes everything, and how the conditions of practice matter more than chasing peak moments. Practical, direct, and grounded in real examples.

Sports coach turned practice developer Simon Harling joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to challenge how coaches build their work. Author of Good Coach, Bad Coach, Simon brings 15+ years from pro football, squash, and national governing bodies into a conversation about environmental design, stakeholder alignment, and the tension between development and performance. Hear why moving from "am I good enough?" to "I know what my practice is for" changes everything, and how the conditions of practice matter more than chasing peak moments. Practical, direct, and grounded in real examples.

From External Validation to Internal Belonging: Simon Harling on Designing a Coaching Practice That Works

Most leadership programs teach skills. Max Klau teaches wholeness. The founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness and a Harvard-trained leadership scholar, Max joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain why shadow-integrated servant leadership is the missing piece in how we develop leaders. Learn why shadow is not the opposite of light, how a 90-minute session gets total strangers to share their shadow mission, and what the Inner Development Goals movement signals about where global leadership development is heading. If you work with leaders or are one, this conversation will change how you think about growth.

Most leadership programs teach skills. Max Klau teaches wholeness. The founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness and a Harvard-trained leadership scholar, Max joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain why shadow-integrated servant leadership is the missing piece in how we develop leaders. Learn why shadow is not the opposite of light, how a 90-minute session gets total strangers to share their shadow mission, and what the Inner Development Goals movement signals about where global leadership development is heading. If you work with leaders or are one, this conversation will change how you think about growth.

Shadow-Integrated Servant Leadership: Max Klau on Why Wholeness Is the Missing Piece in Leadership Development

A horse won't follow you because of your title. It follows you because of your presence. Wencke Meteling, leadership coach and former historian, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain how equine coaching makes invisible leadership patterns visible. From energy work in the arena to the lead rope team exercise, this episode connects somatic awareness, authentic presence, and practical leadership development in ways that stay with you long after the conversation ends.

A horse won't follow you because of your title. It follows you because of your presence. Wencke Meteling, leadership coach and former historian, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain how equine coaching makes invisible leadership patterns visible. From energy work in the arena to the lead rope team exercise, this episode connects somatic awareness, authentic presence, and practical leadership development in ways that stay with you long after the conversation ends.

What Horses Reveal About Leadership That Humans Miss: Wencke Meteling on Equine Coaching and Authentic Presence

82% of coaches fail within two years of starting a business. Laura Berman Fortgang, MCC, has spent 30 years solving that problem.Laura is a founding member of the International Coaching Federation, student number 16 at Coach U, and author of five books. She now runs the A-List Coach, a program for coaches who want to build a practice that actually works.In this episode, she shares why speaking is the fastest route to a full pipeline, how to handle sales calls the same way you handle a coaching conversation, and what the rise of AI means for the future of professional coaching.

82% of coaches fail within two years of starting a business. Laura Berman Fortgang, MCC, has spent 30 years solving that problem.Laura is a founding member of the International Coaching Federation, student number 16 at Coach U, and author of five books. She now runs the A-List Coach, a program for coaches who want to build a practice that actually works.In this episode, she shares why speaking is the fastest route to a full pipeline, how to handle sales calls the same way you handle a coaching conversation, and what the rise of AI means for the future of professional coaching.

The Business Skills Most Coaches Never Learn: Laura Berman Fortgang on 30 Years of Building a Coaching Practice

What happens when a coach stops worrying about labels and starts contracting for what the client actually needs? Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy, ICF MCC and EMCC Master Practitioner, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to discuss supervision, team coaching, neurodiversity, and why courage in contracting is the skill most coaches need right now. Clare brings 25+ years across education, leadership development, and systemic coaching practice. A rich, grounded conversation with ideas you can apply today.

What happens when a coach stops worrying about labels and starts contracting for what the client actually needs? Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy, ICF MCC and EMCC Master Practitioner, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to discuss supervision, team coaching, neurodiversity, and why courage in contracting is the skill most coaches need right now. Clare brings 25+ years across education, leadership development, and systemic coaching practice. A rich, grounded conversation with ideas you can apply today.

From Imposter to MCC: Dr. Clare Beckett-McInroy on Supervision, Team Coaching, and the Courage to Contract

Coaching emerged to meet a need in the world. But what is that need right now? Tracy Sinclair, founder of Coach Advancement, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explore why presence has become the most valuable thing a coach can offer. Leaders are burned out, disengaged, and running from one meeting to the next without a moment to think. Tracy makes the case that coaching's greatest opportunity is not helping people perform better. It is giving them space to be heard, settle their minds, and access the clarity that constant doing buries.

Coaching emerged to meet a need in the world. But what is that need right now? Tracy Sinclair, founder of Coach Advancement, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explore why presence has become the most valuable thing a coach can offer. Leaders are burned out, disengaged, and running from one meeting to the next without a moment to think. Tracy makes the case that coaching's greatest opportunity is not helping people perform better. It is giving them space to be heard, settle their minds, and access the clarity that constant doing buries.

Presence Is the New Performance: Tracy Sinclair on What Coaching Must Offer in a Distracted World

Your comfort zone is not comfortable. It is a zone of self-limitation. Alex Verlek, coach and author with nearly 20 years of experience, explains why. In this episode, Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave talk with Alex about the frameworks he uses with business owners, high potentials, and coaches in training. Topics include the awareness cycle, limiting beliefs, impact versus legacy, and what the future of coaching looks like as AI enters the picture. Alex also shares how writing three books at 60 became an act of professional legacy. A thought-provoking conversation for coaches and leaders who want to work with the whole human, not just the presenting problem.

Your comfort zone is not comfortable. It is a zone of self-limitation. Alex Verlek, coach and author with nearly 20 years of experience, explains why.In this episode, Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave talk with Alex about the frameworks he uses with business owners, high potentials, and coaches in training. Topics include the awareness cycle, limiting beliefs, impact versus legacy, and what the future of coaching looks like as AI enters the picture.Alex also shares how writing three books at 60 became an act of professional legacy. A thought-provoking conversation for coaches and leaders who want to work with the whole human, not just the presenting problem.

Why the Comfort Zone Is a Zone of Self-Limitation: Alex Verlek on 20 Years of Coaching the Whole Human

A Podcast About Coaching, Business and other Interesting Stuff.

A Podcast About Coaching, Business and other Interesting Stuff.

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The Coaching Edge Podcast

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