Command the Room Coaching

In this episode, Allie and Trey get personal about Allie’s unexpected layoff and what happened next. Instead of offering generic job search advice, they walk through the real decisions, emotions, pivots, and strategy that helped Allie move from layoff shock to new opportunities. They talk about spotting warning signs, building a job search plan, using your network, staying flexible, handling rejec...

What happens when leadership starts to feel lonely? Allie and Trey dig into the less-talked-about side of leading: decision pressure, isolation, boundaries, and the awkward shift from being part of the team to being responsible for the team. Through firehouse stories, career lessons, and practical examples, they share how leaders can stay connected without overstepping and build the kind of trust...

Some leadership problems do not show up as clear policy violations. They show up as tension, awkward silence, side conversations, complaints, and people feeling like they are not being heard. In this episode, Trey and Allie use a real listener story to unpack how leaders can navigate uncomfortable team moments without overreacting, dismissing concerns, or making things worse. From perceived favori...

Being the runner-up for a job, promotion, or major opportunity can sting worse than getting rejected early. You were close enough to picture it, invested enough to care, and then still walked away with nothing official to show for it. Long gone are the days of participation trophies. In this episode, we talk through the emotional hit of being passed over, why “don’t take it personally” is easier s...

Most people think the goal is to have a strong resume. It is not. The goal is to get hired. In this episode of the Command the Room Coaching Podcast , we talk about why that distinction matters, why resume writers are not always the answer, and how job seekers can end up dependent on a process they never learned to do themselves. We also cover tailoring your resume to the job description, translat...

This bonus episode is a little different. I recently joined Edgar Mills on his podcast, The Junto Podcast , for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, preparedness, and why polished is not the same as credible. We talk about the difference between vigilance and paranoia, why strong leaders think through contingencies before things go sideways, and how after-action reviews help teams learn from...

Great leaders do not just solve the obvious problem in front of them. They notice the small signals early, ask better questions, and act before a minor issue becomes a major one. In this episode of  Command the Room Coaching Podcast , we break down how strong leaders recognize patterns, avoid getting pulled into constant reaction mode, and build teams that speak up before problems escalate. We als...

In this episode, we unpack toxic positivity and why the pressure to stay upbeat can do more harm than good. We share personal experiences, talk about how forced optimism can make people feel dismissed, and look at what real support sounds like when life is actually hard. If you’ve ever been told to just stay positive when you needed real support, share this episode with someone who’ll get it. Foll...

Is leadership something anyone can grow into, or are some people just not built for it? Allie starts off skeptical, and I push back. We get into the difference between formal leadership roles and informal influence, the five bases of power, and why some people are better at earning trust, buy-in, and followership. We also dig into the nature vs. nurture debate and ask a harder question than most p...

Building a great team is not about finding people who think exactly like you. In this episode, Allie and I break down what we actually look for when building teams, why different perspectives matter, and how groupthink can quietly weaken decision-making. We talk about the danger of yes-men, why personality balance matters more than most people realize, and why having a class clown on the team is u...

Getting rejected for a job or promotion hits harder than most people admit. It messes with your confidence, your identity, and sometimes your entire career plan. In this episode, we talk honestly about what it feels like to lose out on roles you thought you had in the bag. We share personal stories of rejection, missed promotions, and decisions that did not go our way - and what we learned from th...

Most people say they want feedback. Far fewer are actually good at receiving it. In this episode, Trey reacts to reading  Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen , sharing the ideas that hit closest to home both as a leader who gives feedback and as someone who has struggled to hear it without getting defensive. We talk about why feedback often feels personal even when it is not,...

Work-life balance is often treated as a fixed ideal, but real careers don’t work that way. In this episode, we unpack why balance looks different depending on the season of life you're in and why trying to copy someone else's version of balance usually leads to frustration or burnout. We talk through how responsibilities, energy, and priorities shift over time and how those shifts require...

Quitting a job isn't just about deciding to leave, it's about  how  you leave. In this episode, we focus on the mechanics of a professional exit: timing your departure, lining up your next move, and protecting your reputation in the process. We talk through why leaving without a plan often creates unnecessary risk, how to communicate your decision clearly and calmly, and what leaders and e...

New Year's resolutions fail not because people lack discipline, but because short-term goals reward motivation instead of structure. In this episode, we break down why annual goal-setting rarely leads to meaningful change and offer a more durable approach: long-range thinking, five-year planning, and deliberate skill development. We discuss how revisiting a long-term plan quarterly leads to cl...

"Be yourself." We've all heard it, and most of us have said it. But let's be honest: it's vague, unhelpful, and often a cop-out masquerading as support. In this episode, we break down why this popular phrase fails the people who need real guidance and why it can actively stunt growth when someone is asking for clarity or confidence. We share personal stories of receiving this a...

Forget the gimmicks and get real about resumes. Allie breaks down common resume myths and shares insider tips from 17+ years of coaching professionals through interviews, career pivots, and job searches. Learn why starting from scratch is better than using a generic template, how to use AI wisely without losing your voice, and what actually catches a recruiter's eye in those first 6 seconds. W...

This episode takes on a question that gets leaders into trouble more than they admit: should you be friends with the people you supervise? We break down why the answer is almost always no. Not because leaders should be distant or cold, but because friendship blurs the boundaries that make accountability, trust, and fairness possible. We walk through the real risks leaders face when they try to be...

Most people agree mentorship matters, but few know how to actually find mentors who work for them. In this episode, Trey and Allie dig into what makes mentorship effective, why it's so often misunderstood, and how to show up as a mentee who actually grows. They'll talk about the biggest mistakes people make when asking for mentorship, how to identify someone who’s the  right  fit (not just...

Leaving a job isn't always about walking away: sometimes it's about growing where you are. In this episode of  Command the Room Coaching , Trey and Allie share two very different paths around the same question: when is it time to move on, and when is it time to stay? Trey opens up about moments he considered leaving a long-standing career and what ultimately kept him there, while Allie ref...

Most people still approach interviews like exams. They memorize answers, perform confidence, and hope to impress. But modern hiring does not reward perfection; it rewards connection. In this episode,  Trey  and  Allie  explain the new rules of interviewing. Allie shares what hiring managers look for today, how to prepare stories that show your impact, and the small shifts that help you stand out....

In this short Episode 0, we introduce ourselves and share why we created Command the Room Coaching. You'll hear a little about our backgrounds, what pushed us to start this work, and what we want this podcast to do for you. It's less than 2 minutes - just enough to set the tone and give you a sense of who you’re hearing from before you jump into the real episodes.