The Coaching Lab: Evidence-Based High Performance & Wellbeing

It seems there's a person claiming to be a "coach" around every corner. But what is it like to experience a real coaching session from a credible, nationally board-certified coach with a real client? Today's episode allows you to be a fly on the wall as an experienced Catalyst Coaching 360 coach (Leigh) coaches Suzy. This is a real session. No script. No pre-planning. The real...

What if heat, which as long been treated as something to fear—is actually one of the most accessible tools for a longer, healthier, sharper life? Bestselling Spring Chicken author Bill Gifford joins Brad Cooper to unpack his new book HotWired and the fast-growing science behind sauna use, heat exposure, and heat adaptation. We dig into the landmark Finnish studies linking regular sauna use to dram...

To celebrate the end of Season 8, we went back to see what was the single most popular episode out of our library of 397 episodes to date. To nobody's surprise, it was the one-and-only Dr. Bill Miller, co-creator of Motivational Interviewing. The story about how it began is fascinating, and the impact it has in the world of coaching, counseling, leadership, addiction recovery and more is powe...

We're told that winners never quit — but what if strategic quitting is the skill high performers are missing? In this episode, Brad sits down with Lindsay Crouse, author of The Case for Quitting and former New York Times editor and writer, to challenge the "never give up" mindset that quietly works against ambitious people. Lindsay shares her own journey from Harvard to career heigh...

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro have reshaped the weight-loss landscape almost overnight — but the way they're often prescribed leaves people under-fueled, losing muscle, and going it alone. In this episode of The Coaching Lab, host Leigh Baker sits down with National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach Erin Chain and triple-board-certified physician Dr....

What happens when the toolkit that built your success stops working for the life you actually want to live? In this episode, Brad Cooper sits down with Kathy Robinson — former Wall Street veteran and chief audit executive turned author and coach — for a wide-ranging, rabbit-trail conversation about reinventing the next phase of life. After 33 years in corporate (18 on Wall Street, 15 at a Fortune...

Many coaches will back away the moment a client's voice cracks. Dr. Michael Arloski thinks that instinct — however well-intentioned — is quietly undermining the behavior change we're hired to create. Michael has been in the wellness field since 1979. He's a licensed psychologist, a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, an ICF Professional Certified Coach, CEO of Real...

Whether you're 25 or 75, protecting and enhancing your brain health matters right now. In this episode of The Coaching Lab, Dr. Brad Cooper and co-host Sabryna Liddle sit down with Trish Turo—brain health educator, researcher, yoga teacher, and National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach—for a conversation that spans every age and stage of life. As Director of Brain Health with the V...

What do you wish someone had told you on day one of your coaching career? In this episode of The Coaching Lab, host Leigh Baker sits down with Sabryna Liddle, VP of Coaching Excellence at Catalyst Coaching 360, for a candid conversation about everything they wish they'd known as new health and wellness coaches—drawing on decades in the field since Catalyst launched in 2007. Whether you'r...

Life is uncertain. How can credible, board-certified health & wellness coaches make a positive difference in the midst of the uncertainty and how might an individual personally benefit from working with a coach? From fears around AI to ongoing life transitions, wellbeing pursuits and more, we take a deep dive in this special episode, featuring Leigh Saner Baker and Sabryna Liddle. Info re earn...

Ice baths. Electrolyte drinks. Infrared saunas. Recovery boots. The wellness industry has never been louder — or more expensive. But which of these tools actually move the needle, and which are just well-marketed noise? In this episode of The Coaching Lab, we cut through the hype and get honest about recovery. Dr. Brad Cooper explores the science behind today's most talked-about wellness prac...

Work travel can quietly drain your energy, wreck your sleep, and leave even your highest-performing clients coming home depleted. In this episode of The Coaching Lab, host [Host Name] sits down with Beth Jennings, PT, NBC-HWC — a physical therapist and National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach — to unpack what real wellbeing looks like for professionals who live out of a suitcase. Beth...

You passed the NBHWC exam — congratulations! Now what? In this episode of The Coaching Lab , Dr. Cooper and Leigh deliver the post-certification roadmap every new National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) needs. Whether you're aiming for a salaried role at a hospital, corporate wellness program, or insurance company, or you're ready to launch your own coaching practi...

We are thrilled to have one of the pioneers of health & wellness coaching, Wellcoaches founder Margaret Moore (you likely know her as Coach Meg) join us on this special episode of The Coaching Lab podcast! Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification , annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/   Best-in...

Most people think mindfulness means downloading an app or sitting quietly for ten minutes. Serena Jain is here to respectfully challenge that assumption — and to show coaches and high performers what's actually possible when mindfulness is practiced with intention and depth. In this episode of The Coaching Lab, host Dr. Brad Cooper sits down with mindfulness teacher and MBSR practitioner Sere...

AI is transforming coaching, leadership, and the way we work—but how do you use it without losing what makes coaching powerful in the first place? In this episode of The Coaching Lab , we sit down with Sara Parrode, AI Coach for Executives and Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, to explore how coaches and leaders can build a thoughtful, responsible relationship with artificial intelligenc...

We’ve all heard that peak performance is ‘all in your head,’ but our guest today invested time mapping where that ‘headspace’ lives. Dr. Izzy Justice is a world-renowned sports neuroscientist who notes he has analyzed over 18,000 EEG brain scans to uncover a startling truth: there is a specific frequency—10 Hz—where elite performance becomes effortless. He is the author of Life Explained: Chasing...

This is the final episode of our special 3-part series on the business of health & wellness coaching.  Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification , annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/   Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/ Tap into...

Do you believe in free will? Really? Our answer to that questions influences SO much of our journey ahead.  Text version available here Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification , annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/   Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catal...

In a world of constant noise, endless distraction, and performative busyness, what does it mean to pursue true excellence? Not hustle-for-hustle’s-sake kind—but the kind rooted in values, meaning, and sustainable high performance. Today’s guest is one of the clearest voices on that question: Brad Stulberg—bestselling author, performance coach, and researcher on sustainable excellence. Brad is a ra...

One of the most common questions among both new and established coaches is how to establish your pricing. In this episode, Leigh, Suzy and Brad provide a round-table discussion on a range of pricing-related topics ranging from how the market affects your pricing to how to land on "your" number, the role of packages and much more. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certif...

What is a clear, personal vision? How does it overlap (or influence) goals? Why does it matter? What are the steps to discovering and clarifying a vision? What does this have to do with my life? Why not just set goals or resolutions? In this special bonus episode, Dr. Cooper shares a range of insights and "how-to's" related to the powerful, life-shifting step of clarifying and creat...

The use of saunas is exploding in popularity in the US, but they’ve been a standard part of life in other parts of the world. Finland is the best example, with more than one sauna for every 2 people! What is it about the health, wellbeing and high performance benefits that are driving such engagement? Is it a fad? Or is the trend driven by dependable evidence? What frequency, duration and temperat...

This special episode, hosted by Leigh Baker, with nationally board certified health & wellness coach (and business owner) Suzy Destarac and Dr. Brad Cooper, takes a deep dive into the business side of coaching. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification , annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/   Be...

Are we destined to lose our muscle mass over time? Is protein intake important? If so, what are the best forms of it? Does that amount change as we age? Is it influenced by physical activity? These – any related questions continue to dominate the world of health, wellness & peak performance, and there’s no better source for providing the answers than Professor Stuart Phillips from the school o...