The Art Of Coaching

Truly objective perception isn’t just difficult, it’s nearly impossible. That means everyday, despite your best efforts, people will interpret your actions, words, and behaviors differently than you intended.  It’s the same reason why there are Michelin star restaurants certain people love and others hate; Nobel prize winners some revere and others think are a hack.  While we can’t control people’...

You’ve been fantasizing about quitting or changing jobs for months and now you’re ready; Making that leap doesn’t scare you, it excites you. The thought of creating something from nothing or joining a team that’s building something from the ground up has driven you to go from fantasizing to finally pulling the trigger. But there is one thing about quitting the job that puts butterflies in your sto...

I can almost guarantee that at some point in your life, you’ll need or want to speak persuasively to a group of people.  Perhaps you’re pitching investors for more money, asking supervisors for a raise, presenting at a national conference or coaxing your kids to bed.  Regardless of the situation, your ability to refine a message, understand your audience and deliver information in a way that will...

It’s easy to let circumstances and self-doubt get in the way of our desires. But it’s not just our desires at risk- self doubt could be holding us back from creating change, advancing in our career or worse, getting in the way of our relationships. Today’s guest Amira Mansour helps us understand that to create change you don’t have to get rid of the negative voice inside your head but rather recog...

The new year is here, and traditionally it’s the time we create new goals and set new standards for ourselves. But you know what ends up happening… February rolls around and we lose focus or forget about what we originally set out to accomplish.  Let’s not drop the ball in 2022.  This episode is quick and delivers immediately. If you’re the self-competitive type who is never satisfied with your wo...

Why would someone continue to believe a false or inaccurate idea when you are presenting them with plenty of facts and logic? You could not have presented your points more clearly! Your rationale is sound but perhaps it’s not the lack of supporting evidence failing to shift their point of view, but rather how you presented it… On today’s episode, Brett is joined by Ali Kershner in-studio for a dee...

You’ve been sitting on this draft for months. You want to hit send, but now you’re second guessing yourself… Why does reaching out to someone you respect and admire have to feel so awkward?  Maybe you’re asking for a job and you’re afraid you’ll get turned down and the relationship will suffer as a result.  Maybe you're reaching out to someone who has the job of your dreams and you want insight on...

It’s a frustrating situation. You’re going out of your way to help someone out and it’s just not taking. You can’t get through to them. They don’t want to listen. You might even feel like your attempt to help has made the situation worse. What gives!? Help me, help you. Help me…Help you!  You might be surprised to hear that maybe you’re the problem.  In this short, digestible, actionable episode I...

These days there’s no shortage of well-meaning leadership, relationship, and financial advice. It seems at every turn we’re reminded, “Winners never quit”, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”, and “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason”.  ...And while some sound pleasantly helpful, there are times this guidance is total B.S.  On today’s show we take a stab at debunki...

The most dangerous phrase in any organization is “because that’s how we’ve always done it”.  It’s the utterance of those scared of change, unwilling to think laterally, and clinging desperately to their comfort zone. Any true leader knows that in today’s rapidly evolving world, those who last will be those who adapt- plain and simple.  As hard as change may be, imagine trying to implement it at th...

Without experiencing true difficulty, doubt, or adversity, it’s hard to know what any of us are really capable of. Truth is unless we’re thrust into such adversity, it’s nearly impossible to manufacture the type of hardship required to test our limits.  Today’s guest, ESPN college basketball analyst Steffi Sorensen, has dealt with more than her fair share. And while she probably wouldn’t wish rece...

No matter what field you're in, technical skills will only take you so far. Eventually, you’ll need to leverage interpersonal skills to stand out and effect change. Problem is, society has misrepresented what it takes to train these skills, making them seem like intangible or innate qualities that can’t be measured or managed.  In reality, there’s more research on human interaction than any exerci...

If you’re listening to this episode, you’re lying to yourself… But you’re not the only one.   Turns out most of us aren’t honest about the REAL reason we do what we do. Why? Because being honest requires admitting we have selfish desires and that we haven’t put ourselves in positions to experience failure. Neither are inherently pleasant but both are required if we want to get out of our own way a...

BLACKFRIDAY30 gets you 30% off ALL ONLINE COURSES.    We can all agree that listening is a foundational skill. And it makes sense- research shows we spend half our waking hours listening (Hargie, 2017; Kelley, 2019). But are you listening or are you just hearing? True listening requires encoding, reflection, and delivering on what you heard. It’s a skill, it requires practice and it’s required to...

The prospect of assigning a dollar amount to your time can evoke feelings of frustration, guilt, confusion and imposter phenomenon.  And yet, whether you're salaried, hourly or a business owner / entrepreneur, it’s essential to know what your time is worth. Not only will this calculation help you to decide between opportunities, it’ll allow you to communicate your value and build a healthy relatio...

Coaching is all about discovering what makes an individual tick so you can help them take the next step in their life, career, or sport… But when you work with people who aren’t consistently motivated, compliant or driven, it can feel like solving a 10,000 piece puzzle. And yet, that’s the job; Whether you train athletes or work with professionals, it’s up to you to figure out the puzzle- not shir...

We’ve all faced what seem like impossible decisions: Which job should I take? Is this the person I really want to spend my life with? Can I even afford to take vacation right now? We’re also faced with hundreds of smaller decisions on a daily basis: What do I want for dinner? Should I watch tv or read a book? Should I take the car or ride my bike? Given the frequency in which they pop up, it’s obv...

The number one complaint we hear from coaches and leaders is “I don’t have enough time”.  But is that really the issue? There’s plenty of data to support that on average we actually work less and have more “leisure time” than ever before…  So what gives? Today’s episode is a deep dive into the illusion of not having enough time and the questions we should be asking ourselves to get to the bottom o...

Whether we like it or not, we’re living in a culture of “heroic individualism” in which numbers and results dictate our success and drive our sense of fulfillment.    And while many current mindfulness techniques (& other “anecdotes”) teach us to move away from this lifestyle, not all of these practices are applicable for those of us who need to provide for our families and/or aspire to more.    B...

How is it that our minds- complex and powerful beyond measure, capable of constructing skyscrapers and inventing life-saving procedures, can simultaneously be our greatest enemy?  The answer may reside in our “chatter”, the ruminating, negative voice in our head that reminds us of our fears and insecurities while democratizing the human condition.  On today’s episode, we’re diving deep into what “...

When I first released my book Conscious Coaching , I had no idea the chapter about Archetypes would cause such a stir. Since then, the idea of using terms like Wolverine, Skeptic, Royal, and Technician to classify general patterns of human behavior has continued to ignite controversy and debate for coaches and leaders alike.   In this episode I’m going to put some of this controversy to rest becau...

If a total stranger came up to you and asked you to write the word “pickle” in a library book so they could prank their friend (and not have their handwriting recognized), would you do it? Sounds strange, but think about this for a moment... Research (performed by today’s guest) overwhelmingly shows that we say yes more often than we say no to requests like this (despite the request requiring us t...

Entrepreneurship may seem like an elusive endeavor in which you have to quit your 9-to-5, jump in head first, throw caution to the wind, sell your soul to investors and live on ramen…   But real entrepreneurship is messier, more complex, diverse (and also attainable) than what the movies, tv shows, and allure of Silicon Valley can make it seem. And while there’s no one type of entrepreneur, there...

By now you’ve probably heard us sing the praises of improvisation and its benefits in communication, awareness and listening. If you haven’t, the premise is simple- we think of improv as the best way to practice accepting and appreciating change.  But it goes much further than that. Improv has been used to teach individuals interpersonal skills in countless arenas- from helping immigrant children...

It’s time for another bonus Friday episode! Today, Brett and Ali discuss their vocal idiosyncrasies while making a compelling case for the consumption of more fiction. Don’t worry, it’s not all fun and games... They also share a helpful strategy for making hard decisions.  On today’s episode: How to identify vocal tendencies like “uptalk” and “vocal fry”  The hidden benefits of playing video games...