The Coach Approach Ministries Podcast

Episode Summary Brian Miller records a solo episode on a common leadership frustration: people ask for advice, receive good advice, agree that it makes sense—and then do not follow it. Brian explores why advice often fails to create change. The issue is not always that the advice is wrong. The deeper problem is that advice often skips the internal process people need in order to act. Coaching offe...

Podcast Notes: Presidents, Pressure, and the Myth That Things Used to Be Simple Episode Overview In this solo episode, Brian Miller reflects on America's 250th anniversary and his recent effort to memorize the presidents of the United States in order. What began as a personal history project became a reminder that American life has never been as simple, stable, or unified as we sometimes imagine....

In this episode, Glenn Smith and I explore the journey of building a successful coaching practice and what it really takes to sustain meaningful work over time. Glenn shares wisdom from his own coaching journey, including the challenges, mindset shifts, and personal growth required to create a practice that aligns with both purpose and impact. We discuss: What defines a successful coaching practic...

In this final conversation with Paul Burns, we explore the "Social" dimension of the GPS discipleship framework. Paul explains how a secure relationship with God and growing personal maturity free us to genuinely love and connect with others. We discuss: Why empathy is central to spiritual maturity The connection between security and healthy relationships Moving beyond codependency Loving others f...

In this second conversation with Paul Burns, we focus on the "Personal" dimension of his GPS framework for discipleship. Paul explores how spiritual growth involves becoming the person God created us to be rather than remaining trapped in the patterns and insecurities shaped by the world. We discuss: The movement from worldly identity to God-centered identity Emotional maturity and spiritual forma...

In this episode, Paul Burns and I begin a month-long conversation on deepening discipleship. Paul shares his understanding of discipleship as a growing relationship with God rather than merely acquiring religious knowledge or behavior modification. We discuss: Why discipleship is fundamentally relational The difference between knowing about God and knowing God Attachment theory and spiritual forma...

Podcast Notes — CAP 519 with Rey Spadoni In this episode, Rey Spadoni and I explore the Camino de Santiago and the deeper human longing for pilgrimage, meaning, and transformation. Rey shares insights from his experiences walking the Camino and reflects on why ancient spiritual practices continue to resonate in modern life. We discuss: What draws people to the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage as both...

🎧 Podcast Notes: Narrative Coaching with Motoki Asai Connect with Motoki Asai Find Motoki on LinkedIn to learn more about his work with CAM Japan. Episode Overview In this final conversation, Brian Miller and Motoki Asai explore narrative coaching —a collaborative approach that helps clients examine and rewrite the stories they are living. Rather than starting with goals, narrative coaching begin...

🎧 Podcast Notes: Third Generation Coaching with Motoki Asai Connect with Motoki Asai Find Motoki on LinkedIn to learn more about his work with CAM Japan. Episode Overview Brian Miller continues the conversation with Motoki Asai, diving into third generation coaching —a research-based, collaborative approach that shifts coaching from problem-solving to deeper exploration of identity, meaning, and...

🎧 Podcast Notes: Cognitive Linguistics with Motoki Asai Webinar / CTA (if you want to add one later, place here) Learn more or connect with Motoki Asai via LinkedIn (Motoki Asai). Episode Overview In this conversation, Brian Miller sits down with Motoki Asai to explore cognitive linguistics —the study of how language both reflects and shapes the way we think. They unpack how the words clients use...

Big Idea Writing isn't just content creation—it's a tool for clarity, growth, and impact . For coaches and leaders, writing helps you think better, communicate better, and ultimately serve people better . What You'll Learn in This Episode Why writing is a powerful tool for coaches and leaders How writing helps you clarify your thinking The connection between coaching conversations and content crea...

Big Idea Great coaching isn't about having the best answers—it's about creating the kind of space where clients discover their own . The difference between average and masterful coaching comes down to mindset, humility, and how deeply you engage the person—not just the problem . What You'll Learn in This Episode Why the coaching mindset requires intentional preparation The surprising role of humil...

Big Idea Healthy churches are not defined by programs or personalities—but by clarity, culture, and conversations . Coaching provides the mindset and structure that helps churches rediscover purpose, develop leaders, and navigate change. Episode Flow & Key Themes 1. The State of the Church Today The church is a mixed bag : Thriving churches: Clear purpose and identity Spiritually grounded Balanced...

Episode Summary In this Maundy Thursday episode, Brian explores the meaning of the gospel through the lens of forsakenness and belonging . Reflecting on Jesus' cry from the cross—"Why have you forsaken me?"—he reframes the good news not as what we must do, but what Christ has already done. Through personal stories, coaching insights, and biblical reflection, this episode invites listeners to exper...

Episode Summary Brian Miller reflects on a growing ache he feels in both the church and the wider culture: we do not seem to know who to trust anymore. Trust in politicians, pastors, institutions, even the police has eroded. In that setting, Brian turns to Jesus — not as an abstract doctrine, but as a real person whose life reveals why he can be trusted. Drawing especially from Matthew 4, Brian fr...

Episode Summary Brian Miller sits down with Dr. Angie Ward (Denver Seminary) for an honest, wide-angle conversation about what's happening to the Western church—and what might come next. Angie argues that "Christendom" (church as cultural establishment) is collapsing, and that COVID accelerated trends already underway: declining trust in institutions, shrinking attendance, and rising skepticism to...

Episode Summary In this reflective and candid conversation, Brian Miller sits down with Angie Ward , Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Denver Seminary , to explore what it means to lead from gravitas rather than persona. Angie shares why she shifted her writing voice toward deeper transparency in her Substack, The Contemplative Leader , and how embracing her full story—including mistak...

Doug Foltz explains how he used AI to solve a real coach-development bottleneck: mentor coaching doesn't scale. By building a competency rubric and an AI "agent" that evaluates coaching transcripts, Doug's team reduced hours of expert analysis to minutes—then re-centered the human work where it matters most: reflection, agency, and a short mentor-coaching conversation. The bigger idea: "communal c...

Dr. Brent Sleasman argues that leaders who cling to certainty—predictability, control, and stable cause-and-effect—are setting themselves up to fail in today's environment. In an uncertain age, organizations must separate mission from program , experiment without over-attaching to solutions, and build teams that balance visionaries and integrators. The goal isn't chaos; it's realism, adaptability,...

Brian Miller (Coach Approach Ministries) is joined by Robert & Kaylee Fukui, authors of Tandem: The Married Entrepreneur's Guide for Greater Work-Life Balance , with special guest Danelle Miller (CAM Operations Director… and Brian's wife). They talk about what happens when marriage and business share the same kitchen table: role confusion, taking things personally, decision gridlock, risk toleranc...

Brian Miller (Coach Approach Ministries) sits down with Brent Sleasman (Winebrenner Seminary) to unpack a hard reality:  important kingdom-focused organizations are disappearing—not because the mission isn't needed, but because leaders fail to see the bigger picture and adapt to a changed world. They explore how "little-kingdom thinking," nostalgia-driven decision-making, and fear of loss keep lea...

In this "presidential summit," Brian Miller talks with Brent Sleasman , president of Winebrenner Theological Seminary , about why human-to-human interaction is becoming more important—not less—in an age of remote work, economic pressure, and accelerating AI. They explore the surprising value of presence (even silent presence on Zoom), the tradeoffs between convenience and community, and why the fu...

Coaching isn't just useful for discipleship—it may be the missing skill set for making disciple-makers. The conversation is candid, funny, and quietly sharp: COVID exposed shallow formation, and the church's "information-first" approach is often producing people who can pass the quiz but can't live the life. What this episode is really about How coaching skills turn discipleship from "content deli...

Brian Miller and Rev. Dr. Brian Tracy keep the January theme rolling— escaping the tyranny of the urgent —but this episode zeroes in on leadership coaching: why leaders get stuck, what beliefs jam the gears, and how a coach helps a leader climb out of survival mode and back into purpose. It opens with some playful "Brian spelling reform" banter (the Y can repent), then turns into a surprisingly pr...

🔑 Three Insights from the CAM Leaders Meeting Drawing from Coach Approach Ministries' first leaders meeting without any of its founders, Brian shares three convictions that will shape the future of coaching—and the church. 1️⃣ Human-to-Human Interaction Is Becoming More Valuable, Not Less As technology accelerates and polarization deepens, people aren't craving better performance—they're craving...