PRIME SPACE

With episode 100 just around the corner, Elias Scultori, MCC , sits down with Amy Donovan, MCC , to look back at the journey of PRIME Coaching Academy and PRIME SPACE—and to ask a larger question: What are we building? The conversation begins with the origins of PRIME Coaching Academy and the shared vision that brought Elias and Amy together: coach education that puts the power of coaching at the...

Why Client-Generated Awareness Matters in Coaching... In coaching, awareness is often treated as the desired outcome of a conversation. But who creates it matters. When a coach provides the insight, answer, solution, or interpretation, the client may receive something useful—but the source of the awareness remains outside of them. In this episode, Elias explores why awareness needs to belong to th...

What if the body could speak in a coaching conversation? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , speaks with David Ridley-Parris, ACC, about somatic coaching and what becomes possible when coaches expand their attention beyond the verbal and conceptual. David shares how his work with clients experiencing grief and loss led him to somatic coaching. He noticed that, at times, “their la...

It's a question more coaches are asking—and one worth taking seriously. In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , explores why coaching needs a professional organization, particularly as a self-regulated profession. Standards, ethics, accountability, professional identity, collective learning, and public trust all depend on our willingness to come together and take responsibility...

What does it really mean to pursue the MCC credential? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , is joined by Annalise Koltai, MCC , to explore her journey from discovering coaching as a distinct professional craft to earning her Master Certified Coach credential with the International Coaching Federation. But this isn't really a conversation about credentials. It is a conversatio...

What does it really mean to develop as a coach? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori explores three interconnected dimensions of professional development: skills development, personal development, and business development. Rather than treating them as separate areas, Elias argues that they are different dimensions of the same coaching practice—and that neglecting one inevitably affects t...

What if building a coaching practice doesn't require you to leave your current job? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , welcomes Joel Dietz, PCC, ACTC , for an unexpected addition to our conversation about developing a coaching business. Joel shares his experience of building a coaching practice while continuing to work full-time in HR and organizational development. Rather...

Many coaches are told they need to "find their niche" before they can build a successful coaching practice. But is that really true? In this final episode of the five-part series on business development, Elias Scultori, MCC , welcomes back PRIME Coaching Academy co-founder Amy Donovan, MCC , to explore niching. Together, they examine both the advantages and the limitations of this level...

Many coaches dream of leaving corporate life and building their own coaching practice. But what does that transition really require? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori welcomes executive coach Mike Alles, PCC , for an honest conversation about what it took to leave a successful 25-year corporate career and build a thriving coaching business. Mike shares why passion alone wasn't en...

Visibility opens the door. Trust is what sustains it.  That's where great coaching businesses are built. In the third episode of our five-part series on practice development, I sit down with Renata Lerch, ACC —Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) —to explore what marketing really means for professional coaches. Drawing on decades of e...

Marketing feels uncomfortable for many coaches. Visibility doesn't have to. In this second episode of the Business Development series, Elias Scultori invites coaches to stop thinking about marketing as selling and start thinking about it as visibility. When we don't have clarity about why coaching and why us, marketing easily becomes forced, uncomfortable, and performative. But when we a...

Business development can feel uncomfortable for many coaches. Perhaps that's because we've been starting in the wrong place. We invest years refining our coaching skills, yet often struggle to attract clients and build a sustainable practice. In this opening episode of a new PRIME SPACE season, Elias Scultori, MCC , challenges the conventional marketing advice that dominates the coaching...

What does it truly mean to be an “expert” coach? In this reflective season finale of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , explores a profound moment from his recent conversation with Ann Fogolin, MCC — a moment that opens the door to one of the deepest paradoxes in coaching: the more we grow, the more aware we become of how much we do not know. Drawing from the foundational coaching tenets taught at...

In this heartfelt episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , explores one of the most overlooked realities of the coaching profession: isolation. Behind the meaningful conversations, transformational moments, and professional growth, many coaches quietly navigate their practices in isolation. After the energy and connection of coach training programs fade, coaches often find themselves building...

What does it mean to move a profession forward without losing its essence? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , is joined by Ann Fogolin, MCC , for a thoughtful exploration of where coaching is heading and what may be at stake along the way. Drawing on decades of experience in coaching, mentor coaching, and assessment, they reflect on key inflection points in the profession, inclu...

What if the key to transformation isn’t changing our thoughts—but changing how we think? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , is joined by Aaron Listhaus, ACC , for a thoughtful conversation exploring the distinction between individual thoughts and the patterns of thinking that shape them. Together, they explore how clients often become trapped not by what they think, but by how t...

There are some changes coming to the ICF Certification process. What does that mean to you? What does it say about coach training and development? Beginning January 1, 2027, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) will eliminate performance recordings for ACC and PCC portfolio applications. In their place? A more robust, relationship-based, and developmental approach centered on mentor coachin...

Empathy is often named as a core coaching skill. And yet… its depth continues to unfold the more we practice. In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , moves beyond definitions and into the nuanced terrain where coaching excellence lives. While empathy is often cited as a foundational competency (ICF Core Competency 4.4), its definition remains vague, even among experienced coaches. Dr...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , is joined by executive coach, supervisor, and abstract artist Cecilia McKay, PCC , for a conversation that extends beyond language into the realms of perception, intuition, and creation. Together, they explore coaching as an art form—where presence replaces performance, and where the unexpected becomes an invitation rather than a disruption. Ce...

What else is there about cultivating trust and safety? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC , explores the role of partnership in the International Coaching Federation competency "Cultivates Trust and Safety." The conversation turns toward a question that often remains implicit in coaching practice: Who holds responsibility for trust and safety in the coaching relationship...

The most important shift isn't easy... In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC , explores what may be the hardest—and most essential—skill in coaching: the capacity to set aside our own perspective and truly step into our client’s world. Drawing on a powerful personal experience visiting the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal in Mexico, Elias invites c...

Is ICF Coaching real coaching? In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores a common tension in professional coaching today: the "rules" of coaching and the reality of our practices. Many coaches feel overwhelmed by the structure of professional coaching—session agreements, open questions, avoiding advice, demonstrating competencies, p...

In this thought-provoking solo episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC , explores how the human brain processes information, and why our natural tendency to label and categorize the world can quietly interfere with powerful coaching. Scientists estimate that the brain processes around 11 million bits of information per second, yet we can consciously hold only 40–50 bits at a time. To cope...

What if listening in coaching isn’t just a skill… but a system? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC , explores the multidimensional nature of listening in professional coaching. While most coach training programs introduce listening as the first skill, Elias shares why at PRIME Coaching Academy it comes later—after covering coaching mindset, distinctions, and even framework. W...

What does *partnership* really mean in coaching? In this episode of PRIME SPACE , Elias Scultori, MCC explores one of the most foundational ideas in coaching – the assumption of equal partnership between coach and client. Using the official ICF definition of coaching as a starting point, this episode challenges a core belief in our profession: Is coaching truly a meeting of equals? Elias unpacks:...