The Coaching Edge Podcast

He built one of the largest coaching companies in the Middle East from nothing. Nic Woodthorpe-Wright spent 20 years educating a market that had never heard of coaching, and today leads a network of over 100 ICF-accredited coaches working with major corporations across the region. In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, Nic shares his approach to selling coaching through pass...

Steve Hamilton-Clark spent 27 years as a CEO in the Middle East before founding The 18th Camel, his global executive coaching practice. In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, Steve shares why self-leadership matters more than business strategy for executives. He reveals the single question he asks at the end of every coaching session, why CEOs are often the least heard peopl...

Mind Movies co-founder Natalie Ledwell explains why AI fails at creating emotional transformation. After 9 years traveling with Dr. Joe Dispenza and building a $700K launch week, Natalie brings hard-won wisdom to this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave. She shares why affirmations need human co-creation to work. She explains how to build a coaching business without burning out. A...

What if the best thing a coach could do is shut up longer? Carly Anderson, a 28-year coaching veteran who trained in Australia's first certification program, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to discuss why structure creates freedom in coaching. Carly explains why coaches default to proving expertise instead of trusting the process. When coaches stay quiet longer, clients discover wisdom th...

Most coaches quit within two years without a single paying client. Tim Brownson explains why. After 21 years in coaching and 13 years helping coaches build practices, Tim has seen the patterns. Training programs teach coaching skills but ignore business fundamentals. New coaches create websites filled with jargon like "holding space" and "creating alignment" that mean nothing to potential clients....

Your ability to lead others depends on how well you lead yourself. DeAnna Murphy, Chief People Officer at Thriven with 2,500+ hours of executive coaching experience, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to break down the fundamentals of self-leadership. DeAnna shares the four levels of leadership model and explains why psychological safety is your responsibility, not your boss's. She introduce...

Former Second City instructor Meridith Grundei teaches leaders how to become unforgettable presenters through storytelling. In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, Meridith shares practical frameworks for presentation skills and communication. She explains why structure frees you to speak naturally, how to find stories using a timeline exercise, and why focusing on your audie...

In this special year-end episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave reflect on launching the show in 2025, the unexpected depth that emerged from “coffee-style” conversations, and the recurring theme that coaching impact comes less from doing more and more from presence, patience, and responsiveness . They revisit a core insight heard repeatedly across guest...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with actor, director, and leadership coach Andrew McMasters , founder of ImprovMindset and author of Listening Without Agenda . Andrew shares how 25 years of running a theatre company and performing improv became an unexpected training ground for helping leaders show up more authentically at work. He explain...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with Dr. Anita Kishore , an executive coach for analytically minded leaders. With a background spanning a PhD in chemistry, pharma, consulting, and global health, Anita shares how she moved from hard science into the deeply human world of coaching — and why those worlds are far more connected than many leade...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with Kay Adams , a psychotherapist, journal therapist, and founder of the Center for Journal Therapy. From her early days as a lifelong journaler and journalism major to discovering, almost by accident, that journaling could become her life’s work, Kay shares the story of a 40-year career at the inters...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with Rusty Tugman , leadership trainer, coach, and creator of the first internal coaching program in the history of Oklahoma state government. After 30 years in full-time ministry, Rusty transitioned into the role of leadership trainer and coach at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS),...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , co-hosts Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with Caroline Leroux-Boulay from The Emotional Intelligence Training Company to explore what it really means to lead and coach with humanity, science, and heart. Caroline shares her story of growing up in a large, poor farming family where faith, music, hard work, and community shaped her core value...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , money coach and licensed counselor Jeannie Dougherty —dubbed a “money whisperer” by her clients—dives into the emotional and behavioral side of finance. Jeannie traces her path from mental health counseling to money coaching through a deeply personal family story that reshaped her views on trust, boundaries, and financial agency. She introduces a powe...

In this inspiring episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with Lisa Andria , founder of Ladies Who Leap , to explore the transformative power of coaching, emotional intelligence, and the importance of unconditional self-love —especially for women navigating corporate leadership. Lisa shares her personal story of reinvention after a 41-year career in...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with coach, speaker, and former Air Force human-relations advisor Kevin McNulty . Kevin traces his path from “military brat” to Tops in Blue performer to a 20-year Air Force career advising commanders on culture, leadership, and team dynamics—before launching a 25-year practice in the private sector. Key the...

In this enlightening episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with publishing veteran Karen Strauss , founder of Hybrid Global Publishing . With decades of experience in traditional and independent publishing, Karen shares how writing a book can be one of the most powerful tools for amplifying your voice, building credibility, and creating lasting im...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with Laura West , founder of Joyful Business , to explore what it takes to build a flourishing coaching practice in a low-trust, high-uncertainty world. Laura shares her journey from corporate VP through burnout to 25 years as a coach, and why longevity demands constant evolution —of your niche, your o...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with Stephen Hodgson , an ADHD coach and tech veteran from the San Francisco Bay Area. Stephen shares his late-in-life ADHD diagnosis (2020), the rocky start with medication, and the pivotal role of education, coaching, and self-compassion in reshaping his life. He reframes ADHD as “ A Damn Healthy...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs welcome Anne Gordon , founder of Whale Wisdom Retreats, animal behaviorist, and retreat leader who pioneered the whale-watching industry in Panama. What began as a childhood fascination with orcas evolved into a life dedicated to deep spiritual connection with dolphins, whales, and ultimately, with self. Anne shares...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with Suzi Pomerantz , MCC and CEO of Innovative Leadership International, to unpack her 32-year entrepreneurial journey—from launching her firm in 1993 to coaching senior leaders across industries and continents. Suzi shares how she turned early ignorance into an asset with the help of a coach, reframe...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave sit down with Daniela Dragomir —former Big Four consultant, actor, and now executive coach—to explore the Energy Leadership framework that helped her transform a decades-long rift with her mother and reshape how leaders show up at work. Daniela maps the journey from fear and survival (Levels 1–2) to compassi...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , hosts Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with executive coach and author Sabina Nawaz to explore why leadership fails under strain—and how to fix it. Drawing on 12,000+ pages of verbatim 360° feedback and her new book You’re the Boss (Simon & Schuster, 2025), Sabina argues that pressure—not power—corrupts leaders . She introduces two deceptiv...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , Erwin de Grave and Dr. Steve Jeffs sit down with former theatre educator turned executive coach Travia Steward . After 24 years teaching high school theatre—and a life-redefining cancer diagnosis—Travia discovered coaching as the arena where her passions for performance, psychology, and personal transformation converge. Drawing on the craft of method...

In this episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast , MCC coach Merci Miglino traces her journey from political burnout to coaching mastery—and how teaching Level 1 & 2 coaches in China (via real-time translation!) sharpened her philosophy of radical simplicity . She argues that the leap from PCC to MCC is less about technique and more about confidence : the courage to ask direct questions, release attac...