There is no coaching without trust. But how do you know if your clients trust you? 

In today’s episode, Elena demonstrates how to do a trust check-in with your clients so you don’t have to guess or make assumptions. She also masterfully navigates learning that there has been a breach of trust. This episode is a must for every coach and leader. 

Notable moments: 

01:06 Roleplay Demonstration Setup

02:11 First Roleplay: Assessing Trust 

10:27 Second Roleplay: Addressing Trust Issues

18:30 Conclusion and Ways to Keep Learning 

Keep learning: 

• Join our Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC and learn everything you need to know about conducting a trust check-in with your clients. You’ll also find a video recording of these coaching demonstrations and a debriefs where Elena shares the thinking behind her coaching moves.  
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching to build your coaching toolkit 
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching Workshop to grow your coaching skills 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• What is one thing that surprised you in Elena’s coaching demonstrations? 
• What is one thing you want to bring into an upcoming coaching conversation? 
• What is one thing you learned about Transformational Coaching as a result of listening to these demonstrations? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

If you are coaching someone who is struggling to learn how to do something new, today’s episode is for you. When growing our skills, the stages of learning are completely predictable, but most people aren't aware of that, and as a result, they can suffer. In this episode, Elena demonstrates how to use the Conscious Competence Ladder, a tool created by Noel Burch, to transform how your clients experience growing paints. 

Keep learning: 

• Join our Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC and learn everything you need to know about using the Conscious Competence Ladder with your clients. You’ll also find a video recording of this coaching demonstration and a debrief where Elena shares the thinking behind her coaching moves.  
• The First 10 Minutes (tool)
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching to build your coaching toolkit 
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching Workshop to grow your coaching skills 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• Have you used a “third point” tool in your coaching? If so, what is your experience with it?
• Transformational Coaches always start with themselves. Where are you on the Conscious Competence framework with different elements of your coaching? How does it feel to locate yourself? 
• Do you have a client you would like to introduce the Conscious Competence with? How do you anticipate they might respond? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

Resolutions don’t work for the overwhelming number of people, but we know what does! In this timely episode replay, Elena shares the simple, research-based, strategy she used to support her in making 2023 one of her best years yet. Listen in, grab your free resource, and take the first step in making 2025 a great year.  

Keep learning: 

• Join the Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC to gain access to our January Back from Break series, and 44 additional Skill Sessions!
• Core Human Needs free downloadable resource 
• Listen to Episode 105: Morning Rituals
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

Review the Core Human Needs downloadable resource. Reflect: 

• Which of these needs feels most satisfied in your life right now? What does that look like and feel like?
• How do you think your life might be different if these needs were met?
• Which of these needs do you feel most called to explore? Why are you drawn to that need?
• How could you begin to explore this need? How could you explore your personal history with this need?
• Which actions could you take to explore getting the need met? What's one thing you could do today to take one tiny step towards meeting this need?

In this timely replay, Elena once again becomes the coach in your ear, providing some guidance for how you can think about winter break to ensure it serves you and your needs. 

Keep learning: 

• Join the Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC to gain access to our January Back from Break series, and 44 additional Skill Sessions!
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• What do you need from your time away from work? 
• How do you want to feel when you return? 
• Imagine yourself in 20 year. What do you think your future self would want you to do with this time away? What would they tell you to start/stop/keep doing? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

The Peak End rule tells us that people's final experience has an outsized influence on how they remember something. This is great news for our coaching! In this episode, Elena demonstrates how to use the final conversation of the calendar year to send your clients into break feeling empowered and accomplished. 

Notable moments: 

00:30 Setting the Stage for Role Play Demonstration 

02:10 Jumping into the Role Play

16:42 Debriefing the Role Play

22:38 Final Thoughts and Resources

Keep learning: 

• Free tool: The First 10 Minutes of a Coaching Conversation
• Join our Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC and learn everything you need to know about closing out the calendar year with your clients. You’ll also find a video recording of this coaching demonstration! 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram & LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn & Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• What coaching moves did you hear Elena make that built trust? 
• What was one thing you heard Elena do that you would like to try in your coaching conversations?
• What is one question you’re left with after listening to this episode? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

Soliciting feedback from your coaching clients has big benefits, including strengthening your practice, building trust, and modeling being a learner. And it can be scary! In this episode, Elena demonstrates how to confidently and clearly ask for client feedback and acknowledge receiving it. As a bonus, you’ll also hear how to open your coaching conversations with a question that builds resilience! 

Notable moments: 

00:43 Role Play Demonstration Setup

02:55 Part 1: Introducing the Feedback Survey

04:54 Part 1 Reflection

07:55 Part 2: Transitioning to Feedback Acknowledgment

10:39 Reflecting on New Beliefs

14:23 Part 2: Roleplay Reflection

15:36 How to Continue Growing Your Skills in This Area 

16:55 Closing Remarks and Acknowledgements

Keep learning: 

• Subscribe to our Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC to learn everything you need to know about soliciting feedback from clients, including Elena’s feedback survey
• Read Chapter 15 of Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching for more on evaluating the impact of your coaching conversations 
• The First 10 Minutes (free tool)
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram & LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn & Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• What has been your experience with feedback? 
• Have you explicitly solicited feedback from your coaching clients (or direct reports)? Why or why not?
• What did Elena’s model and Cary’s reflection prompt you to want to do or do differently moving forward? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

Elena addresses one of the most challenging aspects of coaching—navigating confidentiality within an organization. Through a role-play conversation with a school administrator, she demonstrates how to approach situations where a teacher's performance negatively impacts students while maintaining confidentiality. 

This conversation is part of our Learning Library skill session, Updating Admin on a Struggling Teacher. 

Notable moments: 

00:45 Role Play: Addressing Concerns with an Administrator

02:12 Discussing Classroom Observations

04:51 Balancing Confidentiality and Support

16:01 Debriefing the Role Play

21:21 Resources for Coaches

Opportunities for continued learning: 

• Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC: December Skill Session Updating Admin on a Struggling Teacher  
• Attend a The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop with Elena 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Become a Friend of the Podcast  

Reflection questions: 

• What did Elena do prior to this conversation that allowed it to be successful? 
• What understandings regarding confidentiality are in place between coach and admin in your organization?
• What questions or next steps does this conversation prompt for you? 

Follow Elena on Instagram & LinkedIn.

Follow Bright Morning on Instagram & LinkedIn

Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox!

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

BE SURE TO RATE AND REVIEW US!

The easiest thing you can do to improve your coaching conversations is to incorporate reflection. In this fan-favorite episode replay, Elena shares the three questions you need to engage in a 10-minute post-coaching conversation reflection that will supercharge your learning. 

Keep learning: 

• Join the Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC to gain access to Reflecting on a Coaching Conversation and 47 additional Skill Sessions
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• When will you block 10 minutes in your day to engage in this learning reflection? 
• In addition to the three questions Elena shared, are there additional questions you would like to add? 
• If intentional reflection is a new addition to your practice, why are you invested in making the time and space to add this in? [Tip: having a clear “why” will make you more likely to not schedule over this time.] 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

The winter holidays can include many things: time with family, a break from work…and maybe some casual racism over dinner. In today’s episode, Elena provides a quick overview of her What to Say When You Hear Something Racist framework. This is the content you need for the most essential holiday prep: preparing to disrupt racism. Note: this episode is a timely replay from our What to Say When You Hear Something Racist series. 

Keep learning: 

• What to Say When You Hear Something Racist (Podcast series + companion guide)
• Coaching for Equity (book by Elena Aguilar) 
• Coaching for Equity (Bright Morning workshop) 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript

In this replay of a fan-favorite episode, Elena shares a minute-by-minute breakdown of how you should spend the five minutes before you walk into a meeting where you will be coaching. These five steps provide you with the greatest potential for that meeting to be transformative for both yourself and your client. 

Keep learning: 

• Join the Learning Library and Transformational Coaching PLC to gain access to Planning for a Coaching Conversation and 47 additional Skill Sessions
• Attend The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop 
• Read Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching 
• Receive weekly wisdom and tools from Elena delivered to your inbox
• Become a Bright Morning Member 
• Follow Elena on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Follow Bright Morning on LinkedIn and Instagram

Support the show:

• Become a Friend of the Podcast  
• Rate and review us

Reflection questions: 

• How do you currently prepare for your coaching conversations? Which element(s) of your current practice serve you well? 
• Elena provided five steps to take in the five minutes before your coaching conversations. Are any of these steps a part of your current practice? Were any of these steps surprising? 
• What can you do consistently to carve out the 5+ minutes necessary to prepare yourself to coach? Tip: Get as specific as possible. For example, is there a specific place where you can capture your pre-meeting routine? Are you someone who benefits from accountability and wants to create a tracking system? Is there a location you can consistently return to that would assist in habit formation? 

Podcast Transcript and Use:

Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.

We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.

• Episode Transcript