Coaches Rising

The term “systemic” is bandied about quite liberally nowadays, but is there actually any consensus on what it means in the context of coaching? In this conversation with Dr. Paul Lawrence we dive into how systemic thinking can be applied in coaching, differences between adult development and systems thinking and the evolution of the coaching industry. Paul Lawrence is a consultant, executive coach, facilitator, writer and researcher. His primary interest lies in helping organisations effect change, building holistic solutions, integrating change efforts with other OD interventions such as coaching and leadership development. Paul is Regional Chair for the Association for Coaching (AC) in South-East Asia, Australian Ambassador for the Association of Coaching Supervisors (AoCS) and co-editor in chief for the Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal. His new book, Coaching Systemically, is out now.

As the pace of change accelerates and organisations begin to develop a systemic view in order to meet the demands of increasing complexity, how can the coaching industry best respond? In this conversation with executive coach Paul Byrne we explore the the current and emergent business model of coaching, transitioning coaching to a collaborative ecosystem and the architecture of organisational change. Paul Byrne is an executive coach and president of the European branch of The Leadership Circle and Full Circle Group. Paul excels at working with organizations in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments as well as large global companies seeking to foster cultures of innovation and operational agility. He blends a systemic approach to organizational change with a unique ability to engage senior leaders in deeply transformational conversations.

Many of us are aware that we weren’t really taught how to learn (and usefully retain) knowledge at school, and as adults the lack of this skill often leads to frustration when trying to learn something new. In this conversation with Dr. Theo Dawson we explore the central problem of the educational paradigm, how learning actually works, the relationship between context and performance, and how neural networks can inform learning. Dr. Theo Dawson is the Founder and Executive Director of Lectica, a company that makes diagnostic and formative learning tools for schools, colleges, and the workplace. These tools measure how well people work with their knowledge in real world contexts, identify "what comes next", and provide personalized learning recommendations. Lectica’s approach combines the learning sciences, the art of teaching, and richly diagnostic measurement to revolutionise how we learn important skills for successfully navigating an increasingly complex world.

Coaching has some fairly established approaches, but they are generally not based on empirical data. Could the practice of coaching benefit from taking a more scientific approach to the development of its methodology? In this conversation with management consultant Dave Snowden we explore using the natural sciences to inform coaching theory and practice, the role of context and relating in behavioral change, and the value of the numinous. Dave Snowden is a management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management and the application of complexity science. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, he is the founder and chief scientific officer of Cognitive Edge, a Singapore-based management consulting firm specializing in complexity and sensemaking. He has authored several articles and book chapters on the Cynefin framework and the role of complexity in sensemaking.

How does inclusivity foster high performance? How is the pandemic impacting the workplace? And what are the key qualities leaders need to be fostering in order to create resilient organisational culture? In this conversation with leadership development consultant Carley Hauck we speak about coaching in the pandemic, emergent workplace culture, the challenges of a VUCA world and the relationship between psychological safety and high performance. Carley Hauck is a learning architect, leadership development consultant, author, speaker, and coach who serves as adjunct faculty at Stanford University and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She has worked with hundreds of leaders in Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups such as LinkedIn, Genentech, Pixar, Clif Bar, Intuit, and Bank of the West. Carley is the author of “Shine: Ignite Your Inner Game to Lead Consciously at Work and in the World”.

Our collective narrative is crumbling and forcing a re-evaluation of both our personal and our collective story. How can we help our clients create new narratives in these times of great uncertainty? In this conversation with coach and trainer Robert Stephenson we explore how to create new narratives when the old ones break down, cross-disciplinary coaching and working at our leading edge, and the hidden power dynamic in the coaching relationship. Robert Stephenson is the Centre Director for Animas Coaching, where he manages and supports the Leadership Team across the globe ensuring quality training. With a background that has roots in performance and theatre, Robert's journey to life coaching and training has taken him along a path of varied experience and learning, including working with young people in schools and teaching on degrees at several universities.

In a society that reveres doing and neglects being, how can we allow the two to inform each other in a way that leads us to ever increasing wholeness and purposeful contribution in the world? In this conversation with spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas we explore the different stages of spiritual inquiry, the relational quality of spirit and how it can inform our attunement to our clients, and the distinctions between the concepts of purpose and contribution. A. H. Almaas is the pen name of Abdul Hameed Ali, founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. Almaas has authored eighteen books about spiritual realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, The Void, and The Alchemy of Freedom. He is the founder of the Ridhwan School for Spiritual Development, an inner work school devoted to the realization of True Nature.

In a world that is suffering from a dearth of soul, how do we find our way back to deeper levels of meaning-making and identity? In this conversation with storytelling and mythologist Michael Meade we explore the current state of the world through the lens of myth, the concept of unique individual genius and how to access it, and the role of imagination in bringing forth our calling. Michael Meade D.H.L. is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths with a deep knowledge of cross-cultural rituals. Michael is the author of several books and is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a nonprofit network of artist, activists, and community builders that encourages greater understanding between diverse peoples. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/following-the-call-living-myth-uncovering-our-genius-with-michael-meade/

In these times of intense challenges, how can we use our imaginations to devise ways of collectively working together to flourish? In this conversation with writer and teacher Greg Thomas we explore the potential of cultural intelligence, they key of race and the core competencies for constructive collective evolution. Greg Thomas is the CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project and has over 25 years of experience as a writer, producer, broadcaster and educator. He has been featured in publications as various as The Root, All About Jazz, Salon, London’s Guardian Observer, the Village Voice, Africana, American Legacy, Savoy, New York’s Daily News, as well as the scholarly journal Callaloo. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Harlem World magazine from 2003-2006 and is the creator of the online course, “Cultural Intelligence: Transcending Race, Embracing Cosmos”. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/embodying-cultural-intelligence-embracing-the-cosmos-with-greg-thomas/

What does warrior training have to do with COVID-19? In these times of prolonged stress, how can an integral approach based on ancient wisdom help us cope with contemporary challenges? In this conversation with peak performance trainer Tom Fazio, we explore how training the body builds mental resilience, the role of nutrition in meditation and why creating tension is an important part of releasing it. Tom Fazio is a peak performance trainer, a martial artist of 25 years, a published author, and founder of the mind-body integration system Weightlessness. Tom's career in martial arts spans decades under dozens of experts around the world in a variety of disciplines and he holds black belts in several martial arts. He studied empty hand striking under masters and grandmasters of Taekwondo, Karate, and Muai Thai in the United States and Thailand, traditional Kung Fu weaponry and qigong in China under Shaolin protector monks, and practical self-defense with military combative instructors and professional MMA fighters. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/unlocking-mind-body-peak-performance-to-become-weightless-with-tom-fazio/

Rational thought is a valuable way of approaching reality, but could it be that we need to expand our ways of knowing to meet these unprecedented times? In this conversation with coach and speaker Vivian Dittmar we explore the power of transrational thinking, the different types of thought or knowing, and what can get in the way of us having access to each of them. Vivian Dittmar is a bestselling author, celebrated speaker and founder of the non-profit Be the Change Foundation. Born in Germany, Vivian grew up in Europe, Asia and North America. She founded the non-profit Be the Change Foundation and is a consultant at the Terra Institute. As the author of “The Power of Feelings” and six other books, she has become a sought after expert and keynote speaker on the subject of emotional intelligence. Her latest book, “Your Inner GPS”, explores the subject of transrational thought. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/transrational-ways-of-knowing-with-vivian-dittmar/

In a world where coaches are inundated with possibilities for more training, what actually fosters coaching mastery? In this conversation with executive coach Toku McCree we dive into what coaching mastery really looks like, the most powerful coaching tool and what new coaches get wrong. Toku McCree is a former Zen Monk and a renowned executive coach. His life changed after meeting a man at a party who had a calmness about him that Toku had never seen before. From there he fell in love with mediation, spent two and a half years in a monastery, and went on to launch a six-figure coaching practice. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/the-path-to-coaching-mastery-and-what-new-coaches-get-wrong-with-toku-mccree/

As the negative effects of hyper individualism continue to reveal themselves on a personal and global level, could it be time to look to collective practices to lead us into the future? In this conversation with transformational change agent Ria Baeck we explore the emergent practice of Collective Presencing, how to foster collective intelligence and the new methods of evolutionary creativity available to us. Ria Baeck is a transformational change professional and the founder of Vitis, whose core purpose is to foster deep transformation in individuals, organisations and society. Ria combines deep compassion, bodily awareness and a lust for life to facilitate transformation in individuals, groups and larger systems. She trained in and worked with Systemic and Organizational Constellations and holds a master degree in Clinical Psychology. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/collective-presencing-fostering-collective-intelligence-with-ria-baeck/

It’s been a year of intense emotions and leaders have been under greater pressure than ever, forcing many to lean into their own emotional struggles. In this conversation with leadership coach Vernice Jones we unpack how to help clients be with strong and complex emotions, different ways of helping them open to change, and creating deep shifts in awareness through shared presence. Vernice Jones is Founder and Principal of The Leadership Compass and Director and Faculty of Adult Development at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. She is an Associate at Cultivating Leadership, a global, deliberately developmental, complexity- based organization. With over 15 years of experience with C-Suite executives of global Fortune 500 companies and large nonprofits, Vernice provides executive coaching, and designs leadership development solutions that generate business results. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: https://www.coachesrising.com/podcast/the-power-of-groups-to-heal-with-vernice-jones/

How do we re-imagine what we are as a species so that we become a life-fostering collective? And how can we foster change in the face of the developmental challenges we face? In this conversation with leadership coach Rob McNamara we discuss our relationship with complexity, the devolution of adult development and some original ways to create significant shifts in consciousness. Rob McNamara is an author, leadership coach, advisor and consultant with expertise in adult development and human performance. He is a co-founder of the leading consulting firm Delta Developmental, a faculty member for the Ivey School of Business' LIFT Advanced Coaching Program, and is a Senior Monk and Integral Zen Dharma Holder training with Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi. Rob’s coaching focuses leaders on clarifying life purpose, growing critical leadership skills to advance value creation and fostering organizational development to enhance learning and innovation. A list of resources mentioned in the podcast can be found here: