Champion Conversations and the Power of Agency: Gaby Jordan on Bridging Education and Business Through Coaching

Why Most People Find Self-Curiosity So Hard: Cynthia Loy Darst on 34 Years of Co-Active Coaching

Clients pick coaches for authenticity, not credentials. That was the ICF finding 20 years ago, and Cynthia Loy Darst says it still holds. A co-active coaching pioneer since 1992, Cynthia helped found the ICF, served as ACTO president, and now oversees leader development at CTI. She talks with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave about presence, the difficulty of self-curiosity, the inside team approach to internal voices, and where AI fits in coaching. Direct, grounded, and drawn from 34 years inside the profession.

Champion Conversations and the Power of Agency: Gaby Jordan on Bridging Education and Business Through Coaching

Most teams avoid the conversations that would solve their biggest problems. Gaby Jordan, founder of Source Elements Group, has spent 20+ years teaching leaders how to have them. A former Manhattan trial lawyer turned coach, Gaby has taught at MIT, NYU, Stanford, and over 80 institutions worldwide. She joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to unpack champion conversations, the role of agency in leadership, and why a $2 billion company hit its targets by focusing on people, not sales. A practical episode for coaches and leaders working with teams in transition.

From External Validation to Internal Belonging: Simon Harling on Designing a Coaching Practice That Works

Sports coach turned practice developer Simon Harling joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to challenge how coaches build their work. Author of Good Coach, Bad Coach, Simon brings 15+ years from pro football, squash, and national governing bodies into a conversation about environmental design, stakeholder alignment, and the tension between development and performance. Hear why moving from "am I good enough?" to "I know what my practice is for" changes everything, and how the conditions of practice matter more than chasing peak moments. Practical, direct, and grounded in real examples.

Shadow-Integrated Servant Leadership: Max Klau on Why Wholeness Is the Missing Piece in Leadership Development

Most leadership programs teach skills. Max Klau teaches wholeness. The founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness and a Harvard-trained leadership scholar, Max joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain why shadow-integrated servant leadership is the missing piece in how we develop leaders. Learn why shadow is not the opposite of light, how a 90-minute session gets total strangers to share their shadow mission, and what the Inner Development Goals movement signals about where global leadership development is heading. If you work with leaders or are one, this conversation will change how you think about growth.

What Horses Reveal About Leadership That Humans Miss: Wencke Meteling on Equine Coaching and Authentic Presence

A horse won't follow you because of your title. It follows you because of your presence. Wencke Meteling, leadership coach and former historian, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to explain how equine coaching makes invisible leadership patterns visible. From energy work in the arena to the lead rope team exercise, this episode connects somatic awareness, authentic presence, and practical leadership development in ways that stay with you long after the conversation ends.