Podcasts about coaching culture

"In this candid conversation, Aaron Werner and Chris Wolfe reflect on a recent in-practice coaching session that sparked major transformations—from exam room communication to dry eye (now ocular surface disease) strategy and systems. They break down how simplifying processes, improving handoffs with inexpensive headset tech, and creating team ownership over care protocols led to immediate gains—including consistent product sales and tighter clinical flow. Aaron also shares a powerful mindset shift: how adding suspense to patient conversations increases engagement and follow-through. Plus, they tease a future discussion about tracking metrics and the hidden toll of decision fatigue in high-performance practices. Resources Mentioned:         •        Gateway Tour - gatewaytour.ai         •        PEEK Products - Try Peeq Pro! Click on this link (https://peeqpro.com/?aff=9) use code WERNER for discount         •        StoryBrand by Donald Miller - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-nerds-storybrand-2-0/id1449429774?i=1000703753612)" ------------------------- Go to MacuHealth.com and use the coupon code PODCAST2024 at checkout for special discounts Let's Connect! Follow and join the conversation! Instagram: @aaron_werner_vision

In this episode, executive coach Luciana Núñez shares actionable insights from her book Coaching Power. She explains how leaders can drive performance by balancing coaching, managing, and leading — while building a strong coaching culture. Perfect for professionals looking to lead with clarity, empathy, and impact.

Consistency beats charisma in frontline sales leadership. In this episode of Coach2Scale, VMware Carbon Black's Head of Sales Development, Victoria Abeling, shared what it takes to build a high-performance team when everyone's overworked and every 1:1 is at risk of being replaced by a pipeline review. She unpacks why many reps view coaching as punitive, how that culture was unintentionally built over decades, and the mindset shift required to make coaching a trusted, productive habit, not a compliance exercise.Victoria offers a pragmatic breakdown of how she uses quarterly operating cadences, individualized development plans, and coaching conversations grounded in deal inspection to uncover skill gaps, not just red flags. You'll hear how to coach for discovery, disqualify with confidence, and push back on the myth that high performers don't need help. If you're a sales leader tired of playing firefighter, or a CRO wondering why the pipeline isn't growing with headcount, this conversation will reframe how you think about performance management and the role cadence plays in building trust, accountability, and results.Top Takeaways1. Coaching is not punitive; it's a performance multiplier.Many reps assume coaching signals underperformance, but reframing it as a skill-development tool builds trust and accountability.2. Consistency in 1:1s is non-negotiable.Coaching only drives behavior change when it follows a predictable cadence; skipping sessions sends the message that development is optional.3. Top performers need coaching too.Even the best reps have blind spots, and coaching them to sharpen specific skills is how you go from 100% to 130% of quota.4. Quarterly operating rhythms help leaders avoid reactive management.Structuring the year into coaching and development cycles keeps leaders proactive, not just in-the-weeds on deals.5. Coaching must go beyond the deal to address the “how,” not just the “what.”Managers who only review pipelines miss opportunities to build long-term skills like discovery, negotiation, and qualification.6. Disqualification is as valuable as closing.Teaching reps to say “no” to the wrong opportunities frees them to invest time in the right ones and protects forecast accuracy.7. Modern buyers are informed; sellers must be sharper in discovery.With buyers doing most of the research on their own, reps must master early discovery to stay relevant and competitive.8. Leaders must learn to receive feedback without defensiveness.Victoria shares how this mindset shift helped her grow as a leader and foster stronger coaching relationships.9. How you show up matters, even on Zoom.From attire to preparation, professionalism in remote settings still signals credibility and respect.10. Coach the individual, not the scoreboard.Coaching should focus on skills that compound over time, not just pressing for this month's number.

Former North Carolina coach Larry Fedora joins The Auburn Undercover Podcast to talk NIL, play calling, the transfer portal, and Auburn's rebuild under Hugh Freeze. Inside coaching culture, SEC insight, and real talk on today's college football. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt Benelli sat down with Mark Roberge last year, former CRO at HubSpot, Harvard Business School professor, and co-founder of Stage 2 Capital, to challenge some of the most persistent myths in sales leadership. From debunking the idea that top reps make the best managers to exposing why shadowing high performers can actually backfire, this conversation delivers a candid look at why most coaching programs fail to scale and what to do instead.Mark lays out a structured, repeatable approach to frontline coaching that not only boosts individual rep performance but transforms how entire sales organizations operate. He shares why focusing on team attainment is less useful than tracking the percentage of reps hitting quota, how managers can move from reactive fire drills to proactive coaching cycles, and why self-diagnosis is the new sales superpower. If you're a sales leader still stuck on the hamster wheel, this episode offers a way off.Key Takeaways1. Top reps don't make the best managersThe traits that drive individual quota success, such as assertiveness or autonomy, often conflict with the empathy and patience required to coach others effectively.2. Shadowing high performers is not an onboarding strategyNew reps pick up bad habits and unteachable skills when learning only by imitation; structured onboarding with a defined process is more effective.3. Coaching can (and must) scale.A consistent, top-down cadence of rep-by-rep skill diagnosis, action planning, and metric tracking creates scalable coaching across large sales orgs.4. Reps rarely know why they're underperformingWithout data, reps and managers often misdiagnose performance gaps; combining call data and funnel metrics helps uncover the true root causes.5. Managers must move from reactive to proactiveTime-blocked 1:1s tied to skill development, not just deal triage shift coaching from “fire drills” to intentional growth plans.6. Quota attainment by rep is the real health metric.Overall team attainment hides unhealthy reliance on a few stars; the percentage of reps hitting quota shows true team performance and scalability.

The topic for the sixth episode in this series is 5 Ways to Build a Coaching Culture. This episode focuses on the third phase of Thrive Model for Sustainable Instructional Coaching: Community. To make sure you're getting all phases of the Thrive Model, please listen to the previous episodes. This series is designed to be an annual refresh of your coaching practice - even if you've heard some of the episodes before, every time you listen, when you reflect back on your growth over the last academic year, you'll be able to take something new away to apply in your practice in the next academic year.  Download our free companion guide & workbook that aligns with this series at edurolearning.com/refresh Let's Connect: Our website: coachbetter.tv EduroLearning on LinkedIn EduroLearning on Instagram EduroLearning on YouTube Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Join our #coachbetter Facebook group Learn with Kim Explore our courses for coaches Watch a FREE workshop Read more from Kim: Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership (book) Fostering a Culture of Growth and Belonging: The Multi-Faceted Impact of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (chapter)

You've invested in coaching training for your managers. You've rolled out the initiative company-wide. So why does it still feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill?HR consultant Debbie Pearmain has spent 25 years watching organizations struggle with this exact problem. In this episode, she reveals the uncomfortable truth: most coaching cultures fail because companies are only training half the relationship.Debbie shares research showing that 82% of employees feel stuck "below the line of accountability" and explains how coaching becomes the vehicle for moving people above that line. But here's the kicker - it only works when both managers AND employees understand their role in the coaching partnership.What you'll learn:• Why the accountability crisis is costing your organization more than you think• The performance equation that determines when to coach vs. when to train vs. when to mentor• How to build the trust and psychological safety that makes coaching actually stick• The strategic implementation approach that gets buy-in from everyone• Why your high performers might be getting the wrong type of supportIf you've ever wondered why some managers excel at coaching while others struggle, this conversation will give you perspectiveGuest: Debbie Pearmain - HR Consultant with 25+ years experience in leadership development and employee engagement. Find her at onestophr.caHost: Andrea Adams - Follow the HR Hub on LinkedIn and subscribe for more episodes that tackle the real challenges facing HR professionals today.

In this episode of the Your Golf Performance Podcast, I'm joined by one of the UK's most respected junior golf coaches — Steve Astle, England Golf's national coach and a long-time developer of some of the country's top amateur talent.We dive deep into what separates juniors who make it to national squads and college golf from those who plateau, and the non-negotiables that underpin elite junior development.Steve shares insights into balancing talent vs. environment, navigating growth and psychological challenges, and what it really takes to transition from club golf to elite amateur level. We also explore:How Steve approaches a junior with national or college-level aspirationsThe role of data, physio, fitness, and mental coaching in modern development plansHow to keep juniors engaged in group environmentsThe importance of educating parents without adding pressureThoughts on early specialisation, coaching inspiration from other sports, and long-term successSteve also reflects on the biggest business lessons of his coaching career, how he stays sharp after 20+ years in the industry, and his evolving views on online coaching. Whether you're a parent, coach, or young golfer chasing big goals — this episode is packed with real-world advice and gold nuggets to help you on the journey.Steves Instagram Steves Website

Ben coaches in the Dorset County Age Group Pathway and is also Head of Cricket at King's School Bruton where both boys and girls cricket is thriving. He sees that communication as a coach is vital in relation to players, parents and other coaches. He also adopts an honesty policy when communicating decisions relating to a player or providing feedback and in our chat explains how he does this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Arce sits down with Adam Kifer, CEO of Relentless Media and author of “The Relentless Marketer,” to unpack why most gym owners fail at paid ads and how to fix it by leading better, thinking bigger, and leveling up your team. This episode is a deep dive into the real reasons your leads don't convert, your ads stop working, and your team underperforms. From coaching culture to marketing psychology to building internal belief systems that scale, this is the mindset reset most fitness entrepreneurs need, but rarely get. Chapters (00:00) Introduction (02:18) Why Average Thinking Is Costing You Growth (05:40) How to Level Up Your Team's Thinking (09:03) Paid Ads vs. Performance Leadership (13:27) Building a Coaching Culture in Your Studio (18:50) Marketing That Makes Members Feel Seen (22:42) What Most Owners Get Wrong About Sales (27:14) The Power of Internal Belief Systems (33:01) How to Make Your Team Obsessed with Winning (38:44) Training for Skill vs. Training for Identity (45:16) Final Advice for Leaders Who Want More Enjoyed this episode? Like, comment, and subscribe to stay updated with the latest strategies from top fitness entrepreneurs.

You can't build a championship team on randomness. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, we're locking in on the tool most dealerships overlook — a strategic, weekly training calendar that creates rhythm, raises confidence, and keeps your team locked into progress. Jen shares her repeatable 4-week framework that covers internet leads, phone skills, showroom TOs, and objection handling — all broken into daily, trackable micro-lessons. This is the blueprint for managers who want to stop winging it and start winning consistently.

Join us for this dynamic episode of The Beacon Way Podcast, where host Adrienne Wilkerson sits down with Josh Pitchford, Principal at Sandler Training Atlanta – Sales Engine. Known for his practical, no-fluff approach to selling and leadership, Josh shares what really moves the needle in modern sales teams, and what holds most of them back. Discover how Josh uses the Sandler Selling System to help sales leaders stop chasing activity and start building impact-driven cultures rooted in coaching, clarity, and accountability. Learn more about Sandler here: https://sandler.com/Connect with Josh on LinkedIn:   / josh-pitchford-6163274  

According to research from Gallup, 21% of employees who voluntarily left their organization said their departure could have been prevented by more positive personal interactions with their manager. So how can you create a coaching culture that keeps teams motivated and drives sales success? Riley Rogers: Hi, and welcome to the Win-Win podcast. I’m your host, Riley Rogers. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic is Robin Handley, Senior VP of Sales Enablement at Direct Travel. Thank you so much for joining us, Robin. We’re really excited to have you here. To kick us off, I’d love if you could start just by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your role. Robin Handley: Yeah, I’d love to, and thank you so much for having me. I’m absolutely thrilled to be here. I have actually been in the travel industry for 30-plus years, so I guess you could say I grew up here. I am the SVP of Sales Enablement at Direct Travel, like you mentioned. Under my current remit, you know, I am responsible for sales enablement, managing also what we call the inbound and outbound lead generation with our sales development reps and the proposal writing team.So I’ve got pretty, you know, three different distinct lines of business within my remit. And then I think it’s important to share that in my prior roles, in addition to sales enablement, I also led teams related to reporting, data analytics, CRM platforms, as well as change and transformation. RR: Wonderful. Thank you for sharing. It seems like you have a wealth of knowledge acquired over a lot of different roles, and I’m so excited to kind of dig into it and steal some of your best practices. Thinking about your experience—maybe in data analytics, product, customer success, all of these things that you alluded to—I'd be curious to know how this diverse background kind of comes together to influence your approach to sales enablement at Direct Travel. RH: You know, I think having experience spanning across, you know, many areas, it gives a broad perspective around how things intersect, how they influence, and, you know, how they support each other. So, for example, leveraging data points such as why we win, reasons why we lose, as well as listening to customer feedback, you really start to see trends and start to understand the customer and industry pain points.So from there, you can really start to work with key business partners—I would say in marketing, product, customer experience, you know, those different areas—to make sure that you develop content and assets that are gonna arm your sales reps to overcome objections, to highlight key differentiators, and to align solutions to customer pain points.And when, you know, you’re leading in enablement, I always say it’s like vitally important to ensure that the right content and collateral and training and coaching is available to enable those sales reps to quickly advance through those sales cycles and close, win that business. RR: Wonderful. I’d love to maybe double-click a little bit deeper into that enablement approach and philosophy, especially focused on coaching, because I know on LinkedIn you’ve highlighted the importance of people-centric leadership, especially in sales coaching and feedback.I’m curious to know maybe how you bring this philosophy to life in your enablement efforts, and then how that affects your overarching coaching culture. RH: Yeah, so people-centric leadership, you know, it really isn’t just being caring, empathetic, committed. I think, you know, that’s all highly important, but it’s also about being intentional in how we grow our teams.So developing individuals through coaching, feedback, and recognition is so critical. So one thing I do is I run pitch exercises where reps record themselves, and I always tell them, this is your playground. You know, you can mess up here, not in front of a customer. And it feels like a safe space. So that mindset shift makes a huge difference.And this approach not only helps individuals grow, but it also fosters a culture where, you know, feedback becomes normalized and valued. So over time, this creates, like, that ripple effect as well. And so what I start to see is reps start to coach each other. They feel comfortable sharing tips or tricks or feedback. Even, you know, it’s not so much then from that top-down directive. It feels like it’s more of a collaborative community. And as a result, I think it’s also important just to call out that we start to see reps become more confident and collaborative just in general. So as a result of that, I would say, you know, it even helps increase or improve our win rates and, you know, helps people be better prepared and hopefully, again, win that business. RR: Yeah, I love to hear that. I think the idea of like making a safe space for practice is so important. People need to be able to make mistakes. That’s where you learn. So that’s great to hear. I’d like to switch gears maybe a little. I know that in addition to creating a healthy coaching culture, improving sales efficiency is a key focus for you at Direct Travel.I’d be curious—maybe some of the challenges to GTM efficiency that you’re seeing your teams face today. RH: Oh yeah. I say, you know, quite a few come to mind, and I think that’s normal, right? I mean, in any company there’s always those things. I would say, you know, sellers using old, outdated collateral, sometimes trying to find where are those assets stored, because they could be stored in multiple different areas.I would say another big thing that we’re challenged with is related to long sales cycles, and so, you know, for me it’s always top of mind: how do we continue to shorten and shrink those sales cycles? And then I think a lot of times you’re not getting full visibility into buyer engagement. So without that data, a lot of times the sales reps are using their gut.There’s only a few data points that they have, like, oh, are we able to have another meeting? Are they responding? But you’re not really getting that buyer engagement. And then, in addition to that, you know, really cumbersome and manual ways to coach the sales reps. Just—I can tell you—doing a pitch session a year ago without Highspot, it was so cumbersome. Just having to build out what is the talk track, sharing that video through email that we recorded of the pitch, and then coming together with a rubric and then trying to do all the scoring. It was very labor-intensive. RR: Yeah, I think you’re spot on with these challenges. There are things that we’re certainly hearing from our customers, we feel ourselves, and other organizations are talking about. And I think the big thing is that everybody is trying to solve for them. And so, as you kind of mentioned just a little bit, you have found a platform to help you with that. So I’d be curious if you could tell me a little bit about the strategic advantage of an enablement platform and how it’s helping you kind of overcome some of these challenges that you’re seeing. RH: Absolutely. So using Highspot is a dream come true, to be honest. Number one, you know, having one central hub for sales content is so critical and so important. So I feel like our sales reps that are in the Highspot environment no longer feel like they’re digging through email or SharePoints or going on a team site trying to find that collateral.So that is a huge efficiency gain, but also think of job satisfaction. Those sellers feel like, wow, this is so much easier for me to navigate. I would also say, again, going back to the real-time insights and analytics from buyer engagement—so now we’re able to see what content is being viewed, and it’s also helping us tailor our follow-up as well as being able to close deals faster.The other I would say is consistent coaching and training. So going back to the example I just used—very manual process historically—but being able now to leverage AI to provide feedback instantly is incredible. RR: Wonderful. That’s absolutely what I love to hear, and I’m super excited that you’re finding these wins already so early.Thinking about platforms and enablement technology, I’d like to maybe call out a win that we’ve heard through the grapevine, which is that even though you’re early in your journey with the platform, you’ve already achieved a really impressive 96% recurring usage rate. So I’d really love to hear what some of your best practices for driving that adoption are and how you’ve achieved that. RH: Yeah, absolutely. So right out of the gate, timing-wise, this worked perfectly because we were having our sales kickoff meeting in person, and so we used that as our launch, right? So we were able to get the hype going, and we had sessions where we did a whistle-stop tour of all the tools, key capabilities, and really got people excited about what was coming around the corner.So after our SKO, we then did what we called mandatory kickoff implementation calls to get everyone set up. And what we really wanted to make sure that we didn't do was one big bang because we know there are so many features and capabilities in the platform that we wanted to be really intentional about phasing that out.So the first thing that we did is we focused on content management. Again, you heard that was one of our challenges. So we wanted to make sure that we had one stop shop for all of our content and make it super easy for people to navigate and find anything that they need for their sales cycle.In addition to that, the next thing we wanted to do was roll out digital sales rooms because, again, you heard that was a challenge. We wanted to start to see buyer engagement. So that was really well received by the entire group. So it was very easy for us to get them excited and into the tool and the repeat usage. So that was the starting point.In addition to that, we started and continue to host every Friday an optional drop-in office hours call. And this is really great because people that are available, they'll jump in, they'll listen if they don't have questions, or others will actually ask questions, which then drives conversation and also highlights successes. Because in those moments, you know, people are starting to talk about, oh, you know, this is how we did it, or this worked for me. You really start to see some of those true successes come to life.I think the other important piece is making sure that we had our executive leadership team and other leaders be advocates for Highspot—so making sure that they’re talking about it in their meetings, that they’re highlighting it in town halls.And also, as we're starting to see some of the data and the proof points, I, along with other leaders, are sharing those out through email or on calls for recognition. So things like recognizing top users of Highspot, those that built the most digital sales rooms, those that had the most content viewed, or people viewing their digital sales room.And then I would kind of wrap that up with also—we've had some people create some really creative intro videos that they've included in the digital sales room. We're making sure that we're sharing those broadly so people can spark new ideas on how they want to show up in their digital sales rooms. RR: This is all really great advice, and I think very helpful tips. I love the idea of tapping into that competitive instinct in your salespeople—who has the most pitches, who has the most views. That is something that is gonna ignite activity for sure.So now, thinking that you’ve achieved this adoption and you have your sellers bought in, I’d love to dig a little bit further into maybe what’s next for you. I’ve heard that you’re planning to leverage Highspot AI capabilities to drive scalability and efficiency. So can you share a little bit about how you’re building AI features—things like meeting intelligence—into your enablement strategy going forward? RH: Yeah, absolutely. So we are really excited about leveraging the AI features and meeting intelligence. In fact, that was one of the selling points when we were going through the sales cycle with Highspot.Number one is we love the fact that you can ingest meeting recordings into the platform and right away, using AI, get some feedback on what I would say is like performance feedback.So I love being able to see stats on how much percentage of time a seller spoke versus a prospect—because we want that to be 20%, roughly, right? And we really want to do all of those high-gain questions to have our prospects open up and speak to us, especially, you know, during discovery.The other thing that I really love is using delivery insights. So there’s the pitch variation, pace, and filler words, and that’s really helpful for people that have never used a tool—to share that with them. They maybe have no idea how many times they say “right,” “um,” “you know,” all those different filler words. And so it’s really great to give them that awareness and to also show the pace because some people are fast talkers and some maybe are a little bit slower, so it gives them some intel on how to improve.The other thing that we've actively started using is the follow-up feature. So you can get quick capture or, you know, a transcript that then shows you next steps and actions. So it's a time saver, and you don't feel like you need to take notes. You can just let yourself focus on the conversation and be an active listener. RR: Awesome. I love the value that you’re seeing in some of these features. I really like to hear about the vision, so I would love to maybe hear a little bit about how you’re bringing that vision to life and what that strategy is.In May, you actually joined us here in Seattle for a workshop on our real-world coaching capabilities, and you shared with us that you’re currently testing them with a pilot group.So I'd love if you could kind of lay out how you’re rolling out these capabilities, how the pilot's going, and how you’re kind of empowering users to start leveraging this tool. RH: Yeah, so you’re right. I did attend the meeting in Seattle and it was fantastic. It was such a great opportunity to learn more about the capabilities and start framing up, you know, our go-forward vision of where we want to go with this.And I would say you're right—we are still very much in the early phases of leveraging this, especially, you know, the coaching capabilities. So what is in the works is, you know, we are starting to build out pitching exercises for different industry nuances and buyer personas, and I think that is gonna be super helpful to really get our sellers comfortable with different talk tracks based on different individuals that they’re speaking to.So to me, that is one of the first things that we really want to focus on, and we’ll be coming out of the gate soon. RR: Awesome. Well, I can't wait to hear about how it’s going in a few months. I know a lot of work to be done, but I’m sure a lot of wins in the future.Speaking kind of of down the line, I'd like to maybe turn to your measurement strategy, especially, you know, as we talked about, knowing that you’re a leader with a strong analytics background.I'd be curious—when it comes to enablement programs like this new coaching initiative, what key metrics you’re tracking to measure their impact, and then maybe what success looks like in the next year or so. RH: Yeah, I think we're tracking a blend right now of adoption, engagement, and performance metrics, which I think is really important because we're still in the early phases of rolling this out.So we want to make sure that people are adopting it, and then we want to make sure from an engagement perspective, we’re starting to see people leveraging feedback and things of that nature—and performance metrics. So I'll dive a little bit deeper into that.So definitely we are looking at, you know, the percent of reps who have completed coaching modules and sessions, percent who completed coaching tasks, and feedback ratings for sales reps.In addition to that, we're looking at things like leveraging meetings intelligence metrics, such as, you know, those talk ratios and the objection handling—because the other cool thing is at the bottom of the recording, it shows some key, I would say, like competencies. And I'm not sure how to phrase that, but it's really helpful for a seller to say, okay, this was an area where I should have been focusing on objection handling, and maybe I didn't, right? So some of those things are really important right now.And then performance metrics as well. So we are looking at quota attainment, pipeline growth, conversion rates, sales cycle length. And for me, you know, these seem to be the biggest indicator of success. You know, because you really want to see that ROI.You know, we’re starting to see some of our DSRs that, in the early stages here, we’re winning business. And we do feel like this is a game changer for us because we’re showing up differently. RR: Awesome. I love to hear that. And as I said, I can't wait to hear more about how the momentum grows over time at Direct Travel.Maybe returning to the present, I know you’re still early, but I think it’s important to talk about your wins, right? So I’d love to know—maybe key wins or things that you’re proud of that you’ve achieved so far. Anything you can share with us? RH: Yeah, absolutely. So I would say, you know, through this pilot and launch that we’ve done, we have had sales reps just absolutely elated when they send out a digital sales room, and the very first time someone takes a look at the room, right, and they look at the content, they are sending messages in chat like, oh my gosh, it’s working! And that in and of itself is a testament as to why, you know, we rolled this out.In addition to that, like I was just mentioning, we have already some sellers that have created and used digital sales rooms for the entire sales process, and it has shortened the sales cycle.We have a few individuals where they started at discovery using an intro video, updating some content and collateral about our tech stack and services, and then used it all the way to starting to post the proposal and pricing.And then there we are—we won the business right after that. So it’s pretty impressive. So I think those are the big wins. Just again, you saw the usage, you know, in the high nineties. We’ve got many digital sales rooms that have been created, and we're winning business as a result of it. RR: Wonderful. I think that rep feedback says a lot. If you can get your reps excited, you’re getting exclamation points through Slack—you know you’re doing something right. It seems like you and your team are doing really great work.And I just want to close with one last question. I know you’re deeply involved in mentoring, and you’re a mentor in the GBTA WINiT organization.So to close, I’d love if you could share with us one or two pieces of advice that you would give to other women looking to develop as leaders and drive impact for their organization. RH: Yeah, absolutely. I think the number one thing that I would say to people is: say yes. There are so many times where an opportunity comes up—whether it’s a stretch goal, an opportunity to participate in a project, or to even apply for a position.So many times I’ve talked to women where they feel like, I don't have the skill, I don't have the knowledge, I don't feel comfortable taking that next step. And I always challenge them to say: what's holding you back and why?Right. One of the things I always share with them is multiple examples in my career path where I have said yes. I was nervous. I certainly did not have the experience or maybe even the skill. But I didn't want that to hold me back, because if someone is willing to invest in you, that is the testament in and of itself, right? That is the answer.So take that leap and have confidence in yourself and give it a whirl.And the other thing that I've had a lot of people say many times is: oh, now's not a good time. And there's always reasons to hold back. And I always respond: if not now, when?There's always going to be something. So get over that something and just go for it. RR: That's great advice. I love the idea of just, you know, invest in yourself. There's never a better time than now. I know I'll certainly be taking that to heart.But that's all I want to say—thank you so much for joining us today. It was fantastic to learn a little bit more about you, your work, and the incredible trajectory that Direct Travel is on. RH: Awesome. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity. RR: To our listeners, thank you for listening to this episode of the Win-Win podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for more insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

In this episode of Coach2Scale, CoachEm CEO and co-founder Colum Lundt joins host Matt Benelli to unpack a critical but often overlooked reality in sales leadership: frontline managers are the linchpin to scalable growth, yet they're routinely undertrained, overwhelmed, and underleveraged. Colum shares firsthand insights on why simply promoting great reps into management roles isn't working and how the right tools, data, and AI-powered systems can transform managers from reactive deal chasers into proactive skill builders.Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of how AI should act as a copilot, not a crutch; the compounding impact of consistent developmental coaching over deal coaching; and how to drive real behavior change in reps without adding more to a manager's plate. If you're a CRO thinking about enablement, productivity, and long-term performance, this episode offers a sharp, no-nonsense look at what's broken and what you can do to fix it.Key Takeaway1. Frontline Managers Are the Most Underdeveloped Yet Most Critical Role in SalesManagers get the least training and the most pressure, yet their influence has the highest ROI, up to 7–8x for every dollar invested.2. AI Should Be a Copilot, Not a ReplacementThe future of sales management lies in AI that augments human leadership by handling prep, surfacing insights, and reducing cognitive overload, not replacing empathy and accountability.3. Developmental Coaching Is What Scales, Not Deal CoachingSkills coaching “between the games” has far more long-term value than reactive deal coaching, which often reinforces short-term thinking.4. Manager Span of Control Has ExplodedThe average frontline manager is managing too many reps with too many tools and no time to coach; CoachEm helps them scale themselves without sacrificing quality.5. Change Fatigue and Tech Overload Are Crushing Sales TeamsEspecially in mid-market, reps and managers are drowning in tools and new initiatives without a clear structure or prioritization, which undermines focus and execution.6. AI-Powered Role Play Is a Breakthrough for Enablement at ScaleCoachEm's integration with Hyperbound lets companies simulate real conversations—both for reps and for managers dramatically improving readiness without needing live trainers.7. CoachEm Makes Performance Coaching Measurable and RepeatableThe platform uses CRM, call transcripts, and behavioral data to show exactly what's working and what's not, down to missed calendar invites that slow deal velocity.8. The Best Reps Still Need Coaching, They Need Different CoachingEven top performers benefit from sharpening specific skills; the right system gives managers the data to coach everyone, not just the squeaky wheels.9. Customer Success Is the Next Frontier for Coaching ExecutionAs more CSMs are pulled into revenue roles, CoachEm is expanding to support upsell, cross-sell, and relationship-building motions as rigorously as sales.10. If You Want to Fix Sales Productivity, Start by Fixing the Manager ExperienceSales cultures that prioritize manager development first see better rep retention, stronger pipelines, and more consistent execution across teams.

Send us a textIn this heartfelt and high-impact episode recorded at Pax8 Beyond 2025, Joey Pinz sits down with Christopher Marquez of IronScales for a powerful conversation that blends vendor strategy, personal resilience, and community leadership.Christopher kicks off by sharing his goals for the week: learning from partners, improving services, and helping MSPs strengthen their security posture. He breaks down how IronScales uses adaptive AI to protect against phishing and email attacks, offering efficient deployment, automation, and education as part of their channel-first approach. MSPs benefit from tools like free email health checks, coaching support, and NFR licenses for internal use.But this episode goes beyond tech. Christopher opens up about his past struggle with alcohol abuse, the wake-up call from his doctor, and his journey to recovery and lasting wellness. He and Joey reflect on the power of discipline, coaching, and community in transforming both business and life.From pork green chili to partner enablement to self-awareness, this conversation is a rich mix of grit, gratitude, and growth — for anyone navigating the MSP space or a personal reset. 

I always enjoy having the opportunity to speak with business professionals and leaders. Fidel Guzman not only is such a professional, but he also works in the corporate training arena teaching his company's employees and leaders about leadership and continuous improvement. Fidel comes by his talents honestly. He grew up in an environment where he needed to learn and grow. He secured a Bachelor's degree and an MBA both from Northeastern Illinois University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Fidel started out wanting to be a kindergarten teacher, but he ended up taking a different road. He went to work for a company where he helped people progress within various industries. The company he worked for was bought by ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel flourished and became the Manager of Internal Training for the company. Mr. Guzman is quite adaptable and can train people within the organization even though they may well have their own expertise in different industries. Fidel and I talk about everything from leadership, the future of corporate training and we even take time to explore how AI is and will become more a part of his work and the work we all do. When not working Fidel has various outside activities. His most loved efforts go, of course, into being part of a family. He also serves as Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International. He loves to be involved in Mixed Martial Arts. He keeps quite busy at a variety of activities and clearly loves the challenges he gets to address along the way. About the Guest: Fidel Guzman is a dynamic and enthusiastic Learning & Develoment professional with a proven track record in instructional design, project management, and training development. With a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, Fidel has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. His extensive experience spans various industries, including finance, telecommunications, and fitness, showcasing his versatility and adaptability. Currently serving as the Manager of Internal Training at ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel and his small but mighty team facilitate onboarding programs and training initiatives for over 13,000 employees globally. He has experience developing comprehensive new hire onboarding curricula and career progression pathways for multiple departments, ensuring effective and innovative learning solutions. Fidel's leadership extends beyond his professional role, as he actively participates in numerous company committees focused on community volunteer events, work-life balance education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fidel's passion for personal and professional development is evident in his certifications, including “Creating a Coaching Culture” from SHRM and “Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers” from PMI. Fluent in both Spanish and English, he leverages his bilingual skills to connect with a diverse audience. Outside of his professional endeavors, Fidel enjoys podcasting, judo, triathlons, hiking, and poetry, reflecting his well-rounded and adventurous spirit. In addition to his professional achievements, Fidel has a strong commitment to volunteerism and community involvement. He is serving as the Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International and has been an MMA class instructor and coordinator at St. Bruno Elementary. His dedication to helping others is further demonstrated through his role as an academic tutor at Berwyn Public Library. Ways to connect with Fidel: (1) Fidel Guzman, MBA | LinkedIn New Podcast- The Hero in the Mirror on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44xD76FcF5YFMNyuigFmBm?si=2so3OWJdQby6F91ZaY1AUg The Hero in the Mirror also on Youtube: (3) HerointheMirror - YouTube About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Greetings, everyone. I am Michael Hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and today we get to do the unexpected. And of course, what the unexpected is is anything that doesn't have anything to do with inclusion or diversity. So that's most things you know, in a lot of ways. Anyway, our guest today is Fidel, and am I pronouncing it right? Guzman, yes, you got it. Oh, my goodness. Comes from listening to Guzman's who play baseball. Okay, I'll take that. That's a way. So Fidel reached out to me some time ago. We're going to be doing some speaking to his company ion. But in the meanwhile, I also convinced him that he had to come on unstoppable mindset and talk with us, tell us about himself, tell us a lot about what he does and why he does it, and help to contribute to our general theme, which is that we're all more unstoppable than we think we are, and we usually underrate ourselves. So we we try to improve by discovering that more people are unstoppable than we think they are, and that we thought they were. So that works out. Well, Fidel has a degree in business. He has a Masters of Business Administration. You graduated sigma cum laude, which is pretty cool. And I did cum laude, but I didn't get to do sigma or Magna, but that's okay, but that's okay anyway. Fidel, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Fidel Guzman ** 02:56 Michael, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 03:00 Well, my pleasure, and I'm looking forward to to chatting and talking about some businessy things and anything else that you want to talk about. So let's start this way. It's always fun to do this. Why don't we start by you telling us kind of, maybe, about the early Fidel growing up and some of that stuff, and what got you started down the road of life as it were.   Fidel Guzman ** 03:20 Yeah, yeah, that's all right, yeah, let's let's go back. Let's go back to where it all started,   Michael Hingson ** 03:25 long time ago,   Fidel Guzman ** 03:30 definitely. So I'm born and raised in Los Angeles, Compton, Huntington Park area. I come from Mexican parents. They they they came here to the United States to give their their family a better future. Some first generation Mexican American, very proud. So actually, we do have a little diversity in here on this call. Oh, good. There we go. Yeah. So first generation Mexican American, my family traveled a lot when I was young. My dad's a truck driver, so wherever there was work, he would take us along. So we grew up and raised Los Angeles. I was seven or eight, then we ended up going to Mexico for a couple years, in Dallas, then St Louis, and then we ended up here in Chicago, here in the Midwest. Wow. Winter, the winters here were a bit surprising and tough. When I was in elementary school, I remember the first snow that I saw. It was, it was beautiful. After two weeks, I was like, All right, when is it? When is it gonna go away? And I was in for the the rude awakening that it's gonna it's gonna stick around for, for a few months or so, yeah, but I've had, you know, since then here, here in Chicago, we started to grow our roots. And I have five brothers and a sister. So I have a big family, a big Hispanic family, and I went to high school. My freshman year, I went to Lane Tech. Tech for all my folks who are familiar with the Chicagoland area. And then I ended up going to transferring over to Morton West in Berwyn. After I graduated high school, I went to Northeastern Illinois University, my alma mater, I got my undergrad in business management and marketing, and also got my Masters in Business Administration. So I am a proud double alumni from Northeastern Illinois University, and I really owe this, this community of Northeastern Illinois University, a lot with respect to the great teachers that they have there, the community that they try to build, and the friends and that I made along the way, as well as the education, of course, that helped, really helped me expand my career opportunities. After I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with my undergrad, I started my first real corporate role inside of backstop solutions. And backstop solutions was a still, you know, it was a great company to be a part of lots of mentors. If I can, actually, I would like to give a quick shout out to a few mentors that I had along the way, such as Deanne Falk, Richard fu our CEO, our legacy CEO, Clint Coghill, Sarah Schroeder, and the current head of learning and development under ion. Alexander Lloyd and I really want to thank them for all their mentorship and leadership, because it's really helped me get and grow to the person that I am today. So with that, yeah, I am the manager of internal training at ion. We came I came in via an acquisition, when backstop was acquired, and throughout that period, like I was, I had some some free time, so to say, and ended up getting my Masters in Business Administration.   Michael Hingson ** 06:48 And so along the way, did you get yourself married and all that? Oh, my   Fidel Guzman ** 06:52 wife is going to kill me. Yes. Along the way, sorry about that. No, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. Can't forget, can't forget about those significant others. But yes, I am married. My wife has a master's in occupational therapy, so she's in the medical field, and I'm in, like, the business learning and development side of things, so our conversations are pretty interesting, as well as our perspectives on things. I also have a daughter. She's 16, going on 17 people are usually very surprised when I tell them the age of my daughter, but had her early when I was in my early 20s, so young dad and she was a blessing. I wouldn't, wouldn't have it any other way.   Michael Hingson ** 07:33 That's that is great. Why did you decide to go into business and study business in college.   Fidel Guzman ** 07:42 So interestingly enough, when I got into college, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I wanted to be cool Mr. Guzman, because I also really I love kids. I love working with kids. I was also a mixed martial arts program coordinator and instructor at an elementary school on the south side of Chicago for three years, and that was during my undergrad. And I taught all grades kindergarten through eighth grade, some of the basics in boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu and kickboxing, so a bit of both. But as I was going through through my clinicals, as I was going through the the Yeah, the education aspect of it, I ended up wanting to switch majors. So I was like, I was like, hey, there's probably a lot more opportunity, a lot more opportunity for growth inside of the business segment. So I ended up switching my majors to business management, marketing, and somehow learning just found its way back into my life. So a lot of the stuff that I learned from some of those, those preliminary courses in in education. I mean, still, still resonate to this day, right? Understand your audience. Understand which students are visual learners, which ones are experiential learners. Which one need more repetitive exercise to to drill something in? So, yeah, the universe did not, did not lead me too far away from, from from teaching and being an instructor, and here I am. I know   Michael Hingson ** 09:08 that feeling well. So a couple things. First of all, I was born in Chicago, but we moved to California when I was five, but in Chicago, you start kindergarten at the age of four. So I went for a year to a special kindergarten class that my parents and others advocated for, for premature, blind kids, because there were a whole bunch in the Chicago area during the whole baby boomer area, a number of children were born prematurely and given a pure oxygen environment, which caused them to lose their eyesight. And so the bottom line is that happened to me among others. And so I went to the Perry school. I don't even know if it's around anymore. Somebody told me it wasn't around anymore, but that's where I went to school. And went there for a year of kindergarten, learned braille and other things. And then we moved to California. So I always wanted to be a teacher as well, and I came at teaching from a different standpoint, as you did. That is to say, Well, I wanted to be a teacher. My first job out of college wasn't directly teaching, except I ended up having to write training materials and do other things like that, and then I ended up going into sales, and what I learned is that the best sales people are really teachers. They're counselors. They guide and they help people, especially when you're dealing with major account sales, they help people look at products. They teach about what their product does and the really good sales people are brave enough to admit when their product might not be the best fit for someone, because it's also all about building trust. And good teachers are concerned about building trust as well. Of course.   Fidel Guzman ** 10:57 Yeah, one of my teachers when I was close to graduating, you know, one of the things that you know this teacher, Dr funk, if I remember correctly, he instilled in us, if you're able to synthesize what you learned and explain it to a five year old, you've done a good job. Like you, you you yourself understand that particular concept or that particular topic. And I really took that to heart. So now, you know, and a lot of these roles, if, from the the main instructor, I want and need to be able to explain it, you know, to my kid, to explain it in in simple terms. And, of course, you know, expand on it if needed. But, but   Michael Hingson ** 11:40 it ultimately comes down to you can provide all the information you want, but they have to teach themselves, really, and they're not going to do that, and they're not going to listen to you if they don't trust you. So trust is a vital part of what we do,   Fidel Guzman ** 11:56 exactly spot on,   Michael Hingson ** 11:58 and I have found that that developing that trust is so extremely important. I learned a lot about trust from working with guide dogs, right from the very first guide dog that I obtained back in 1964 when I was 14. It was all about building a team and I and although I didn't know how to really externally, say it necessarily, until many years later, internally, I understood that my job was to build a relationship and that I was going to be the team leader, and needed to be able to gain trust, as well as trust my teammate in in what we did. So worked out pretty well, though. So, you know, I was that was pretty cool. So what does ion do? What is ion?   Fidel Guzman ** 12:49 Yeah, I yeah for sure. So ion is a essentially, you can, you can think of it as a software company for the investment community. We provide a number of different platforms for them to streamline their processes and track information, or be end users of that of data.   Michael Hingson ** 13:07 So people buy your software and do what   Fidel Guzman ** 13:11 they can either leverage the data that's being provided to them, or they can include data within specific platforms.   Michael Hingson ** 13:20 Are you starting to see that this whole concept of so called AI is valuable in what you do, or, as I am working with that yet,   Fidel Guzman ** 13:30 yes, definitely, we are big on streamlining processes and making sure that we're maximizing the best use of everyone's time, and AI really has a really important component in that. So for for learning and development, one of the ways that we're using AI is for content creation, so whether it's just creating a simple outline for a course or starting to use that to create slides, but there, we're also taking a look at the way AI can be used on a regular basis to provide feedback for reps like let's say someone finishes a demo. If they want to do some self reflection, they can leverage AI to get some feedback on what worked well what didn't. Was there enough engagement? How was my use of technology, so on and so forth. So not only is AI being used from, you know, creating content, but also as, like a ad hoc instructor and and way to generate feedback,   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 well, and it offers so much versatility, you can really have it go many different ways. So it is very possible it can be an instructor, as you say, an ad hoc instructor, but it really can present its information in a good teaching way too. So you can have conversations with it. You can do the same sorts of things that you would do with a teacher. I think that AI clearly, is here to stay, but I think. Think over time, AI is going to evolve a lot. I am not of the opinion that AI will replace people for a variety of reasons, but I think that it's here and it's up to us to be smart as to how we use it.   Fidel Guzman ** 15:14 Definitely. I think one of the the tips that we always give people is AI does a really great job of a number of different things, but it's always going to need that human touch at the end of at the end of the day. So don't just take don't just take some content that AI has created and take it to heart. Make sure to review it. Make sure to put that personal touch on there and have it speak your language. Have it really resonate with the audience as well, especially that, oh, go ahead. Or also just on Super mechanical, super scripted,   Michael Hingson ** 15:49 well, and I think as AI grows, it's going to try to emulate, or we're going to use it to try to emulate people more and more, but it still isn't going to get to the point where it truly is me or you, and we do have to put our mark on it. I've used it to help create several articles, and what I've done when I do that is I'll tell it what I want it to write about, and let it do it, and it comes up with some pretty good ideas that I incorporate into the article, that I create, between what it provides and what I add to the mix. And it really should be that way. Exactly what I've really found interesting is the number of people like in classrooms, who say teachers, who say, you know, it's really harder and harder and harder to tell when a student uses AI to write a paper or if the student is doing it themselves. And the first time I heard that, immediately, my idea of what to do was something like this, let the student use AI if they want to, let the have ai do the whole paper. What you ought to do is to have one day after all the students turn their papers in, where you bring each student up to the front of the class and say, defend your paper. Now you have one minute if they don't really know, yeah. I mean, if they don't know what's going on, then they're not going to be able to do very well, and they fail.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:19 Yes, I am a big proponent of comprehensive exercises and also public speaking. How well? How well can you articulate the thought that you gave in that paper? Right? Some of those different talking points, right? Can you convey the same message in front of the classroom?   Michael Hingson ** 17:38 Yeah, and, and, you can tell if a person is just not necessarily a great public speaker, they're nervous, as opposed to whether they know the subject. And those, in a sense, are two different things. But you can use the fact that students are at the front of the classroom to help make them better speakers, too, which is a good thing.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:59 Yeah, no, yeah. I agree with you. If they are using AI, just, you know, turn around a paper, have them present in front of the classroom. Yeah, let's, let's talk a bit more about your paper, yeah, and, and really have it be an interactive exercise. I think that's really where the end goal is going to be, now that AI has really taken over the way the classroom dynamic has changed. So having more of those interactive exercises, really taking a look at comprehension, whether somebody really understands that topic, and giving giving students and an audience an opportunity to discuss, how do we how do we create a hive mind mentality around this particular topic, especially in a classroom, right whether, whether that's in a school setting, in academia, or whether that's in a corporate setting, inside of an office.   Michael Hingson ** 18:54 Several months ago, we had a guest on unstoppable mindset, who's an executive leadership coach in Northern California who was a major proponent of AI. And when he worked with companies, and especially with presidents and leaders who were stuck on how we evolve and how we grow, he would bring AI into all those meetings, and one day he was dealing with one such situation where he told the president, you got to use you ought to use AI to get some great ideas. The President took that to heart, called his senior leadership staff in and said, take the rest of this day and create ideas about how you think we ought to do things better, and so on, and use AI to do it. And when everyone came in the next day, they had a lot of innovative and creative ideas, and all loved the fact that he encouraged them to use AI. And that led to. Us having a discussion about, is AI going to really take over the jobs that people do? And both of us agreed, no, AI won't. Ai can't replace anyone. We can fire somebody and then put AI in their place, which doesn't really work well. But what is a better thing is let ai do what it does well. So example that he gave was say, you have autonomous vehicles. As autonomous vehicles become more and more prevalent, like trucks that are delivering supplies, like shipping vehicles and so on, let the autonomous vehicle drive, but the driver needs to still be in the cabin and needs to be behind the wheel, even though they're not doing anything, because they are going to let the autonomous vehicle do what it can do. But you can give those people other assignments to do for the company that will keep them busy and do things that otherwise might not be done quite as efficiently. So the bottom line is, you keep people busy, you use the autonomous vehicle, and it's a win win situation all the way around.   Fidel Guzman ** 21:08 Yeah, great. I I've heard something very similar to that, and maybe if I can, if I can synthesize this, it's going to be that we want to remove manual task out of people's times, and we want them to focus on more higher value add activities. Do   Michael Hingson ** 21:29 you think that's fair? I think that's true. Isaac Asimov, years ago, the science fiction writer, wrote a really wonderful science fiction story about a young man who lived in a society where everyone had a particular job to do, and you were matched with your talents. And so there you you're you take a test when you're, like, eight years old and or or even younger, and that starts you down the road of what it is you're supposed to do for the whole country. And then you take another test several years later, and that locks you into what you're trained to do. So you always do the same task, but you do it well, because that's what you're trained to do. Well, this kid was in the whole process taking his tests, and he just wasn't comfortable with what was going on. And eventually he ran away. And what, you know, he he took the last test, apparently they looked at him kind of funny when they looked at the results and he didn't like what was going on. And he just left. He said, I'm not going to do this. I don't, I don't. I don't want to be an engineer. I don't want to do whatever it is that they want. And they eventually caught up with him, and they caught him, and they said, Why'd you run away? And he told them, and then said, No, you don't understand what just happened. Some people in society are the people who create the tests, create the processes, and don't get trained to do a specific thing, because they're the innovators and the inventors that keep society going, and you're one of those kids, and this was like, what, 50 years ago that he wrote that? So it's, it is, it is really interesting, but, but very true and, and the reality is, we can be as creative as we choose to be, and some people are more creative than others, but there are always tasks that we can find for anyone to do, and that will make them very happy,   23:40 absolutely, definitely.   Michael Hingson ** 23:42 So it works out. You know, it does work out really well. Well, a question for you. You have a leadership philosophy, needless to say, and you lead a lot in instructional design, what, what are the core principles, or what are the things that kind of make up how you teach leadership, and what it is that you teach people to do, and how do you go about team development?   Fidel Guzman ** 24:13 Yeah, I think some of the core principles that I that I really focus on with learning and development and instructional design. Number one, it has to be collaboration. It really does take a community to put some some really good training sessions and training opportunities in place, and it's really leveraging all the expertise from different subject matter experts. Give them a chance to share their perspectives and their insights on certain things, but also, really, just to enhance, you know, the the use of these training programs, because people are more keen to listen to like, oh yeah, this guy's a subject matter he's an expert in this particular. Their space and for them to to hop on. So I think that collaboration aspect is, you know, getting the Lean In from managers like, hey, this training is important. Your employees are going to benefit from this training, whether it's just for to develop their their education, to develop their career, whatever that may look like. But I want to say one of the, the first guiding principles is going to have to be collaboration. The second one is going to have to be most likely continuous improvement. As we start to roll out a lot of these different training sessions, whether it's public speaking, whether it's product training, whether it's industry training, if we roll it out, we keep our ear to the ground and make sure that we're receptive to the feedback. We take a look at what works well, what doesn't work well, what needs to be tailored. How can we, how can we also manage this across different time zones? So ion is super global company, I want to say, over 13,000 employees in over 13 plus countries. So also managing what those training programs look like for everyone, for everyone, across the board. So besides the collaboration, besides the continuous improvements or the I like to also say that the Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, right, making those small improvements, the last one I want to say is going to be innovation. How can we incorporate, right? We were talking about AI. How can we incorporate some of these ladies, latest tech trends into what our training delivery looks like, whether it's something as simple as, how do we include more polls throughout a lecture to keep people engaged and participate? How do we include knowledge checks at the end of every session to make sure that people are walking away with some of the key takeaways. So, yeah, collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation. Yeah, how do we stay innovative and stay creative? I think having having some fun, staying creative along the way Definitely, definitely resonates with your audience as you're trying to do different things and trying to keep things as engaging and and fun as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 27:06 What do you say to someone who says, Look, I've really learned all I need to learn. I'm not really interested in learning anything new. That is, I know, isn't that? Yeah, but you hear it a lot, I'm sure, or too much. I   Fidel Guzman ** 27:22 think some people get comfortable right, like, Hey, I'm comfortable with what I know. And learning does require a certain level of mental energy, and it also requires a certain level of you being willing to take on a new challenge, to take on and learn something new. So to them, I would genuinely ask, what's your interest? How can we supplement what this interest looks like? You know, what are your interests in other avenues? And I think that will plant a seed to let them know that learning and development should be something learning, right? Just learning in general, it should be something that you should do throughout your life. I recently started a podcast called the hero in the mirror, and I wanted to take a moment and actually, thank you, Michael. I don't know if you remember our initial conversation. But we were talking, we were talking about, you had asked me, What ideas do you have? What are you working on? Are you working on, any books, any podcasts? And I had mentioned, I was like, Hey, I actually have an idea for a podcast. And you pause for a moment, and you were like, what's stopping it? Yeah, and it was, it was kind of like, it kind of took me back. I'm like, What? What is stopping me? Right? And sometimes, and in coaching, we call it interference, like you're you probably have a fear of failure. You have a fear that something's not going to go right, or this task seems enormous, that you don't know where to start. Yeah, so making small, small mental changes, making small steps, I think, definitely add up. Since then, Michael, I've had I've had three episodes. I've had some great guests hop on and share their story of resilience and triumph. And as I'm starting to do more episodes, I'm I'm hearing stories of people willing to have that, that mindset of, I want to continue to learn, I want to continue to expand on the person that I am and make myself well rounded in these different, different areas. So So, long story short, if somebody says I don't, I don't need to learn anything, there's always room for growth. There's always room for interest, what, what interests you, and how? And how can we follow that interest and and supplement it with some some training content.   Michael Hingson ** 29:49 I know, for me, I'm extremely comfortable with what I know, and I'm extremely comfortable with what I've learned, but I'm also very uncomfortable in knowing there's a lot of stuff I don't know and that i. Still need to learn. So I love to learn right from the very beginning, when I first discovered the internet, I regarded it and still do, no matter what there is with the dark web and everything else, I think the internet is a treasure trove of information, and it's so fun to discover new things online. And there's so many ways to go. We've got so many places where we can go get books that we never had access to before all of us. There's so many places where we can go to learn about organizations, about people. They're just so many wonderful things, and it's only one way, because I also think there is a lot to be said for real personal interactions, but I think the internet is a wonderful treasure trove that gives us the opportunity to learn a whole lot that we don't necessarily know about, subjects that we don't know anything about.   Fidel Guzman ** 30:55 The Internet is a double sided sword. It is. You can find information that will support right? Maybe you know an opinion that you have on the other side of that, you can find lots of information that does not support independent opinion that you have. And also it's a rabbit hole. Soon as you start going out that rabbit hole. But the one thing I do appreciate from the internet is the channels of communication that it's built. Yeah, and I'm appreciative of being able to have connected with you on LinkedIn, and that's turned out to us having this podcast here today.   Michael Hingson ** 31:34 I think that for me, I'm not as interested on going online and in finding something to change an opinion as much as I am finding something that will tell me about something that I didn't know as much about. Now I might change my opinion from what I thought it might be, but I I really love to try to really get as much as possible into dealing with facts or substance to teach me things, and then I'll form my own opinion from that. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Of course,   Fidel Guzman ** 32:11 gets a good grounding of all the all the materials, synthesize it yourself.   Michael Hingson ** 32:19 Yeah, I think we should do that. I think we have to be the one to synthesize whatever it is we're dealing with. That's That's our responsibility, and that should always be the way it is, which is, and I don't want to get political or anything, but which is one of the reasons that I say any politician who says, Trust me will be the first person I won't trust until I verify. I am a firm believer in trust, but verify. I don't care who it is. I think it's so important that we really take the time every single person needs to take the time to study what's going on, and and, and really look at all sides of something. I think that's important. I listen to newscasts regularly, and I like to listen to newscasts from all sides. Some I find why I don't want to listen to them very much, because of what they do or don't do, but I still think that it's important to really understand all sides of a subject.   Fidel Guzman ** 33:29 Absolutely, I totally agree with you.   Michael Hingson ** 33:32 So you know, I think it is kind of neat to to have that opportunity, and I think we learn so much when we take the time to really study. I'm amazed. I was at a restaurant once, and my wife and I were there. We were talking about newspapers and what we get from newspapers or online, and our waitress came up and Karen said, so do you read the newspaper? And this woman's 30 years old, and she says, No, I don't. I don't have time, you know. And how little she learns, because she doesn't really seek information, which is too bad.   Fidel Guzman ** 34:07 Yep, you people have to be receptive. People have to be receptive to to gaining new bits of information. And sometimes people are just happy knowing like you, like you mentioned earlier, just happy knowing what they're what they know, just comfortable in in their own space, until some more power to that, more more power to them, more power to them,   Michael Hingson ** 34:31 until something happens to disrupt the happiness and surprises them, because they really didn't learn enough to know that that was a possibility. Yep, I never thought I would be doing a podcast, but when the pandemic occurred, I started to learn about it, and learned all the value of it. Now, I had been at our campus radio station at UC Irvine for six years, and I was program director one year, so I understood radio, and when I started learning about podcasts. They went, this is really pretty cool, and I had never thought about it, and had never been interviewed on a podcast, but I realized I know what I can can do with this, and I know that I can sound intelligent on the air. And so I started to learn about it, and here we are now, just today, actually, we published online and in YouTube episode 324 of unstoppable mindset since August of 2021 Congratulations, Michael. Well, thank you. It's a lot of fun. We actually went to two episodes a week in August of 2022 Oh, wow, because we had such a huge backlog. Yeah, and I don't mind having a huge backlog, but it was growing way too much. So we went to two episodes a week, and and it's a lot of fun to to do it. And as and as I love to tell people, for me, the most important thing is I get to learn from every single person who comes on the podcast. It's so neat to be able to do that, of course. So it works out really well. Well for you, what kind of challenges have you faced? What have you done to overcome challenges, and what are some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how you did you deal with them?   Fidel Guzman ** 36:17 Okay, yeah, that's great. That's some of the questions I use on on my podcast, here in the mirror. So I'm on the I'm on the other side of that chair today. Yes, no, it's good. It's good. It's a good question. So I want to say, you know, there are, there are three main, three main challenges that really stand out for me. One I'm very vocal about, and that is my speech impediment, my stuttering problem. It was really bad when I was little kid. I had a speech pathologist. Even now, talking to you on this podcast, I have to be very conscious with what I'm saying. Some of the listeners might might have caught it in the beginning when I get too excited about a particular topic, or if I haven't formulated my thought yet, but the speech impediments is something that has really made public speaking a passion for me. It was hard for me to have a voice when I was a little kid, I used to try to raise my hand and answer a question when I was in elementary school, and the teacher would be like, All right, next one like you had, you had your turn. And so I, you know, I've struggled, you know, to have a voice. I struggled with just completing sentences, and the way that I overcame that is through a speech pathologist that really gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I remember one exercise she gave me one day is she grabbed me from my classroom. She would pick me up from my classroom every Tuesday and Thursday, and she picked me up one day, and I was kind of down in the dumps. I didn't really like going to the class. We weren't really advancing much. And she's like, Hey, we're going to try something different tonight. Different today. She's like, today I'm going to have the order of pizza. And I was still a little little fat kid, like fourth or fifth grade, so I was like, oh, yeah, I'm all for it. What's going on here? And she was like, but the catch is, you need to order this pizza without stuttering. And you know, right away, kind of my heart dropped. And she's like, okay, like, don't, don't worry, we're gonna practice exactly what you want to order. And she's like, What do you want? And I'm like, Well, I want a large pepperoni pizza with an RC, a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson Elementary. And she's like, okay. She's like, write it down. I'm like, Alright, great to like, write it down again. I must have written it like, 10 times. She's like, No, now practice it. So about 15 minutes of doing that, she was like, All right, I think you're ready. She hands me the phone and, you know, I pick it up. My heart's in my throat, and I'm just like, like, I'm like, hi, you know, I want to order a large pepperoni pizza with a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson elementary for Fidel Guzman, and I was just astonished. I hung up the phone. I was happy for two reasons. Number one, I was going to get some pizza. Number two, I was able to say it a complete, full sentence without stuttering. And she she really believed in me and instilled in me that confidence that I could overcome this. But it wasn't an overnight success. It still required me go going to the speech pathologist, you know, throughout my elementary school, throughout all those years, and even as an adult, continuing to practice and hone that in in high school, doing presentations, in college, doing presentations. So right now, I am the VP of education for our America's Toastmasters Club, and this is one story i i always tell people, and they're like, No, you don't stutter. I'm like, if I get too excited, I'll lower my words. But that was that was one challenge, that was one challenge, and it's. Is it's still something I have to be very conscious of. And I've caught myself a couple times earlier in this podcast where I kind of mumble a little bit or get caught up in a particular word. But besides that one, I want to say that the second one was more of my in college. In college, I struggled paying for school. I mentioned I'm first generation Mexican American, and I was one, one of the first, first of my brothers to attend college full time. And I did all I could to make ends meet, two, three jobs, just paying for tuition. Financial aid was great, you know, it really helped me with a portion of that, but a lot of it really ended up, you know, being due onto me. And then I had my daughter, and it was just a struggle. I was like, How can I be a dad? How can I be a student? How can I work on my career? And I had gone to a financial aid workshop, and the one thing that stood out in this workshop was when they were talking about scholarships granted in high school when you're about to graduate, they talk to you about it, but it doesn't. It doesn't really materialize until you're until you receive that bill. Yeah, you're just like, hey, here's, here's a $2,000 bill for this college class. And you're like, oh, man, this is, this is not, this is not cheap. It's pretty expensive. And the one thing you know that stood out was, you know, let the scholarships, and they started talking about scholarship applications, and I found that there were a couple common denominators with the scholarships. Number one, they wanted two letters of two letters of recommendation. Number two, they want an essay. What are you going to do with your degree? How are you going to make a positive impact in the community? And number three, sometimes, typically an interview. And so I ran with it. I was like, they want two letter, letters of recommendation. They want one essay. They want an interview. No problem. And I made that my part time job. On the weekends, I would just apply, apply, apply. And I started getting some small wins. I started getting a $250 scholarship here, a $500 scholarship there, $1,000 scholarship, you know, here, and all of it started to add up, and it started to gain momentum. And I was lucky enough to get, get, get accepted for a number of different scholarships and complete my my college education, and even, you know, be strong willed enough to go back and do it again and try to try to get my masters. So those were two, two big ones, but I'll pause here and see if you have any questions around those two challenges for me. Michael, no,   Michael Hingson ** 42:41 but I I really admire what you did. You You made a choice and you followed it through. And I think that's of course, the whole issue is that we have to make choices and we need to follow through. And if we find that, we need to refine our decisions. We do that. I know when I was a student and a program director at the university radio station, I wanted everyone to listen to themselves. I thought it was a great idea to have everyone listen to themselves on the air. And the way you do it is you record it and you give it to them. And I didn't anticipate how hard that was going to be, because for me, I was used to doing it for myself, yeah, but I I didn't realize how much resistance I was going to get from literally everyone at the radio station, they were not interested in and I'm thrilled about doing it at all. What I and the engineer at the station did eventually was to put a cassette recorder in a locked cupboard, and whenever the microphone was activated, the recorder would go on. So, you know, you didn't have to hear the music. You just wanted to hear yourself talk. And we, we really took a major step and said, You have to listen to these recordings. We gave each person a cassette. We expect you to listen to these recordings and improve accordingly. What I didn't say much was, I know what it's like. I'm my own worst critic, and I have to listen to it, so you guys do now. I've changed that, and I'll get to it in a second, but we pushed everyone to do it, and it wasn't long, not only before we started seeing improvement, but before the people themselves started recognizing that they were really getting comfortable listening to themselves and that they were taking this to heart, and by the end of the year, we had people who were loving it and wanting their cassette every day or every week, and also a. Some of them went into broadcasting. For me, what I learned, and it took many years before I learned it is I'm not my own worst critic. I shouldn't be negative, as I said earlier, I'm the only one who can really teach me. I'm my own best teacher. And I think when you make that mind shift from being your own worst critic to your own best teacher, it really puts things in a much more positive light. And I've said that before on the podcast, and I will continue to say it, because I think it's a very important   Fidel Guzman ** 45:29 concept. We actually have a similar exercise for our America's Toastmasters Club, where we'll we'll record some speeches, and we'll have people listen back to their recorded speech. And a lot of people say like, man, it's cringe to hear yourself on the on the other side, on the other side of those iPhones, but it is a very useful exercise. You get a better understanding of your your filler words, your eyes, your arms, your vocal variety, your body language. And if you're looking to be a great, I don't want to say public speaker, but if you're just looking just to speak better in general, even when it's an on a presentation, on a call, or if you have to give up a toast at a wedding or a quinceanera, for you to be able to, yeah, critique yourself and gather feedback from your from your own recording   Michael Hingson ** 46:23 well. And the reality is, the more of it you do, and the more you listen to it, having been up there in front giving the speech, you also see how people react. And if you continue to observe and listen to the recordings as you go forward, you will improve, yeah, for sure, which is which is really important. And one of the things that I try to do regularly now is to record talks. When I go and give a speech somewhere, I will record it so that I can listen to it and I enjoy it, because I discover Did I really say that I shouldn't have said it quite that way, but I'll do better next time. But listening to it helps such a tremendous amount,   Fidel Guzman ** 47:13 especially with those filler words. So when you really listen to the recording, you'll be like, Man, I use a lot of likes or SOS or ands or buts, and if you want to speak eloquently, it is, I mean, like anything, you just gotta practice it. You gotta practice it, and you have to be receptive to that, the feedback. And you have to also celebrate the small wins. One thing I am a big proponent on is celebrate the small wins. Yeah. So if you are able to do your your first speech at a Toastmasters clubs like we, we give you tons of accolades, because it is not an easy fit, an easy feat. If you're able to do the second one, even better. You're, you're progressing, and you're, you know, you're increasing your understanding of some of the fundamentals of public speaking. Yeah, so you're preaching to the choir here.   Michael Hingson ** 48:05 Yeah, no, I understand. Oh yeah, it's good, but it is really important to do, and it's fun to do. If you decide to make it fun, and if you decide that you want to become a better communicator there. There are lots of us and all that sort of stuff that people do. I've heard some people say that's really not such a bad thing. Well, I've got to say that I've never really been used to having a lot of us. And you know, there's a guy out here who I don't think he's alive anymore. He used to be a sports announcer out here. His name was Jim Healy, and you may have heard him when, well, out here in Los Angeles, anyway, he was on K lac, and he had somebody, well, he had a recording of somebody, one of the sports jocks, and he announced that he was going to play this recording, and what you're going to hear is this guy in 60 seconds say, you know, 48 times, that's and he did what's amazing, that   Fidel Guzman ** 49:17 when you when you get to Some of those, it's like, what do they say? Nails on a chalkboard? You're like, Oh, yeah. Like, what are you trying to say? Just, just say it. To say, to say the damn thing.   Michael Hingson ** 49:30 Yeah, talk a little bit slower and just say it.   Fidel Guzman ** 49:33 One thing that I'm trying to be conscious, more conscious of is pauses, like those deliberate pauses, those deliberate pauses to collect your thoughts, like I often need, just to collect myself, but also to build suspense the message and the message that you're trying to give, especially when you're in front of a group of people, in front of an audience, and you're pausing there, they're just like, oh, what? So what is he? What is he gonna say next? What's up? What's going on with this pause? So it's also you have this arsenal of tools when it comes to to public speaking and to engage with an audience and to keep them, to keep them interested in what your next thought is going to be. What What am I going to say next? How am I going to, you know, align this topic to something else that I want to discuss.   Michael Hingson ** 50:24 I love, yeah, I've discovered the value of pauses. You can make a pause last too long, and one of the things you learn is how long to make a pause. But I love pauses. They really do add a lot of value. There they get. Well, you talk a lot about continuous improvement, and clearly you you really love the whole concept. What's an example of a project where you instituted continuous improvement, and how do you make that happen? Thanks, Michael.   Fidel Guzman ** 50:56 Let's pause again. Yeah, right. I know. Yeah. All right. Michaels, Michaels, throw me. Well, not much of a curveball, but yeah, no, that's good. So I know continuous improvement. And one project that I worked on, I want to say one that comes to mind is last year I hosted a series of product boot camps. And what these product boot camps really were, were product training and networking opportunities within ion. I had just gone through the acquisition of backstop into the into the ion family, and I saw a need. I saw a need there for some product training. And what I did is I started to coordinate with subject matter experts, hence the collaboration and community principles that I have with learning and development. And started to piece together a boot camp. So a series of training sessions, and we discussed location, we discussed different components that we can include on there. We discussed remote hybrid in person, what some of those options were, and we had about, I want to say, five or six of these boot camps in 2024 and what I noticed is that for each of the boot camps we would tailor it a little bit, because each of these different products that were under specific umbrellas were for certain audiences, you know, for certain segments of the business. So we had to, I had a template, but we had to tweak that template a little bit. Who do we want to come in here? Who do we want to come in for this particular topic? When do we take breaks? If it's in person, you know? Do we take longer breaks if it's in person? How do we include some interactive components to it? How do we test people's knowledge, whether it's through live polls, whether it's using an LMS platform to do knowledge checks? How do we create a certificate based program around this? And for each of those, it was a learning experience. It was a learning experience because we, every subject matter expert, is different, right? You're building different relationships with different people, and even their style of talking or their style of teaching on a particular topic is going to be different. So those continuous improvements throughout each of those boot camps really started to to resonate and just to showcase themselves. And for each of those, we had a similar template for all of them, but we made minor tweaks to make sure that it was as engaging and and thoughtful as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 53:36 Wow. Well, that's pretty cool. Um, and I think that the very fact that you would make the tweaks and you recognize the need to do that was pretty insightful, of course, because for me, I know when I speak, some people early on told me you should write a talk and you should, you should just give that talk. I tried that once. I didn't like what I sounded like when I read a talk, and I haven't done it since. And I also realized that I do better, and sometimes it isn't necessarily a lot, but when I customize every talk so I love to go early and try to hear speakers who speak before me, or get a chance to meet people at an event, because I will learn things invariably that I will put into the talk. And sometimes I'm tweaking talks up to and including the start of the talk, and sometimes I will tweak a talk when I'm speaking and I'm getting the impression just from all the fidgeting, that maybe I'm not getting through to these people, or I'm not really doing this in the best way possible. And I will change until I get what I expect to be the audience. Reaction, because I know what an audience is like when they're fully engaged, and I also know that not every audience is the same, so I hear what you're saying. I think it's important to do that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:13 Yeah, for you to be able to do that on the fly, kudos, kudos to that. But yeah, we you got to be able to understand that audience, understand that audience, understand what's what's going on, the dynamic of that, of that situation. So you're, you're a veteran at at this, so no surprise there.   Michael Hingson ** 55:31 Well, that's a lot of fun. Well, what do you do when you're not working you, I know you're involved in various activities and so on. So what do you do when you're, yeah, not an eye on writing, doing, training, stuff and all that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:45 A number of different hobbies. My wife calls me the Energizer Bunny, because I'm always running around doing something, but some of my main things is right now judo. I did wrestling in high school, and I did mixed martial arts when I was getting my undergrad. And I love martial arts. I think iron sharpens iron. It's good to be around a good group of, good group of people, people who are who are like minded, people who are looking to continue to develop themselves. And yeah, if you're in a room full of tough guys, you have no other choice than to start to be a tough guy yourself. So I love martial arts. I did a couple Judo tournaments, judo and jujitsu tournaments last year, where I placed. And let's see, besides that, triathlons, I love to run, I love to bike, I love to swim. I did my first triathlon last year. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a phenomenal experience. I mean, it's two three hours of non stop movement, but it was, it was great just to be part of that, of a huge event like that, besides the martial arts and the constant running and swimming and biking, the last thing I want to say is writing and poetry. I have started to compile all all my poems. Hopefully, in the next year or so, I'll, I'll launch a small book of poems. And, yeah, I'll keep you, I'll keep you posted on that. But I do, I do like to write on the sign, you know, hopefully a book of poems. And, you know, since since having my daughter, I've always liked children's books. I would, I would love it if I could launch my my own series of children books, and I'm working on a couple templates with that. So, yeah, stay staying busy, staying busy, physically active, but also mentally   Michael Hingson ** 57:40 active. So you haven't written any books yet. I have a   Fidel Guzman ** 57:44 couple ideas, a couple ideas of what, what kids books want to do, but you don't have any books published yet? No, none yet. None yet. Well, we're anxious to see that happen. You got, you got it, you're gonna, you're gonna light that fire. You're gonna light that fire as well. No, and again, right? I do appreciate you for for really, really motivating me to start my own podcast, because you had really said, like, what's stopping you? Like, like me, I'm stopping myself, you know. But even yet, yeah, even like, you know, being an author, I know that you're an author, you know, I would love to have a conversation offline with you. You know what that publishing experience was like, because I think that's my biggest interference right now with that, is like, I don't know where to start with the publishing. I know I can self publish. I know I can go through publishers and like, the internet, like we said, a double sided sword, yeah, you have information that tells you you should just self publish, and then you have other bits of information. Was like, You should go through a publishing company and just like, where do I Where do I choose? But I think that's why having mentors, you know, and getting to network with people who are experienced, such as yourself, and these different avenues of public speaking and being a keynote speaker and having a podcast, being a podcast host and being an author. I think, I think it's great, and you are definitely an inspiration to me. Michael, well, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:11 You're familiar with Jackson Hewitt, the accounting and tax company. You got it? Okay? So I can't remember whether it was night, whether it was 2016 or 2017 but I got invited to go speak at one of their events, and I did. And while I was there, I met a woman, and I didn't know what she did, and she she, she worked at a Jackson Hewitt, and I just happened to say, what do you own of a firm? Because most of the people there were supposed to be company owners. And she said, No, maybe someday. And I said, why not? You ought to own a company. You ought to you ought to become a company owner. You'll go further Anyway, last year, she sent me an email, and she said, I've never forgotten that, and I think it was like a year later, or two years later, she's. After I and she met, she said, I got my first company, and I now own 10 branches. Wow. Back, I said, that's pretty cool. Oh,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:09 Michael, Michael, you are just making ripples in the universe. Just ripples doing something. Yeah, that's good. I don't want to get too religious, but you're doing God's work, man, well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 I hope so. You know, expect Hill. Hill. Guy, guide, or she'll guide, yeah, but so what do you think is the future of work, of workplace training and learning?   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:30 Yeah, I think we, we touched a little bit upon this. But you know, AI, you know, definitely, how can we leverage AI for content creation, creating outlines and also using it as feedback. But I also want to to bring back the the in person training. I know we've all gotten very comfortable with, you know, doing stuff remote, but similar to the example that we talked about earlier, where that teacher was like, oh, all these, all these kids are using AI for these papers, and how do I really test their comprehension? That's, that's something you know, that in person activity, yeah, I think definitely has a tremendous amount of value, not just for the instructor, but for the end learner. Yeah. So I think, I think a mixture of like, okay, great, you know, how can we use AI to create content? How can we use it to provide, you know, feedback for people to continue to improve on certain areas. But how can we bring back that in person component?   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:38 Well, see, oh, go ahead,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:01:39 yeah, to, to to unify. It was probably that pause, that to to unify, to unify a vision, you know, a vision of of continuous improvement. You know that to unify, that vision of what a team might be aiming for, yeah. So, yeah. So, I think, I think, you know, long story short, it's going to be, you know, leveraging a bit of AI and still bringing back that, that in person aspect. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:05 you know, I I've done virtual presentations as well as, of course, lots of in person presentations. I much prefer in person to virtual but my main reason for that is that I can tell what the audience is feeling. I get a lot more information if I'm doing an in person talk than I would get if I'm just doing a virtual talk. Now I've done it long enough that I mostly can do pretty well at a virtual talk, but it's still not the same, yeah, and I still don't get exactly the same information, but I can do virtual talks, and I do and it, and it's fun and and I can play games with it, because I can always turn my video off and really drive people crazy. But you know what? What advice would you give to an aspiring leader who wants to to evolve and make make changes to their organization or to themselves and so on.   Fidel Guzman ** 1:03:06 So advice I would give for aspiring leaders. I think the the main one that I really focus on is opportunities and challenges. Be ready to embrace any opportunities that come your way, but just know that each of those opportunities, it's going to come with its own set of challenges, and be prepared for both, and be okay with dealing both at the same time. And you know last, but you know not least, is that there are there are lots of stories of triumph, and to really curate yours. What does your story of triumph look like? What is your passion and how does, how does all of that connect?   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:53 And it may be evolving, and it may be different in five years than it is today, but both memories are important, yeah, which is cool. Well, Fidel, we've been doing Can you believe we've been doing   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:08 this for over an hour? Time flies and you're having fun,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:12 absolutely. And I really appreciate you being here and being a part of this, and I really appreciate all of you who have been listening to us and watching us. We're really excited that you're here. I hope that this has been valuable for you as well, and that you've learned something. Fidel, if people want to reach out to you, how can they do that? I   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:31 want to say LinkedIn, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. What's your LinkedIn identifier? You can find me as Fidel Guzman, comma, MBA, and I'll also give you a link so you can, you can accompany it alongside this episode, yeah, but feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. That's going to be the easiest way to get in touch with me. And I'll also have some links if you want to check out my podcast. And hopefully I'll have, I'll have that book of poems out, yeah, soon.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:59 Well, that will be. Good. Well, thank you again and again. Thank you, all of you. If you'd like to reach out to Fidel, I'm sure he would appreciate it. I would, and you're welcome to reach out to me.

Welcome to Episode 100 of the Coach2Scale Podcast! In this milestone edition, host Matt Benelli delivers a no-nonsense Q2 debrief packed with hard-earned lessons, powerful guest stories, and leadership truths that cut through the noise. From blind spots that sink careers to the non-negotiables of trust, culture, and coaching, this episode distills what it really takes to scale teams and drive meaningful results. Hear firsthand from Kevin McCarthy on self-inflicted downfall, from John Walston on building mental resilience, and from Neil Wood on solving, not selling, your way to a billion-dollar success.This episode is more than a recap; it's a call to action. Matt shares five brutally honest themes that every sales leader, coach, and executive needs to hear: coaching is about asking questions, not issuing commands; culture is defined by what you tolerate, not what you say; inconsistency erodes trust; and enablement isn't optional; it's your competitive edge. Whether you're leading a team or trying to level up, this episode will challenge your assumptions and light a fire under your Q3 game plan. Let's get after it, and as always, CoachEm if you want to keep ‘em.Key Takeaways1. Adversity Doesn't Build Character; It Exposes It 2. Stop Pitching. Start Solving. Or Step Aside.3. Coaching Is a Skill; And Most Managers Suck At It4. Culture Isn't a Slogan; It's What You TolerateGuests 1. Kevin McCarthy -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmccarthycsp/2. John Walston- https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-walston-63a042206/ 3. Neil Wood -  ⁨https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilwoodconsulting/ 4. Michael Muhlfelder -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemuhlfelder/5. Tom Young - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-young-7aba11/6. Mike Montague -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedmontague/ 7. Jeff Keplar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-keplar-63a2b86/8. Mark Kosoglow - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/9. Kevin Gaither -  ⁨https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingaither/10. Tony Burnside - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyburnside/11. Pam Dake - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-dake-1152483/

In this episode, hosts Tommy and Chris explore Coaching Development and Careers at District H. Whether you're a member, a coach, or just curious about what makes our team special, this conversation highlights the passion and expertise driving our community. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: * Why coaching at District H is all about helping members achieve personal goals, from overcoming pain to excelling in performance. * Insights into what makes a great coach, including philosophies from the International Coaching Federation and OPEX. * How District H fosters a team of professionals passionate about guiding you toward success. At District H, our mission is to partner with you on your fitness and wellness journey, offering personalized support for every step along the way.

On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with former first-class rugby player and professional coach Ben Herring about his new podcast, 'Coaching Culture with Ben Herring', his current role as Director of Rugby at Newington College in Sydney and his family's adventures on the road in the United States... He talks with Marie Taylor, owner of the Plant Hawkes Bay Nursery, about her career specialising in breeding rare native plants, her work with the NZ Plant Producers Board and her former career as an ag journalist... And he previews the Grand Final for Season 57 of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Contest, with Justin Ruygrok (Northern), Jock Bourke (Taranaki/Manawatu), Hugh Jackson (Waikato/BOP), James Robbie (East Coast), George Letham (Tasman), Gareth McKerchar (Aorangi) and Cam Smith (Otago/Southland). Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

What happens when a founder-led sales strategy hits its limits? In this episode of Coach to Scale, Ken Grasso, veteran CRO, advisor, and founder of Catalyst Peak Ventures, pulls back the curtain on the messy, mission-critical transition from instinct-driven selling to structured, scalable revenue operations. With experience leading global go-to-market teams and helping companies grow from zero to IPO, Ken shares unfiltered insights on why founders often struggle to let go of sales, the costly myth of the “natural-born” sales leader, and how process, not personality, is the real growth engine.Packed with real talk for CROs, revenue leaders, and founders alike, this conversation explores the pivotal role of coaching cultures, how to hire for system-fit over resume flash, and the urgent need to professionalize sales before seeking investment or exit. You'll also hear Ken's candid reflections on career reinvention, building credibility as a fractional exec, and why planning for the next chapter before you need to is essential for long-term impact. Whether you're scaling your first team or rethinking what makes sales truly sustainable, this episode is a playbook in disguise.Top Takeaways1. Founder-led selling becomes a liability as you scaleEarly-stage founders may be the best sellers at first, but their instinctive, unstructured style can block repeatability and growth.2. Great sales reps don't automatically make great managersPromoting top performers without leadership skills or process discipline can stall team performance and create chaos.3. The sales process is the foundation, not a nice-to-haveA defined, teachable sales process enables forecastable growth, efficient onboarding, and higher valuations.4. CROs must earn trust and re-educate founders on go-to-marketTransitioning founder-led orgs to scalable operations requires a blend of credibility, patience, and strategic coaching.5. Hiring should prioritize system-fit and coachability.The best candidates align with your GTM model and are eager to operate within a defined system, not just shine as individual contributors.6. You can't outrun a broken foundation with short-term winsHeroics might save a quarter, but without an operational structure, you'll eventually burn out or break the model.7. Fractional leadership can unlock massive value for growth-stage teamsBringing in experienced operators part-time can help companies avoid costly misfires and build maturity without overextending budgets.8. Plan your career pivot before the market makes you do itKen urges seasoned leaders to proactively define their “Plan B,” emphasizing personal reinvention and long-term career resilience.9. Strong systems beat star power—ask the NFL.Drawing on sports analogies, Ken explains why team performance relies more on consistent playbooks than flashy individuals.10. Valuation depends on your GTM maturity.Investors and acquirers don't just buy your product they buy your ability to sell it repeatedly, predictably, and without founder involvement

Travis Smith is a seasoned leader and innovative thinker in the world of packaging and logistics. As the Vice President of Coaching at Ernest Packaging Solutions, Travis brings more than two decades of experience driving transformative strategies that challenge industry norms. Known for his energetic leadership and relentless commitment to customer success, he plays a vital role in shaping Ernest's bold, people-first approach to business.   00:03:17 Exploring Travis's Defining Moment at BYU 00:07:05 Building Momentum Through Door-to-Door Challenges 00:11:17 Hinge Moment: Turning Conversations into Genuine Connection 00:14:46 Discovering Passion for Sales and Leadership 00:18:17 Speaking Your Identity Out Loud 00:32:53 The Power of Silence and Reflection in Growth 00:39:45 How One Conversation Can Transform a Life 00:49:41 Embracing Love Without Limits: Expanding the Meaning of Family 00:55:54 Creating a Coaching Culture and Leadership Growth 01:02:39 The Gift of the Goose: Supporting Each Other in Leadership 01:04:29 Creativity in Coaching: A Personal Story Through Piano 01:09:14 Embracing Vulnerability: Learning from What You've Been Wrong About   Don't forget you can also follow Dr. rob Bell on Twitter or Instagram! Follow At: X @drrobbell Instagram @drrobbell Download Your Daily Focus Map! https://drrobbell.com/ If you enjoyed this episode on Mental Toughness, please subscribe and leave a review! Dr. Rob Bell

Send us a textWe flip the script in this milestone 100th episode of The UpLevel Podcast. Our Co-Founder, Rachel Baldi, steps into the interviewer's seat to have a heartfelt, honest conversation with Christie Mann, best-selling author, executive coach, and Co-Founder & CEO of UpLevel.Together, they explore the evolving concept of Right Relationship: how it shows up in our leadership, our lives, and our longing to live in integrity with ourselves, each other, and the world.This conversation is a powerful reminder that transformation starts with radical self-awareness and continues through conscious connection and courageous action.In This Episode:The difference between being “in” right relationship and returning to itHow conscious conflict can restore trust and clarityPersonal stories from Christie's own growth journeyLessons from indigenous wisdom and leadership modelsWhy R.O.I. should include emotional nourishment and integrityA look back at favorite past episodes that modeled a brave connection

What happens when your top-performing rep becomes a struggling front-line manager? In this episode, Dan Freund, Chief Sales Officer at Invoice Cloud and former Oracle sales leader, unpacks the leadership gap plaguing high-growth sales orgs. From rethinking territory design to balancing equity with accountability, Dan shares how he transformed underperforming teams into consistent winners, without clinging to sales superstars or status quo assumptions.This episode offers a candid look at the hard decisions CROs and sales leaders must make to scale performance without sacrificing culture. You'll hear why conviction matters more than consensus, how to spot reps ready for more than just promotion, and why internal networks can fast-track productivity. If you're tired of recycling the same top 10% and ready to build a coaching culture where every position matters, this conversation will shift how you lead.Top Takeaways1. Don't fear reassigning key accounts. Even top performers can adapt; keeping all the best accounts with senior reps creates a revolving door for new hires and stalls team growth.2. Break the “greenfield trap” for new reps. Reps in undeveloped territories often fail not from lack of talent, but from poor territory design and lack of enablement.3. Promotion isn't leadership readiness. Great reps often struggle as managers unless they're taught how to coach, hold people accountable, and operate strategically.4. Coaching must go beyond deal reviews. Most managers default to pipeline triage; real coaching means developing skills that affect every deal, not just the current quarter.5. Internal networks matter as much as external ones. High-performing reps build relationships across legal, finance, and other internal teams early, compressing ramp time and increasing deal velocity.6. The best leaders make ideas that help the business, not themselves. Dan's biggest promotions came from pitching business-first ideas with no personal gain attached; conviction creates opportunity.7. Equitable territories create stronger teams. Giving everyone a real shot at success, rather than over-rewarding tenure, builds momentum and reduces attrition.8. Friendship and accountability can coexist. Strong relationships within the team don't weaken performance; they create the trust needed for tough conversations and high standards.9. Ask: Are you making the news or reporting it? Reps who lead the sales process proactively outperform those who simply react to buyer-driven next steps.10. You can build momentum and hit the number. It's not either-or; with the right structure, you can build long-term capability while executing in the short term.

Episode Overview In this episode, John Kitchens and Al Stasek are joined by powerhouse leader Kendall Bonner for a real, unfiltered conversation about what drives agent attraction, what keeps agents stuck in place, and how to lead through the noise with clarity, community, and purpose. They explore the deep psychology behind why agents move (and why many don't), the emotional weight of community and leadership, and the critical role AI is already playing in the evolution of agent growth, operational leadership, and personal productivity. If you've ever wrestled with why people stay in toxic environments, what drives true retention, or how to use AI as your thought partner, this is the conversation you've been waiting for. Key Topics Covered The Psychology of Agent Movement Why most agents don't leave their broker—even when they know they should Understanding “inaccurate certainty” and how it keeps people stuck The role of fear, belonging, and unmet expectations in decision-making Leadership, Trust & Clarity in Retention How leadership confirms a decision to move (but rarely initiates it) The difference between pain-driven vs. solution-driven movement Why unmet expectations cause most breakups—in life and business The Power of Community in Brokerage Decisions Why the right environment unlocks personal growth and collaboration What agents are really looking for when they say “support” Why community must be intentional—not just cultural Using AI as a Thought Partner, Not a Shortcut How Kendall uses “Grace,” her custom GPT, to drive leadership growth Why AI works best when it asks one question at a time Leveraging AI to analyze meetings, contracts, operations, and marketing How to use AI for clarity, personal growth, and better decision-making The Future of Real Estate Growth How EXP is embracing AI with tools like Fixer and Huzi Using tech to unlock productivity, not replace people The AI-driven Clarity Report and how to use it to collapse time   Resources Mentioned The Simple Psychology of Real Estate Recruiting (report referenced by Al) AI Powered Real Estate Playbooks (via Huzi) Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni The AI-First Company by Ash Fontana The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell Fixer.ai and Huzi.ai tools for agents and leaders   If this episode gave you new insight, clarity, or sparked a fire to lead differently, share it with someone who needs to hear it. “AI has the power to make us superhuman… it has supercharged my productivity.” — Kendall Bonner   Connect with Us: Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach   If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time!

When sales targets are missed, most leaders look at the pipeline, process, or personnel. But what if the real issue is a lack of psychological safety? In this episode of Coach to Scale, host Matt Benelli sits down with John Walston, author, entrepreneur, and founder of the Keep On Movement, to explore how vulnerability, empathy, and consistency in leadership can transform sales outcomes. Walston shares how personal adversity reshaped his leadership style, making him a more effective coach and culture builder.This episode is a must-listen for CROs, VPs of Sales, and frontline managers navigating burnout, underperformance, or high turnover. You'll walk away with tactical ways to shift from transactional management to human-centered leadership, without sacrificing accountability. Topics include managing anxiety in high-pressure environments, turning 1:1s into developmental moments, and why “get over it” is the fastest way to lose trust and performance. If you lead teams, this conversation will challenge how you measure success and show how culture is a quota strategy.Takeaways 1. “Just stop it” doesn't work, especially in sales leadership.Telling someone to push through stress or anxiety without support not only fails, but it also damages trust and culture.2. You can't lead people effectively if you don't understand what they're carrying.Empathy isn't a soft skill; it's a leadership multiplier that directly impacts motivation and consistency.3. Physical movement drives mental clarity and performance.Exercise helped Walston recover from a personal crisis, and research shows it's as effective as medication for many mental health issues.4. Positivity isn't the same as being happy.Leaders can model resilience by moving forward with optimism, even while acknowledging discomfort or hardship.5. Your team won't grow if your 1:1s are just pipeline inspections.Coaching conversations should go beyond deal reviews to include skill development and personal connection.6. Culture is built in the moments between numbers.Asking your reps about their weekend and remembering what they said builds trust that translates into accountability.7. Positive self-talk is a skill leaders must model and teach.Verbalizing functional thoughts (especially out loud) has a 10x psychological effect compared to internal dialogue.8. Gratitude changes how you lead and how people follow.Being grateful for struggle, not just outcomes, shifts the mindset and allows leaders to better support their teams.9. Even one moment of connection can shift someone's trajectory.Whether it's a smile, a T-shirt slogan, or a question at the right time, leaders have the power to influence more than they realize.10. “Easy is not best,” and your reps need to hear that.High standards, not hand-holding, are what help people rise. But they must be delivered with belief and support.

Our topic for episode 1 is Growing a Thriving Coaching Culture: Introducing the Thrive Model for Sustainable Instructional Coaching. This episode shares an overview of the Thrive Model for Sustainable Instructional Coaching that will set the stage for all other episodes in this series. Kim developed the Thrive Model after a decade of working with coaches and school leaders around the world. It brings together all of her own experience as an instructional coach, as well as the experiences of her clients, and all the expert guests she's interviewed on this podcast.  We use this model to structure all of our courses for coaches, and in particular The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program. You'll get an overview of the model in this series, and how the three elements of Clarity, Consistency and Community can be used to develop and refine your individual coaching practice and your coaching program in your school.  This series is designed to be an annual refresh of your coaching practice - even if you've heard some of the episodes before, every time you listen, when you reflect back on your growth over the last academic year, you'll be able to take something new away to apply in your practice in the next academic year. Download our free companion guide & workbook that aligns with this series at edurolearning.com/refresh Let's Connect: Our website: coachbetter.tv EduroLearning on LinkedIn EduroLearning on Instagram EduroLearning on YouTube Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Join our #coachbetter Facebook group Learn with Kim Explore our courses for coaches Watch a FREE workshop Read more from Kim: Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership (book) Fostering a Culture of Growth and Belonging: The Multi-Faceted Impact of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (chapter)

This episode of the Coaching Culture podcast, hosted by JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterrick, delves into a profound distinction: team being vs. team building. Inspired by their recent transformative TOC retreat, the hosts argue that true team connection and growth emerge not from elaborate team-building activities, but from intentionally created time and space for individuals to simply be together.The common misconception is that "team building" requires specific, often activity-focused events like paintball or bowling. However, the hosts emphasize that it's less about what people do together and more about the simple act of being together, allowing time to slow down, fostering deep listening, and creating an environment where individuals feel truly seen.Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter so you don't miss the notes to this and every episode! https://www.tocculture.com/newsletter Learn More and Apply for the next TOC Coaching Retreat: https://www.tocculture.com/retreat Listen to the Culture Builders Podcast: Youtube | SpotifyInterested in booking TOC for a team meeting/consultation? Click here→ https://www.tocculture.com/contactTOC Coaching & Culture Certification : https://www.tocculture.com/offers/3FEMNae2/checkoutLearn More about TOC and how we can help enhance your coaching experience https://www.tocculture.com/Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/Follow Us On Social MediaSubstack: https://substack.com/@jpnerbuntocInstagram- https://www.instagram.com/tocculture/ TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@tocculture Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/@tocculture

What if ONE shift in your company culture could boost performance, drive accountability, and grow your net income by 765%? In this episode, you'll discover the ROI of a coaching culture and learn how to make it your team's superpower. You'll learn how coaching transforms teams into top performers, how to create accountability that fuels growth, and the 765% profit advantage. Join Dr. Sabrina Starling, The Business Psychologist, founder of Tap the Potential, and author of How to Hire the Best and The 4 Week Vacation®️, as she uncovers this topic in today's episode. Profit by Design is a Tap the Potential Production.Show Highlights:The impact of soft people skills on your profitThe Coach Approach course teaches how to create a culture that drives employee engagement and accountability. (It's designed for business owners AND team members!)The value in moving from a judger mentality to a place of curiosityA coaching culture puts you miles ahead in the retention of A-players.Micro-innovations make you more effective and unique in your field. A 765% net income increase (from a Harvard study of over 200 companies across a variety of industries) is possible in a culture that is:Customer focusedOpen to change and innovationFocused on employee engagement and accountabilityAligned with values and behaviors for a long-term strategyStrong in visionary leadershipA-players want to work for a strong culture!Resources:For more information about The Coach Approach or to join us in the next round, click the link! We start in July!Don't wait! Download your Strategic Planning Guide and 2025 Tap the Potential Strategic Planner today!Want to know the best attracting and recruiting strategies for small businesses? We can help! Learn more about our How to Hire the Best course.Retain, grow, and deeply engage your A-players with the Dream Manager Program! The best way to create buy-in from your team members for your vision is to identify how your vision supports them in achieving their dreams. Enroll today!Become an employer of choice to attract the A-players you want on your team! We are now enrolling for the How to Hire the Best course. Sign up today!Sign up for the free A-Player Development Plan/Mini-Course. Track your A-players' development and retain your A-players!Ready to take your life back from your business? Want more time for what matters most and more money in your bank account than ever? Book a call with us today! Get your copy of A Guide To Talking To Your Team About Profit!Master your time and profit! Give us 20 minutes of your time, take the Better...

In this episode, we explore one of the most powerful strategies for long-term success in real estate: building a coaching culture inside your team or brokerage. Whether you're a team leader, broker, or mentor, you'll discover why coaching—not managing-is the key to retention, performance, and agent growth. Find our show notes at https://www.wbnlcoaching.com/podcast

Can Sales Managers Be Friends with Their Reps? The Ultimate Sales Leadership DebateShould leaders be friendly or firm? In this epic live debate from CoachEm's inaugural Closing Arguments series, two powerhouse sales veterans, Mark Kosoglow (Co-founder & CEO at Operator, former Outreach leader) and Kevin "KG" Gaither (CEO of InsideSalesExpert.com, former ZipRecruiter exec), go head-to-head on one of the most controversial questions in sales leadership:“Can, should, or would you be friends with your sales reps?”Moderated by Matt Benelli, host of the Coach to Scale podcast, this unscripted, no-holds-barred session dives into real stories, polarizing philosophies, and battle-tested experiences on the fine line between empathy and authority.What you'll learn:When friendship enhances performance, and when it kills accountabilityWhy sales managers struggle with tough conversationsThe hidden career risks of blurred boundariesHow modern leaders navigate connection, trust, and coaching cultureGet actionable takeaways for building high-performing sales teams while balancing trust, professionalism, and results.This is not your average webinar. It's honest. It's engaging. It's real sales talk for real sales leaders. Sponsored by CoachEm: The world's first AI coaching execution platform, built to scale sales success through data, coaching, and culture.COMMENT below: Can you be friends with your reps? Where do YOU draw the line?

What happens when your strongest reps stop getting better? In this episode of Coach2Scale, Julie Fox, Global Director of Customer Success at Cin7, shares how she transformed "steady but stuck" team members into high-impact players. From busting the myth of one-size-fits-all sales training to implementing a radical feedback culture, Julie unpacks how coaching isn't just for underperformers. It's a strategic growth engine for the whole team. She explains how her approach to structured, personalized coaching drives not just rep development but cross-functional alignment and executive trust.Julie also dives into the frontline manager dilemma: they're overwhelmed, under-supported, and often promoted without the tools to coach effectively. She offers actionable frameworks for feedback that sticks, one-on-ones that matter, and why even your top performers still need direction. Whether you're a CRO trying to stabilize performance or a new manager navigating the leap from IC to leader, this episode delivers tactical guidance grounded in experience, not theory.Top Takeaways Generic sales training fails high-context teams. Off-the-shelf training doesn't stick when sales cycles are complex, technical, or regulated; coaching must be personalized to the rep's world.Radical candor beats performance reviews. Feedback should be frequent, specific, and kind, not saved for annual reviews or buried in vague praise.High performers plateau without stretch coaching. Even your best reps need friction to grow; without it, they stagnate and disengage quietly.Effective 1:1s start with knowing the rep as a person. Understanding motivations, feedback styles, and personal goals unlocks performance in ways dashboards never will.Coaching isn't a calendar event; it's a culture. Building feedback loops into day-to-day operations (like peer call reviews and structured office hours) creates sustained behavior change.Not all reps are ready for feedback in the same way. Great managers check in before delivering feedback to ensure the timing and delivery fit how each rep processes input.Manager consistency separates good teams from great ones. Sporadic coaching drives uneven results; systematized coaching practices help managers scale development across the team.First-line managers need coaching too. Most FLMs were promoted without being taught how to lead; equipping them is the fastest way to impact rep performance and retention.Team-first leaders earn executive trust. Julie's “Team Number One” mindset shows how customer success leaders can earn CRO alignment by focusing on business outcomes, not just function-specific wins.Customer centricity must be operationalized. Declaring CS as a priority isn't enough; Julie made it real by embedding it into cross-functional KPIs and role-specific accountability.

Nine Years Old, 324 Pitches—Time to Draw the LineAfter a week off to shake a nasty bug, host Deven Morgan is back on “the world's most dangerous youth baseball podcast” with his most passionate episode yet. Deven opens with quick hits—AxeBat and 3A Athletics discounts, new Driveline Academy camps—then dives into a heartfelt recap of his son's High School team's postseason run and the power of true senior leadership. From there he pulls no punches on coaching culture, contrasting supportive environments with programs that shame kids into playing scared. The centerpiece rant tackles a jaw-dropping case of pitch-count abuse: a nine-year-old who threw 324 pitches in one weekend and the tournament operator who shrugged it off. Deven explains why tournament providers must adopt MLB Pitch Smart-style limits, likening the current “not our problem” attitude to the era of child factory labor. Along the way he deconstructs toxic “tough-love” memes, explores flow state, and reminds parents that the real goal is nurturing a lifelong passion for the game. Raw, funny, and unfiltered, this episode is a call to protect kids and preserve baseball's future.00:00 Introduction and Housekeeping06:48 High School Baseball Experience11:06 Coaching Culture and Leadership20:12 The Impact of Coaching Styles30:09 Youth Sports and Performance Mindset39:15 Understanding Flow State in Sports41:46 The Impact of Parental Pressure on Young Athletes44:57 Pitch Count Abuse in Youth Baseball56:03 The Responsibility of Tournament Providers01:01:06 Creating a Safe Environment for Young Athletes01:09:59 The Importance of Passion in Youth SportsLinksDriveline Youth Development Campshttps://www.drivelinebaseball.com/academy-youth-baseball-camps/Start training with Driveline now with Academy Flex:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/academy-flex/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Develop bat speed with our Youth Power Bat for just $99!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/product/youth-power-trainer/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Skills That Scale: The Complete Youth Baseball Training Manual is out now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/product/skills-that-scale-training-manual/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Train bat speed and barrel accuracy with our Youth Underload Smash bat - just $79!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drivelinebaseball.com/product/youth-underload-smash-bat/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⬇️ Host ⬇️Deven Morgan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/devenmorgan ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jeff Keplar, former sales executive at Oracle, MapR, and Google, joins Coach2Scale to challenge one of today's loudest narratives in SaaS: that product-led growth has made traditional selling obsolete. In this candid, no-nonsense conversation with Matt Benelli, Jeff lays out why complex, high-stakes enterprise deals still demand skilled sellers, strong managers, and real leadership in the field, not just slick UX and freemium funnels. He explains why sales-led growth is often poorly executed, not outdated, and how the caricature of the “golf-playing rep” is holding companies back from serious revenue performance.This episode is a must-listen for CROs, VPs, and FLMs navigating the blurred lines between coaching, leadership, and execution. Jeff unpacks what makes a sales leader worth following, why frontline managers often fail (and how to fix it), and how real coaching, not just pipeline reviews, builds resilient teams. From scaling at Oracle to advising modern startups, Jeff shares lessons that cut through the noise and help leaders build teams that win the right way.Key Takeaways 1. Leadership isn't granted by title, it's earned in the fieldSales managers gain real influence by showing up with their team, facing the same pressure, and modeling accountability, not by hiding behind their job title.2. Sales-led growth isn't outdated, it's just misunderstood.Many critics confuse poor execution with obsolescence; in reality, complex sales still require human insight, coaching, and influence that product-led strategies alone can't deliver.3. Stop promoting 'super reps' and expecting them to be great managersThe skill set that drives individual performance often lacks what's needed to coach, develop, and retain a team, especially in high-growth or enterprise contexts.4. Great sales leaders don't kiss up and kick down, they build teams that follow them anywhereThe mark of strong leadership is not upward politics but whether former team members would choose to work with you again.5. Salespeople need coaching beyond the deal.Too many 1:1s are just pipeline checks; true coaching focuses on skills, behaviors, and long-term development that compound over time.6. In enterprise sales, the product doesn't close the deal; people doUnlike self-serve SaaS tools, enterprise software buyers need trust, consultation, and risk mitigation that only a well-prepared rep can deliver.7. When reps are treated like resources, they leaveHigh attrition often traces back to poor or absent development; reps stay when they feel seen, supported, and challenged.8. Managers must be the rep's advocate, even when it costs political capitalDefending your team when it's hard is the kind of leadership people remember and rally around, especially in performance management decisions.9. Friendship and leadership aren't mutually exclusive.While being “one of the crew” can backfire, relationships built on trust and mutual respect lead to better coaching conversations and loyalty.10. Coaching is influence, not control.The goal is to shape behavior through insight and conversation, not compliance, which is also what great selling looks like.

Matt Benelli sits down with sales veteran and Calm Ocean Sales founder Mike Muhlfelder for a no-BS conversation every CRO and sales leader needs to hear. With three decades of experience at companies like Oracle, IBM, and Jitterbit, Mike shares his unfiltered perspective on what's gone wrong in modern B2B sales from bloated pipelines and broken qualification processes to tech stacks that mask, rather than solve, performance problems. If you're relying on BANT and 4x pipeline math to hit your number, Mike says it's time to wake up.Listeners will learn why great reps don't always make great leaders, how to use the “Four W's” to qualify real opportunities, and why many teams are scaling mediocrity with automation. Mike also offers hard-won advice for CROs under boardroom pressure, and a stark reminder to protect your health and values as you chase performance. It's part strategy, part therapy, and all signal, no noise.Top Takeaways 1. Great salespeople don't always make great sales leaders.Mike challenges the myth that success as a rep naturally translates to leadership, emphasizing that leading a team requires a completely different skillset.2. Stop promoting outsiders into sales leadership roles.Bringing in non-sales professionals to run sales teams often fails because they lack the experiential knowledge and empathy to lead sellers effectively.3. Sales is a profession and must be treated like one.Like finance or engineering, sales requires continuous training, discipline, and a commitment to mastery, not just charisma or improvisation.4. Outdated qualification methods like BANT hurt your deals.BANT is adversarial and obsolete; it leads to mistrust and surface-level qualification instead of real discovery.5. Use the ‘Four W's' to qualify deals more accurately.Mike's framework: What happened? Why now? Who owns the project? When do they need to be live? Creates human-centered, business-grounded qualification.6. The pipeline problem is systemic, not just executional.Teams rely on inflated pipelines and 4–5x coverage ratios because poor qualification and forecasting have become normalized.7. Most sales tech stacks enable mediocrity at scale.Without sound fundamentals, even the best tools just help teams do the wrong things faster.8. Sales math still matters: maximize yield, minimize waste.Effective revenue leaders think like manufacturers, optimizing the fewest inputs (leads) for the highest output (closed deals).9. Salespeople must take ownership of their own development.With unlimited learning resources available, Mike urges reps to stop waiting for enablement and start taking personal accountability.10. CROs must prioritize clarity, courage, and communication.From cleansing the pipeline to resetting board expectations, Mike says leadership means telling hard truths and doing the right thing even when it's unpopular.11. Burnout is real, and it's not worth it.He ends with a human message: no job is worth sacrificing your health, family, or identity, no matter how big the number.

This week, I'm joined by Kate Thrumble, SVP and Head of People and Experience at VaynerMedia – a creative agency where leadership is lived out daily in real, human ways. In this episode, Kate shares what it means to lead not with the weight of being the “log”, but as the kindling – the spark that ignites others.We talk candidly about feedback, connection, culture, performance and the sweet spot between kindness and accountability. Kate brings such clarity to what I often see muddied in corporate rhetoric: how the "ordinary things done well" truly are the markers of extra-Ordinary leadership.From practical tools like quarterly reviews and personality insights, to the deeper philosophical shifts required to build businesses that feel like spring – full of light, momentum and growth – this conversation is rich with wisdom and grounded honesty. We also explore what it takes to create a happy, high-performing team, how Vayner Media balances business with deep respect for people, and what they call the marriage of the honey and the empire.Inside This Episode:What extra-Ordinary leadership really meansWhy the "little things" done consistently create the biggest impactThe relationship between happiness and high performanceFeedback as a normal rhythm, not a big scary ‘thing'The shift from annual reviews to quarterly check-insUsing tools and coaching styles to build cultureCreating ‘spring-like' businesses where people thriveThe art of kind candour and the analogy of the lob, the loiter and the lassoHow Kate defines the role of experience in people leadershipBeing the kindling, not the log – a beautiful metaphor for modern leadershipMentions & Links:VaynerMedia – Creative & Media AgencyInsights Discovery (personality profiling tool)Performance Climate System (team performance tool)My Book – The extra-Ordinary Leader: 12 Tactics for Finding Your Extra in Business, Leadership, and Life 

Sales enablement isn't just a support function anymore; it's a measurable, strategic driver of revenue growth. In this episode of Coach2Scale, Pam Dake, Senior Director of Go-To-Market Enablement at Menlo Security, shares how enablement must evolve from ad hoc product training into a disciplined, data-driven engine that shrinks sales cycles, improves pipeline velocity, and makes forecast calls more predictable. Pam challenges outdated views of enablement as an "art" form and shows why top organizations are treating it as a science rooted in customer outcomes, operational consistency, and frontline manager empowerment.Listeners will walk away with clear strategies for transforming enablement into a competitive advantage: focusing on buyer needs instead of product specs, creating scalable and repeatable coaching frameworks, driving real behavior change at the rep level, and equipping frontline managers to move beyond firefighting into true people development. If you're a CRO or sales leader under pressure to deliver results faster and with fewer resources, this conversation is a must-listen.Key TakeawaySales Enablement Is a Science, Not an ArtEnablement must be tied to measurable business outcomes like deal velocity, quota attainment, and reduced stage duration times, not just soft skills or training events.Product Training Is Not Go-To-Market EnablementTrue enablement focuses on customer challenges, value selling, and behavioral change, not just teaching reps how to pitch features.Frontline Managers Are Overwhelmed and UnderequippedManagers today are drowning in administrative tasks and deal management, leaving little time or structure for effective rep coaching and skill development.Consistency Beats Random Acts of EnablementScalable, repeatable programs with predictable operating cadences outperform sporadic, one-off training initiatives every time.Enablement Needs to Be a Strategic Business PartnerWhen properly positioned, enablement acts as the connective tissue across product, marketing, customer success, and sales, driving better internal alignment and faster revenue cycles.Coaching Is the Unlock for Talent Development and RetentionTeaching managers how to coach systematically, not just manage deals, creates higher performing teams and reduces regrettable attrition.Data Should Guide Enablement, Not Just Support ItAccess to CRM, conversation intelligence, and engagement data enables the diagnosis of root causes of performance gaps and the prescription of targeted, timely interventions.The Inflection Point for Hiring Enablement Is Process PredictabilityCompanies should invest in enablement when there is some repeatability in the sales motion, ensuring that coaching scales what's working rather than patching what's broken.Enablement Can and Should Tip the Scales in Competitive DealsOrganizations that embed enablement into product launches, account strategies, and deal execution cycles are better equipped to win high-stakes opportunities.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

In this episode of Coach to Scale, sales trainer and former Olympic trials athlete Neil Wood joins Matt Bonelli to challenge one of the most pervasive mistakes CROs and sales leaders make: reserving coaching only for the bottom performers. Drawing from decades of real-world experience and high-performance athletics, Neil makes the case for why top sales reps need consistent, skill-based coaching just as much as, if not more than, struggling reps.From tactical strategies to improve frontline manager execution to the psychological traps that stall rep development, Neil and Matt explore why most sales training fails to stick, what a real coaching culture looks like, and how reinforcement (not rah-rah) builds consistent revenue teams. If you're serious about sales performance, this episode breaks down what separates good teams from elite ones and why your top talent should be the first to get coached.Key Takeaways 1. Training without reinforcement is a waste of money. Neil argues that without structured follow-up, most sales training is forgotten within days and never translates to behavior change2. Coaching should start with your top performers, not your bottom 20%. Investing in your best reps delivers the highest ROI and accelerates performance gains that actually move the revenue needle.3. Frontline managers aren't equipped — or supported — to coach well. Most FLMs were great reps, not trained coaches, and they're overwhelmed with data, admin tasks, and deal reviews that crowd out skill development.4. The sales profession suffers from a lack of real coaching. Neil defines true coaching as helping reps develop long-term skills, not just managing pipelines or offering encouragement.5. Consistency matters more than intensity. Regular coaching conversations — even 30 minutes every two weeks — drive more lasting impact than sporadic bursts of inspiration or annual sales kickoffs.6. Behavior change happens through accountability and shared success. Neil's approach includes peer story sharing post-training to reinforce skills and inspire adoption through social proof, not just instruction.7. You can't improve what you don't inspect. Many managers accept rep narratives at face value; Neil stresses the importance of inspecting behaviors, not just outcomes, to drive improvement.8. Coaching isn't a sign of weakness — it's what elite performers seek. From Olympic athletes to UFC champions, Neil reminds us that the best in the world all have coaches — and they invest in sharpening their edge.9. A good 1:1 isn't a therapy session or a deal inspection — it's a coaching moment. Neil reframes 1:1s as intentional moments for skill growth, not check-the-box meetings or emotional downloads.10. Similarities don't sell — differences do. Sales reps must stand out with a differentiated value proposition, and so must sales organizations when it comes to coaching their teams.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

In this episode of Coach to Scale, we sit down with Tony Burnside, SVP of APJ at Netskope, to dismantle the outdated playbook on sales leadership. Tony challenges the myth that effective managers need to lead through pressure, fear, or control. Instead, he shares his approach to building high-performing, culturally aligned teams, starting with hiring good humans, creating space for accountability, and making coaching a non-negotiable part of the manager's role. With over 200 reps across 15 countries under his leadership, Tony's insights are battle-tested and globally relevant.We dig into what it takes to scale culture across borders, what most leaders miss in their 1:1s, and why every resignation is, as Tony puts it, “a performance review for leadership.” Whether you're a CRO trying to stabilize performance or a frontline leader drowning in deals and check-the-box coaching, this episode delivers practical frameworks and hard-earned lessons for leveling up your org without burning out your team.Key Takeaways:1. Culture drives performance, not charisma or controlBurnside argues that strong sales cultures don't emerge from aggressive personalities but from clarity, consistency, and mutual respect across the organization.2. Good human first" is a hiring filter, not a luxuryHe prioritizes character over credentials, explaining that people who want to win as a team outperform lone wolves in the long run.3. Every resignation is a leadership review.Attrition isn't just HR's concern; Tony reframes it as direct feedback on your leadership brand and your managers' effectiveness.4. Yes, you can be friends with your reps  if you're still willing to hold them accountableBurnside pushes back on the false tradeoff between camaraderie and performance, noting that trust and accountability aren't mutually exclusive.5. Global coaching cultures require local empathy.Leading in APJ taught him that you can't copy-paste U.S. management styles into Japan or India; success comes from adjusting expectations and coaching cadence to cultural norms.6. Managers need a litmus test for connection and respectHe shares a personal test: if you wouldn't grab a drink with a rep while traveling, they may not be the right cultural fit for your team.7. Most managers don't know how to coach because they were never taughtTony calls out the common pattern of promoting star reps without equipping them to lead, which leads to tactical, deal-centric 1:1s instead of skill development.8. He invests personally in his own growth and expects others to do the sameFrom Dale Carnegie to Sandler, Tony's career changed after he paid out of pocket for training; he sees self-investment as a signal of leadership potential.10. Coaching must be operationalized, not left to chance or personalityInformal, unstructured coaching creates inconsistency and lost opportunities; managers need frameworks and tools to coach effectively at scale.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

On this week's "Ask Us Anything," the Coaching Culture crew tackles YOUR real-world coaching questions:How do you balance coaching athletes with different levels of dedication to the sport?As a new coach, how do you set higher standards and build a strong culture without a proven track record?What are the best ways to build a powerful team culture when you have limited time and resources?Join JP Nerbun, Betsy Butterick, and Nate Sanderson as they provide practical, insightful answers and strategies to help you navigate these challenging coaching scenarios. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting out, you'll find valuable takeaways in this episode!Don't miss out on these essential coaching insights!#AskUsAnything #CoachingTips #TeamEnvironment #LeadershipSkills #SportCoachingGet the Podcast Notes and Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!  https://www.tocculture.com/newsletter Listen to the Culture Builders Podcast: Youtube | SpotifyInterested in booking TOC for a team meeting/consultation? Click here→ https://www.tocculture.com/contactTOC Coaching & Culture Certification Learn More about TOC and how we can help enhance your coaching experience https://www.tocculture.com/tocculture Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/Follow Us On Social MediaSubstack: https://substack.com/@jpnerbuntocInstagram- https://www.instagram.com/tocculture/ TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@tocculture Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/@tocculture

Tom Young, VP of Sales at BMC Software, joins Matt Benelli to challenge outdated assumptions about how enterprise sales should work. Drawing on decades of experience and a recent moment on the other side of a buying decision, Tom reveals how sellers often leave buyers to navigate complex purchasing decisions alone, leading to stalled deals, weak adoption, and low rep confidence. The problem isn't buyer intent. It's a lack of structure, coaching, and guidance.This conversation gets tactical and strategic. Tom breaks down the myth that buyers know how to buy, why seller-led engagement models outperform passive following, and how high-performing FLMs simplify complexity through coaching, not control. CROs and sales leaders will appreciate the clear through line: when managers teach reps how to lead a buying journey, not just chase a number, sales cycles shorten, win rates improve, and performance becomes repeatable. If you're building a scalable sales org, this is a must-listen.Top TakeawaysEnterprise buyers often don't know how to buy software Despite assumptions, many buyers lack a defined decision process, which means sellers must guide, not follow, their journey.The best salespeople act as guides, not followers When sellers proactively lead buyers through a structured engagement model, the experience improves and adoption increases.Mutual Action Plans need to go beyond the PO date Ending your plan at "PO received" signals self-interest; the real impact comes from aligning with the customer's go-live and success milestones.Effective FLMs sell the engagement model, not the product first Top-performing managers train reps to win by selling how the decision will be made, not just what to buy.Sellers must ask the questions buyers should be asking themselves High-quality discovery isn't just fact-finding; it helps buyers clarify their own thinking, build confidence, and reduce internal friction.Sales cycles fail when reps abdicate process control Letting the buyer “drive” often results in delays, missed stakeholders, and no decision; a structured engagement keeps momentum.Managers must balance pressure with coaching Pushing deals without guiding reps through skills and behavior leads to burnout and underperformance.You can't outsource coaching and rep development Even strong enablement and RevOps support can't replace the day-to-day behavioral coaching frontline managers must deliver.One-on-ones are not for pipeline inspection—they're for skill development Coaching isn't about the forecast; it's about improving rep effectiveness so the forecast becomes more predictable.Every manager needs a consistent, inspectable operating rhythm Without structured 1:1s and repeatable frameworks, rep development becomes ad hoc, and performance becomes unpredictable.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

This episode of the Coaching Culture podcast features a conversation with Martin Wilson, a seasoned ski coach, who shares his journey from a reactive to an intentional leader. He emphasizes the importance of athlete-centric coaching, focusing on understanding individual needs, fostering autonomy, and building a strong team culture. Martin's insights are applicable to leaders in any field, highlighting the power of empathy, active listening, and self-reflection.Get the Podcast Notes and Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!  https://www.tocculture.com/newsletter Listen to the Culture Builders Podcast: Youtube | SpotifyInterested in booking TOC for a team meeting/consultation? Click here→ https://www.tocculture.com/contactTOC Coaching & Culture Certification Learn More about TOC and how we can help enhance your coaching experience https://www.tocculture.com/tocculture Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/Follow Us On Social MediaSubstack: https://substack.com/@jpnerbuntocInstagram- https://www.instagram.com/tocculture/ TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@tocculture Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/@tocculture

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In this conversation of Coach the Scale, host Matt Benelli sits down with Michael Janes, CRO, investor, and co-founder of Rapid Commercialization Partners, to explore why top sales leaders are shifting their focus upstream. Janes unpacks his core philosophy: Sell to the strategy behind the capital, revealing how understanding a company's ownership structure, whether private equity, venture-backed, or founder-led, can dramatically reshape how reps position value, influence internal champions, and align with executive priorities.From myth-busting the idea that activity volume alone drives results to challenging how most one-on-ones miss the mark, Janes offers a grounded yet forward-looking perspective on what it takes to lead high-performance sales organizations. Listeners will walk away with practical insights on coaching beyond the forecast, the dangers of “super rep” management, and why the real leverage often starts at the board level, not the buying committee. If you're a CRO or sales leader aiming to uplevel your team and shorten the path to influence, this conversation is required listening.Key Takeaways:1. Sell to the strategy behind the capitalDon't just “follow the money”—understand the investor's goals and align your sales motion to how capital is deployed, managed, and expected to grow.2. Coaching needs to shift from deal review to skill developmentMost one-on-ones are ineffective because they focus on forecasting instead of developing the behaviors that lead to consistent performance.3. One-on-ones are broken when they lack preparation and structureGreat coaching starts with preparation; otherwise, reps get a therapy session or a pipeline interrogation, not actual development.4. Sales managers are overwhelmed and under-equippedFLMs are juggling too many priorities with little training on how to coach or drive rep performance—this gap undermines quota attainment.5. Activity without purpose is a myth that needs killingThe old-school mindset of “just make more calls” misses the point; consistency only matters if it's paired with relevance and precision.6. Start high and cascade down—not the other way aroundThe most strategic salespeople begin with senior-level conversations, understanding investor priorities, then work downward to shape the internal sale.7. Internal champions are built through strategic guidance, not feature pitching.Could you make sure to provide your buyers with the narrative they need to sell internally by aligning your message with capital goals and business outcomes?8. Overlay roles only work when they add real valueJanes proved that overlays focused on investor relations can be a force multiplier—but only if they help reps access decision-makers and frame deals through a capital lens.9. Respect the chain of command—but don't ask permissionWhen engaging PE or VC boards, it's critical to keep execs in the loop without letting them gatekeep the conversation.10. Managers need enablement, too—not just repsThe assumption that great reps make great managers is flawed; without systems, training, and coaching support, FLMs can't scale performance across the team.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

In this episode, bestselling author and CEO of Blind Spots, Kevin McCarthy, shares a deeply personal story of how unchecked blind spots, not bad intent, can quietly derail careers, culture, and company performance. After spending 33 months in federal prison for a white-collar crime he didn't knowingly commit, Kevin emerged with a mission: help leaders see what they're not seeing before it costs them everything.When top performers become first-line managers, most are handed the title without the tools. We explore why so many sales managers default to deal reviews instead of skill development, how perception gaps fracture team trust, and why most coaching is misnamed and misdirected. Kevin breaks down the cognitive science behind decision-making under pressure and explains how poor coaching hygiene is driving regrettable attrition. This conversation hits directly at the heart of today's frontline execution crisis and offers a clear path forward for CROs who want to scale with integrity.Top Takeaways: Blind spots—not bad intentions—derail leaders. Kevin's story underscores that well-meaning leaders can still make costly mistakes if they lack self-awareness and critical thinking under pressure.Perception gaps destroy trust and performance. The difference between how a manager intends to communicate and how it's received can lead to misalignment, demotivation, and attrition.Sales managers are promoted, not prepared. High-performing reps are often elevated into management without training in people leadership, coaching skills, or emotional intelligence.Most sales coaching isn't actually coaching. Managers default to forecasting and deal reviews, missing the opportunity to develop reps' skills in a systematic and personalized way.One-size-fits-all management breaks teams. Kevin explains how failing to adapt your coaching style to each rep's communication style and mindset leads to disengagement.The hardest job in the company is being ignored. First-line managers juggle execution, admin, and development but rarely get the support, tools, or training to coach effectively.Reps leave when they don't feel developed. Talent walks when managers only talk numbers. Real coaching connects with reps' goals, strengths, and growth trajectory.Self-awareness is the most underdeveloped leadership skill. Kevin makes the case that improving self-awareness and emotional intelligence in managers is the single best lever for improving sales culture.Frontline execution problems are strategic risks. What looks like a rep issue is often a management system failure—CROs must prioritize manager enablement if they want predictable performance.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Jen Kagohara, ES Tech & Design Coach, Taipei American School, Taiwan. Jen is a graduate of The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program and when we recorded this episode she had just finished the program. These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting.  We're so excited to share this episode with Jen with you because Jen has had many experiences that are shared by lots of the clients Kim works with. She's relatively new to her school, which has hired coaches, but doesn't yet have a coaching culture. Many coaches that Kim works with are in this exact same situation - in fact we have several other podcast episodes about this very topic, one is episode 70: 5 Steps to Move from “Having Coaches” to “a Coaching Culture”). Wherever you are in the process at your school, it's always valuable to hear what this looks like in different school contexts. In this conversation they talk about ... What coaching looks like in her school right now What makes coaching work and what are some challenges Jen's growth as a coach throughout The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program Her big aha moments as a new coach What she's planning for next in terms of her professional growth What she wishes she knew before she started coaching Her recommendations for new and aspiring coaches Find the show notes for this episode here. Like this episode, you'll enjoy these: Coaching Case Study: The Power of Intentionally Slowing Down Coaching Conversations with Sasha Robins [Ep 238]  My "Secret" Coaching Assessment One Question That Will Transform Your Coaching Practice Coaching Call: Shifting your Coaching Mindset from Problem Solving to Improving Student Learning with Vicki Heupel [260] Let's Connect: Our website: coachbetter.tv EduroLearning on LinkedIn EduroLearning on Instagram EduroLearning on YouTube Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Join our #coachbetter Facebook group Learn with Kim Explore our courses for coaches Watch a FREE workshop Read more from Kim: Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership (book) Fostering a Culture of Growth and Belonging: The Multi-Faceted Impact of Instructional Coaching in International Schools (chapter)

The Leadership Playbook: Creating a Coaching Culture to Build Winning Business TeamsThere are enormous differences between managing and coaching. Yet many companies and organizations encourage their leaders to coach teams without ever teaching them how and without creating a culture that supports coaching.Nathan Jamail—a leading consultant, professional speaker, and the president of his own group of businesses—trains coaches at several Fortune 500 companies and learned that it takes not only different skills to achieve success, but a truly effective coach needs an organizational culture that creates and multiplies the success of every motivated team member. The Leadership Playbook shows leaders the skills necessary to be an effective coach and to build effective teams by: Fostering employees' belief in the culture of a companyResolving issues proactively rather than reactively and creating an involvement that constantly pushes employees to be their bestFocusing on the more humane principles of leadership—gratitude, positivity, and recognition—that keep morale highHolding teams and individuals accountableConstantly recruiting talent ("building the bench") rather than filling positions only when they are emptyCombining research, interviews, and inspiring stories with the lessons that have earned Jamail the respect of the world's foremost corporations including CISCO, FedEx, Sprint, the U.S. Army, and State Farm; The Leadership Playbook will dominate the category for years to come.Want to be a guest on Book 101 Review? Send Daniel Lucas a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17372807971394464fea5bae3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Benelli sits down with Mike Montague, sales and marketing expert at Avenue9 and host of the Human-First AI Marketing podcast, for a candid conversation about what sales managers are still getting wrong about coaching. From the myth that leaders need to have all the answers to the burnout caused by "super reps" turned managers, Mike breaks down why most 1:1s fail and how asking better questions can flip the script on team performance. If you're still equating pipeline reviews with coaching, this one's for you.They also unpack the critical gap between coaching and execution and why online learning and conversation intelligence tools fall short without behavior change. Mike shares his "Iron Man vs. Terminator" analogy to help sales leaders reframe their use of AI and makes the case for exposure therapy and tough love as the missing ingredients in most sales organizations. Whether you're trying to scale performance or stop regrettable attrition, this episode gives frontline and senior leaders a roadmap for more effective, accountable teams.Top Takeaways:Coaching is about asking questions, not giving answers. Managers who try to “know it all” become bottlenecks; real coaching empowers reps to think for themselves.The best leaders make themselves irrelevant. Like elite sports coaches, great sales leaders build systems and skills so teams can operate independently.AI won't replace salespeople, but it will replace those who don't use it. Sales leaders need to think like Ironman, using AI as an enhancement tool to increase awareness and execution, not as a replacement for human strategy.The frontline sales manager (FLM) role is the hardest in the company. FLMs are overwhelmed by tasks, undertrained in coaching, and lack the time or tools to develop their teams effectively.Selling someone what they need and can afford isn't cheating—it's your job. Sales should focus on qualified buyers with budget, authority, and urgency, not on convincing disinterested prospects.Coaching fails when it focuses only on deals, not skills. Most coaching sessions are just pipeline reviews; they don't address the behaviors that improve performance in the long term.Exposure therapy is essential for growth. Managers need more reps, not more theory, to improve at hard conversations or high-stakes moments.Online learning is helpful but only if it's paired with feedback and behavior change. Asynchronous learning tools often reinforce what reps already know; without coaching moments, they don't close performance gaps.Managers who need approval frequently avoid necessary conversations. Leadership requires discomfort, and effective managers must overcome the urge to be liked to hold reps accountable.Coaching is different from managing—and most people don't know how to do it. There's a widespread misunderstanding of coaching; most FLMs were never taught how to develop others, and it shows.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

Every sales leader has heard the mantra: “Pipeline cures all.” But what if that's only half the truth? In this episode, Matt Carey, SVP of Global Sales at FIS, breaks down why more pipeline isn't always the answer—the right pipeline is. He shares hard-earned lessons from leading sales teams at Oracle, SAP, and FIS, explaining how top-performing organizations prioritize quality over quantity, measure pipeline health beyond raw coverage, and avoid common forecasting pitfalls.Matt also explores the real role of frontline managers, not as super reps, but as force multipliers who elevate their teams. He discusses hiring strategies that separate true performers from resume fluff, the importance of post-mortem loss reviews, and why most companies still get coaching wrong. Whether you're a CRO, VP of Sales, or a frontline manager looking to level up, this conversation is packed with insights that will change the way you build and manage your pipeline.Top Takeaways:Pipeline Quantity vs. Quality – More pipeline doesn't guarantee success; leaders must focus on the right pipeline by assessing deal quality, aging, and true viability.The Problem with "Just Add More Pipeline" Thinking – Sales teams often flood CRMs with unqualified deals to meet coverage targets, leading to bloated and misleading forecasts.Why Frontline Managers Must Stop Being Super Reps – The best managers don't just close deals for their teams; they enable reps to develop the skills to win consistently.Hiring Based on Past Performance, Not Promises – Great sales hires have a history of winning, regardless of industry or background; track record matters more than potential.Loss Reviews Are More Valuable Than Win Reviews – Studying why deals were lost provides deeper insights into messaging gaps, pricing misalignment, and product fit issues.How Sales Leaders Sell Internally – At higher levels, sales leaders spend as much time selling internally for budget, resources, and strategy alignment as they do selling to customers.Coaching Needs a System, Not Just Good Intentions – Too many one-on-ones are either deal reviews or therapy sessions; real coaching needs structure, accountability, and a focus on skill development.Managing a Global Sales Team Requires Cultural Awareness – Sales leaders must adapt their messaging and approach across markets, respecting regional differences in business etiquette and buying behavior.The Shift from Tactical to Strategic Leadership – Senior sales leaders must move beyond the day-to-day deal cycle and focus on long-term market positioning, competitive threats, and team scalability.Why Sales Leaders Must Track Trends, Not Just Deals – The best leaders analyze broader win-loss data, competitive shifts, and industry changes to refine strategy, not just react to individual deal outcomes.Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals, and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists, and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io

Welcome to the new Full Time Review hosted by Jillian Sakovits.Your Monday morning rundown, looking back at the weekend's action on the pitch and the top stories from the NWSL and beyond. All in under 20 minutes.On the show this week, Jillian unpacks Friday's penalty shootout drama in the NWSL Challenge Cup between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit, what happened over in Europe during the English and French domestic cups, before then finally checking in with Meg Linehan to get the latest on a formal review by the NWSL into allegations of a “toxic” coaching environment at Bay FC. _______________Articles mentioned on the show: Bay FC coaching staff faces formal NWSL review amid reports of ‘toxic' environmentWashington Spirit get redemption with 2025 Challenge Cup win over Orlando PrideManchester United have March deadline to trigger Marc Skinner contract option_______________HOST: Jillian SakovitsGUEST: Meg LinehanPRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-HughesVIDEO PRODUCER: Lia GriffinEXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen_______________Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.comFollow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltimeSubscribe to the Full Time newsletter hereVisit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the new Full Time Review hosted by Jillian Sakovits. Your Monday morning rundown, looking back at the weekend's action on the pitch and the top stories from the NWSL and beyond. All in under 20 minutes. On the show this week, Jillian unpacks Friday's penalty shootout drama in the NWSL Challenge Cup between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit, what happened over in Europe during the English and French domestic cups, before then finally checking in with Meg Linehan to get the latest on a formal review by the NWSL into allegations of a “toxic” coaching environment at Bay FC.  _______________ Articles mentioned on the show: Bay FC coaching staff faces formal NWSL review amid reports of ‘toxic' environment Washington Spirit get redemption with 2025 Challenge Cup win over Orlando Pride Manchester United have March deadline to trigger Marc Skinner contract option _______________ HOST: Jillian Sakovits GUEST: Meg Linehan PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen _______________ Get in touch: fulltime@theathletic.com Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter here Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices