The Sage Sayers

Debbi Gardiner McCullough
The Sage Sayers

A weekly podcast on ways to stay calm and compel others as you communicate. Along with executive communications tips and strategies, we interview intriguing individuals who've found the "Sage approach" by finding gifts, opportunities, and knowledge within trying situations. New Zealander show host, Debbi Gardiner McCullough, has written on social and business trends and struggles for the Economist, the Guardian, and Financial Times of London. She's a self-retired college professor of writing, an executive communications and narrative coach. Visit her at: www.hangingrockcoaching.com

  1. 22 MAR

    Ask like a boss. Mastering the art of asking powerful questions

    Listening well goes beyond silent, bobbing heads and affirming mm-hmm's. If we really want to listen deeply, we must ask powerful questions that invoke and invite reflection, eureka moments, and pause. We've not an exhaustive list here; but in this week's episode I'm offering up my top ten tips to asking questions that help create space, inspire new takes on things, and drive powerful outcomes and deals. Your show host, D G McCullough is a former reporter for the Guardian, the Economist, and ...

    11 min

  2. 8 MAR

    Why (and how) I interrupt others less

    Interrupting others before they’re done with their conversation turn brands us poorly in most situations. Coaching has shown me just how much I interrupt and for surprising reasons that bring pink to my cheeks. Sometimes it’s arrogance, thinking I’ve a better or grander idea. Sometimes it’s sloppy coaching and a poor habit I’ve cultivated from being super creative with too many ideas. Other times it’s excitement, a genuine want to share and contribute to the cause. In this week’s ...

    13 min

  3. 22 FEB

    Fashion model Gina Magro on pulling ourselves together in a cinch

    Select Model Management fashion model, Gina Magro, never cared much for fashion growing up. Like your show host, she enjoyed casual clothes and exploring more than prancing. “I placed a lot of value on comfort so I could climb and move with freedom,” she recalls. Today (with both Select Milan, Paris, and Chicago, and ELITE NYC) she graces runways in international centers in China, Europe, and New York. And having joined our Sage Sayers show last spring in Chicago, her home base, w...

    30 min

  4. 7 FEB

    Listening in deeper ways reminds me of roaming New Zealand’s hills as a girl: Freedom

    Two weeks ago, I coached and listened in deeper ways that will stay with me forever. I felt deeply connected to my coachee. And she to me. I slowed things down. As did she. I poured in very little. In fact, I only asked questions. I mirrored back. I got deeply curious. I noticed inconsistencies between her non-verbal cues and her words, but without trying to mold, steer, nor change. We experienced joy, abandonment, discovery—all through me actively listening. And the entire call, all 38...

    19 min

  5. 24 JAN

    Entrepreneur Mark DeSantis on Brevity, Storytelling, and Captivating vs Selling Audiences on LinkedIn

    Few LinkedIn bios are as concise as Mark DeSantis whose title alone sits within one word: Entrepreneur. Of course, he is so much more. Mark teaches entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. And his robotics business, Bloomfield Robotics, got on the radar of Kubota Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of farm machinery, who acquired them. Mark now serves as advisor. Our ad hoc, unscripted interview started as complete strangers, two professionals with ...

    33 min

  6. 10 JAN

    Know your strengths. Boost your confidence. Why Lindsay Moskovitz loves Clifton Strengths

    We've oodles of assessments available to understand our strengths; but People Development Strengths Coach Lindsay Moskovitz loves Gallup's Clifton Strengths assessment because the clarity that the report reveals feels pretty "spot on" and profound. She's even built her coaching career around helping teams harness the wisdom from the assessment to ensure they're doing the right work and with the right people. Having taken the Clifton Strengths assessment for this interview with Lindsay, I'm ...

    20 min

  7. 14/12/2024

    My comfort with strangers. Musings from my girlhood travels

    I once took a 20+ hour journey from New Zealand to Malaysia at age 11 with minimal assistance aside from a sibling, the occasional airline chaperone, and then my Mum from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. It felt very defining then as it feels today and brings me fodder on how and I why I grew so comfortable speaking with and being around strangers. I’m reading this week from an essay I enjoyed writing on Medium, inspired purely by the lovely men and women who’ve asked me to coach them on the deli...

    15 min

  8. 30/11/2024

    Why and how do I podcast? Musings from Coaches Anita Rodriguez, DG McCullough, and Dotun Ayeni

    Many of us listen to eight podcasts a week and three to four million podcasts exist globally (depending on how you define them). I host two bi-weekly podcasts: the Sage Sayers and Competency No 5. Both bring me joy, help me keep my ad hoc presentation skills fresh, and allow me to interview really interesting people—giving them the spotlight. In this interview with Coach Anita Rodriguez, I field her questions on the process of podcasting now she’s prepping to launch her own. We also hear fr...

    37 min
See All (128)

    About

    A weekly podcast on ways to stay calm and compel others as you communicate. Along with executive communications tips and strategies, we interview intriguing individuals who've found the "Sage approach" by finding gifts, opportunities, and knowledge within trying situations. New Zealander show host, Debbi Gardiner McCullough, has written on social and business trends and struggles for the Economist, the Guardian, and Financial Times of London. She's a self-retired college professor of writing, an executive communications and narrative coach. Visit her at: www.hangingrockcoaching.com

    Information

    • Creator
      Debbi Gardiner McCullough
    • Years Active
      2021 - 2025
    • Episodes
      128
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © 2025 The Sage Sayers
    • Show Website
      The Sage Sayers

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