All You Need Is A Plan a)plan coaching

In this episode, we are joined by a)plan coaching advisor and social impact leader, Marcus Walton. Announced as President & CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) in 2019, Marcus shares how he and his staff transformed GEO's culture to prioritize racial equity in all areas of the organization's operations—all while navigating a world-altering pandemic and a generational racial reckoning. By combining coaching and racial equity principles, Marcus helps individuals lead and create change while navigating inequitable systems. He and his staff at GEO (and by extension, the global GEO community) serve as high-impact leaders who often must venture into uncharted territories with dignity, integrity, confidence, and vision. Listen as Marcus shares what it takes to tackle major goals, how to operationalize equity within organizations, and how more companies can effectively improve their DEI commitments in practical yet powerful ways.

In this episode, we are joined by Darla Lannert, her a)plan coach, Bill Rentz, and Darla’s sister, and a)plan coach, JoAnne Bangs. As a transgender woman, Darla is a leading activist in the Transgender Rights movement, and her story casts a spotlight on the importance of living one’s truth. For Darla, living her truth meant coming out as trans, a decision she describes as life or death. Darla talks about the courage involved in coming out to her large Midwestern family (including JoAnne), bringing awareness to the trans community as a prominent speaker, and the day-to-day challenges of living in a country that doesn’t sufficiently support the LGBTQ community. Through some of her biggest hurdles, Darla has leaned on coaching with Bill as a means of getting clear on what she really wants, then building up the courage to pursue those goals. Bill describes Darla as a fun client to work with, and someone who is always taking on big, ambitious work - a statement made clear by many of the topics covered in this episode.

In this episode, we are joined by a)plan coaching client, Caryn Stone. Caryn has worked with co-host of the All You Need Is A Plan podcast, Susannah Ludwig, for more than 2 years and her story is a true testament to the power of coaching. As with many coaching users, Caryn pondered the idea of working with a coach for some time. When she finally made the leap, she realized it was everything she needed and then some. Caryn shares how coaching helped push her out of her nest, to embrace being uncomfortable, to not worry what others think, and ultimately how to stop feeling “stuck.” It was through her work with Susannah that she learned to get clear on what she wanted in life, get proud of it, then go get it -- a theme we encourage many times over with clients at a)plan. We’d like to thank Caryn for offering us a window into the experience of a coaching newbee-turned-veteran over the course of 2 life-changing years.

In this episode, we turn the mic around to Susannah Ludwig, a)plan coach and co-host of the "All You Need Is A Plan" podcast. Susannah led a successful career as an Academy Award-nominated film producer.  After crisscrossing the country, she craved a more stable career. When she met a)plan coaching founder, Michael Counts, in *2018*, she had started to realize that she loved the “people part” of film producing, and she had been supporting colleagues in ways that resembled relationship coaching. Susannah became a certified a)plan coach specializing in relationship and career transitions, as well as health issues—based on her own intense medical experiences. Today, clients sing her praises. Susannah discusses her career trajectory, her coaching philosophy, and personal stories that will inspire listeners to consider their own choices,  life and relationships in new, healthy ways.

In this episode, we are joined by a)plan coach and core values expert, Peter Walsh. Peter’s specialty lies in helping his clients recognize their unique core values, and mapping out ways to live and work in accordance with those values. In our discussion with Peter, we dive into the Core Value Index (CVI), a tool used by Peter to help clients understand whether or not there is alignment between their values and their work. Having done his own major career pivot from business to psychotherapy and coaching, Peter has experienced first hand just how powerful it is to find work that better aligns with one’s purpose. Now he pays it forward, supporting others to find their own paths defined by alignment, fulfillment, and presence.

In this episode, we are joined by longtime a)plan coaching client, and the Founder & CEO of Rockness Music, Michael Napolitano. A close friend of a)plan founder, Michael Counts, the two enjoy a lighthearted discussion around Michael’s experience with coaching over the years. As someone who has gone through phases of using coaching then taking breaks, Michael shares exactly how coaching enhances all areas of his life – from relationships, to business, to stress, to creativity, and more. As a creative business owner, Michael sees coaching as more of a necessity than a trend. In his own words, “a)plan is great when I’m doing well, and great when I’m not.” It's our whole-person approach to coaching that has changed the lives of hundreds of a)plan clients, and we are honored that Michael is, and continues to be, one of those clients.