The Coach Approach Ministries Podcast

Coach Approach Ministries
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Welcome to the Coach Approach Ministries Podcast! Coaching is a skillset and a mindset that helps people find focus, discover options and take action. At CAM, we train the very best Christian coaches in the world, and over the last decade, we've trained well over a thousand. Through this podcast, we want to share insights from the Coaching Community and help you to develop a broader understanding of coaching. You can find out more about us at www.coachapproachministries.org and sign up for our proven coach training.

  1. 1D AGO

    When Your Business Partner Is Your Spouse

    Brian Miller (Coach Approach Ministries) is joined by Robert & Kaylee Fukui, authors of Tandem: The Married Entrepreneur's Guide for Greater Work-Life Balance, with special guest Danelle Miller (CAM Operations Director… and Brian's wife). They talk about what happens when marriage and business share the same kitchen table: role confusion, taking things personally, decision gridlock, risk tolerance gaps, and the surprisingly powerful value of prepping conversations so nobody gets blindsided. Along the way: performance reviews when you're married to the boss, why "we never argue" is not the flex people think it is, and the simple signals and boundaries that keep conflict messy-but-safe instead of messy-and-destructive. Key takeaways Name the hat you're wearing. "Husband vs boss vs coach" isn't semantics—it's the difference between teamwork and accidental emotional arson. Most conflict escalates because it gets personal fast. Entrepreneur couples take disagreement as distrust quicker than typical coworkers would. Decision-making is the #1 limiter. If you can't come to agreement, you can't move forward in business—and you might torch the marriage while trying. Risk tolerance differences are real (and predictable). One person wants to jump; the other wants a safety net. Healthy couples build the net together. No surprises. Healthy reviews and hard conversations work best when people get a heads-up and a chance to think and respond. "Guard your heart" (shot over the bow). A simple pre-signal + a few deep breaths helps the listener receive without reacting. DISC-style awareness lowers the temperature. When differences are expected, they stop feeling like betrayal and start feeling like design. Memorable moments (with timestamps) 00:01:30 – 00:04:10 — Brian describes working with Danelle: "On paper, I'm the boss…" (and then reality walks into the room). 00:04:11 – 00:06:34 — Performance reviews as a married team; why "changing hats purposefully" matters. 00:07:05 – 00:11:06 — Biggest obstacles: blurred lines, taking it personal, conflict resolution, and decision paralysis. 00:11:52 – 00:13:02 — "Opposites attract; once we say 'I do,' it's irritating." 00:14:11 – 00:15:13 — The myth of "we never argue" and why it can be a warning sign. 00:15:13 – 00:16:33 — Danelle's "six months of stuffing" → file cabinet dump (every spouse just felt that in their bones). 00:17:37 – 00:18:15 — "40,000 feet vs zero feet" leadership styles; how execution starts too early and vision changes too fast. 00:22:23 – 00:23:37 — Brian on the harder truth: telling Danelle difficult things and the need for "messy but safe." 00:23:48 – 00:24:23 — "Guard your heart" + deep breaths = better receiving. 00:31:42 – 00:33:36 — Resources: the book, assessment, and discovery call pathway. 00:33:47 – 00:35:16 — Danelle's takeaway: boundaries have types—time, giftedness, and roles—and naming them helps. Practical tools you can steal today 1) The "Hat Statement" Before a conversation, say: "I'm speaking as your spouse." "I'm speaking as your business partner." "I'm speaking as your boss/employee." Then agree on the goal: solve, decide, debrief, or just listen. 2) The "Shot Over the Bow" A pre-signal for hard truth: "Guard your heart." "This might sting; I love you; we're okay; we still need to talk." Then: two deep breaths before the content lands. 3) The "Is now a good time?" boundary Especially for the spaghetti/waffle clash: Ask permission to enter the other person's mental room. If not now, schedule it: lunch / weekly meeting / tonight. Discussion questions (great for couples, teams, or coach debrief) Where do work and home boundaries blur most for us—time, topic, tone, or role? When we disagree, what story do I tell myself about what it means? (e.g., "You don't trust me.") What's our risk tolerance gap—and how can we build "safe jumping" together? What pre-signal would help me receive hard truth without reacting? What would "messy but safe" look like as a norm in our relationship? Resources mentioned Book: Tandem: The Married Entrepreneur's Guide for Greater Work-Life Balance (available via Amazon; also mentioned: thetandembook.com) Assessment + CAM listener page: marriedentrepreneur.co/cam (includes assessment + discovery call link) Coach Approach Ministries: coachapproachministries.org

    37 min
  2. How to Lead When Certainty is Gone with Brent Sleasman

    FEB 12

    How to Lead When Certainty is Gone with Brent Sleasman

    Brian Miller (Coach Approach Ministries) sits down with Brent Sleasman (Winebrenner Seminary) to unpack a hard reality: important kingdom-focused organizations are disappearing—not because the mission isn't needed, but because leaders fail to see the bigger picture and adapt to a changed world. They explore how "little-kingdom thinking," nostalgia-driven decision-making, and fear of loss keep leaders stuck. The conversation lands on two mindset shifts—moving from deconstruction to construction, and from craving certainty to practicing curiosity—plus a practical lifeline: partnership and collaboration before it's too late. Big ideas & key takeaways 1) "Important organizations" can fail while the Kingdom doesn't Brent defines "important" as organizations advancing Jesus' kingdom mission—raising up and equipping workers. Some fail by closing completely; others "survive" by being absorbed and losing autonomy and original mission. 2) The "bigger perspective" starts with Kingdom clarity Brent's core framework: One King One Kingdom One Kingdom mission When organizations obsess over their own mission/brand distinctiveness and neglect the larger kingdom mission, they drift into "my little kingdom" thinking—and conflict with reality eventually wins. 3) Nonprofits get a weird superpower: they can ignore financial reality longer Because they're not serving shareholders or chasing profit, they can keep doing what "worked for my grandparents"… right up until the day they can't pay staff. 4) Leaders are loss-averse, so change feels like dying Brent names the psychology: we overweight what we might lose versus what we might gain. So even small workflow changes (a new system, new dashboard, a meeting rhythm) can get treated like a spiritual crisis. 5) Two mindset shifts for a VUCA world Brent's two shifts: Deconstruction → Construction (Jeremiah language: don't only tear down/uproot; also build and plant.) Certainty → Curiosity/comfort with uncertainty (the world is volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous—so "certainty" as a leadership strategy is basically a fossil.) 6) The practical rescue move: partnership Brent's blunt claim: organizations that failed had ready partners available, but didn't take the humility step early enough. If you think no partner exists, his response is essentially: test that—then admit you're wrong. 7) Before you "shut it down well," try one more creative loop He points to tools/resources (Business Model Canvas, The Startup Way, books/podcasts) to spark fresh thinking before leaders get enchanted with the shutdown process. Standout quotes (clean and punchy) "There's one king, one kingdom, one kingdom mission." "People would rather the church close than change the color of the carpet." "Nobody likes the person at a party that's constantly pointing out everything wrong." "You're going to feel worse about what you lose than what you gain—until you do it." "There were ready partners." Light outline (great for show notes) 00:00–01:35 Setup: "Human-to-human connection will matter more" + the bigger claim: orgs failing due to lack of perspective 01:36–04:31 What "important" means; what "failure" means (closure vs. absorption) 04:32–09:30 Bigger perspective = Kingdom-first clarity (Matthew 28; "one king…") 09:31–15:06 Why orgs get stuck: nostalgia, purity mindset, resistance to change, delayed financial consequences 15:07–20:07 Helping leaders embody mission; fear/loss aversion; journeying together 20:08–26:18 Mindset shifts: constructive thinking + comfort with uncertainty; VUCA 26:19–32:17 Direct advice: partnership/collaboration + use tools/resources to spur creativity; closing encouragement + CAM CTA Practical application prompts (for leaders listening) Where are we protecting our identity more than we're advancing the Kingdom mission? What's one change we keep calling "impossible" that is actually just "uncomfortable"? Who are the "ready partners" we've avoided because partnership would require humility? What decision are we delaying until "certainty" arrives (spoiler: it's not arriving)? What are we building and planting right now—not just critiquing? Links / resources mentioned (no links given in audio) Michael Porter, Competitive Advantage Business Model Canvas Eric Ries, The Startup Way VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) Scriptural references/inferences: Matthew 28 (Great Commission), "harvest is plentiful/workers few," Jeremiah (tear down/uproot vs build/plant), "gates of hell shall not prevail"

    33 min

  3. FEB 5

    Human-to-Human: The Skill That's About to Get More Valuable

    In this "presidential summit," Brian Miller talks with Brent Sleasman, president of Winebrenner Theological Seminary, about why human-to-human interaction is becoming more important—not less—in an age of remote work, economic pressure, and accelerating AI. They explore the surprising value of presence (even silent presence on Zoom), the tradeoffs between convenience and community, and why the future threat may not be "AI takes over," but "we accept a life where we don't have to show up." Brent offers practical "resistance" practices: choose the right communication medium for the message, and become aware of how environments (digital and physical) quietly shape relationships. Big Ideas & Takeaways Presence is doing more work than we can explain. Brian describes long silent pauses on Zoom with close friends—awkward on paper, deeply meaningful in reality. Remote work is rational…and still costly. Brent names the tension: economics, childcare, and flexibility push us away from in-person life, even though we're built for connection. "Soft skills" aren't soft. They're survival skills. Can you make a phone call? Handle conflict politely? Speak to a real human when it's uncomfortable? Employers increasingly care. AI's superpower is efficiency—our humanity includes limits. Brent warns that AI can outpace human pace, tempting us to treat limits as defects instead of features. The bigger danger may be delightful surrender. Brian pushes back on the fantasy that it would be "great" if AI removes the need for human responsibility, effort, and showing up. Fear sells. Pay attention to who benefits. Brent cautions that AI panic can become a marketing strategy: frighten people, then sell them the solution. The cultural fork: Orwell vs. Huxley. Brent references Neil Postman: the threat may not be suppressed truth (1984), but being anesthetized by pleasure and convenience (Brave New World). Memorable Moments / Quotes (paraphrased) "We're just sitting there…quiet…looking at each other…and it feels important." "It makes no sense financially to go in person… and yet I feel like I need to go." "AI is off-the-chart efficient. What if humans aren't designed to be highly efficient?" "You're still the one hitting send." Practices Brent Recommends Match the medium to the message. Ask: Is this a text? An email? A call? A visit? Don't force one tool to do another tool's job. Raise your awareness of your environments. Tech and space shape relationships. Rooms, furniture, screens, workflows—none are neutral. They were designed, so they can be redesigned. Conversation Outline (Timestamp-ish) 00:00–02:30 Why human-to-human interaction will matter more (remote work, AI, lived experience) 02:30–06:00 The strange value of silence and presence (Zoom pauses, men's group) 06:00–10:40 Remote work tension + economics as a force pulling us away from in-person 10:40–18:50 Seminary/community: what changes, what doesn't; hybrid connection and annual in-person "anchor" time 18:50–27:40 AI: efficiency vs. humanity; the temptation to avoid real people; "I don't want AI to write—I want to write" 27:40–30:00 Postman, Brave New World, and resisting "pleasant" dehumanization 30:00–34:05 Practical resistance: medium choices + environmental awareness; close and call to action Listener Reflection Questions Where have you traded presence for convenience—and what has it cost you? What relationships need a phone call or a coffee instead of one more email? What "environment" (phone, office layout, family rhythms, tech stack) is shaping you more than you're shaping it? Where are you letting efficiency define what "good" looks like?

    35 min

  4. JAN 29

    Coaching is the Missing Tool for Discipleship (Rebroadcast)

    Coaching isn't just useful for discipleship—it may be the missing skill set for making disciple-makers. The conversation is candid, funny, and quietly sharp: COVID exposed shallow formation, and the church's "information-first" approach is often producing people who can pass the quiz but can't live the life. What this episode is really about How coaching skills turn discipleship from "content delivery" into "life transformation," and why that matters if you want disciples who can actually reproduce—aka spiritual grandchildren. The main arc COVID as an x-ray: Tracy says the pandemic revealed weakness and shallowness in churches—faith wasn't helping people through reality as much as we assumed. Disciples vs. disciple-makers: Lots of systems can "disciple" people. The breakdown comes when those people are supposed to disciple others…and don't. Coaching as the bridge: Listening, powerful questions, Holy Spirit awareness, concise observations, encouragement—these are the exact "soft skills" disciple-makers need. Ownership beats compliance: If a person doesn't own the next step, they won't do it. Coaching helps them name it, choose it, and commit to it. Gold analogies and quotable moments "Checkbox Christianity": Brian compares conversion to clicking "I agree" on software terms you didn't read…until life hits and you realize you never actually understood what you signed up for. David wearing Saul's armor: What works for the discipler isn't automatically the right "rule of life" for the disciple. Customization matters. Your gallbladder parable: ER doc assumed you wouldn't change ("you'll be back; let's take it out"). Family doctor assumed change is possible and coached you toward it—so you kept your gallbladder. That becomes the whole discipleship point: do we assume people can change? "Pastor, what should I do?" → "You should ask Jesus." (Brian notes how rare that response is—and how coaching questions push people into hearing God, not outsourcing their spiritual life to professionals.) Practical coaching skills applied to discipleship (the "how") Listen to locate, not to reload. Disciple-making isn't "me talking, you listening." It's listening to where someone actually is, then drawing them out. Ask questions that create awareness: Jesus-style questions show up ("Who do you say I am?"). Good disciple-makers ask, not just tell. Use observations (concise messages), not advice-dumps: "When you quoted that verse, something lit up in you." "It sounds like Scripture reading hasn't been life-giving lately." Observations invite reflection without taking over. Offer resources when the gap is real: You can't "pull out" what isn't there. Tracy's prayer example: discover she knows only one way to pray → offer a resource → let her choose what resonates → she owns it. The model Brian Tracy is building 10-month micro-group discipleship (max four people, weekly, relational, life-on-life). Participants lead segments early so development is "doing," not just learning. After 10 months, they go through CAM 501, then get released to disciple 2–3 people. Tracy continues coaching them monthly to review progress—very "Jesus: watch me → do it → debrief → do it again." The punchline challenge to the church The church often assumes discipleship = more information. But Scripture itself pushes toward transformation + obedience: "Teaching them to observe/do…" James: don't merely listen and deceive yourselves. D.L. Moody: Bible wasn't given to increase information, but to transform life. Coaching helps close the gap between knowing and doing. Where Tracy says this is going A disciple-making movement in his local church built on coaching-enabled disciple-makers. Cohorts of pastors in the fall to redesign discipleship in their contexts using coaching skills as the method, regardless of the curriculum. Ending vibe They land the plane with contact info (and more "Brian vs. Bryan" banter), then Brian ties it to Romans 12: transformation through renewed thinking—exactly the kind of change coaching is designed to catalyze.

    29 min

  5. JAN 22

    Masterclass in Coaching Leaders

    Brian Miller and Rev. Dr. Brian Tracy keep the January theme rolling—escaping the tyranny of the urgent—but this episode zeroes in on leadership coaching: why leaders get stuck, what beliefs jam the gears, and how a coach helps a leader climb out of survival mode and back into purpose. It opens with some playful "Brian spelling reform" banter (the Y can repent), then turns into a surprisingly practical coaching framework for leaders who feel like every week is "sludging through the mud." Key Highlights Why leaders stall out: Many leaders know the hill they want to take… but their Monday–Friday reality feels like mud, and they can't translate vision into Tuesday afternoon. Triple-loop coaching lens: Brian frames the problem as actions → strategy → identity. Tracy agrees most leaders stay stuck at the surface level (tweaking actions) without addressing strategy or identity. Balcony view: They talk about moving leaders from minutiae to perspective using "psychological distancing" and future-oriented questions: "Where do you want this to be in 5 years?" "What would 10-years-from-now you tell you to focus on?" Unsticking the gear: Brian describes a coaching move that creates safety—"I'm not holding you to this"—to help a frozen leader name a first step and regain momentum. Beliefs that sabotage leaders: Scarcity vs. abundance (closed-handed vs. open-handed leadership) "If I'm the leader, I should know everything" (which kills curiosity and learning) "If I'm leading right, there won't be complaints" (spoiler: change creates complaints) Takeaways Coaching gives leaders a place where every sentence isn't a grenade. In leadership, words carry 10x weight; coaching offers a safe lab to think out loud without collateral damage. A good leader reviews and prunes. Tracy describes doing a regular "stop/start" review twice a year because clutter expands like glitter—once it's in the room, it's everywhere. Don't build everything around yourself. Brian reflects on leaving "holes" when he exited organizations earlier in life—and names that as a leadership mistake. Healthy leadership equips others until the organization can run without you. Empowerment is the job. Tracy grounds it in Ephesians 4: leaders equip others to do the work, not hoard the work to feel needed. Criticism isn't a sign you're failing—sometimes it's proof you're leading. If you're changing anything meaningful, pushback is part of the fee. Even Jesus had bad Yelp reviews. Memorable Lines & Moments "Survival" as a strategy is still a strategy… just a terrible one. "The more authority you give away, the more authority you have." "If I'm successful, it's not because I got the job done—it's because they got it done." Moneyball reference: "The first guy through the wall always gets beat up." (Accurate, and also why most people prefer to be the second guy.)

    25 min

  6. JAN 15

    Three Hard Truths About the Future of Coaching and the Church

    🔑 Three Insights from the CAM Leaders Meeting Drawing from Coach Approach Ministries' first leaders meeting without any of its founders, Brian shares three convictions that will shape the future of coaching—and the church. 1️⃣ Human-to-Human Interaction Is Becoming More Valuable, Not Less As technology accelerates and polarization deepens, people aren't craving better performance—they're craving presence. Younger generations are increasingly skeptical of anything that feels artificial Coaching offers something rare: real attention, real listening, real agency Coaching doesn't drain energy—it often restores it In a world saturated with noise, presence is becoming a competitive advantage. 2️⃣ Institutions Are Failing Because They Can't See the Bigger Picture Organizations aren't collapsing primarily from outside pressure—but from narrow vision. The world has changed. Not incrementally. Fundamentally. Systems are no longer simple or even complicated—they're complex What worked yesterday may fail tomorrow, even if nothing "changed" The leaders who thrive are learners, not defenders of the past A consistent pattern has emerged: People open to coaching tend to flourish inside organizations. Those resistant to coaching almost always leave. That's not a theory. It's an observation. 3️⃣ The Greatest Need in Churches Isn't Strategy—It's Conflict Resolution After working with leaders overseeing large networks of churches, one issue rises above the rest: unresolved conflict. Unaddressed relational strain: Exhausts leaders Hollow outs communities Quietly dismantles trust Coaching skills—listening, curiosity, emotional regulation, shared understanding—are exactly what's missing. Brian argues that even a short investment in coach training can dramatically improve how leaders talk with one another—often more in two days than in years of meetings. And that opens a door. ⛪ A Vision for the Church The church may be one of the last places where people still know how to gather. That's not a liability. It's an opportunity. If reconciliation truly sits at the heart of the gospel, then coaching may be one of the most practical ways churches can live that out—internally and for the world. This conviction is shaping Brian's focus for 2026, with a renewed interest in on-site coach training for pastors, staff, and church leaders. ✈️ What's Next Continued excellence in online coach training More teaching from Brian in 2026 A growing emphasis on in-person presence where it matters most And yes—possibly more flights than courtrooms. 🙏 Thank You for Listening If you've listened to one episode or all five hundred—thank you. And if you're curious about coaching, coach training, or how to show up better in a complex world, you're in the right place. 👉 Learn more at coachapproachministries.org We'll see you next week.

    27 min

  7. JAN 8

    Benefits of Slow Productivity

    In this episode, Brian Miller and Brian Tracy continue January's theme of resisting the tyranny of the urgent by exploring why "moving fast" isn't the same as "moving forward." They talk about Sabbath as a spiritual act of trust, Cal Newport's Slow Productivity, and how focus, rest, and even fun are not distractions—they're fuel. The conversation keeps circling one core idea: if you want to do better work, you may need to do less of it. Key Highlights Brian and Brian open with playful banter, then pivot quickly into a serious tension: January goal-setting in a world where the future feels harder to predict. They name a common trap: false urgency—working really hard without clarity about what you're actually trying to achieve. Sabbath gets reframed as a non-optional command (yes, it's in the same list as "don't murder," which is… awkwardly clarifying). They unpack principles from Cal Newport's Slow Productivity: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality. A practical leadership moment: both share examples of delegating what you're not gifted for (pastoral care / follow-up calls) so others can shine—and people actually like the care they receive. Takeaways Speed is not a strategy. Clarity about where you're going beats frantic motion every time. Rest is a leadership discipline, not a reward. If you won't stop, you're basically telling God, "I got this," which is adorable… and wrong. Do less, better. Limit projects, double time estimates, and protect "recovery time" so your best work isn't squeezed out by your busiest work. Stay in your sweet spot. Stop trying to become "average" at what you're not built for—delegate it to someone who's a rock star. Quality makes you stand out. Whether it's a sermon, a weekly email, or coaching sessions—slower, more thoughtful work is often what creates real value.

    27 min

  8. JAN 2

    Learning About Setting Goals

    In this episode, Brian Miller and Brian Tracy kick off January's theme—Escaping the Tyranny of the Urgent—by looking back at Brian's 2025 goal list (10 goals… 3 achieved… baseball Hall of Fame, real life: "ouch"). They explore what a "failed" goal year can teach you: you can't predict what's coming, God opens doors you didn't even know existed, and the real win isn't perfect outcomes—it's faithful work and healthy relationships. Key Highlights Brian admits he set 10 public goals for 2025 and hit 3, then uses that "miss" as a learning lab rather than a guilt trip. You can't predict the future: partnerships changed, a collarbone broke, and leadership responsibilities shifted—none of which were on the goal spreadsheet. Hold goals loosely: both Brians describe learning to release control and stay alert to God's unexpected openings. Focus on the work, not the scoreboard: habits and daily faithfulness matter more than lofty targets (with a nod to Atomic Habits and the "become the person" principle). Relationships are the real goal: productivity can quietly sabotage what matters most—community, family, prayer partners, and life-giving friendships. Takeaways Set fewer goals—and build "adaptability" into them. A smaller number of priorities leaves room for real life (and real leadership curveballs). Measure faithfulness by the work you do daily, not just the outcomes you can't control. Ask: "Does this goal strengthen relationships?" If it doesn't, it might be a shiny distraction wearing a halo. Stop trying to kick down locked doors. Pay attention to the doors God opens—and when they open, walk through them boldly. Schedule rest and life-giving time on purpose. If you never plan time off, the urgent will happily eat your entire year.

    30 min
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About

Welcome to the Coach Approach Ministries Podcast! Coaching is a skillset and a mindset that helps people find focus, discover options and take action. At CAM, we train the very best Christian coaches in the world, and over the last decade, we've trained well over a thousand. Through this podcast, we want to share insights from the Coaching Community and help you to develop a broader understanding of coaching. You can find out more about us at www.coachapproachministries.org and sign up for our proven coach training.

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