choice Magazine

Garry Schleifer

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choice Magazine is the vehicle that forwards the global conversation about professional coaching by providing: diverse perspectives, thought-provoking commentary, insightful discussion and access to services, tools, resources and practical information.

6D AGO

Episode 150: How Real People Define Joy with guest, Anike Wariebi

Send a text Joy isn’t a lucky break or a fleeting mood; it’s a practice we can design. We sit down with executive and life coach Anika Wariebi to unpack what truly differentiates joy from happiness and how coaches help clients build a steadier, values-aligned foundation for daily life. Drawing from dictionary and psychological perspectives as well as responses from a diverse group of “real people,” we trace how joy shows up as connection, fulfillment, creativity, and peace—and why it endures when quick hits of happiness fade. Anika walks us through the real barriers that drain joy: rumination, comparison, inner saboteurs, and the external pressures of toxic environments, discrimination, conflict, and financial insecurity. We explore how coaching turns awareness into agency with practical tools: naming “kill joys,” setting clear boundaries, reframing challenges, and building routines that protect attention. You’ll hear how gratitude, mindfulness, breathwork, and spiritual practices can anchor the day, while simple rituals—a quiet coffee, a check-in with a friend—compound into something much larger over time. We also dig into decision-making through the lens of joy. When people align choices with values, stress drops and relationships strengthen. Past hardships can deepen the capacity to savor peace; gratitude amplifies that shift. Anika offers a clear path forward: craft your vision of joy for the year, choose a few meaningful actions, and create accountability. If you’re a coach, you’ll pick up actionable strategies to support clients; if you’re a listener seeking more joy, you’ll leave with steps you can start today. If this conversation sparks a shift, share it with a friend, subscribe for more coaching insights, and leave a review to help others discover the show. Then tell us: what boundary will you set this week to protect your joy? Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Anike here. Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

22 min
MAR 4

Episode 149: Joy As A Daily Practice with guest Darlene Berry

Send a text What if joy isn’t the finish line but the fuel? We sit down with life coach and former crisis therapist Darlene Berry to reframe joy as a daily, practical practice that can live alongside pain without pretending everything is fine. Drawing from frontline experience, Darlene explains why suffering looks different for everyone and how gratitude becomes the bridge from “I’m hurting” to “I’m healing.” The heart of our conversation is simple and doable: slow breathwork to regulate the nervous system, short affirmations to anchor the day, and a three-line journal that captures one personal gratitude, one future-facing intention, and one small present joy. We dig into how choosing joy reshapes relationships and work. If you’ve learned to overgive to feel worthy, this is your permission slip to set kinder boundaries and say no with clarity. Darlene connects the dots between positive emotion and measurable outcomes—better focus, higher engagement, and fewer sick days—without slipping into toxic positivity. Instead, we talk about grounded, felt joy that helps you navigate tough seasons with steadier hands and clearer choices. You’ll hear real language you can borrow, small rituals you can start today, and a mindset shift that makes room for both grief and gratitude. You’ll also get a free guided meditation from Darlene to support your morning or evening routine, plus practical tips pulled from her article, “Unlocking Joy Through Coaching: Exploring Joy’s Connections to Suffering and Gratitude.” Whether you’re a coach or a curious listener, you’ll walk away with tools that are gentle, repeatable, and effective. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What’s one small joy you’ll practice today? Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Free meditation guide from Darlene can be found here. Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

15 min
FEB 25

Episode 148: Joy That Sticks: Coaching With Neuroscience with guest, Paul Zak

Send a text Want proof that coaching works beyond a feel-good survey? We dig into the neuroscience of immersion—how the brain’s one-second signals of attention plus emotion predict what people remember and do next—and translate it into a practical playbook for coaches and leaders. With Professor Paul Zak, we unpack why joy is the byproduct of investing energy, not avoiding stress, and how the right level of challenge drives durable behavior change. We share field-tested stories that show immersion’s “contagion” effect in action, from luxury retail associates whose engagement predicted purchases to healthcare teams that improved patient care by empowering nurses within clear boundaries. You’ll hear why opening hot sets stakes, how human-scale stories outperform abstract models, and what happens when leaders delegate for real. The result is deviation you can learn from—some mistakes, yes, but also the positive deviations that become innovations when you recognize and codify them. Measurement ties it together. We talk about simple, wearable-driven ways to see which moments land, spot weekly energy dead zones (like that dreaded Thursday meeting), and design sessions that stick. Four levers matter: start with stakes, tell vivid stories, keep moderate pressure through participation, and end with one concrete action. Over time, those choices raise the number of daily “key moments,” a leading indicator of joy, energy, and follow-through that spreads from executives to teams and even into family life. If you’re ready to coach for thriving, not just insight, this conversation gives you the science, the tactics, and a free tool to start today. Subscribe for more brain-savvy coaching insights, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review to tell us the next challenge you want us to tackle. Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Paul here. Free gift from Paul: your6.com Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

29 min
FEB 18

Episode 147: Joyful Teams, Real Results with guest, Michelle Chambers

Send a text Joy isn’t a perk. It’s a competitive advantage. We sit down with executive and team coach Michelle Chambers to unpack how collective joy fuels psychological safety, deeper alignment, and reliable results—even when teams are under pressure. If “joy at work” sounds woo-woo, Michelle’s stories and tools will change your mind fast. We start by spotting the early signs that joy has gone missing: flat energy, thin trust, and conversations that feel purely transactional. From there, Michelle draws a clear line between short-lived happiness and durable, collective joy grounded in purpose, belonging, and contribution. You’ll hear how a CFO put joy into a hospital’s strategic plan and why that bold move improved resilience and collaboration across departments. Michelle shares practical rituals you can use this week: build a wall of pride to surface progress, end meetings with appreciation circles, and revisit the team’s purpose to re-center focus when the stakes rise. A powerful case study tracks a nonprofit team through leadership turnover, audit failures, the pandemic, and even ransomware—then shows how consistent practices rebuilt trust and momentum. For one-on-one coaches and leaders, we connect the dots to systemic impact: model joy visibly, make it measurable, and protect space for it in the cadence of work. If you care about team performance, culture change, leadership development, and psychological safety, this conversation will give you actionable steps and language to make joy part of how you operate. Subscribe, share with a colleague who shapes team culture, and leave a review to tell us which ritual you’ll try first. Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Michelle here. Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

25 min
FEB 11

Episode 146: AI Coaching Meets ICF Standards with guests, Jonathan Passmore & Rebecca Rutschmann

Send a text What happens when an AI coach is judged by the same yardstick as a human? We invited executive coach and researcher Jonathan Passmore and AI coaching innovator Rebecca Rutschmann to unpack their new study benchmarking an AI coach against ICF Core Competencies—and the results upend assumptions. The machine reliably demonstrated ACC-level performance and crossed more than half of the PCC markers, especially in crisp summarizing and steady open questioning. That said, we draw a clear line between competence at the basics and the deep, sustained presence required for identity, values, and ethically nuanced conversations. Across the hour, we explore where AI coaching shines—24/7 availability, structured reflection, accountability loops—and where it still stumbles: longer arcs, emotional complexity, and the tendency to praise rather than challenge. Rebecca argues capabilities are leaping forward with better prompting frameworks, onboarding, and conversational design, pointing to recent builds that reach deeper reflective work. Jonathan counters that human strengths remain decisive: relational humor, embodied presence, lived experience, and ethical maturity that can hold discomfort without defaulting to platitudes. We converge on a future of hybrid models that use AI for pre-work, micro-coaching, and late-night clarity, while reserving human time for complexity and transformation. We also face the economics. With a surging supply of coaches and falling fees for transactional work, differentiation becomes urgent. If AI can do the basics well, human coaches must elevate to PCC-level craft as a baseline, specialize with domain and identity expertise, and design client journeys that blend AI tools without diluting trust. Finally, we call for new standards: if AI is an orange to the human apple, we need AI-specific metrics for safety, continuity, bias, escalation, and outcome transparency—so clients know what they’re choosing. Curious where to start? We share practical steps for AI literacy and fluency, plus communities and programs that help you experiment safely and ethically. Subscribe, share this conversation with a colleague who’s on the fence, and leave a review with your take: partner, threat, or both? Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Jonathan here. Learn more about Rebecca here. Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

30 min
FEB 4

Episode 145: Joy Has A Seat At The Table with guest, Gloria Custodio

Send a text Joy doesn’t have to wait for a perfect day or a perfect world. We sit down with social leadership coach Gloria Custodio (ICF PCC) to unpack why so many high achievers believe joy belongs to someone else—and how to reclaim it as a practical tool for better thinking, stronger leadership, and sustainable impact. From family scripts and grind culture to burnout and systemic barriers, we map the forces that push joy out of reach, then show how to bring it back with care and rigor. Gloria introduces the joy spectrum—absent, distant, conditional, tentative, integrated—as a clear, compassionate way to meet clients where they are. You’ll hear how to name joy directly with permission, design small experiments that fit real lives, and keep the work ethical by avoiding toxic positivity and honoring pace. We also dig into radical acceptance as a way to notice catastrophizing without judgment, create breathing room, and choose values-based actions that move people forward. Along the way, we explore the research linking authentic joy to cognitive flexibility, collaboration, and performance, plus simple attention hygiene to reduce social media’s anxiety spiral. We ground joy in five pillars—meaning, purpose, values, fulfillment, and connection—so it becomes daily practice rather than a reward at the finish line. Expect concrete prompts, human stories, and a coaching stance that centers curiosity and agency. Ready to turn joy from a buzzword into a leadership advantage? Listen now, try the prompts, and share where you land on the joy spectrum. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, leave a quick review, and pass it to a coach or leader who needs a brighter way forward. Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Gloria here. Gloria has created a small companion gift for our podcast audience that builds on the article and this conversation. Click here to find out more: https://bit.ly/3N1NRf1 Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

26 min
JAN 28

Episode 174: The Joy Frequency with guests, DJ Mitsch & Barbara Biziou

Send a text What if joy is the most practical leadership tool you have? We sit down with spiritual alignment coach and global ritual expert Barbara Biziou and ICF Master Certified Coach and pioneer DJ Mitsch to explore how simple rituals raise our personal frequency, strengthen teams, and transform coaching results. From a live grounding practice to vivid stories from corporate workshops and community spaces, we show how release, gratitude, and celebration help people shift from constriction to creativity. Barbara breaks down why rituals work: the brain responds to symbolic action as if it were real, which is why writing and burning a worry, or washing it away in the shower, frees capacity for better choices. DJ connects her broadcasting roots to the “map” of frequencies, explaining how holding joy—even for seconds—aligns thought, emotion, and action with the outcomes we want. We dive into the costs of shame on performance, the power of acknowledging micro-steps, and practical ways leaders can ritualize routine moments to build belonging and trust. Across the conversation, science and spirituality meet. We talk space clearing to reset cues, playful team experiences that unlock innovation, and the rising importance of intuition as our most human technology. You’ll leave with tangible practices: choose a daily quality to embody, craft a release ritual, celebrate progress in the moment, and ask better questions—What do I want to make possible for the person in front of me? If joy is a frequency, this episode is a tuner. Listen now, then share your favorite ritual with us. If the conversation resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it to someone who could use a lift today. Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about DJ here. Learn more about Barbara here. Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

38 min
JAN 21

Episode 173: Why Negative Feelings Are Signals And How To Use Them For Growth with guests, Terry Hildebrandt and Charles Jones

Send a text What if your toughest feelings aren’t enemies to defeat but signals to decode? We sit down with behavioral scientist Charles Jones and executive coach Terry Hildebrandt to unpack Emotional Responsibility, a simple, powerful framework that turns anger, anxiety, frustration, and guilt into clear next steps—and uses joy as concrete proof that our needs are being met. We trace the origins of this work back to research on flow states and explore a core distinction that changes everything: emotions drive thought, while needs drive behavior. That shift helps leaders stop suppressing emotions and start harnessing them. Anger points to a right to assert; anxiety flags risk to mitigate; frustration highlights blocked goals; guilt calls us back to ethics. When we name the feeling, identify the need, and plan a specific action, the emotion naturally settles because the mind registers progress. On the flip side, savoring positive emotions while naming the strategy that worked strengthens neural pathways, boosting cognitive performance, collaboration, and resilience. From a coaching perspective, ERA opens the door to lasting behavior change. Once the true need is visible, unhelpful programming becomes adjustable. We share practical methods to transform recurring derailers, accelerate soft-skill growth, and even retire trauma patterns by creating conditions where the subconscious lets go. At the team and culture level, ERA tackles what Terry calls the new pandemic—emotional victimhood—by replacing blame with ownership. Leaders learn to translate complaints into needs, empower people to meet those needs, and build trust through clear agreements and consistent follow-through. Ready to work smarter with your emotions and build a healthier culture? Listen now, then subscribe, share this episode with a colleague who leads teams, and leave a quick review with the one emotion you plan to harness this week. Watch the full interview by clicking here. Find the full article here. Learn more about Terry here. Learn more about Charles here. Terry and Charles would like to offer our listeners their video course ($100 value) FREE, that teaches coaches "How to Transform Stress Into Growth with Emotional Response-Ability". Click the link here. Use Code: choice Grab your free issue of choice Magazine here - https://choice-online.com/

34 min

choice Magazine is the vehicle that forwards the global conversation about professional coaching by providing: diverse perspectives, thought-provoking commentary, insightful discussion and access to services, tools, resources and practical information.

Creator

Garry Schleifer
Years Active

2022 - 2026
Episodes

180
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 choice Magazine
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choice Magazine