Coffee House Coaching

Gary Nowak
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Coffee House Coaching is an Executive Coaching podcast where I speak with fellow Executive Coaches about their practice, their process and how they help their clients. I also speak with individuals impacted by coaching and how it has improved their lives. My goal is to shine some light on the wonderful world of Executive Coaching and explain what it is and how it works. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversations about Executive Coaching.

  1. 3D AGO

    Ep 174 Stephen Burke - Aerospace to Inner Space / Come Empty / Hold Everything Neutral

    8 Questions + 1 Fun Stuff Summary 1️⃣ Best Coaching Advice Come empty — show up without your agenda or rucksack of tools.Be nothing for your client; let their story lead.The less you bring, the more emerges.2️⃣ What You’re Still Improving Deepening the art of listening to understand, not respond.Using somatic awareness — grounding, feeling feet, breath, and body connection.Staying present instead of preparing a response.3️⃣ Most Outrageous Thing Done Asked a founder, “What if this company isn’t yours to build?” and stayed silent.Invited a high-performing board to consider, “What if your ceiling is your floor?”Held everything neutral — courage through calm curiosity.4️⃣ What Still Makes You Uncomfortable Taking notes during sessions — breaks connection and presence.Managing the tension between documentation and deep listening.Letting silence hold more value than written words.5️⃣ Advice for New Coaches Focus equally on your state of being and the business of coaching.Learn to consciously create your internal state before each session.Build awareness of how your presence shapes every client interaction.6️⃣ What You’ve Had to Conquer Shifting from doing to being — from tools to trust.Letting go of performance mindset from engineering roots.Embracing neutrality and imperfection in the coaching journey.7️⃣ How You Use AI Uses ChatGPT and Gemini daily for proposals, tone checks, and ideation.Exploring creating custom AI agents for repetitive business tasks.Sees AI as a creative partner, not a threat — a reflection tool, not a replacement.8️⃣ What You’ve Learned About Yourself Coaching meets him where he is in every season of life.Always keeps a coach — it’s a non-negotiable business expense.Strives to be “the best coach in the world” — not from ego, but from intention.🎬 Fun Stuff Question — Favorite Movie Amélie — a French film he saw three times in one week.Loves its color, music, and magic.Proof that beauty, like coaching, is found in the small details.

    31 min

  2. JAN 8

    Ep 70 Rita Hausken - Zone of Excellence & Genius / The "Perfect" client / Going deep, never too late

    Highlights: Operating from the Zone of Excellence to the Zone of GeniusMemories of her wonderful son BenjaminWorking with clients with a big legacy perspectiveLearning to say no and opening up space for her "perfect" clientTuning in to her clientsThere is no such thing as impossibleAdvice on working deeper with clientsCan't take anyone deeper than you've gone on yourselfThe Activity Brain Dump"Hell Yes" / "No, not for now" / "Maybe"The energy auditNever too late to "go deep" with your clientCreate space for miraclesAre you a match to what you are asking for?Coming from the goal NOT to the goal

    37 min

  3. JAN 1

    Ep 16 Tory Wobber - Pint size insights / Visualizing the future / Being the client

    https://www.victoriawobber.com/ Tory Wobber brings so much energy to this podcast and she provides a perspective on her coaching niche and how she became a coach Highlights from my conversation with Tory Moving to and coaching in Mexico / Coaching PHd's looking for jobs in industry (this is what tory did) / Paying it forward, then formalizing / Consulting vs coaching / Grieve the loss of their academic identity / Having lived what she is coaching / Visualizing your future / Who am I if I'm not my job / Pint size insights / Helping clients get "unstuck" / Skills are there, helping with the mindset shift / Asking clients to stand and breathe / Finding the right coaching course / The dip and getting to mastery / PB&J conversation

    41 min

  4. 12/25/2025

    EP 47 Jewel Edward Love Jr. - Black Executive Coaching / Puzzle pieces / Buddy system

    Highlights: Started coaching at age 5, yea I knowCorporate outsiderLicensed PsychotherapistFinding his Niche early onwww.blackexecutivemen.comTherapy vs coachingJewels clients see themselves in himPassionate about growth and professional successClarity and the puzzle pieces, getting them all on the tableHis Process = Clarity / Decisions / ActionsWorking with his own coach to get the confidence he neededCreating a Buddy System with his clientsComing from tissues, tears and traumaDaily Newsletter

    43 min

  5. 12/18/2025

    Ep 173 Karen Benoy Preston - Values coaching / Breaking yourself open / Being a Rebel

    Question Summaries  1️⃣ Best coaching advice you’ve gotten “It doesn’t have to be about who — it can be about what.”Freed her from the pressure to niche by audience; she leaned into values.Shifted her entire perspective on what authentic coaching looks like.2️⃣ What are you still trying to improve about your coaching? Learning to embrace silence rather than fill it.Recognizing her own “know-it-all” tendencies and stepping back.Seeing pauses as productive — where the client’s best thinking happens.3️⃣ Most outrageous thing you’ve done, tried, or said in a session Calling BS when clients hide behind surface-level stories.Pushes hard — but only when deep trust exists.Trusts her instincts to dance between mentor, consultant, and coach.4️⃣ What still makes you squirm or uncomfortable? Talking about money and “selling” her value.Learning to see pricing as respect for her own worth.Embracing “Hell yes or Hell no” as her filter — no “Hell maybes.”5️⃣ Advice for someone new to coaching “You have to break yourself open to become a great coach.”True learning comes from going inward and unlearning old habits.Coaching is an inside-out profession — not a set of tools.6️⃣ What have you had to conquer on your path to being a great coach? Releasing the need to fix others (and her kids).Choosing curiosity over control, especially as a parent.Accepting that not everyone wants to grow — and that’s okay.7️⃣ Are you using AI in your coaching practice? Uses AI as a thought partner to spark creativity and expand thinking.Blends AI with tools like Enneagram and Positive Intelligence for depth.Encourages clients to ask AI, “How should I use a coach?”8️⃣ What have you learned about yourself through coaching? A lifelong fascination with human consciousness.Rediscovered her teenage love of psychology and helping people grow.Realized her impact comes from curiosity, connection, and consciousness.🎬 Fun Stuff Question Guilty pleasure: playing with the snarky “Monday” GPT for humor and insight.Loves how it’s both validating and thought-provoking.Proof that self-discovery can come with sarcasm.

    31 min

  6. 12/11/2025

    Ep 172 Carrie Arnold - Let it go / Bracket it / Tinker your way to better coaching

    . Best coaching advice you’ve gotten? “What would it take to let it go?” – helped her shed self-limiting beliefs.Learned during a Georgetown fishbowl coaching session.Empowered her to define herself and step into a bigger space.2. What are you still trying to improve? Contracting with clients to avoid misalignment.Daily work on presence—removing the “static.”Asking, “Are we still in the right conversation?”3. Most outrageous/courageous thing you’ve done in a session? Telling a client they might need more support beyond coaching.Delivering hard truths with subtlety and courage.Felt “the clench” but leaned into trust and honesty.4. What still makes you squirm? Clients showing up with “I don’t know.”Managing the pressure to “perform.”Using honesty and redirection to stay in alignment.5. Advice to new coaches? Get into supervision—it’s essential support.Coaching can be lonely without intentional community.Keeps coaches anchored, self-aware, and growing.6. Something you’ve had to conquer? Transitioning from corporate to private practice.Proving to herself (and her husband) she could sustain independence.Leaning on referrals and relationships rather than sales.7. Are you using AI in your practice? Not directly in sessions, but useful for writing and teaching.Encourages her daughter to use it for transactional challenges.Sees AI as a supportive tool, not a threat.8. What have you learned about yourself? She can do hard things and thrive as a solopreneur.Built a sustainable practice without business development.Relationships and trust drive her long-term success.Fun Stuff: Favorite Movie Rocky IV (music, energy, inspiration).Pitch Perfect 2 and The Greatest Showman.Loves movies with music and strong dialogue—even if “questionable.”

    29 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    Ep 171 Kyle Smith - Silence is Wisdom / Giving Grace / Underdog Story

    1. Best coaching advice you’ve gotten? Learn to be comfortable with silence—it creates space for clients to process.Silence isn’t emptiness, it’s presence that can be more powerful than words.Listening deeply reveals both verbal and non-verbal cues.  2. What are you still trying to improve about your coaching? Not jumping in too quickly when clients pause or hesitate.Allowing clients the time to fully process their own journey.Practicing “listen before you talk” as a lifelong discipline.  3. Most outrageous thing you’ve done, tried, or said in a coaching session? Being honest and naming observations clients may disagree with.Framing it as “putting something on the table” for exploration.Setting an agreement upfront that disagreement is not only okay, but welcome.  4. What still makes you squirm or uncomfortable in a coaching session? Few things do now, but violent or abusive disclosures would be a boundary.Acknowledges that’s not his skill set and wouldn’t want to “get past it.”Would always seek to refer a client to someone better suited.  5. If I were new to coaching, what advice would you have? Start with your why—if it’s about “me” instead of the client, rethink it.Focus less on tools/templates and more on presence and service.Keep personal stories in check so sessions stay client-centered.  6. What is something you’ve had to conquer on your path to being a great coach? Letting go of self-criticism and unrealistic standards.Learning to give himself the same grace he gives clients.Remaining humble when impressive people place their trust in him.  7. Are you using AI in your coaching practice? Uses AI primarily for note-taking, freeing him to be fully present.Leverages AI responsibly—clients give permission and feel comfortable with it.Sees AI as another data point, not a replacement for human presence.  8. What have you learned about yourself through being a coach? To be less hard on himself and walk his own talk.That humility and patience grow with every client relationship.The “95% rule”: most people genuinely want to do the right thing.  🎬 Fun Stuff Question – Favorite Movie? (Hoosiers) Loves the themes of second chances and underdogs overcoming odds.Connects personally to the underdog story in his own life and career.Believes the film reflects resilience, belief, and community support.

    24 min

  8. 11/27/2025

    Ep 138 Betsy Salkind & Amy Warshawsky - Improv and having Fun / Building rock solid connections

    Highlights: 🎭 Pioneers in using improv for coaches—it’s transformative and energizing!🙌 Believes that who you are is what makes your coaching truly impactful.🎤 Betsy’s comedic roots bring improv and humor into the mix—because coaching can be FUN!🗣️ Experimented with "3 Word Coaching"—small, impactful, and powerful.⏱️ Tried the “Interrupting Experiment”—a fresh take on communication dynamics.🚨 The only rule of improv coaching? PARTICIPATE—because that’s where the magic happens.🗣️ “We’d rather DO than just listen”—action is always the answer.  🌟 Two mentor coaches who serendipitously found each other in 2018—and the magic began.🛠️ Honing their coaching skills together and absolutely loving the journey.💡 Gaining invaluable insights by immersing themselves in others’ learning processes.🎁 Coaching at 40 became a beautiful gift for Amy’s kids—a ripple effect of growth.😂 Adding levity to coaching sessions—proof that growth doesn’t have to be so serious.⏳ Their 2-hour workshops fly by, leaving everyone engaged, energized, and asking for more.🤝 Merging coaching ethics with the principles of improv for unique and innovative sessions.

    49 min
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5
out of 5
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About

Coffee House Coaching is an Executive Coaching podcast where I speak with fellow Executive Coaches about their practice, their process and how they help their clients. I also speak with individuals impacted by coaching and how it has improved their lives. My goal is to shine some light on the wonderful world of Executive Coaching and explain what it is and how it works. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversations about Executive Coaching.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Nowak
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coffee House Coaching
  • Show Website
    Coffee House Coaching