ICF San Diego's Coffee & Conversations

ICF San Diego

Welcome to Coffee and Conversations, brought to you by the International Coaching Federation’s San Diego Chapter. Our host, Donald E. Coleman sits down with coaches, business leaders, and community influencers to explore how the *Power of Coaching* is transforming lives, organizations, and communities. Together, we’ll uncover insights, stories, and strategies that inspire growth, connection, and sustainable change. Whether you're a seasoned coach or simply curious about how ICF coaching can impact your world, you’re in the right place. 

  1. Strength, Service, and Wholeness: A Conversation with Coach Ronnie Soria

    22H AGO

    Strength, Service, and Wholeness: A Conversation with Coach Ronnie Soria

    Send a text In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Coffee and Conversations, host Donald E. Coleman welcomes fellow U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Veronica “Coach Ronnie” Soria, the first Marine ever featured on the podcast. Coach Ronnie brings a lifetime of service, resilience, and compassion to the coaching profession, offering listeners a deeply human perspective on leadership, identity, and personal transformation. After serving 20 years in the United States Marine Corps and another two decades in the Federal Government as a Learning & Development consultant, program manager, and leadership coach, Ronnie’s life has been defined by one consistent calling: developing people with purpose, empathy, and strength.  In this conversation, she shares the defining moments that shaped her journey—from joining the U.S. Marines and navigating the transition into civilian life to rediscovering identity, faith, and purpose through coaching. Ronnie speaks candidly about how the power of coaching transformed her personal life, strengthened relationships, and taught her the discipline of listening to others and to herself. Together, we explore themes of resilience, authenticity, and what it means to live and lead from a place of wholeness. Ronnie’s definition is simple yet profound: wholeness is the acceptance of self while remaining grounded in authenticity. Her approach to coaching centers on creating safe spaces where people can reflect, reconnect with who they are, and align their values with how they live and lead. This episode is especially meaningful for leaders, veterans, professionals in transition, and anyone seeking clarity, healing, and purpose in their next chapter. Download this episode now and experience a conversation on leadership, personal growth, resilience, and the transformative power of coaching. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    36 min
  2. A Conversation with Emily Bennington

    FEB 9

    A Conversation with Emily Bennington

    Send a text In this episode of the ICF San Diego Coffee and Conversations podcast, our host Donald E Coleman, sits down with Emily Bennington, ACC, a certified career empowerment coach and senior HR business partner, whose mission is to help individuals reconnect with their voice and advocate for themselves in life and work. Drawing from over a decade in human resources, Emily offers a compassionate and insightful perspective on how coaching transforms careers, mindsets, and relationships. We explore how Emily partners with individuals and organizations to cultivate wholeness by aligning values with action, encouraging self-awareness, and building psychological safety in the workplace.  Whether you're a coach, an HR professional, or someone seeking more clarity and empowerment in your next chapter, this conversation is a must-listen. Discover how coaching can awaken what’s already within you—and invite you into a life that reflects your true self. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    42 min
  3. A Conversation with Susan Sjolund

    FEB 2

    A Conversation with Susan Sjolund

    Send us a text In this episode of the ICF San Diego Podcast, we welcome Susan Sjolund, an Executive Coach and former healthcare executive, who shares how she transitioned from a results-driven industry into purpose-filled coaching. Her story offers a powerful lens into how leaders can rediscover meaning, presence, and connection—within themselves and with others. Susan opens up about her pivot into coaching and how learning to slow down led her to deeper awareness. She invites us to explore the intersection of coaching, mindfulness, and leadership—and what it means to show up for clients with authenticity and curiosity. Whether you're a coach, leader, or someone seeking transformation, this episode will move you. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    45 min
  4. A Conversation with Dr. Aikyna Finch

    JAN 26

    A Conversation with Dr. Aikyna Finch

    Send us a text In this inspiring episode of Coffee and Conversations, host Donald E. Coleman welcomes Dr. Aikyna Finch, PCC, a trailblazer in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) and Vice President of DEIB for the International Coaching Federation (ICF). With an unstoppable drive for growth, innovation, and impact, Dr. Finch brings clarity and conviction to what it means to coach with purpose and lead with wholeness. Together, Donald and Dr. Finch explore: How coaching became a calling, not just a career—and how it helped her become more grounded, aligned, and wholeThe definition of wholeness as internal integration—mind, spirit, purpose, and values sitting at the same tableHer message to coaches: stop shrinking in one place to stretch in anotherWhy she believes coaching should be a sacred partnership where truth rises, alignment happens, and wholeness becomes sustainableDr. Finch’s story is a testimony to what’s possible when leadership, authenticity, and calling collide. Her voice is bold, her presence commanding, and her mission is clear: to shift culture, raise the bar, and make belonging the standard in coaching and beyond. Download the episode now  If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    48 min
  5. A Conversation with Dr. Colette Coiner, PCC

    12/19/2025

    A Conversation with Dr. Colette Coiner, PCC

    Send us a text In the final episode of our 2025 season, host Donald E. Coleman sits down with Dr. Colette Coiner, PCC—a physical therapist turned parenting coach whose voice resonates with wisdom, warmth, and radical hope. Colette blends neuroscience, child development, and lived experience as a mom, creating a coaching model that brings healing to families, connection to conversations, and wholeness to every relationship she touches. Together, they explore: Her journey from physical therapy to family restoration through coachingThe sacred bond between neuroscience and parentingHow she defines wholeness as treating the entire human story—not just the symptomsThe transformative effect of coaching on her business, her family, and her own heartWhy she believes coaching is not just about performance—it’s about love, belonging, and generational healingDr. Colette’s story is filled with practical insight and powerful truth. From raising her daughter, adopting her son, navigating life's challenges, and becoming whole again, her voice reminds us why the power of coaching matters now more than ever. 📲 Download the episode now and join us as we close the year with a conversation that encapsulates everything we believe coaching can be: personal, powerful, and profoundly life-giving. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    40 min
  6. The Wonder of Words: Coaching as Sacred Space with Dr. Haesun Moon

    12/10/2025

    The Wonder of Words: Coaching as Sacred Space with Dr. Haesun Moon

    Send us a text In this unforgettable episode of the ICF San Diego's Coffee and Conversations podcast. Our host, Donald E. Coleman, shares a sacred moment with Dr. Haesun Moon, author of Coaching A to Z and a renowned thought leader in the science of coaching language. From the moment Donald attended her ICF Converge 2025 breakout session, The Wonder of Words: Curating Preferred Futures One Word at a Time, he knew something extraordinary was unfolding. In a conference brimming with an abundance of tools and academic coaching dialogue, Dr. Moon offered something different: light, presence, and deep simplicity that stirred the soul. This long-awaited interview captures that same sacred stillness. Together, Donald and Haesun explore: The power of words to shift perspective, create space, and unlock new futuresHow metaphors like “zero” and “instead” carry transformational impact in coaching conversationsThe Compass Diagram, a quadrant model that maps language to embodied experienceThe role of grief, prayer, and intuitive writing in her creative processHow mind, heart, and gut intelligence converge through coaching presenceThe quiet healing found in honoring “what is already,” “what is becoming,” and “what is cared for”Dr. Moon’s reflections are not merely conceptual—they are deeply spiritual, embodied, and generational. Her insights carry the kind of weight that has the power to shape coaches, clients, and families for years to come. 📲 Download the episode now to experience how sacred language, deep listening, and intentional presence can transform coaching into a living, breathing act of grace. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    59 min
  7. A Sacred Conversation with Alla Shashkina, ACC

    11/13/2025

    A Sacred Conversation with Alla Shashkina, ACC

    Send us a text In this sacred and soul-stirring episode of Coffee and Conversations, host Donald E. Coleman welcomes Alla Shashkina, ACC, for a conversation that transcends professional titles and enters the realm of calling, healing, and generational transformation. Donald and Alla reflect on her experience that occurred at ICF San Diego's hospitality suite on Thursday night during the 2025 ICF Converge, where Donald delivered an impromptu moving speech on how coaching was recognized not merely as a profession, but as a divine calling. Alla shares her powerful personal story—from her roots as a Chuvash woman in Russia, to raising her daughter as a single mother, to reclaiming connection through movement, mindfulness, and presence. Their conversation uncovers how sacred moments arise in coaching, and how flexibility, awareness, and embodied intelligence allow coaches to serve not just individuals, but the healing of generations. Together, they explore: The role of sacred space in coaching and lifeHow movement, running, and silence become portals for presenceGenerational healing and the coach’s role in shaping non-material legacyEmbodied metaphors for resilience and flexibility in a fast-paced worldIntegrating mind, heart, and gut intelligence into leadership and lifeHow disconnection from one’s calling leads to fragmentation—and how coaching restores wholeness📲 Download the episode now to experience this life-altering conversation with Alla Shashkina, and rediscover the sacred calling of coaching in a world longing for presence, healing, and transformation. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    53 min
  8. An Intimate Conversation with Lyssa deHart, MCC

    10/30/2025

    An Intimate Conversation with Lyssa deHart, MCC

    Send us a text Live from San Diego | Coffee and Conversations Podcast with Donald E. Coleman In this powerful special edition of Coffee and Conversations, recorded live at the ICF Global Converge 2025 Conference in San Diego, host Donald E. Coleman welcomes Lyssa deHart, MCC, renowned coach educator, author of Light Up: The Science of Coaching with Metaphors, and a leading voice in the neuroscience of coaching and language. From the moment they sat down, Donald sensed something extraordinary was about to unfold—and it did. What followed was not just an interview, but what he now calls a divine moment in coaching. Together, they explore Lyssa’s breakout session, Coaching with Metaphors: The Science of Language, Listening, and Embodied Experience in Coaching, and unpack her deep observation around “the theme of this year’s conference is language.” The conversation moves seamlessly through topics like the neuroscience of metaphor, deep listening, embodied awareness, and the sacred space that emerges in silence. 📲 Download the episode now to experience this rich and reverent conversation on how language, presence, and metaphor can ignite transformation in the coaching space—and in ourselves. If you are interested in being a guest on the Podcast, please send an email to president@icf-sandiego.org. Please connect with us on our social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icfsan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icf_sd/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icf-sandiego Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICFSanDiego

    36 min
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About

Welcome to Coffee and Conversations, brought to you by the International Coaching Federation’s San Diego Chapter. Our host, Donald E. Coleman sits down with coaches, business leaders, and community influencers to explore how the *Power of Coaching* is transforming lives, organizations, and communities. Together, we’ll uncover insights, stories, and strategies that inspire growth, connection, and sustainable change. Whether you're a seasoned coach or simply curious about how ICF coaching can impact your world, you’re in the right place. 

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