The Modern Leadership Coaching Podcast

Marc & Teresa Hildebrand
  • 4.8 (100)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

The Modern Leadership Coaching Podcast is for coaches, leaders, and anyone responsible for developing people who want real skill, not motivation. Weekly, we break down how to think clearly under pressure, lead yourself, and coach in a way that creates measurable change. No scripts. No hype. Just reps, tools, and the conversations that actually move people. If you're responsible for people but you don't trust your process yet, start here: https://www.modernleadership.us/academy New episodes weekly: https://www.modernleadership.us/episodes/

  1. 1D AGO

    Why People Ignore Great Advice And How Leaders Create Action

    Send us Fan Mail You can give someone a genuinely great answer and still watch nothing change. That gap between “I understand” and “I did it” is where leadership and coaching either level up or break down. I’m Mark, and I’m digging into why advice so often fails, what’s really happening in people’s minds, and how to lead in a way that creates action without making everyone dependent on you.  We start with a familiar high-stakes leadership moment: one person is underperforming, the whole team knows it, and nobody wants to say the hard thing. Avoiding it creates a culture. Coming in aggressive creates fear. I walk through a calmer third approach built on curiosity, standards, and better questions, plus why these challenging conversations create the biggest results in work and in life.  Then we get to the core framework: technical solutions versus adaptive challenges. Most people hunt for tactics, steps, and strategy, but the real blocker is often belief, shame, and self-protection. That’s why “just follow the plan” falls flat, even for high performers. I share how leaders accidentally train dependence by always providing answers, and how to flip the script by becoming the person people come to for questions, using prompts that clarify the best of the past, the present, and the potential future.  We also bring it home with parenting and relationship examples, including the simple habit of asking whether someone wants advice, listening, or coaching. If you want to lead high-stakes conversations with more trust and less guessing, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

    18 min

  2. APR 27

    The Conversation You Keep Avoiding

    Send us Fan Mail You know the conversation. The one you’ve played in your head a dozen times, where you finally say what needs to be said and everything might change. That’s the real reason so many leaders, parents, and partners avoid difficult conversations. It’s not a lack of words, it’s a fear of consequences. Marc and Teresa break down what avoidance actually costs: weaker boundaries, growing resentment, and a culture where everyone can see the problem but no one names it. We dig into the mindset piece that keeps people stuck: mental rehearsal, guessing motives, and treating your assumptions like facts. Instead, we walk through a practical approach to conflict resolution that starts with curiosity. What beliefs, stories, or pressures are driving the other person’s behavior? How do you ask without gut-punching, escalating, or piling on a secret “laundry list”? We also talk about timing. There’s a difference between choosing the right moment and hiding behind “someday,” and we share how to schedule a hard talk so you enter with clarity instead of a prayer. You’ll also hear why avoidance drains your energy even when you’re not thinking about it, and how one brave conversation can create a positive ripple effect across work and home. We close with a leadership scenario: one underperformer on a team that everyone notices, and the question of what you do next. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a leader who needs it, leave a review, and tell us your answer to the scenario so we can feature it in the next conversation.

    18 min

  3. APR 20

    Why The Best Leaders Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

    Send us Fan Mail Confidence feels like the missing ingredient when you want to lead with authority, coach clients well, or make clear decisions under pressure. But what if the reason you feel stuck is that you’re chasing a feeling instead of building proof? We unpack the counterintuitive truth: confidence usually comes after you take action, not before, and the fastest path to more confidence is practice plus feedback, not more motivation. We also dig into a common trap in leadership and coaching: calling everything a mindset problem when the real issue is a skill gap. Mindset matters, but it cannot replace the ability to navigate hard conversations, ask clean questions, and guide someone without taking over. Along the way, we explore good failure versus bad failure, why fear of failure can make you fail by default, and how borrowed confidence from mentors can help you move before you fully believe in yourself. Then we separate confidence from self-confidence. Confidence is earned by doing something repeatedly. Self-confidence is your belief that you can figure it out even when you have never done it before. If you’re a coach, leader, or creator who wants to stop performing inspiration and start being effective, you’ll hear why a clear process and real-time feedback prevent you from “just asking random questions” and hoping it works. If this helps, subscribe and share the episode with a friend who’s been waiting to feel ready, then leave a review with the one action you’re going to take next. For a deeper dive, watch our video, "How to Lead High Stakes Conversations Without Winging It" on YouTube!

    20 min

  4. APR 13

    Coaching Standards: Are You Coaching Or Quietly Influencing The Outcome?

    Send us Fan Mail Everyone wants to be influential. Almost no one stops to ask what their influence is teaching the people around them. Mark and Teresa unpack a coaching truth that can change how you lead: the questions you ask can be just as directive as the advice you give, and sometimes they’re even more dangerous because they feel “neutral” while quietly steering someone into a limiting belief.  They walk through a real coaching scenario where “I’m overwhelmed” instantly turns into time management talk, journals, and time blocking. The problem is not the tools, it’s the assumption. When your questions presuppose the diagnosis, you accidentally give power to circumstances and to a client’s current perspective, which can take away ownership and create dependence. Instead, they explain how to coach for agency by focusing on what people can control: how they think, how they talk, and how they act.  From there, the conversation gets practical with coaching standards they teach inside their coaching certification and leadership training: clean thinking, holding space, and using a framework like their Growth Model as an awareness tool rather than a script. You’ll also hear the two questions they come back to constantly “What do you mean by that?” and “Tell me about the last time this happened” plus a simple challenge to use silence so the other person can find the insight themselves.  If you want to lead better conversations at work and at home, listen through to the end, then try their “last time” question in your very next conversation. Subscribe, share this with a leader who defaults to fixing, and leave a review so more people find the Modern Leadership Coaching Podcast.

    19 min

  5. APR 6

    Stop Winging Sessions - The Standard Your Clients Can Feel

    Send us Fan Mail Your client can feel it the moment a session turns into a friendly chat. Marc and Teresa unpack the uncomfortable truth a lot of coaches avoid: improvising might sound intuitive, but it rarely produces consistent client transformation. We talk about the gap between a “good conversation” and a coaching session built for measurable change, and why clients stop re-upping when the work has no clear direction. We also dig into coaching vs mentoring. If you’ve had success in fitness, leadership, or business, it’s easy to slip into advice-giving and assume your client’s problem matches yours. Real coaching requires a repeatable coaching framework that helps someone find the root issue, name what they actually want, and navigate the whirlwind of distractions and self-sabotage. We share how we use simple pre-call questions to prepare both coach and client, keep sessions aligned to stated goals, and decide whether the real block is an adaptive challenge or a technical challenge. Then we get practical about skill-building: talent isn’t the point, reps and feedback are. We explain why great conversationalists sometimes struggle as coaches, how staying in a learning environment protects your confidence, and why getting coached yourself makes you better at guiding others. If you want one actionable step to stop winging it, we give it to you: record a session, listen back, and ask for feedback on what you did well and one thing to do differently. If you got value from this, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, share it with a coach who’s ready to level up, and leave a review telling us what part of your coaching you want to improve next. If you want to stop winging sessions and learn to coach at the root level, apply for the next cohort of High Impact Mastery Academy at modernleadership.us/academy and, if this helped, subscribe, share it with a coach friend, and leave a review.

    22 min

  6. MAR 30

    What Undercharging Is Really Costing You

    Send us Fan Mail Undercharging can look like generosity, but it often becomes a slow leak that drains your confidence, your business, and even your client results. We get real about the internal stories that push well-intentioned coaches to discount their coaching services, then wonder why they feel stuck, frustrated, or secretly resentful. If you’ve ever thought, “Who am I to charge that?” this conversation gives you language for what’s happening and a path forward that doesn’t rely on hype or gimmicks. We break down the belief loop behind pricing fear: the thought that hits automatically, the feelings it creates, and the actions that follow, like lowering rates, avoiding sales conversations, or not even telling people you coach. Then we zoom out to the uncomfortable truth most people miss: when clients don’t have skin in the game, they often take less action. That lack of commitment can lead to weaker outcomes, which feeds more doubt and sends coaches searching for tactics like new offers, better messaging, or AI shortcuts instead of addressing the root belief system. We also talk practical strategy for new coaches, including a structured six-week “free” container designed to build reps, create testimonials, and transition into paid work without making free sessions your default. Finally, we separate worth from value: your worth is inherent, while the market pays for the value you can deliver through skill, transformation, and a clear roadmap. If you want to stop winging sessions and learn to coach at the root level, apply for the next cohort of High Impact Mastery Academy at modernleadership.us/academy and, if this helped, subscribe, share it with a coach friend, and leave a review.

    18 min

  7. MAR 23

    What Keeps Your Clients (and YOU) Stuck

    Send us Fan Mail Feeling stuck can look like “I don’t know what to do,” but it usually sounds more like “I know what to do, and I still can’t move.” Mark and Teresa get honest about what keeps coaches, leaders, and entrepreneurs trapped in place and why the problem you name first is rarely the real one. If you work with clients or you are building a coaching business, this conversation gives you a clean way to spot what is actually happening so you can create momentum again.  We break down a practical coaching lens that changes everything: the difference between a technical problem and an adaptive challenge. Technical issues are the how-to steps and tools. Adaptive challenges are the stories, identity fears, and hidden assumptions that quietly shut down action. We talk about why people mislabel adaptive challenges as technical problems, how to define what “stuck” truly means for each person, and how powerful questions create awareness that leads to better choices. We also dig into the “salesy” fear that stalls client conversations and how a heart-first approach helps you lead without forcing outcomes.  Then we turn the mirror on coaches themselves. The more you understand mindset and coaching models, the easier it can be for your brain to twist that knowledge into self-judgment and paralysis. We explore why outside perspective matters, why community accelerates personal development, and how disconnecting from the very support that created your progress can lead to a slow slide back within 90 to 120 days. Finally, we challenge the belief that you must wait for more clients before investing in your growth, and explain why reinvestment is often the path to greater value, stronger leadership, and a more resilient coaching practice.  If something in this conversation hits a nerve, do not brush it off. Listen, share this with a coach friend who needs it, and subscribe so you do not miss what we publish next. What is one place in your life or business where you are ready to get unstuck?

    21 min

  8. MAR 16

    Why Coaches Know What to Do But Won't Do It

    Send us Fan Mail You can feel it in your gut: you know what would grow your coaching business, and you still don’t do it. Not because you’re lazy. Not because you’re “bad at sales.” It’s because something deeper is protecting you from the discomfort of being seen, being judged, or sounding like the spammy outreach you hate. We unpack the identity gap that keeps coaches stuck in prep mode, and why the story changes at every level. First it’s “I don’t know what to say,” then it becomes “who am I to reach out,” and eventually it turns into a values conflict like “I don’t want to be salesy.” We talk about the real cost of avoidance, how time and income compound when you finally act, and why coaching is paid for transformation, not hours on a call. Then we get practical: why websites, niches, and constant posting can turn into side quests, and how to shift your energy so outreach actually works. We also share why copy-paste AI messaging can backfire, how to find your own language, and what kind of insight only comes from committing to 10 real conversations with real people. If you’re ready to stop preparing and start leading, check out our Meet 10 Bootcamp at modernleadership.us/meet10 and take action this week.

    22 min
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
100 Ratings

About

The Modern Leadership Coaching Podcast is for coaches, leaders, and anyone responsible for developing people who want real skill, not motivation. Weekly, we break down how to think clearly under pressure, lead yourself, and coach in a way that creates measurable change. No scripts. No hype. Just reps, tools, and the conversations that actually move people. If you're responsible for people but you don't trust your process yet, start here: https://www.modernleadership.us/academy New episodes weekly: https://www.modernleadership.us/episodes/

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