Your ability to lead others depends on how well you lead yourself. DeAnna Murphy, Chief People Officer at Thriven with 2,500+ hours of executive coaching experience, joins Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave to break down the fundamentals of self-leadership.

DeAnna shares the four levels of leadership model and explains why psychological safety is your responsibility, not your boss's. She introduces practical tools including the "story you're telling" coaching question and the three agreements that build trust in any relationship.

The conversation gets personal when DeAnna reveals how she wasted six months in frustrating meetings before taking responsibility for her own needs. Her breakthrough moment offers a lesson every coach and leader needs to hear.

Whether you coach executives or lead teams, this episode delivers frameworks you can apply immediately.

Watch the full episode here: https://thecoachingedgepodcast.com/deanna-murphy-why-self-leadership-is-the-foundation-every-leader-needs/

Former Second City instructor Meridith Grundei teaches leaders how to become unforgettable presenters through storytelling.

In this conversation with Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave, Meridith shares practical frameworks for presentation skills and communication. She explains why structure frees you to speak naturally, how to find stories using a timeline exercise, and why focusing on your audience removes the pressure of performing.

One standout insight: Meridith describes helping a client sell an AI tool using a personal story about his son learning to climb stairs. The audience remembered him because they felt connection, not because they remembered the product features.

Whether you coach executives, lead teams, or speak from stages, this episode delivers specific techniques for telling stories that create lasting impact.

Watch the full episode here: https://thecoachingedgepodcast.com/how-meridith-grundei-helps-leaders-tell-stories-that-create-connection-and-get-remembered/

In this special year-end episode of The Coaching Edge Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Steve Jeffs and Erwin de Grave reflect on launching the show in 2025, the unexpected depth that emerged from “coffee-style” conversations, and the recurring theme that coaching impact comes less from doing more and more from presence, patience, and responsiveness. They revisit a core insight heard repeatedly across guests: tools and methodologies matter—but what matters more is who the coach is in the moment, and how coach and client co-create outcomes from what’s emerging.

From the business side of C-squared (Coach + CEO), they underline the importance of clear structure—enough to get moving, like steering a ship that must first be in motion—while still leaving space for creativity. They clarify distinct roles many coaches blur: the coach delivering, the CEO building systems, and the business owner focused on profit and return. They also tackle the “selling” tension coaches often face, reframing it from a transactional exchange into a celebrated investment in outcomes, shifting from selling sessions to selling a journey from Point A to Point B.

Looking ahead to 2026, they explore AI as a tool (not a replacement for human connection), predict a renewed emphasis on mastery of basics (black-belt-level fundamentals), and call for greater professionalization and community in coaching—less lone-wolf, more connected learning and shared wisdom. The episode closes with a powerful reflection practice: not just reflecting on the year, but reflecting on your reflection—“As I read this, I notice…”—as a way to carry forward real learning into what’s next.

Watch the full episode: https://thecoachingedgepodcast.com/master-the-basics-build-the-system-what-coaching-needs-next/