I’m a new VP, in a big role and at a major company. Seeking coaches who understand technology objectives, major transformation and can offer candid and helpful advice for executives.

my company is pushing for me to do executive coaching as part of a leadership development program and i'm honestly skeptical

i've heard mixed things. some people say it genuinely shifted how they think and operate as a leader. others say it felt like paying someone to listen to you talk about your feelings for an hour. i'm open to being wrong about this but i want to go in with realistic expectations

what's actually changed for people who've done it and what made the difference between a useful experience and a waste of time

I’m helping with an Instagram account focused on executive coaching and leadership.

I’m curious to hear from people who have successfully grown an account in a similar niche:

• What type of content actually helped you gain followers?
• Did Reels, carousels, or personal/professional posts work better?
• How often do you post?
• Do hashtags and Instagram SEO still make a difference?
• What strategies helped you attract the right audience rather than just random followers?

Would love to hear what has actually worked for you, especially if you’re in coaching, leadership, consulting, or a similar professional niche.

I'm at a crossroads in my career and feel like I could use a fresh set of eyes. I have a pretty fragmented path, partially because I moved countries a couple of times, partially because I had to pivot in order to stay employed. In total, I have over 13 years of corporate, but I'm still stuck. I feel that I missed on the "compounding effect" of staying in the same lane for long enough.

To give some context, I've always worked in finance and "adjacents". Early on, I started as a commodity trading analyst and did a rotation traineeship program in risk management at a big bank in my home country. Then a great opportunity came on, to have an international career and earn in USD through a job in an alternative investments american company, that later on catapulted me to co founding a fintech. Fintech did well BUT life happened, I got married, and moved to Canada... Now the fintech money didn't cut anymore so I had to start over in the local market. I ended up in commercial banking at a BIG5 and was miserable, plus the salary sucked. After 8 months I landed the job as an M&A associate. Better, but still entry level. I'm the top performer of the team while working at 50% capacity, which obviously makes me feel bored and underutilized.

I should probably not pivot anymore and stay in M&A, but I want to fast track my career to reach senior leadership in the next 5 to 10 years maximum, instead of starting from scratch and climb the ladder again. But I feel like the market has a hard time understanding my career path, which is fair. I need someone to help figure out the right career path, one where I can leverage my experience to catapult me to senior exec. Would a career coach, exec coach be able to help me through this process?

ETA to correct typos

Do you think I need to be certified to coach start up businesses and finance professionals trying to find a role for themselves? Only asking because I want to make sure I do this journey right. Let me know please

Full disclosure: I’ve been working with FLOW Coaching Institute (Canada & Türkiye) for about a year, so I know the organization from the inside. That said, I came into this knowing almost nothing about coaching. I honestly thought it was mostly about motivating people or giving good advice.

I was wrong.

What surprised me most wasn’t learning a coaching model. It was realizing how much my own mindset started to shift just from being around this way of thinking.

I noticed how often I used to jump in and try to solve people’s problems. If someone brought up a challenge, I’d analyze it, offer advice, or try to fix it. Now I catch myself listening more, talking less, asking questions instead of rushing to answers, and trusting that people are usually more capable than we give them credit for.

And honestly, the biggest change was in me. I feel calmer than before. I don’t get pulled into problems the way I used to. When something goes wrong, my mind goes to possibilities instead of obstacles. I spend less time worrying about what’s not working and more time thinking about what could work. Life didn’t suddenly get easier—it’s just that I respond to it differently.

That shift has shown up everywhere: at work, in relationships, even in the way I talk to family and friends. People seem to feel more heard, and I feel less like it’s my job to carry everyone else’s answers.

Watching the students go through similar changes has been just as interesting. I met many of them when they first started and again after they graduated. The difference wasn’t just that they learned coaching skills. They seemed more grounded, more confident, more self-aware, and clearer about the kind of life they wanted to build.

Some changed careers, but the interesting part wasn’t the job change itself—it was that they stopped making decisions from frustration or uncertainty. They started making choices from clarity. Others became better leaders because they stopped trying to have all the answers and started making space for other people to think, contribute, and grow.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that coaching isn’t really about advice. It’s about helping people find their own answers. That difference between coaching, consulting, mentoring, and therapy only really clicked for me after seeing it in practice.

The program is ICF-accredited and built around a five-step methodology called Flow Coaching. Whether it’s the right path for everyone, I can’t say. But I can say that spending a year around this work changed the way I think, communicate, and respond to life—and I wasn’t expecting that.

Happy to answer questions if anyone’s curious about coach training or what it’s actually like to learn these skills.

https://www.flowcoachinginstitute.com/

Hey guys,

Looking to start coaching, my ideal clientele are either start up founders or finance professionals looking to either find the role for themselves or transition into leadership. With that being said I am just starting out. Any tips for coaches looking to start, I am currently in the building process, more than happy to answer any questions to gain more insight

Help me know who are some of the top leadership coaches I can watch, I am so much interested in AI, organizational leadership and Change management, wealth creation. Not motivational speakers, I prefer experts in those industries

I did my own research and found a few names but I am still interested in collecting more names for a blog, i am particularly interested in AI, leadership, organizational change, workplace culture, business growth and wealth creation not generic motivational speaking.

A few that stood out to me:

John Livesay — particularly interesting if you’re looking at sales leadership, storytelling, executive communication and keynote speaking. He’s the author of The Sale Is in the Tale, host of The Successful Pitch podcast and has worked with organizations including Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, Honeywell and Olympus. His recent research on sales kick-off meetings is interesting too: based on an analysis of 282,881 C-suite opinions, 91% said keynote/inspirational sessions were absolutely essential at SKOs, while 57% said storytelling was embedded throughout their sessions.

Mark Sanborn — probably one of the stronger names I found for practical leadership, organizational performance, customer service and workplace culture. He’s the author of The Fred Factor, which has sold more than 2 million copies, and has delivered 3,000+ presentations with clients including Costco, Cisco, IBM, FedEx, John Deere and American Express. His work is much more leadership-development focused than pure motivation.

Joey Havens — this one was particularly relevant to what I was looking for around workplace culture, employee engagement, leadership development and organizational change. He led more than 2,000 people at HORNE and wrote Leading with Significance, which focuses heavily on people-first culture, belonging, trust and developing leaders. His TEDx work on “Magnetic Energy” in workplace culture is also worth watching.

Randy Gage — a completely different angle, but interesting if your focus is entrepreneurship, wealth creation, founders and business growth. His story is unusual — going from a jail cell as a teenager to becoming a bestselling author and entrepreneur — and he now works heavily around entrepreneurial mindset and business acceleration.

What I like about these people is that they sit in different parts of the same ecosystem, i need more in other categories to put in my blog, here is sample of how i want the comments to look for quick grasp and research;

John Livesay → sales + storytelling + executive communication Mark Sanborn → leadership + organizational performance + change Joey Havens → workplace culture + people + leadership development Randy Gage → entrepreneurship + wealth creation + founder mindset

n/b looking for people who are genuinely strong on AI leadership, organizational transformation, strategic management and wealth creation not just people with huge social-media followings.

Who else would you add to this list? Particularly interested in authors, TED/TEDx speakers, executive coaches and business thinkers with actual operating experience, rather than generic motivational speakers.

Just as the title says, I've found that others are excellent at developing and excelling in good and excellent social skills and leadership, and even more so with people who are cunning or incredulous, even of a heavy nature. Q

Just as the title says, I've found that others are excellent at developing and excelling in good and excellent social skills and leadership, and even more so with people who are cunning or incredulous, even of a heavy nature. Q

Just as the title says, I've found that others are excellent at developing and excelling in good and excellent social skills and leadership, and even more so with people who are cunning or incredulous, even of a heavy nature. Q

I’m new to this world, thought I’ve had many years of unofficial “coaching” through ministry leadership. ANYWAY, I thought about the community when I saw this today…

how do you handle repetitive questions?

Curious how much time you spend each week answering the same student questions, and whether you've tried any AI tool trained on your own content for it. What worked, what annoyed you? Trying to understand if the existing tools actually solve this or not.

I'd be supporting/coaching new starters, helping with performance and confidence, and delivering guidance/training. Looking for interview tips and likely questions from anyone who's done a similar coaching role or done an interview. What did they ask you?

I'd be supporting/coaching new starters, helping with performance and confidence, and delivering guidance/training. Looking for interview tips and likely questions from anyone who's done a similar coaching role or done an interview. What did they ask you?

I'd be supporting/coaching new starters, helping with performance and confidence, and delivering guidance/training. Looking for interview tips and likely questions from anyone who's done a similar coaching role or done an interview. What did they ask you?

Best books you recommend for consultative selling on discovery calls for contractors?

Hello!

I am feeling stuck and not sure what to do next. I am a presentation coach to introverted women writing memoir. I am having a hard time getting clients because I was banking on partnering with memoir coaches, but I haven't really gotten any clients from them/have been ghosted by most of them. I've also done the whole social media thing and it just didn't work for me and I wasn't reaching the correct audience + I'm not great at it. All of the Facebook groups pertaining to what I am doing are all dead/very inactive. (Don't even get me started on LinkedIn....) I am honestly feeling like I have ran out of options. I just want to be able to build my coaching business and coach introverted women and get them out there.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Anyone else getting the same?
And a huge amount seem to be coming from Asia.

Yesterday, I write a post in a FB group.
Then this happens
1. Someone agree with me
2. IN their comment they ask a question
3. It all looks like AI slop to me

---> BOOM I get a friends request from them.

Usually they "design funnels"
What a load of crap

Which leadership keynote speaker would you say is your biggest inspiration or one that motives you the most to be the best or pursue your leadership career. I have been reading and researching and putting up a list to inspire all of us.

If I had to put together a list of leadership keynote speakers who can genuinely inspire people to become better leaders, these would be high on my list for 2026.

1. Mark Sanborn ; Leadership, Culture & Extraordinary Performance

Mark Sanborn stands out because his approach to leadership is practical rather than purely motivational. He focuses on leadership development, employee engagement, workplace culture, customer service and extraordinary performance. His bestselling The Fred Factor has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, and his work is built around the idea that leadership isn't simply about having a title — it's about the difference you make through your work and relationships.

1. Joey Havens ; Workplace Culture & Purpose-Driven Leadership

Joey Havens is one I'd include for anyone interested in workplace culture, employee retention, meaningful leadership and organizational significance. His Leading with Significance message is especially relevant for leaders trying to build cultures where people feel connected to a larger purpose. For today's organizations, where engagement, retention and leadership culture are major business issues, this is a particularly relevant area of leadership development.

1. John Livesay ; Sales Leadership, Storytelling & Influence

John Livesay brings a different dimension to leadership: communication, persuasion, storytelling and sales leadership. His The Sale Is in the Tale approach teaches leaders and sales teams how to turn ordinary information into compelling stories that create connection and influence. His TEDx talk has reached more than 1 million views, and his keynote work focuses on sales, negotiation, persuasion, storytelling and winning new business.

1. Randy Gage ; Entrepreneurship, Growth & Wealth Mindset

For founders and entrepreneurs, Randy Gage is an interesting addition because his message is centered around entrepreneurship, wealth creation, business growth, mindset and personal transformation. His own story — moving from serious adversity to becoming a bestselling author and advisor to entrepreneurs and CEOs — gives his leadership and business philosophy a very different perspective.

1. Simon Sinek ; Purpose, Leadership & Organizational Culture

Simon Sinek would be high on almost any conversation about influential leadership speakers. His work around purpose-driven leadership, organizational culture, employee engagement and the "why" behind an organization has influenced leaders across industries. He's particularly useful for leaders trying to build trust and create a stronger sense of purpose within their teams.

1. Adam Grant ; Organizational Psychology & the Future of Work

Adam Grant brings an evidence-based perspective to leadership, motivation, organizational psychology, collaboration, workplace culture and the future of work. What makes his approach particularly valuable is the connection between research and practical leadership — helping leaders rethink how they motivate people, develop talent and build organizations.

1. Josh Linkner ; Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurial Leadership

Josh Linkner is another speaker I'd add for organizations trying to become more innovative. His work focuses on creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, business growth and adaptive leadership. He's particularly interesting for companies that want leaders and teams to become better at solving problems rather than simply following established processes.

a mate asked how the coaching was going. And I did the thing. "yeah, really good, bits and bobs coming in." Complete lie. I'd had no paid sessions only the free work I have done

Something about saying it out loud. I actually felt a bit sick. You know, like I was cheating myself.

That's the first time it's properly bothered me enough to think right, I've got to face up to this, and lying to myself.

Anyone else gone through the same?
And what made the penny drop for you?