Coaching podcasts offer valuable insights & strategies for personal & professional growth, accessible anytime & anywhere.
Listening to experts in various fields can inspire new perspectives, enhance coaching skills & encourage continual learning.
Engaging with diverse podcast content supports adaptability, fosters resilience & motivates sustained self-improvement efforts.
Coaches, like all professionals, benefit from being part of a community.
Sharing experiences, discussing lessons learned, and exchanging techniques strengthen knowledge and build expertise (Cox, Bachkirova, & Clutterbuck, 2018).
Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, some podcasts can help you develop your business and coaching skills and feel part of this life-changing profession.
In this article, we identify 20 podcasts that will inspire you as a coach and support you in your work with clients. There are interviews with life, career, and executive coaches and guidance to help you grow professionally while supporting clients.
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The following four podcasts offer a wealth of expertise and experience gained by coaching professionals. There are plenty of others, but these provide both broad and in-depth coverage of the coaching profession.
They will help you develop skills and overcome many of the challenges faced in building a successful business.
1. The Coaching Life Podcast
The Coaching Life Podcast with coach, speaker, and author Phil Goddard is a well-thought-out series of interviews with coaches and clients.
Each episode provides real-life insight into what it takes to be a coach, the lessons learned, and pitfalls encountered along the way.
Highlights include:
For a fascinating insight into coaching, listen to the two interviews with Kevin Waldron. Taken three-and-a-half years apart (episodes 1 and 77), they share the experiences and learnings of a coach building a sustainable practice.
2. Natural Born Coaches
Marc Mawhinney started his incredibly successful Natural Born Coaches podcast in 2014 to help coaches grow their businesses.
He has a back catalog of over 600 episodes and continues to provide entertaining and insightful interviews with coaching professionals each week.
Highlights include:
Steve Sunshine provides expert guidance on how an extraordinary piece of technology – a chatbot named TruCHAT – can improve client engagement with your coaching business.
3. The Art of Coaching
The Art of Coaching provides extensive support for coaches via a collection of podcasts, books, online courses, and live events.
There are over 100 downloadable interviews covering everything from leadership to reasons why you are not reaching your full potential.
Highlights include:
The Why You Are Not Getting Anything Done episode explores distraction – and how to avoid it – and why we often go to bed believing we have failed to achieve all we could.
Inspiring Life Coaching Podcasts
We are all aware of the importance of work–life balance, and yet, we’re often unclear about how to fix it. Coaches help identify and reduce imbalances while bringing clarity to life goals and talking through changes to impact your world positively.
Life coaching, while powerful and transformative, must be safe, supportive, and confidential. The coach will be working with clients on particularly sensitive areas of their lives – finance, marriage, stress, relationships – and need to be equipped to do so.
The following podcasts deliver practical insights that can help put meaning at the center of your own and your client’s life. They will also offer encouragement to you as a coach and enthuse you in the profession.
As a Master Certified Coach from the International Coaching Federation, Dr. Burns covers how to thrive as a coach, excel on LinkedIn, effectively manage the finances of your coaching business, and even be more charismatic.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant runs the TED original podcast, WorkLife.
He aims to share learnings by interviewing unusual professionals who take the challenges and difficulties thrown at them and excel in their chosen career or profession.
WorkLife was near the top of the Apple chart for most downloaded podcasts in 2018 and is still hugely popular.
Highlights include:
Burnout Is Everyone’s Problem explores how to redefine jobs to avoid psychological exhaustion and includes conversations with people who have overcome burnout.
4. Courage & Spice
We all, at times, suffer from self-doubt.
Sas Petherick’s Courage & Spice podcast provides inspiring stories and evidence-led research to navigate uncertainty and life-limiting lack of confidence.
Having researched the field, Sas offers valuable insights into dealing with unhealthy beliefs, issues of lack of self-esteem, and self-acceptance.
Highlights include:
Reality Is Neutral is an exceptional deep dive into how we bias our perception of a neutral world through our values and belief system, and what to do about it.
5. The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tim Ferriss Show is regularly at the top of the podcast download charts, and with good reason.
Known for his popular books, including the bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek, this series takes us through interviews with celebrities, Olympic athletes, film stars, and politicians and the coaching tools they use to maximize their potential.
Highlights include:
Actor Hugh Jackman describes how he uses meditation and intuition to manage success in his daily life.
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Podcasts for Business and Executive Coaches
The goal of business and executive coaching is to maximize the potential of organizations and their senior managers for growth, transformation, and success.
Executive coaching allows a professional to stop and reflect, bounce ideas, and share concerns in a safe environment. Successful sessions lead to more resilient leaders, with increased motivation and clarity over the steps to reach their next goal.
The following four podcasts offer support to coaches, business leaders, and executives along that journey.
1. Lead to Win
In Lead to Win, New York Times bestselling author Michael Wyatt takes us on a path through personal development, leadership, and influencing skills.
Each episode is delivered enthusiastically, offering guidance and tools in areas such as how to sustain achievement and increase personal productivity.
Highlights include:
3 Habits of Wise Leaders offers examples of avoidable mistakes and how to prevent them while acquiring the skills and practices needed to make the best decisions.
2. Coaching for Leaders
Dr. Dave Stachowiak’s hugely popular podcast, Coaching for Leaders, has been running since 2011.
Over 300 episodes of actionable wisdom, interesting guests, and engaging delivery help develop leadership skills.
Highlights include:
An interview with Bonni Stachowiak, professor of business and management at Vanguard University, answers questions on how to get started in leadership.
While covering leadership and team building, he delves into how to tap employee potential and encourage innovation.
Highlights include:
The How to Bring More Humanity to Your Leadership episode, with cofounder of an executive life coaching company Beth Weissenberger, helps you navigate your human side as a leader without doubting your ability.
4. Coaches Rising
While Coaches Rising provides certified coach training, it also offers a series of podcasts aimed at sharing expert knowledge through a series of interviews with coaching professionals.
Highlights include:
Getting Your Clients World is an incredible insight into how leaders can deal with and overcome complexity while going through periods of change.
We can all benefit from guidance on career options and how to start, change, or re-think our future.
A career coach can help a client see options more clearly.
The following podcasts offer some worthwhile insights into realizing your potential and meeting those career goals.
1. The Exclusive Career Coach
The Exclusive Career Coach is aimed at high-performing career professionals, focusing on branding, resumes, and presentation skills.
There are over 100 episodes covering career management, job searching, and career decisions, among other areas.
Highlights include:
The episode Is Now the Perfect Time for a Side Hustle? will provide you with the push you need to handle a difficult time of unemployment by reinventing yourself in a new role.
2. The School of Greatness Podcast
You cannot help but be inspired by The School of Greatness Podcast. The series is a one-stop shop for embracing difficult times and finding happiness and a successful career (not necessarily in financial terms).
Highlights include:
Do you want to have self-worth and confidence that does not rely on other people’s approval? In Build a Reputation with Yourself, Ed Mylett shares his tools for building self-confidence.
3. Pivot
Pivot with Jenny Blake takes you through your next career move while embracing fear and uncertainty. Jenny provides some encouraging support if you are considering a change of direction.
Career Cloud is downloaded an astonishing 2,500 times a day.
The range of subjects covered is vast, covering interviewing, creating resumes, using social media, and job hunting. It’s an incredible resource for anyone looking to change careers or consider their next option for promotion.
Brooke Castillo is a Master Certified instructor, author, and curriculum creator for The Life Coach School. Her training programs guide you through exploring your own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors leading to certification as a coach.
The school’s top-rated podcast has over 300 episodes and covers everything from changing your life and adopting a new mindset, to improving relationships and dealing with stress. It uses lessons from real clients with genuine problems and discusses practical coaching that works.
Highlights include:
Being able to enjoy your life and yourself is less straightforward than it first appears. If, like the rest of us, you need help enjoying the moment, listen to the How to Enjoy Yourself episode.
Note on the Anxiety Coaches Podcast
In the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, Gina Ryan discusses lifestyle changes that can help you manage stress, anxiety, and panic attacks better.
With over 600 episodes to choose from, it provides an essential resource for handling everything from poor sleep, regaining a sense of calm, and managing your emotions more effectively.
17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners
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Learn from our very own positive psychology researcher and practitioner Hugo Alberts, PhD, and entrepreneur Seph Fontane Pennock in the PositivePsychology.com podcast.
Not only will you learn practical strategies for increasing mental wellbeing – including strengths, gratitude, and meaning in life – but you can also hear personal stories that reflect positive psychology in practice.
After reading about all these great coaching podcasts, if you are keen on starting your own, here is an excellent video that we hope will inspire you:
How to start a podcast - Beginner podcasting tutorial
Helpful Resources From PositivePsychology.com
Are you a current or aspiring coach looking to build up your coaching toolkit? At PositivePsychology.com, we have many resources to support you.
To begin, consider taking a look at the following helpful articles:
The Wheel of Life: How to Apply It in Coaching The Wheel of Life is a versatile coaching tool that helps clients quickly visualize which areas of their lives are thriving and which need attention. This article walks practitioners through using the wheel to spark insight and support meaningful, balanced personal growth.
32 Coaching Techniques Effective Coaches Use
This article is an excellent resource for coaches looking to confidently select the right technique for each client’s needs. It offers a clear overview of 32 evidence-based coaching techniques, from foundational models like GROW to more specialized tools that strengthen motivation and behavioral change.
For some helpful free resources, take a look at the following PDFs:
Coaching Program Blueprint
This table is a simple and structured tool for collecting and displaying all the activities or lessons in your coaching program.
Online Feedback Request Form
This feedback form gathers information from prospective clients about their challenges and areas for growth to help guide the development of your coaching program.
Working with clients to identify beliefs that stop them from achieving their goals, change how they feel about themselves, or make better use of their strengths takes expert coaching, the right tools, and experience (Franklin, 2019).
Receiving the right coaching training, certification, and accreditation is crucial to providing that support, being successful as a coach, and growing your business. Nevertheless, the journey can be a lonely one, logging long hours to achieve the knowledge required.
Podcasts can help. Learn from others’ successes and failures. Whether traveling or sitting comfortably at home, a recording of a well-put-together interview or conversation between experienced professionals can transport the listener to that of the coach’s office as a client or practitioner.
Whether you are currently undergoing training to become a certified coach or a seasoned professional, engaging with the podcasts created by professional coaches can offer vital insights into your chosen profession.
Listen to the podcasts and find ones that entertain you, hold your interest, and guide you through the art of coaching and how to grow your business. Take notes in a dedicated journal or online notebook and build up a library of resources that you can refer to when you face challenges or obstacles.
How can coaching podcasts enhance my coaching skills?
Listening to coaching podcasts exposes you to diverse perspectives, expert advice, and practical tools, helping you refine your coaching techniques and stay updated with industry trends.
Can coaching podcasts help with personal development?
Absolutely. Podcasts such as “The Life Coach School Podcast” and “The Flourishing Center” provide insights into positive psychology and personal growth strategies.
How do coaching podcasts support continual learning?
By featuring interviews with experts and discussing various coaching methodologies, podcasts encourage ongoing education and adaptability in the coaching profession.
References
Cox, E., Bachkirova, T., & Clutterbuck, D. (2018). The complete handbook of coaching. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Franklin, M. (2019). The heart of laser-focused coaching: A revolutionary approach to masterful coaching. Wilmington, DE: Thomas Noble Books.
About the author
Jeremy Sutton, Ph.D., is an experienced psychologist, coach, consultant, and psychology lecturer. He works with individuals and groups to promote resilience, mental toughness, strength-based coaching, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, and flourishing. Alongside teaching psychology at the University of Liverpool, he is an amateur endurance athlete who has completed numerous ultra-marathons and is an Ironman.
Coaches, like all professionals, benefit from being part of a community.
Learn from our very own positive psychology researcher and practitioner Hugo Alberts, PhD, and entrepreneur Seph Fontane Pennock in the 
