Best Debbi Gardiner Mccullough D G Mccullough Podcasts (2025)

1
Ben Dooley: “Every coaching call contains a thousand lost connections with our client; but most nobody would notice.” 24:57

12d ago24:57

24:57

In 2025, the ICF estimates 109,200 ICF certified coaches exist worldwide, an unprecedented milestone exceeding the 100,000 mark. Most recent 2023 data has MCC coaches at 2,203. So reasonable to expect, it’s still under 3,000. How high am I with this long climb and summit of certifying with the International Coaching Federation as a master certified…

1
The Harvard Mum. Chapter 1: Staying present in the last home season 14:58

20d ago14:58

14:58

Harvard University received 53,700 applications for this incoming class of 2029. Of those, 1,950 were admitted, a 3.63% acceptance rate. My oldest of two sons, Nicholas McCullough, is one of them. He’ll play defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team, who recruited him, and he’ll study economics. As mother’s day weekend approaches, m…

1
From stuck to spacious. Marie-Louise and reimagining rest and adventure on her terms 29:41

1M ago29:41

29:41

“The summit is what drives us; but the climb itself is what matters” The delightful quote comes from Conrad Anker, the American rock climber, activist, author and mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest three times. Anker, known for his visionary approach towards hardship, also tackled challenging routes across the Americas, Antarctica, and the Himal…

1
”I discovered presence through training as a coach.” Coach Anna Damsma on intuition, creativity, and maintaining presence 32:40

2M ago32:40

32:40

For Anna Damsma, maintaining presence was not much on her radar when working as a consultant. Work was more about pouring in excellent advice and building profits. But when later training to become a coach with the prestigious Co-active Coach Training Institute, Anna, based in the Amsterdam area, discovered three levels of listening existed. And le…

1
How are you? The Catch-22 of Asking with Heart and Losing the Thread 13:17

2M ago13:17

13:17

I’ve not mused about my certification efforts with the International Coaching Federation as a master certified coach for a good while. Much has happened, and not happened since my January update. Here’s where we’re at. To certify as an MCC coach, coaches must submit for thorough evaluation two recorded coaching calls of at least 25 minutes in lengt…

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The world needs a little guided meditation: Postcard from a Wisconsin prairie 8:08

3M ago8:08

8:08

Amidst world chaos, uncertainty, and a lunar eclipse, I felt a guided meditation from my Wisconsin prairie would make a nice gift for my dear listeners this week. Thank you to Dotun Ayeni for the lovely edits and to Positive Intelligence, CEO Shirzad Chamine for the meditation. Reach out to me, your show host, for keynote speaking engagements, coac…

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“I need space for my boldest creativity” Entrepreneur Marie-Louise on staying calm while growing our business 42:03

3M ago42:03

42:03

We’ve a rare treat this week in sharing a coaching call in its entirety, with my client’s blessing and encouragement. The topic? Staying calm and grounded as we grow our business and dreams—a timely topic for entrepreneurs and anyone wanting to create positive life and career change. This often starts within ourselves, our relationship with time, a…

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Victorious Victoria: “I meet with my anxiety daily to hear what she has to say” 18:53

4M ago18:53

18:53

Experts at the World Health Organization estimate around 4% of the global population experience an anxiety disorder. The National Alliance on Mental Illness finds anxiety the most common mental health concern in the U.S. with 19.1% with anxiety, over 40 million adults. Victoria Torno, based in the Philippines, decided a fresh approach to her own an…

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The Peace and Calm from Lunar New Years from our Past 23:50

4M ago23:50

23:50

San Diego based technology project leader Limei Wang loved the Lunar New Years from her past. Growing up in a small rural village in Northern China, the incoming lunar year brought the best food, clothing, and gatherings for the year. Little sleep punctuated the festivities, which lasted all week. Children received beautifully, hand-stitched clothi…

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The Final Cut. Where, Why, and How I Still Fall Out of Masterful Coaching 17:22

5M ago17:22

17:22

Over the last year, I’ve listened to 35 different coaching calls I’ve conducted and recorded with a quest to submit one recording (a beautiful recording) to the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I’ve created a self-imposed deadline of Lunar New Year, January 29, Wednesday. (I know my critical mind. With no deadline, my Avoider and Stickler s…

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Content for Coaches. Creating thoughtful content can bring prosperity, clarity, and joy 16:45

6M ago16:45

16:45

Our Competency No 5 podcast has focused much on how to stay calm and present when we coach, lead, and live our lives. For coaches, part of that calm ties to making a living from our coaching, which requires marketing ourselves to our prospective clients. I’m no expert; but I have built a prosperous coaching business in a relatively short time from …

1
How do we interrupt our coachees less? And if an ICF evaluator hears, are we failed? 16:48

6M ago16:48

16:48

I muse and mentor some more with MCC Coach Ben Dooley this week, getting deeper into the nitty-gritty on how to lock in, stay fully present with our coachee. We address the inevitable blunder of speaking over—so hard not to in a 45-minute session, ways to rebound earlier, and wonder: how much does this matter? We also tackle an age-old adage almost…

1
Does any ‘perfect’ coaching session exist? How much error do ICF evaluators allow? 31:18

6M ago31:18

31:18

How to choose which recorded coaching call to submit to the International Coaching Federation to certify at the Master Certified level still perplexes me. And after all this excellent mentoring, I’m feeling more conscious of where I’m falling out of mastery as I coach. Does any perfect coaching call exist? And assuming not, how much margin of error…

1
The pharmaceutical exec who finds (and brings) calm through natural medicine: Jill Staudacher 28:39

7M ago28:39

28:39

Pharma sales executive, Jill Staudacher, appreciates the value of pharmaceutical medicines. She also finds value in natural medicine, especially now as we approach cold and flu season here in North America. (Echinacea, honey, vitamin d and vitamin C can boost our immunity really well.) In our lovely interview, we hear of homeopathic remedies and fo…

1
Why the International Coaching Federation is right to ask coaches to clarify the topic (and how to do it) 29:37

7M ago29:37

29:37

I’ve often bristled with the International Coaching Federation’s rule to establish (clearly—and in multiple ways) the topic and hopes for the coachee (our client) in every coaching call. Why? Because when you’re locked in and connected, the coaching conversation (in the real world vs. the ICF world) unfolds. Even asking the coachee to establish the…

1
One day at a time. Nick McCullough on retirement, Mississippi, and his land 16:39

8M ago16:39

16:39

About 900,000 Americans retired in the first five months of 2024, part of a “silver tsunami” of those reaching retirement age. My father-in-law Nick McCullough is one who retired a few years back, and in beautiful ways returning to the land just outside of Ruth Mississippi where he grew up. The cotton farm of his youth is now his retirement land wh…

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Can I cry with my coachee & still evoke awareness? MCC Coach Ben Dooley says: “Yes!” 31:35

8M ago31:35

31:35

Part two in a two-part series on maintaining presence when certifying as a Master Certified Coach, especially whilst the International Coaching Federation evaluates us. Reach out to me, your show host, for keynote speaking engagements, group coaching, and training via my website, or find me also on Linkedin. Reach out to MCC Coach Ben Dooley via hi…

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How do we coach, not “perform”? MCC Coach Ben Dooley on managing our evaluators’ judgement 22:51

9M ago22:51

22:51

To certify with the International Coaching Federation, the world’s largest nonprofit organization, coaches must submit a recording of a coaching call they deem…well, worthy of certification. The stakes and expense (and the agonizing decision on which recording to submit) goes up with our credentials. The fee to submit a recording for the Master Coa…

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Clocking off. Kyana Gayden on balancing work, rest, and play 19:30

9M ago19:30

19:30

Air Force contract specialist Kyana Gayden finds that it’s the small tweaks in how we spend our time that yields the biggest results when it comes to work-life balance. She also marvels in that fabulous invention: Paid Time Off, which she never had as a graduate student, and does something fun—and spontaneous—when not working hard. “It makes a diff…

1
Meet Ben Dooley, my new MCC Mentor Coach. Joy (and struggles) with certifying as an ICF master certified coach 27:54

10M ago27:54

27:54

Warning: This episode's super ad hoc. This week, I met my new mentor coach, Ben Dooley. He's a former actor (among other things) and now runs his own coaching training academy and helps coaches certify in empowering ways. (I felt so inspired connecting with him via our Discovery session, I had to hit record.) In our conversation, we hear from Ben o…

1
“I have the best job in the world!” Oliver Singh on hotel ownership and the calm that comes from vacation 19:42

10M ago19:42

19:42

Four in ten Americans don’t take their full paid time off (around 46%) of full-time workers according to the Pew Research Center. But that’s a real shame says Oliver Singh, manager and part-owner of the Ocean Mile hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., who really gets to see the benefits of holidaying when interacting with his guests. In our lovely convers…

1
"I'm Puerto Rican. I celebrate everything." Anita Rodriguez Cordero on celebrating as we coach 28:58

11M ago28:58

28:58

With so much mayhem, worry, and turmoil, more clients struggle to find much to celebrate or to declare a true win. But coaches like my show guest this week, Coach Anita Rodriguez Cordero, set that intention each session to ask her coachees what they want to celebrate. Coach Anita takes this intention far beyond the International Coaching Federation…

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Why I’ve returned to journaling (and hope to never let it go again) 12:45

11M ago12:45

12:45

I’m recently back to journaling most days after a good nine-month hiatus. I’ve missed it so much. For me, journaling feels like emptying my bucket of all that’s within. As I get older, I’ve noticed its importance for my mental and physical health. My journal’s a forum for not explaining things, unless I want to and a place to unlock enormous ideas …

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“Maintaining presence starts with checking in on myself” Live Coaching & Musings with Coach Sophia Casey 45:10

12M ago45:10

45:10

My guest this week is my friend and MCC mentor coach Sophia Casey who trains coaches like me to strive to become our very best version of ourselves and with that, our most present. We chat about all the barriers getting in our way, including wanting to perform, or solve, even direct our coachees towards profound epiphanies and results. (None of whi…

1
What high school freshmen can teach us about not stressing out 14:54

12M ago14:54

14:54

Guess who my podcast guest is this week? It's Jackson James McCullough, my 14-year-old son who I consider a hugely calming influence on me and my life. (I've long wanted to interview this wise young man and he finally said 'yes.' ) Join us on our adhoc interview and woodland walk in our leafy state of Wisconsin, just days after Jackson finished his…

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“Nature’s the one thing that brings us together” Jacqueline Crivello on birding, nature, and truth 21:26

1y ago21:26

21:26

I’m one of millions of people globally who not only love bird watching, I love to do so from my garden. What a treat to interview Jacqueline Crivello, an award winning photographer, author, bird feeding store owner, a birder, entrepreneur and even an inventor of a bird feeder for hummingbirds. (The latter comes inspired from her very first bird fee…

1
How do I train to become a coach? One coach’s journey 16:19

1y ago16:19

16:19

More coachees are asking me each week how to become an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coach and how I became a coach, specifically the decisions before me and the training itself. (I’m delighted they ask, because coaching’s a truly delightful field.) I’ve found a fantastic home in this new industry, now coaching full-time for an …

1
The challenges and joy of certifying as an ICF coach. Two coaches’ musings 30:25

1y ago30:25

30:25

Certifying with the International Coaching Federation, the world’s largest nonprofit for professional coaches, challenges many coaches because it’s no easy feat. We must speak only 10% of the time, drive clarity, insights, and accountability too. Submitting a recorded coaching call to ICF evaluators for review often erodes our presence with our coa…

1
How do we stay calm amidst heated emotions? Musings from Coach Karen du Four des Champs 39:19

1y ago39:19

39:19

Solar eclipse. Mercury retrograde. New moon. Job layoffs. Overwork. No surprise many of us are losing it at home and at work. But if you’re a mental fitness practitioner with a goal to stay calm and peaceful no matter what, some ways exist to find the ease and flow and stabilize the mood and feeling in yourself and those around you. In our delightf…

1
“Kindness is my legacy from adversity” Magdalena Kranz on luxury fashion and feeling happier with less 14:20

1y ago14:20

14:20

My interview with Chicago-based fashion consultant and stylist, Magdalena Kranz, kicks off a series of ad hoc interviews across my two podcasts. (I also host the Sage Sayers on Apple podcasts). I love that dear Magdalena takes us from her turbulent past in Poland before migrating to the U.S. We hear that she arrived in Chicago as a teen with little…

1
“I’m loving this new creative space.” Coach Malvika Joshi on the joy of entrepreneurship. 33:03

1y ago33:03

33:03

Building your own venture can bring a whirlwind of creativity, problem solving, and joy from building something you love. Partner it with coaching and certifying as a coach and you’ve endless surges of energy and happiness. This becomes the life and outlook of Coach Malvika Joshi, a London-based coach who’s just launched her own coaching practice w…

1
“Yoga helps us notice our feet have toes.” Yasna Garcia Da Rosa on certifying as a yoga instructor 24:55

1+ y ago24:55

24:55

If you’ve practiced yoga, you know: This ancient practice stills our busy mind and grounds us in our bodies while building stamina and strength. Yasna García da Rosa ACC (Associate Certified Coach) por ICF knows this shift well, especially from taking her love for yoga all the way to the top by certifying ( this quarter) as an instructor. Yasna sha…

1
The Lost Sunglasses. The stress of losing lovely things 17:06

1+ y ago17:06

17:06

Losing my first Tom Ford sunglasses in New Zealand’s Pacific Ocean at Ohope Beach on New Year’s eve this year reminded me that the fear of falling back financially never really leaves us. That's the fodder for this week’s podcast episode. I’m narrating an essay I wrote soon after losing my lovely Tom Fords and one I continued finessing during a sno…

1
More trust is vital for mastery of coaching 15:41

1+ y ago15:41

15:41

In this week’s musings, reading from my musings on Medium, I’m sharing what I’ve learned from completing 2:10 of the required mentor sessions with my MCC mentor coach as I strive to certify as a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. The insights I’ve gathered so far have changed how I feel, think, and how I coach — all …

1
Growing things gives us inner strength: Pamela Currall on finding peace in her garden 17:07

1+ y ago17:07

17:07

Such a lovely way to launch season two for Competency No 5, my podcast focused on finding calm when we coach, lead, and live our lives. Meet Lady Pamela at the Sea, AKA Pamela Currall, a retired practice nurse in New Zealand. She’s also my dear Mum, and in our delightful interview (which takes place in her garden off of the Kapiti Coast) she shares…

1
I find calm, confidence, and joy from playing flute: Emma Zhou 19:53

1+ y ago19:53

19:53

Boston-based project manager Emma Zhou has long found joy, calm, and courage from playing flute. What began as a hobby in her undergraduate studies in China has now become part of her personal branding and a delightful activity she maintains alongside advanced analytics work. She performs often with local musicians and solo in the greater Boston ar…

1
How Do Active Minds Learn to Meditate? Helio Fujita Knows 20:28

1+ y ago20:28

20:28

If your mind wanders too much for you to effectively meditate, then this week’s interview might delight you. My guest is Helio Fujita, an HR executive based in Switzerland. And (among other things) he’s a student at a prestigious UC Berkeley school training the bright and gifted how to teach meditation, the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certificat…

1
How Feeling Thanks Boosts My Presence and Business 12:43

1+ y ago12:43

12:43

This week is Thanksgiving in America. I love that this country I’ve made home stays one of a few nations around the world devoting an entire holiday to giving thanks. (How lovely. And perhaps more countries can follow suit?) As a mental fitness practitioner and coach, I find that feeling thankful daily helps me feel more confident, calm, and center…

1
Using Candor and Presence to Speak and Challenge the Truth 30:33

1+ y ago30:33

30:33

We have my dear friend and peer coach Sathya Sethuraman back with us this week to discuss with me a curious dynamic that comes up for coaches when maintaining presence: The occasional but powerful need for radical candor. In this context we mean challenging our coachee on the words they lay down and asking open-ended, short, but powerful questions …

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Celebrating 5,250 Individual Coaching Hours: Lessons and Tactics 12:50

1+ y ago12:50

12:50

This week, I’ve reached 5,250 individual coaching hours, which more than doubles the 2,500 individual hours the International Coaching Federation asks for coaches certifying as a Master Certified Coach. MCC certified coaches make up only 4% of global ICF coaches, because of all the other lengthy requirements they ask for, and because it’s so hard a…

1
Riptide Adventures. A Tale of Trust and Presence 13:42

1+ y ago13:42

13:42

Anyone who knows me well knows that Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, is my happy place here in Wisconsin bringing me calm, clarity, gratitude, and creativity. One visit can bring powerful shifts in perspective and unlocks big ideas. A recent trip to a new access lake point, Two Rivers, brought an unexpected adventure: Getting caught i…

1
Taming Our “Monkey Brain” When We Coach. An interview with Coach Sathya Sethuraman 24:02

1+ y ago24:02

24:02

My guest this week is Sathya Sethuraman, a financial Services and insurance industry strategist and thought leader who's served for 20+ years as a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 global insurance and financial service firms. Sathya’ s also my friend and a coach. Sathya’ s realizing, as he applies to certify in more advanced ways with the Internation…

1
“I Know that “”He”” is the Biggest Boss to Impress.” Jevon Koh on Finding Calm through Faith and Travel 23:43

1+ y ago23:43

23:43

Many of us struggle with fear and uncertainty—the very opposite of presence—when speaking with powerful people. It’s 100% normal; and more pronounced in these intense times. And yet leaders like Jevon Koh, a business development and global digital partnerships director for a giant financial services firm, find that his Christian faith, his easy-goi…

1
How Laughing At Work Can Bring Joy and Presence. An Interview with Amy Azuma 30:49

2y ago30:49

30:49

UC Berkeley educator and program director Amy Azuma's long used humor to shift intense moods and energy. In her adult years, she's shifted from using humor as oppositional defiance to a tool for finding and creating presence, with herself and with others. In a delightful interview, Azuma shares how finding the funny in the serious can bring feeling…

1
How I Center and Reset When Coaching At Scale 8:54

2y ago8:54

8:54

With Gallup reporting most U.S. workers find 50-hour work weeks normal, no wonder many of us struggle maintaining presence as we work. If our typical flow becomes back-to-back meetings, presence (which I'm defining here as peace, calm, and present with ourselves and others) can feel impossible. As my coaching practice has grown, I've challenged how…

1
“Silence Creates Space For You to Notice Things.” Musings from a Pilgrim and Executive, Helio Fujita 55:32

2y ago55:32

55:32

Silence creates space for us to feel, meditate, connect with ourselves, and to think. So says Helio Fujita, an HR executive from Brazil who took a Buddhist pilgrimage over the spring to punctuate a 19-year-long, highly successful corporate career. There he found he could further grieve the loss of his father and gain clarity on what's next. Our int…

1
Intervention through Presence. An Interview with Coach Whitney Stern 26:27

2y ago26:27

26:27

My guest today is Coach Whitney Stern. She's a certifying executive coach based in Seattle, Wa., a business leader, and a yoga mindfulness instructor with a big purpose: To empower others to lead, communicate, and build strong teams with kindness, confidence, and empathy. As a certifying coach, Coach Whitney's undergone a learning curve with presen…

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Why Competency No. 5? 6:55

2y ago6:55

6:55

Every new podcast needs some small clarifying words on what brings us here in the first place. In our introductory episode, learn what inspired Competency No. 5, guests we'll interview, what we'll learn, and why maintaining presence, when we coach, lead, and live our lives has never felt so vital. An essay on this very topic lives here via Medium, …

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Debbi Gardiner Mccullough D G Mccullough Podcasts

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