In the Right Direction with Deb Elbaum

Most of us go through our days feeling tense and worried. We worry about others, and we worry about ourselves. The trouble with so much worry is that it keeps our thinking stuck and limited, and prevents us from seeing possibility. And if we want different things in our life, we need to see what’s possible.

Having a brain-focusing tool to shift from worry to calm is a critical tool in our leadership and personal toolkit. When we can truly calm our brain and body – even for a moment – it allows us to see a situation differently and even take confident action.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the dreamy “What if….?” question tool and invites listeners to try it out. If you’re ready to have quick ways to relax your brain so that you approach your life differently, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

When we’re working toward personal and professional goals that matter to us, it’s helpful to pause periodically to reflect on where we’ve been putting our energies so that we can be sure we’re moving in the right direction. Too often, though, we forget to or deprioritize taking time for self-reflection.

Having an easy structure for self-reflection can help, especially when we have limited time. Having a powerful question in our toolkit that we can ask ourselves every day or every week can make it easier to pause and gather realizations.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares one easy coaching question you can use to build your self-reflection practice. If you’re ready to feel proud of all you’ve been doing and trying, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast

Feedback is a helpful part of professional development; it illuminates our strengths and growth opportunities. Yet, receiving feedback – especially 360 feedback from our manager, peers, and direct reports – can be daunting and overwhelming. It can send our brain to a place of fear, when we really want to stay calm and curious.

Having a plan to process 360 feedback can help. Bringing an intentional mindset, remembering where we have choice and agency, and having a structured framework can make the experience easier and more positive.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares concrete advice for receiving 360 feedback to help leaders stay centered and in control. If you’re ready for your 360 feedback process to be more positive and productive, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast

Meetings are an opportunity to show leadership presence, build relationships, collaborate, and align around action. Too often, though, people just show up to a meeting without any intention or preparation. That’s disrespecting others’ time and the meeting’s value.

Taking a few moments to prepare for meetings – especially important ones – is a must in this meeting-heavy world. Pre-thinking helps clarify thoughts, allowing people to feel confident, clear, and productive.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains a two-part framework for collecting and clarifying your thoughts and questions ahead of a meeting, so that you know you’re showing up intentionally, clearly, and confidently. If you want to feel more in control and empowered around your most important meetings, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

When we sense that the people we are talking with feel unclear or uncertain, we want to be supportive. We want them to feel clear, confident, and empowered. The way to to do this is not by telling; it's by asking questions.

Helping others feel empowered in the moment takes an approach, mindset, and skill set. It takes being intentional around where you put your focus and the questions you ask.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains a framework and the steps it takes to slow down, be present, and coach someone else to think more positively. If you want to build your coaching skills as a leader, colleague, and friend to help those around you reflect and grow, press the play button now.

Transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast

Leaders are committed to supporting those they work with to achieve goals. One obstacle that can get in the way is the stress of other people. If you work with people who get stressed, you know the negative impact it can have on productivity, working together, and conversations.

Other people are not in your control, AND it is in your control as a leader to try different strategies to invite your team and colleagues to shift from stressed thinking to more effective thinking.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains two strategies you can try with others to help them return to strategic thinking, good decision-making, and seeing other points of view. If you want to add more strategies to your coaching toolkit to help those you live and work with more quickly regain their calm and clarity when stressed, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast

Having more peace of mind allows our body to relax and our thoughts to quiet. Calmer, clearer thinking helps us move forward more easily and live more intentionally. Too often, though, everyday stresses undermine our ability to connect to this place of calm.

If we care about how we show up for ourselves and others, we need strategies to help us shift out of stress and into a more peaceful brain. One way to do this is to allow, recognize, and name the different parts of our thinking and feeling.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a brain-based tool to access greater calm, acceptance, and peace of mind. If you’re ready to think, act, and lead from a place of more clarity and understanding of yourself and others, press the play button now.

Relationships need trust to thrive. When there’s trust, relationships are easier, lighter, and more collaborative. When there’s a lack of trust, misperceptions and misunderstandings can take root.

Building trust takes clarity around expectations and perceived roles and responsibilities. While this often comes with time, there’s also a way to accelerate this clarity in a relationship – and that’s through communicating exactly what we want others to count on us for.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a phrase that, when asked and answered in “designing the alliance” conversations, can help more quickly bridge relationship gaps and build trust. If you’re ready to build or rebuild some key relationships in your life and work, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Innovating, taking on challenges, and partnering effectively with others requires a growth mindset – a perspective of resilience and seeing “failures” as learning opportunities. Yet, too often, stress and frustration can send us into a fixed mindset.

What if you had an easy brain-focusing tool to help you and others shift seamlessly from fixed mindset to growth mindset? You’d probably give yourself permission to try new ideas and strategies, think more creatively, and navigate challenges with more ease.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a key coaching question to capture insights and realizations and shift into more productive and forward-looking thinking, both for yourself and those you work. If you’re ready to see life and work more through a growth mindset, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Most leaders are committed to their personal and professional development. We get in our own way, however, when we operate from a fixed mindset and continue to hold and perpetuate old “stories” and negative limiting beliefs we have about ourselves.

Growth and learning require a growth mindset, especially around how we talk to and see ourselves. The good news is that there’s a powerful and easy strategy to help shift a limiting self-narrative to one that’s more positive, generous, and forward-looking.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares and explains the easy-to-use two-phrase strategy that can help shift negative and fixed self-beliefs into more malleable, accurate, and actionable self-beliefs. If you’re ready to see more easily what you might be capable of, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

What are the most helpful things people have said to you during your life that you still carry with you and recall when you need that wisdom? Taking the time to reflect helps us better understand the beliefs and ideas that guide us and help us make sense of the world.

What if we made sure to take the time to reflect, think about those who have helped us, and share our appreciation? We’d be spreading a bit more kindness and gratitude in the world.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum extends an invitation to pause and reflect about the power of words: both the words others have shared with you and the words you have shared with others. She shares personal examples to help us think about what's in and not in our control. If you’d like an opportunity to think about how to be more intentional in conversations, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We have a fundamental need to be understood by others. We also want to understand those around us, and how they truly feel or think about something. Yet, too often, there’s a lack of clarity all around.

If we want to more deeply understand how others are thinking and feeling, we need a coaching tool. The good news is that there’s an easy-to-remember tool to help drive conversations that are clearer, more action-oriented, and create more alignment.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares this question, explains how it’s a brain-helpful question, and gives examples about using it in conversation. If you’re ready to add a tool to create more understanding and alignment to your toolkit of leadership coaching questions, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast

Most of us are goal-driven people. There are things we want to achieve at work, and there are things we want for our lives. Sometimes, we know what to do to achieve these, and sometimes we don’t. We feel stuck and unsure about what next step to take.

The good news is that there’s a strategy that can make it easier to feel excited and confident about what you can do next to create a path to achieving your goals. That strategy is called visioning. Visioning is a way for our brain to time travel to a future, and then tell us what we need to do to make that future happen.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum describes the brain-friendly thinking-about-the-future tool called visioning and shares some examples of how to vision with a team and by yourself. If you’re ready to give yourself permission to dream and imagine the future you truly want, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Most leaders appreciate feedback so they can continue to learn and grow -- to serve their team, their stakeholders, and their organization. They want to know what they’re doing well and what their opportunities are; yet, too often, they receive feedback that is vague and nonspecific.

If we want to receive actionable and relevant feedback around our presence, communication, and work, we need to ask better questions. We need to decide what we want feedback around, and then ask questions targeted to invite the feedback provider’s brain to share that information.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a question strategy aimed at making it easy to get balanced, relevant, and actionable feedback, so that people can know what behaviors to continue and change. If you’re ready for an easy strategy for getting better feedback, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

With so many expectations on us, we need to make sure that we are using our time wisely and efficiently. Yet focusing solely on our thinking and forcing our brain to stay on task for too long can undermine our productivity.

If we want to be productive and efficient, we need to expand our awareness to focus on the body. The brain and body are intimately connected; when we take care of our body, we’re really taking care of our brain so that it can do its best thinking and processing.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains how prioritizing self-care can ultimately help us achieve more, and she shares examples and ideas to get you started building new self-care habits. If you are ready to feel happier, healthier, and more productive, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all want things, for our relationships, our career, and our life. We want love, we want to grow, and we want to thrive. Yet, too often, our thoughts are about what’s not going well – the challenges, worries, and problems. What if you had a way to shift your thinking from what you don’t want to what you do want?

There’s a simple question that can help get to the heart of the matter. This question can help us get clear about what’s important to us, and it can help us invite those we live and work with work to focus their thinking.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum dives into when, how, and why to use the question, “What do you want?” With examples and detailed explanation, she equips you to coach yourself and others using this powerful question. If you are ready to create more happiness and purpose for you and those you lead, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We want to know that what we’re doing OK in life, that we’re making good decisions and choices. Yet when we start comparing our accomplishments and lives to what others have achieved, it’s easy to doubt ourselves and hear only our inner critic voice.

If we want to stay centered and confident about who we are, it helps to have a strong sense of our values, purpose, and priorities. Standing in our power helps us trust our decisions and focus on creating a life that’s right for us and those we care about.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a leadership concept and tool that can help us feel confident and clear, even in times when it could be easy to fall into the comparison trap. She teaches you how to connect to and use this powerful reminder of your wisdom and abilities, so that you have journey through life with more ease and peace of mind. If you’re ready to claim and celebrate your authentic leadership, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

In our personal and professional relationships, we want connection, collaboration, and understanding. Yet, sometimes, we get the opposite: hurt feelings, frustration, and misunderstanding, especially when expectations are not met.

The key to creating more understanding is communicating – telling people what matters to us, how we see a situation, and what they can count on us for. In other words, we have an opportunity to tell people the conclusions we want them to draw about us. 

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains how communicating more clearly and fully can help create trust and alignment. She shares examples of situations of when to use this leadership strategy, to help shape the narrative others might be creating about you. If you’re ready to improve your relationships with those around you, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We have a lot to think about, and sometimes thinking about our lives, families, and work can evoke strong negative emotions. When a situation has a big negative emotional charge, it can keep us feeling stuck and going around in circles in our mind. 

Fortunately, there’s a strategy that can help bypass the negativity more quickly to get unstuck from a challenge more easily. This strategy – drawing it out – is a brain tool that can help us see our situation from a completely different perspective. When we do this, it allows for more possibilities.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a detailed example about how to coach yourself and others to find a path forward from a challenge by drawing it out. If you’re ready to be a better problem solver, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Most of us want to feel happier, productive, and more fulfilled. Personally, we want to know that we’re living a life that matters. Professionally, we want to feel confident that we’re being an effective colleague and leader. One way to do this is to use the powerful communication and cognitive tool of questions.

We ask questions all the time – in our heads to ourselves and out loud to others. Yet we’re not often thoughtful about the questions we choose to ask. Being curious and asking the right types of questions can help us build trust with others more quickly. It can also help us think about our lives in a more positive way.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum breaks down the different types of questions and shares how being curious and asking more questions can help you and those around you. If you’re ready to be a better leader and be more intentional as a thinker, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Most leaders want to inspire others. They want to share ideas and stories that motivate people, and maybe even invite others to think and behave differently. But what specifically inspires others? In addition to a speaker’s energy and stories, there’s one other piece.

Inspiring leaders have clear and confident leadership beliefs. They share what they know to be true about relationships, work, and what it takes to be successful. Sharing these beliefs is an opportunity to show up as intentional, thoughtful, and confident.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares an example of a time a speaker inspired her as well as a process to help you clarify leadership beliefs you can use, whether in a meeting or job interview. If you are ready to step up and position yourself more as a thought leader, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Metrics are how we measure success. At work, we use metrics to evaluate projects we’re working on and to better understand how we’re doing in our job. It’s the same with coaching. When you work with an executive or leadership coach, how do you know that you’re making progress and investing your valuable time and resources wisely?

There are different ways to measure personal and professional growth, and getting clear about what you are working toward in coaching is critical. Success can be measured through specific achievements, shifts in mindset, and feeling differently. The key is to be clear what you’re working toward.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the metrics she uses as a coach that help clients think more effectively, feel more in control, and write a self-narrative that is more purposeful, confident, and impactful. If you are curious about how you might measure your personal and professional development from a coaching perspective, press the play button now.

Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Many of us are self-critical and see all the things we have to do and need to do. When we talk to ourselves in this way, though, with the pressured have-tos and need-tos, it can keep our thinking constricted and in a more negative frame of mind. Being hard on ourselves can be draining. How can we ease up on how we see and talk to ourselves, to think more positively?

The words we use in our thinking and speaking can refocus and reframe what we think about and how we think about it. Language is powerful, and there’s a word we can use to coach ourselves and others to shift how we think about our current challenges and situations. When we use this word intentionally, it invites our brains to relax and think more expansively, so we feel calmer and our thoughts can flow more easily.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the language that can help you stay more positive, with examples about how to use it with yourself and others to think and feel differently. If you’re ready to feel more empowered and in control – even in tough situations – press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all fall into habits of thinking, where we think about life, work, and our relationships in the same way. While this might be fine most of the time, there will be times when we are ready to think differently about our goals, our commitments, and our purpose – times when we’re ready to clarify who we are and what we really want. How can we invite our brains to think more creatively in an easy way?

We can help our brains and the brains around us think more innovatively and see more possibility using a type of creative writing involving crafting a specific story. This tool lets our thoughts flow and coalesce in a low-pressure, fun way that everyone’s brain can try.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum talks through a way to help your brain get focused on who you want to be, what’s important to you, and what you’re ready for next. She shares examples and guidelines to incorporate this strategy for you, as well as those you coach and lead. If you’re ready for a positive and new way to think about your life, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all have an inner critic, the voice that causes us pain and keeps us from thinking big, speaking up, and going for what we really want. Our inner critic can be exhausting and demoralizing to listen to! Although we might want to tune it out, it can be hard, because it's so familiar. What if there was a way to lessen the sting of the inner critic and not let it affect us as much?

Your inner critic is not the truth of you. It is just one voice, and a voice that you can shift your attention away from, so that you can feel more motivated, confident, and capable. There are concrete brain strategies that you can practice to lessen your inner critic’s volume and power, and build up your inner wisdom and strength instead.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares personal and client examples to illustrate the strategies that can lessen the inner critic. If you’re ready for more peace of mind, more confidence in your leadership, and more going for the goals you really want, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all want to build new habits. Maybe you want to exercise more, or create time for strategic thinking at work. It can be hard building a new habit because it takes lots of brain focus and energy. What if there was a brain-friendly tool that could help your brain more easily create a new habit that sticks?

Building a new habit takes thoughts, energy, and intention, and the brain-friendly personal growth tool that incorporates these and helps build a new habit is an affirmation. An affirmation is a statement that contains energy and clearly signals to ourselves and the universe what we want and what we’re working toward.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum describes what affirmations are, how to use them, and shares a story illustrating their power for transformation. If you’re ready for an easier way to create a new way of being or doing, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Coaching expedites personal and professional growth because it helps create clarity, build confidence, and determine the next action steps to take. Unfortunately, even though most leaders know they should coach more, they too easily fall into the habit of advice giving and problem solving, or they ask a coaching question when they’re really wanting to be directive.

The good news is that anyone can become a great coach if they know how. Successful coaching conversations require 2 key things: a curious mindset and having a toolkit of expansive coaching questions.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum walks people through the secrets to being a great coach with lots of examples about what to do and what not to do. If you’re ready to be a coach to more effectively develop those around you, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

When information comes at us – such as in an email, message, or feedback – our brain can get activated and we can end up reacting in ways we later regret. When we react instead of thoughtfully respond, it can cause misunderstanding, hurt feelings, and damage our professional reputation.

The good news is that there’s a simple leadership tool that can help you put space in between the information coming your way and what you do or say next. This leadership tool is, simply, to pause. Pausing allows for possibility, as it’s the place where we can create our choices about how to approach and manage a situation, given how we want to show up and what our goals are.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum discusses the power of the pause, why you need to practice it for you, and how to coach your team members so they can remember to pause, too. If you’re ready to be less reactive and instead seen as a more thoughtful, calm, and compassionate leader, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Executive presence is not just for executives. It’s for everyone, because people notice what we do and say. And if we are doing and saying things that leave a negative impression, it can undermine our relationships and influence.

Being aware of and intentional around how you show up helps you create the impression you want to make. It helps you be seen as the leader you want to be and have the impact you want to have. And it’s easy to start creating a confident and clear executive presence. It all starts with one question.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the powerful coaching question -- and how to answer it -- so that you can choose an intention for how others see you and give your brain a roadmap to think and communicate clearly and positively. If you’re ready to start building your executive presence and setting and manifesting your leadership intention, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

When people share their solicited or unsolicited opinions about your work, your style, or how you communicate, they are giving you feedback. While some of this feedback is hopefully positive, other times it might feel negative. It might really hurt. When we receive negative feedback, we’re often quick to discount it because we don’t trust the giver or it doesn’t fit with our self-view. We might not see any value in what was said.

But what if you had a way to take in negative feedback more easily and calmly? What if you had strategies to make negative feedback work for you? Then you might see the kernels of helpfulness buried in it, and use this data to help yourself grow as a leader and as a human.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares 2 steps for handling negative feedback more calmly and confidently. By changing your mindset and being more proactive, you can become more adept at handling negative feedback. If you’re ready to change your relationship with negative feedback for the better, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Our brain and the way it thinks is powerful and persuasive. How often are you convinced that your perspective and point of view is the truth, the only way to see a situation? The reality, though, is that perspective is a choice. There are other, more positive perspectives that we can choose to take that might help us think, feel, and communicate differently.

What if you were able to use the idea of perspective as a tool to shift your thinking from more pessimistic to optimistic? What if you understood how learning a new perspective could help your brain and its thinking? You’d be a stronger communicator, a more emotionally-intelligent leader, and likely a kinder person.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains the neuroscience and impact of brain perspective. Using personal and relatable examples, she shares a 3 step-approach to help you recognize an unhelpful perspective you might be in and change it to a more positive one. If you're ready to shift some of those tough relationships and change some of your negative thought patterns to ones that will serve you better, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Most professionals agree that networking is important, and yet, it the thought of reaching out to someone you don’t know well often fills people with anxiety or dread. Worrying about bothering someone, or not knowing your ask for a networking conversation often stops people’s networking in its tracks.

What if you had strategies for feeling more confident and excited for networking? You would spend less time worrying about networking and more time building relationships, exchanging ideas, and making new friends.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the 3 most common derailers of networking. She then tackles each networking derailer with ideas and strategies about how to make networking work for you in your life.

If you’re ready to be a better networker and have more productive and helpful conversations, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

It’s estimated that 70% of people experience Impostor Syndrome at some point. Are you one of them? How has it kept you from asking for a promotion or raise, or sharing a novel idea? Impostor syndrome keeps us playing small in a world where we have important things to say and purposeful goals to achieve.

Understanding what confidence is and how to start building it immediately will help you in your personal and professional life. It will help you ask for what you want and move more easily toward achieving your goals.

In this podcast, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares her easy-to-remember "confidence formula." She explains the variables that are in our control and talks you through the formula with examples and pointers. By practicing confidence more and more, you’ll feel more empowered and in control, and you’ll also be able to mentor and coach those around you to build their confidence.

If you’re ready to think and communicate more confidently, while knowing that you deeply matter, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about leadership development, and maybe you've wondered, how does it actually happen? How do people develop personally and professionally? With so many resources at our fingertips, it can be hard to know where to start.

Knowing the steps to professional development is key, because once you understand the process of change, you can put your energy into growing as a leader and human being. You can learn how to delegate more, set better boundaries, or even become a better colleague or parent.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum explains the 2 key steps to personal and professional growth simply and clearly. She explains how to approach your professional development more confidently and focused, so you can put attention to building new habits and thoughts that better serve you.

If you’re ready for a clear roadmap to use to grow personally or professionally, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

If you don’t have a solid and exciting elevator pitch, you are missing out on opportunities. Knowing what you offer and how you positively impact others can build you confidence and open the door to more productive networking conversations.

The good news is that creating a confident personal introduction doesn't have to be hard. What it does take is time to reflect and brainstorm around 3 key pieces of information that describe who you are and what you do.

In this episode, Deb Elbaum shares the dos and don’ts of the elevator pitch, and a simple 3-part template anyone can use. She’ll take you through crafting your personal introduction, so you can feel more confident, clear, and purposeful.

If you’re ready for a great answer to that question, “What do you do?” press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We are always negotiating with others at home and work. There are ideas we want to move forward, people we want to hire, and funding we want to secure. To create alignment takes buy-in from others. But what if you are not sure how to approach these conversations?

The key to getting buy-in is to make the conversation brain friendly. We can use communication strategies to help the listener’s brain understand more clearly what our main points are, what’s important to us, and what we’re asking for.

In this episode, Deb helps equip you for your most important buy-in conversations and shares what you need to think about, how you need to approach it, and what’s in your control.

If you want to communicate more confidently, clearly, and assertively, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Are you tired of letting the challenging people in your life drain you and take up too much of your energy? Think of what it would be like if you could set better boundaries and have more clarity about what to do in a challenging interaction. You’d feel more confident, calm, and like a better leader.

The good news is that we always have things in our control that can help us feel more empowered in challenging situations. And, today, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the 2 steps you need to remember and practice to keep your cool.

Having a toolkit of strategies that we can use and role model for others reminds us that we are more resilient and capable than we might think.

If you’re ready to tackle challenging people with confidence, clarity, and 2 easy steps, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all have ideas of things we are excited to try or accomplish. We have home projects, creative projects, personal endeavors, and even professional goals that we know are important and have the potential to make us happier, healthier, and more successful. And, yet, too often our great ideas stay ideas – we never act on them. We think it’s too hard, or too late, or we’re too old. We never take that first step to make our idea a reality.

What if you knew how to take an idea and put it into action? What if you had the tools for the right type of action plan – one that keeps you on track and accountable? It would give you a road map to move forward, to cross items off your to-do list, and to feel more empowered.

Listen in to this episode as Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares how to make the right type of action plan – and the three key pieces that every action plan must have. When you have a great action plan, you’re significantly more likely to follow through, take yourself seriously, and accomplish the goals you set for yourself. And, as Deb reminds us, we do this one baby step at a time.

If you’re ready for a personalized road map to move you closer to your goals, grab a pen and paper and press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Many of us hear a constant refrain from our inner critic about all the things we should be doing and feeling. And you might think the word should is helpful. After all, it keeps you on your toes and reminds you about all of the things you'd like to ideally accomplish. The reality, though, is that word should has a judgmental energy and can make us feel like we're underperforming and not measuring up.

What if you had a way to way to move forward without letting your inner critic constantly remind you about all the ways you're falling short? What if you knew how to move forward with more excitement and peace of mind?

The antidote to the shoulds is the concept and tool of permission. Permission allows us to think more positively, be in an exploration mindset, and try out behaviors and thoughts out to see what they’re like.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the powerful concept of permission and teaches you how to operationalize it with lots of concrete examples. If you’re ready to be kinder to yourself and still get the things on your to-do list done, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at www.debelbaum.com/podcast.

If you’re like my clients, you say things like, I want to be a good leader. Or I wish my presentation had gone better. We use words like good, bad, better, or best all the time without really thinking about them, and without really taking the time to define exactly what we mean. 

The key to clear communication is defining these general words. When we define what we mean by good, bad, and other placeholder words, we understand more quickly what the other person means, we get clarity on what we want and need, and we help our brain's thinking.

In this episode, Deb explains the importance of paying attention to how we and our colleagues describe things, from a science perspective. She shares examples to illustrate how these little changes in our conversation can have a big impact.

If you want to communicate clearly and precisely, coach others more effectively, and sound like more of a leader, press the play button now.

Full transcript or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all use the word “but” all the time, often without thinking about it. That word has an energy of resistance to it. It shuts down whatever thought you just had, or whatever idea someone else recently proposed. This can make you feel like you’re not allowed to have other thoughts, and it can make the person you’re talking with feel like you’re shutting them down.

What if there was an easy way to help inclusive thinking and communicating? There is: by switching your “buts” to “ands.”

The truth is that we can hold seemingly opposing ideas at the same time. I might have a valid point, and someone might have another idea. Both can be true, and using the word “and” reminds us, our brains, and the person you’re speaking with that all ideas can be allowed.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares her thoughts behind this simple, yet powerful, leadership communication strategy, and why job seekers and interviewees especially need this advice. If you want to hear more about the importance of changing your “buts” to “ands,” and what I’m calling the And Challenge, press the play button now.

Full transcript or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

In our interactions and conversations with other people, our brain often jumps to conclusions. Our brain assigns motives to people's behavior and comes up with reasons people do things – usually without knowing the full story or having all of the information. This is a problem, because our brain has an inherent negativity bias. This means that the stories our brain makes up about other people’s motives are usually negative.

What if you were more aware of when your brain was making up stories, so that you could recognize that they might not be the truth? What if you had a way to get more data so that you didn’t jump to the conclusion that someone was disrespecting you or ignoring you? You would be able to shift your judgment into curiosity and compassion instead.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the brain science underlying our brain’s habit of making up stories as well as the steps we can take to recognize our stories, reality test them, and gather more complete information about what other people are thinking and feeling.

If you’re ready to change your habit of jumping to conclusions into a new habit of curiosity, press the play button now.

Full transcript or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Do you ever look around at other people and their successes, and wonder if you’ve achieved enough or are as far along in your career as you should be? Life is not a straight, upward trajectory. Remembering this and defining our life story and the shape of our life can help us feel more confident about the choices we make and the narrative we tell.

Today’s conversation is a big picture one. Inspired after reading the book “Life is in the Transitions” by Bruce Feiler, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares what she knows – from working with clients for years and from her own studying and practices – to be true about life.

Knowing that we matter, knowing that we get to define our own success, and knowing that we are the author of our story is empowering and validating. In this episode, Deb shares guiding thoughts and questions to help you feel reassured that there are many ways to do life “right” and that you are OK.

If you want to get out of the weeds and into the big picture, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

When we change our environment, it often lets us think and feel in new ways. How might your thinking be different if you were on the water, say kayaking in the ocean or on a lake?

Meet Sarah Scala, a leadership and executive coaches who offers kayak coaching as part of her unofficial services. She takes leaders out to kayak on salt or fresh water, which helps them slow down, be present, and think more openly.

In this bonus interview episode, Deb and Sarah discuss kayak coaching sessions – what’s cool about them, what happens, and when a session like this might be possible for leaders. If you love the water and are curious about how it can help you think more expansively, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

If you’re like me, you always have thoughts in your head. And if you’re talking with someone – a partner, spouse, or colleague – you might not know what they are thinking. After all, we can’t read other people’s minds.

What if you had a quick hack for getting other people to share what’s on their mind? What if you had a question that would get the other person to open up to you?

There’s a question that can do this – and it’s one that works, every time. In this episode, Deb shares her most commonly used coaching question to hear what someone else is thinking about, and the reasons this question works. She also shares a story from a client about how using this question makes business development conversations much more effective.

If you want a question for your toolkit to enhance all of your conversations, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Meet Men’s Coach, Ken Mossman, Founder of Cirrus Leadership & Coaching

What does it mean to be a man? How do men find and refine their mojo? And how does that fit in with being an overall conscious, emotionally connected human being?

In this interview, men’s coach and host of the podcast Mojo for the Modern Man Ken Mossman shares his thoughts about the importance of helping men reconnect to their emotional lives by building up their emotional literacy and fluency. Deb and Ken discuss how early messaging can keep men from allowing themselves to feel vulnerable and fully express their emotions.

If you’re curious to hear our conversation about men’s coaching, what it focuses on, and how it can have a ripple effect, press the play button now.

Full Transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

At the end of an important conversation, we might think we know what someone else is understanding and agreeing to, although we are likely not 100% sure. How do you ensure that everyone is on the same page and committing to next steps with accountability?

The leadership communication tool to use to create clear alignment at the end of an important conversation or meeting that creates commitment about next steps is called "making an ask.” Making an ask helps leaders follow up with more confidence and clarity – and helps everyone understand exactly what they are agreeing to.

Never underestimate the power of a single ask! Asks made from a leadership stance can be life-changing. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the 4 key pieces of making an effective ask. She also shares a powerful personal story illustrating how a confident, well-placed ask can have a ripple effect across time.

If you are ready for a confident communication leadership tool to help you engage others with more confidence, press the play button now.

Full transcript here or at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

Meet Sober Curious Coach, Julie Dereshinsky, founder of Julie Dereshinsky Coaching.

In our “mommy wine culture,” how do you know if your drinking is a problem for you? How can you get curious about the role of alcohol in your life and what you might want for yourself instead? Here’s where Sober Curious Coach Julie Dereshinsky can help. A self-described former gray area drinker, Julie holds space for sober curious women who are living in the world of dysfunctional drinking and questioning their relationship with alcohol.

In this bonus interview episode, Deb and Julie dive into the world of gray area drinking to bring this topic into the open. If you have ever wondered about your relationship with alcohol and are curious to hear more, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

When we get angry or discouraged, we often feel it in our body. And if we don’t have a way to quickly discharge those negative feelings, they can take root and grow inside of us. When they spread and take over our mood and thoughts, they can keep us from thinking effectively and feeling happy.

What if you had easy, simple, and always available tools that you knew would help you release anger and resentment more quickly? Then you could choose to use these tools to let go of the anger and frustration so that you felt like yourself again. You could get back on track and focus on all of the good in the world around you.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares two powerful breathing and body tools and the science behind them. These tools will help you get on top of your emotions, so that your emotions don’t get the best of you. They’ll help you feel more in control of your emotions and your thinking.

If you’re ready to more forward, see the positive, and feel more in control of your thoughts and emotions, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Talking about death can seem morbid and scary. If you’re like most people, you might not know where or when to start having these types of conversations. And, yet, honoring wishes for someone's end of life can help ease a loved one's passing.

Meet Erin Wright, a former nurse and hospice worker, who now has a coaching practice focused on end of life coaching. In addition to working with individuals and their families to help them create intentional death plans that honor last wishes, Erin is on a mission to train other coaches who are drawn to this type of work.

In this bonus interview episode, Deb and Erin have a very real conversation about death, the importance of not leaving things undone, and what we can all do now to put plans in place for the future.

If you’re curious about hard-to-discuss subjects, please press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Confidence is key for our personal and professional development. When we feel confident, we can speak up, ask for what we want, and state our point of view. And, yet, there are subtle phrases and words that many of us say without even realizing that they can undermine how we think about ourselves and how we are perceived by others.

What if you were aware of and eliminated those disempowering phrases from your vocabulary? What if you used more confident and powerful phrases that conveyed that you do know, you are capable, and you do bring value? You would you feel more empowered, and others would view you in a different light – you’d be seen as more of a leader.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares those key phrases we should avoid using when we want to sound confident, capable, and knowledgeable. She shares concrete examples illustrating the difference between using these hedging phrases and more powerful ones. 

If you are ready to give others the impression that you know your stuff and you do own your strengths, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Many of us intuitively feel calmer and happier when we connect with nature, whether walking in the forest, sitting at the beach, or hiking in the mountains. Forest therapy guide Linda Lombardo, founder of Wild Heart Nature Connection, takes it one step further -- she uses forests and nature in her coaching. Taking people in the woods on walks, she helps them get grounded and reflect on their lives, so they can shift how the think and feel. In this episode, Linda and I discuss the power of nature and forests, and why it's so important to build some connection with nature into our lives.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Feeling connected to our true selves and what matters most to us can help us feel purposeful, give us peace of mind, and remind us that we're living a meaningful life. On the other hand, when we are not able to honor what matters most to us, we might feel disconnected and frustrated. We might wonder, “How can I live the life meant for me?”

What if you had a tool to connect to the real you and help you identify what matters most? Knowing what you stand for and honoring your values in your life will move you from feeling disconnected to connected, from feeling aimless to purposeful.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum dives into the concept of core values. She discusses the importance of recognizing and connecting to core values, and she guides listeners through a visioning activity to recall a peak life experience. She then moves from values to action with guidance about how to start living values that you've been neglecting.

If you have felt disconnected to happiness recently, it's time to press the play button to reconnect with the real you, your values, and your joy.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

If you’re like me, you are in your head most of the time. We are always thinking, caught up in our thoughts, ideas, and plans. We forget to be in the present moment, to be aware of our bodies, and how we are showing up to the others in the moment and in our life. Believe it or not, that’s where feedback from horses can be helpful. Equine-facilitated coaching – coaching leaders using horses – is an opportunity to be in the moment, recognize how we show up, and how we impact others.

In this bonus interview episode, Deb interviews equine leadership coach and horse lover Barb Korosec. Barb describes how horses give us powerful feedback about our presence, our leadership, and our boundaries – without even saying a word.

If you’re curious to hear more about the wisdom of horses and what they can help you understand about yourself, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Almost everyone I talk with wants to feel more hopeful, happy, and calm. We want to feel like we’re navigating uncertainty, moving forward, and creating the life that's most important to us. Yet, the thing that has the potential to undermine our happiness, productivity, and certainty is stress. Stress is worry, anger, or overwhelm that gets in our way and undermines how we think, feel, and act.

What if you had a way to deal with stress easily and calmly? What if you knew how to look stress squarely in the face and say, I see you, AND I know how to deal with you? Knowing how to coach yourself to start tackling stress would put you back in the driver’s seat of your life.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares two powerful stress-busting questions that you can ask and answer to shift your thinking immediately from "there's nothing I can do" to seeing your way forward. Deb shares personal and professional examples to show how to use these questions in your life. Bringing these questions to your mental mindset will help you feel more empowered.

If you want to take back some of your control over the stress and pressures on you, grab a paper and pen and press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Public speaking scares many of us, although the truth is that we are always speaking – at work, with family and friends, and to ourselves. In this bonus interview episode, Deb interviews Anna Kaufman, public speaking coach and owner of Speak Like a Badass, who believes that we all have an inner badass.

Deb and Anna discuss how we can start feeling more empowered around public speaking, the importance of setting our intentions about how we show up in the world, and what a badass birthday month celebration is.

If you are curious about uncovering your inner badass, and how to get started building your public speaking confidence, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Overwhelming situations that we categorize as a “struggle” can undermine our power, our confidence, and our problem-solving abilities. Struggles keep us stuck.

And it’s no surprise they do – because that word makes our brain see a situation as one with no way out. After all, our brain is only following the flow of our thoughts and self-talk.

But what if you could guide your brain to re-categorize a struggle into a situation that you can see differently? What if you gave your brain an advantage in figuring out what to say and do? Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum knows how to help you help your brain – and it all starts by re-naming your struggles.

Listen in to this episode as Deb shares one client’s story and suggestions for alternative phrases and words you can use to start changing your struggles into a solvable situation.

Deb gets right to the point. Her clear and encouraging advice will help you start making changes in your thinking today. Because when you think differently, anything is possible. Press that play button now to learn what’s possible for you, in your life, right now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Trying to make a decision when we don’t have all the information we need can muddle our thinking and cause analysis paralysis. These times of uncertainty are especially hard because we want to do things right and make the right decision, and we don’t know exactly what that might be. And others might be looking at you to lead the way and set the agenda, and you want to show confidence, even if you don’t feel it.

What if you had a plan for navigating uncertainty with more clarity and confidence? What if you were able to eliminate the negative self-talk in your brain telling you that you’d better not fail? Moving quickly from “I don’t know” to “I’ve got this” is do-able and possible.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the 4 steps that can take you from analysis paralysis to clarity and decisiveness. She walks you through each step one at a time, with examples and explanation, so you can easily apply this strategy to the uncertainty in your life. These steps involve clearing the chatter from your brain, reframing your questions, and setting an intention about how you want to show up. Using this approach to navigating change can help you feel calmer, make decisions more easily, and communicate more confidently.

If you are ready to get your brain out of its mental spinning and paralysis so that you can make some decisions and move forward, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

When we feel stress, our brains can get caught up in our worries and frustrations. It can feel like we’re caught in a downward spiral of negativity, and we can’t break free. And here’s what you need to know about these times: our thoughts don’t actually have a will of their own. Our thoughts are waiting for us to direct them and tell them where to go.

What if you knew how to redirect your thinking and flip that switch in your brain, to shift from anger to peace of mind so that you immediately felt calmer and happier? What if you had a tool you could use not only for yourself, but also with your colleagues, friends, and family? Flipping the switch from negative to positive thinking happens most quickly with one mindset tool: the practice of gratitude.

In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum discusses gratitude -- what it is, what research has shown, and how you can practice it at home and at work. She shares examples of how to practice gratitude, as well as the personal situation that prompted this episode. Focusing on gratitude can help you change your perspective to appreciate the good in your life, even in the midst of challenges.

If you are ready to empower yourself with a brain tool that can shift your brain and the brains of those around you, press the play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

We all have intuition – those feelings where we just know something in our heart or our gut. And when we can listen to our intuition and give it a voice in on our decision making, we often make decisions that feel better and are more in line with who we are and what matters most to us.

And yet, we all have times when the busy-ness of our lives keeps us from listening to the wisdom of our body – when we forget to incorporate the knowing of our inner wisdom.

What if you understood what gets in the way of trusting yourself more? What if you knew the neuroscience behind listening to your gut? And what if you had a way to trust yourself and feel more confident about the decisions you were weighing? Making decisions in a way that intentionally honors your integrity and authenticity involves listening to your brain, as well as to your heart and gut.

Listen in to this episode as Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum discusses our intuition – why it’s important and why we can trust it when we make decisions. She’ll share a story about a time she ignored her intuition, and give you suggestions so you don’t make that same mistake.

Deb’s honesty and encouragement will help you feel more empowered as you think about what's next for you. So go ahead and press that play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Spending too much time thinking about what we do not want keeps us from being able to identify what it is exactly that we do want, and how we do want to feel and travel through life.

And we all have a tendency to think in this way – because it’s easy to look for and see the negative.

But what if you could catch your negative thinking, and you knew how to quickly shift the direction of your thoughts to move you forward to what you actually do want in life, and who you do want to be? What would be possible then? Gently pointing out your automatic thoughts and helping you learn how to re-frame them is Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum’s superpower.

Listen in to this episode as Deb shares lots of examples of unhelpful thinking, how it can keep you in the wrong place,  and how you can make new brain pathways to get moving in the right direction.

The tips and tools that Deb shares will move you from stuck to solution and help you transform your negative thinking to a positive mindset. So go ahead and press that play button now.

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/

Full Transcript or at debelbaum.com/podcast/