Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

So far in the Coaching Café Podcast 2026, we’ve explored the trends shaping coaching and leadership, the importance of strong performance conversations, and the role of psychological safety in building trust and engagement.This week, we turn our attention to emotional intelligence—consistently identified as one of the most critical leadership capabilities in today’s workplaces.As work becomes more complex, pressured, and human, leaders are increasingly expected to navigate emotions—their own and others’—with awareness, empathy, and skill. Emotional intelligence underpins how leaders communicate, build trust, handle performance conversations, and create psychologically safe environments.This is where coaching plays a powerful role.Coaching creates the space for reflection, self-awareness, perspective-taking, and behaviour change—key elements of emotional intelligence. It supports leaders to respond rather than react, and to lead in ways that strengthen relationships and performance.Join Paula as we explore emotional intelligence through a coaching lens.You’ll walk away with:✔️ A clear understanding of emotional intelligence and why it matters now more than ever ✔️ How emotional intelligence shows up in everyday leadership and performance conversations ✔️ The role coaching plays in developing emotional intelligence ✔️ Practical ways to support leaders to build emotional intelligence at workThis is your space to stay informed, reflect on practice, and connect coaching to what’s happening in real workplaces—right now. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Over the past two weeks, we’ve explored the trends shaping coaching and leadership conversations in 2026 and the critical role performance conversations play in starting the year with clarity and focus.This week, we go one layer deeper.Workplaces continue to place strong emphasis on psychological safety—and for good reason. Psychological safety builds trust, supports engagement, and enables honest, productive performance conversations. Without it, even well-intended conversations can fall flat.This is where coaching plays a vital role.Coaching creates the conditions for people to speak up, reflect, and take ownership—making it a powerful enabler of psychological safety. And as leaders, it is incumbent upon us to create environments where people feel safe to have meaningful conversations about performance, growth, and expectations.Join Natalie and Paula as we explore the connection between psychological safety, performance conversations, and coaching.You’ll walk away with:✔️ A clear understanding of psychological safety and why it matters ✔️ How psychological safety enables strong performance conversations ✔️ The role coaching plays in building trust and engagement ✔️ Practical ways leaders and coaches can foster psychological safety at workThis is your space to stay informed, reflect on practice, and connect coaching to what’s happening in real workplaces—right now. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Last week, we kicked off Coaching Café Podcast for 2026 by exploring the key trends shaping coaching and leadership conversations this year. One theme stood out clearly: the quality of performance conversations matters more than ever.This week, we turn our focus to performance conversations and their critical role in setting direction, building engagement, and creating momentum at the start of the year.Research consistently shows that when performance conversations are done well, employees are more engaged, more productive, and clearer about what’s expected of them. When they’re done poorly—or avoided altogether—engagement suffers and performance declines. That’s why, as leaders and coaches, we have a responsibility to partner with managers and help them get this right.Join Natalie and Paula as we explore how coaching can elevate performance conversations and support leaders to start the year with intention and focus.You’ll walk away with:✔️ The research that explains why performance conversations are so important ✔️ The key focus areas that make these conversations meaningful and effective ✔️ A practical coaching framework you can use straight away—one we know makes a real differenceThis is your space to stay informed, reflect on practice, and connect coaching to what’s happening in real workplaces—right now.Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Our newly refreshed Coaching Café Podcast kicks off 2026 with our annual crystal ball on trends in coaching and leadership conversations.Each year, we start by asking a simple question: What’s going to be at the forefront of coaching and leadership conversations this year?So, we stare into our double espresso coffee cups—and the latest research—to bring you our predictions for the conversations, trends, and challenges shaping workplaces right now. We explore what’s on the minds of leaders, what coaches are being asked to support, and what to stay alert to as the year unfolds.By exploring these trends, you’ll gain insight into the latest thinking and how it’s likely to show up in real coaching and leadership conversations in 2026.You’ll walk away with:✔️ The key coaching and leadership trends shaping 2026 ✔️ Insights into the conversations leaders are having—or avoiding ✔️ Emerging challenges and capability gaps to watch for ✔️ Ideas you can apply immediately in your coaching and leadership practiceJoin Natalie (yes, Dr Natalie Ashdown 😉) and Paula as they kick off the Coaching Café year with insight, curiosity, and practical relevance. This is your space to stay informed, reflect on practice, and connect coaching to what’s happening in real workplaces—right now.We’re delighted to be back and look forward to learning, sharing, and making a difference together in 2026.Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

In our final Coaching Café Podcast for the year, we take a moment to reflect on what has been another extraordinary series. In 2025, we’ve explored everything from Trends in Coaching and the ICF Credentialing Exam, to the Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report, coaching for performance conversations, coaching and psychological safety, the new ICF Core Competencies, and of course, our much-loved Coaching in Action series featuring PCC and MCC-level demonstrations. All with free Continuing Coach Education (CCE’s) attached. Across over 30 Coaching Café Podcasts, with only a handful of breaks, you have joined us from all around the world —to connect, learn, and reflect on coaching practice and the profession…and of course to give us the weekly global weather report! This week, we celebrate the year that was:  ✔️ A countdown of our most popular Coaching Café podcasts of 2025  ✔️ The themes and topics that sparked the most conversation  ✔️ Insights and moments that shaped our collective learning  ✔️ A look ahead to what’s coming in 2026 Whether you’ve joined us every week or tuned in occasionally, this final Coaching Café podcast is your chance to pause, reflect, and celebrate our global coaching community. Let’s swap the coffee for a glass of champagne and celebrate the difference we’ve made—together. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

As we approach the end of the year for the Coaching Café Podcast, we continue to share valuable insights for our coaching community. The 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study Final Report has just been released, offering one of the most comprehensive views of the global coaching profession to date. Featuring data gathered from over 10,000 coaches worldwide—including, importantly, managers and leaders who coach—this 73-page report provides a rich picture of where the coaching industry stands today and where it’s heading. We know many coaches don’t have time to read the full report, and that’s where we come in. Join us for this Coaching Café Podcast as we synthesise the key highlights, focusing on what’s most relevant for Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific region, while also exploring the global trends shaping the coaching profession for our international followers. You’ll walk away with: ✔️ The latest data on industry growth, trends, and demographics ✔️ Insights into coaching opportunities in our region ✔️ A global perspective on the evolution of the coaching profession including managers and leaders as coaches ✔️ Inspiration to help you feel a part of the global coaching profession. Whether you’re an experienced coach, a manager or leader who coaches, or an emerging practitioner, this session will help you stay informed, inspired, and connected to the wider profession. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

This week, a short message from Natalie recaping the past couple of weeks of the Coaching Cafe Podcast. We will be back next week with a new Coaching Cafe Podcast! Also shiny new podcast logo! oooooo, let us know what you think via email or social media! Should we bring back the old one or is this a much needed upgrade! Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

As you will be aware the ICF Core Competencies have been revised and during the Coaching Cafe Podcasts we have been diving deeper into some of the more thought-provoking changes. Some are simple to understand, while others invite us—as coaches—to pause and reflect. This week, we turn our attention to one of the more controversial updates: the introduction of the word ‘knowledge’ in the revised ICF Core Competencies. The updated competency now states that the coach “shares observations, knowledge, and feelings, without attachment, that have the potential to create new insights for the client.” But what does this really mean? How do we interpret “knowledge” within the coaching partnership? Does this blur the line between coaching, mentoring, and consulting—or does it expand our understanding of what’s possible in coaching? Join us for this Coaching Café Podcast as we explore: ✔️ The context and intent behind this update to the ICF Core Competencies ✔️ How “knowledge” aligns with the ICF definition of coaching ✔️ What this means for your coaching practice and ethical boundaries ✔️ How to share knowledge without attachment—and still evoke awareness Whether you’re an experienced practitioner or a new coach, this session will challenge your thinking and help you navigate what “knowledge” means in professional coaching today. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

What is your coaching philosophy? A deeper dive into the ICF Core Competency changes Recently, we shared the significant updates to the new ICF Core Competencies and over the coming weeks, we’ll be diving deeper into some of the key changes. Some of these updates are straightforward, others more controversial—and many invite deeper reflection from us as coaches. This week on the podcast, we explore a question that sits at the heart of our workplace and professional coaching: What is your coaching philosophy? Your coaching philosophy shapes how you show up, partner with clients, and embody the ICF Core Competencies in every conversation. It reflects your beliefs about human potential, change, and learning—and it evolves as your coaching practice grows. Join us for this Coaching Café Podcast as we explore: ✔️ What a coaching philosophy is and why it matters ✔️ How to articulate your unique coaching philosophy ✔️ How your philosophy connects to the ICF Core Competencies and ethical practice ✔️ Ways to reflect on and refine your philosophy as your coaching matures Whether you’re a new coach or an experienced practitioner, this podcast will help you reconnect with what defines you as a coach—and what guides your practice. NOTE: We found the defnition of Coaching Philosophy in the Glossary of the updated competencies! "The underlying theory, beliefs and principles, that guide a coach's practice and interactions with clients"Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!

How coaching enables psychological safety in the workplace This week on the coaching cafe podcast, as part of our focus on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, we’re exploring the powerful link between coaching and psychological safety. Psychological safety is the shared belief that it’s safe to speak up, share ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes—without fear of judgment or repercussion. It’s the foundation of healthy, high-performing teams. So why is psychological safety so important? Because when people feel safe, they can learn, innovate, and perform at their best. And when leaders and managers adopt a coaching mindset, they help create that safety. This week on the Coaching Café podcast, join Paula as we unpack: ✔️ What psychological safety really means in the workplace ✔️ Why it’s essential for mental health, performance, and engagement ✔️ How coaching enables psychological safety through trust, curiosity, and empathy Whether you’re a leader, a coach, or someone passionate about workplace wellbeing, this Coaching Café is your opportunity to reflect on how coaching behaviours build safe spaces where people can thrive. Transcripts can be found here: Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the podcast please leave us a 5 star review wherever you listened to us! It helps promote the podcast to streaming services and other listeners. Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website. Want to join us live on Friday? Register Here! Engage with The Coaching Café Podcast Stay up to date on our socials Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Check out the YouTube Video of this podcast. YouTube Email us at [email protected] Thanks for listening!