Growth Dialogues

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan, Co-Founder of Simply.Coach, speaks with Renée Safrata, CEO and Founder of Vivo Team, about what happens when coaching starts with data rather than assumptions. She also explains why the gap between how leaders see themselves and how their teams see them is where the real work begins.Over more than 30 years, Renée has worked with thousands of companies and executives across North America and Europe, helping them connect, adopt new behaviours, and become confident members of highly functioning teams. After a successful career in interior design, she moved into consulting, helping CEOs, executive management and entrepreneurs build focused, results-oriented teams. Recognising the shift towards digital workplace learning, she researched the market and built the business plan for Vivo Team’s analytics and platform. She has since spent over a decade leading a remote team that creates and delivers virtual learning experiences. At the core of her work is a belief that human connection is what ultimately drives productivity and company results.In this conversation, Renée traces Vivo Team’s origins to a question she couldn’t let go of: why do some teams collaborate at a high level while others are still searching for the key? Working with coaches, organisational psychologists, linguists and data scientists, she set out to measure observable behaviours rather than personality profiles. The result is a 15-minute team survey covering 64 behaviours. It rolls up into six key indicators of effective teams (communication, accountability, feedback, emotional intelligence, structures, and cohesion), plus a measure of how closely a leader’s self-perception matches the team’s. Renée walks through a live executive team report. She shows how coaches can use the findings to set goals from the first session, and how a salary input lets organisations put a financial value on misalignment and on the productivity regained after coaching.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why measuring observable behaviours gives coaches more to work with than personality profiles aloneHow the gap between a leader’s self-rating and the team’s perception shows where coaching should focusHow a 15-minute team survey can give coaches a ready-made agenda for the first sessionWhy communication carries the most weight among the six key indicators of effective teamsHow a simple salary input turns team misalignment into a productivity cost, in any currencyWhy HR and talent leaders want people data they can take to the executive tableWhether you’re a coach working with leaders and their teams, or an HR leader looking to show what coaching delivers, this conversation makes a practical case for starting with the data and acting on what it shows.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan, Co-Founder of Simply.Coach, speaks with Jaya Bhateja, Master Certified Coach and Founder of Abhyudaya Global Coach Academy, about the upcoming changes to ICF's credentialing process. They cover what the changes mean for aspiring coaches, mentor coaches and the schools that train them.Jaya founded Abhyudaya Global Coach Academy in 2015 and has spent more than 20 years in leadership and coaching, including as a strategy leader at Accenture. An ICF Master Certified Coach since 2019, she trains and mentors coaches towards ACC, PCC, MCC and ACTC credentials, and has coached CXOs and senior executives at global organisations. She has served on the ICF Global Board and judged the ICF Prism Awards three times. She received the ICF India Coaching Excellence Guru Award in 2023 and the ICF Young Leader Award in 2019. She lives in India, though she'll tell you her work belongs to the world.In this conversation, Jaya explains why ICF is moving from an evaluative model to a developmental one. From 1 April 2027, coaches will no longer submit a final recording for assessment. Instead, they'll go through formative assessments during their training. Their mentor will be accountable for their growth, not just for giving feedback, and will decide whether they're ready for their credential. Jaya walks through the new mentor credential, which requires 60 hours of education, ICF's BARS training and experience, and explains why it puts far more responsibility on mentors and on coach training schools. She's also candid about the harder side of the change: rising costs for schools, price competition from much cheaper programmes, and why corporate buyers increasingly ask for PCC coaches.In this episode, you'll learn:Why ICF is replacing the final recording submission with ongoing formative assessmentsHow the mentor's role shifts from offering feedback to deciding credential readinessWhat it takes to earn ICF's new mentor credential, and why a coach's trainer can no longer be their mentorWhy coach training schools now carry full responsibility for training, mentoring and assessmentWhy ICF-accredited programmes must be at least 50% synchronous, and where recorded courses still fitHow new credentials for mentors, coach educators and supervisors are opening career paths beyond one-to-one coachingWhether you're preparing for your first ICF credential, working as a mentor coach or running a coach training programme, this conversation gives you a practitioner's view of what's changing in ICF credentialing and how to get ready for it.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan, Co-Founder of Simply.Coach, speaks with Pradeep Sarin, coach, consultant, and Founder of New Ver ME, an organization that provides individuals equal, transparent, and access to high quality coaches. They talk about what it actually takes to make coaching affordable and accessible, not as a tagline, but as a working business model.Pradeep's path into coaching started as a reluctant client. Years into a banking career, he resisted being assigned a coach, until six months of persistence from her changed how he saw the profession entirely. He later certified as a coach in 2017 with one goal: reach people who'd never normally get access to one because they couldn't afford it, or didn't know it existed. That mission became New Ver ME, now in its fifth year, built on a "pay what you can" model and a break-even philosophy rather than a profit one. What started with individual clients has grown into full B2B coaching engagements for mid-level managers and executives across industries — audiences the coaching industry has largely ignored.This conversation doesn't stay comfortable. Pradeep is candid about the tension between mission and money, the limits of measuring coaching's ROI, and why he believes most coaches gravitate toward the CXO market for the wrong reasons.In this episode, you'll learn:How a resistant coaching client became a coach with a mission to make it accessibleWhy New Ver ME operates on a "pay what you can" and break-even model, and how that's sustained for five years without raising pricesHow Pradeep measures coaching impact without a clean ROI numberWhy coaches stay engaged in the mission even without premium payHow coaching-based training is reaching audiences that traditional coaching has never touchedPradeep's advice to newly certified coaches on finding their "why" before their nicheIf you've ever wondered whether coaching can genuinely scale beyond the boardroom without losing what makes it work, this episode makes the case... with the unfiltered detail to back it up.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan, Co-Founder of Simply.Coach, speaks with Alexandra Lamb, Founder of BOLDLY, the global executive coaching marketplace now part of Bendelta Group, about where AI genuinely helps coaching and where it shouldn't go near it.Alexandra founded BOLDLY in Singapore in 2017 after seven years at Korn Ferry in Hong Kong and Shanghai, where she managed client relationships and built talent strategy programs. She has since grown BOLDLY into a marketplace of 900+ vetted coaches spanning all major global markets and languages, and the business is now part of Bendelta Group. Alexandra holds a Master of Science in Coaching Psychology from the University of Sydney and an Executive Masters in Coaching, Consulting and Change from INSEAD, and writes and speaks widely on where AI belongs, and doesn't belong, in the coaching relationship. She still coaches leaders herself, and believes the work only holds up when a human stays in the room.In this conversation, she makes the case for an "augmented" model; AI handling the logistics and always-on support between sessions, while the human coach holds the parts of coaching that can't be automated: silence, empathy, and reading what isn't said. She's clear about where she draws the line, particularly on AI acting as the coach itself rather than supporting one, and she gets into the harder questions organisations are still working through: cost versus efficacy, governance and consistency at scale, data privacy, and how cultural context shapes whether an AI coach lands well or falls flat.In this episode, you'll learn:Why low-hanging fruit like scheduling and matching should be automated first, before AI ever touches the coaching conversation itselfWhy Alexandra believes a human coach should never become just "the delivery vessel" for an AI's questionsWhy people often disclose more to an AI coach than a human one, and what that means for the coaching relationshipHow governance and consistency are pushing some organizations toward AI coaching as fast as cost isWhy cultural context and power distance change how an AI coach is experienced across different marketsHow Alexandra thinks about building AI-augmented coaching operating models at scaleWhether you're a coach figuring out where AI fits into your practice, or an HR leader evaluating an AI coaching rollout, this conversation offers a grounded, non-hyped view of where the technology helps and where it doesn't.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan, Co-Founder of Simply.Coach, speaks with Kalpesh Raichura, Leadership Coach and Positive Intelligence (PQ) Coach, about what actually creates transformation for a coaching client — not in the session itself, but in the weeks between sessions.Kalpesh has coached leaders since 2018, before which he spent over a decade managing operations and handling the Process and Business Competency program across 89,000 employees at Tata Consultancy Services BPS.In this conversation, Kalpesh shares why logical action plans and "should"-driven goals fail roughly 99% of the time, and how shifting a client's inner language from "I should" to "I choose" quietly rewires behavior without ever naming it as the coaching goal. He also unpacks how using a dedicated coaching platform — rather than WhatsApp or email — protects the "sacred space" of a coaching relationship from everyday noise.In this episode, you'll learn:Why coaching outcomes often show up in areas the client never set as a goalHow the shift from "should" to "choose" reduces pressure and builds ownershipWhy an "invisible contract" quietly damages relationships — and how to catch itHow keeping coaching communication on a single dedicated platform preserves focus and trustWhy Kalpesh runs a fixed 13-week coaching contract, and what that structure protectsHis long-term vision of taking "ease and flow" from individual leaders to teams, organizations, and communitiesWhether you're a coach exploring how to deepen client impact between sessions, or a leader curious about what makes coaching actually stick, this conversation offers a grounded, experience-first lens on transformation.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Ram Gopalan speaks with Jesse P. Gilmore, founder of Niche In Control and creator of the Leverage for Growth approach, about what it really takes to build a coaching or consulting business that scales sustainably.Drawing from his journey across multiple businesses, corporate leadership, and years of coaching agency owners, Jesse breaks down the practical realities behind growth - why many coaches hit the solopreneur ceiling, how systems and frameworks unlock freedom, and what differentiates a scalable business from a well-paid job.This is a deeply practical conversation for coaches who want clarity, structure, and repeatable results without burning out or losing the human element of coaching.In this episode, you’ll learn:How to identify when you’ve hit the solopreneur ceiling, and what to do nextWhy frameworks and systems are essential for scaling coaching outcomesHow to build credibility and authority through client results, not hypeThe role of mindset, time, and identity in implementing what you already “know”Practical first steps to move from one-on-one coaching to scalable modelsWhy great coaching can’t be replaced by AI and how to future-proof your practiceWhether you’re an early-stage coach or looking to evolve your practice into a scalable business, this episode offers clear thinking, grounded advice, and real-world lessons you can apply immediately.Visit Jesse's website here: https://www.nicheincontrol.com/View his podcast, Leverage For Growth: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leverage-for-growth-podcast/id1670694709Get his book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/g1dmkzI

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Simply.Coach co-founder Venkat G sits down with Jaya Bhateja, Master Certified Coach and Founder of Abhyudaya Coach Academy, for an honest and energizing exploration of what it truly means to grow as a coach.Jaya shares her journey from corporate roles to MCC-level coaching, the inner work required to serve clients at a deeper level, the power of feedback loops, and the discipline behind continuous learning.Together, they unpack themes like self-mastery, presence, coaching beyond technique, and building a coaching practice rooted in service rather than scale alone.They explore the habits and systems that help coaches sharpen their skills, the role of supervision and mentor coaching, how to build confidence through rigor, and why self-awareness is your most important tool.If you’re a coach looking for clarity, depth, and renewed purpose, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

Meet Dr.Karen Semien-McBride: Dr. Karen Semien-McBride is not just a coach—she’s a business architect for those who are ready to scale with purpose. With over two decades of experience in business development and entrepreneurship, she specializes in transforming passionate leaders into empowered CEOs with systems, teams, and scalable offers.Through her group coaching programs, grant-funded initiatives, and leadership development curriculum, she has empowered hundreds of professionals to monetize their expertise and build businesses that last.Dr. Karen is a straight-talker with a heart for transformation—and in every conversation, she brings wisdom, practical tools, and a powerful reminder: you can’t scale what you haven’t structured.How has she built her coaching empire, and what does it really take to grow your coaching practice beyond one-on-one sessions—and still stay true to your purpose? In this episode of Growth Dialogues, Dr. Karen Semien-McBride shares the pivotal mindset shift that transformed her from an overworked coach into a visionary CEO.She opens up about:Transitioning from hourly coaching to scalable group programsBuilding a support team that allows her to focus on strategyUsing pilot programs to prove ROI and attract grant fundingWhy many coaches unknowingly cap their income—and how to break throughPractical tips for designing a business that runs with or without youWhether you’re a solo coach or building an internal coaching program, this conversation will challenge you to stop thinking like a coach—and start leading like a CEO.

In this enlightening episode of Growth Dialogues, host Venkat sits down with Pamela Cournoyer — a seasoned leadership coach, former crime prevention officer, and expert in conflict resolution. Pamela brings a unique blend of law enforcement experience and coaching insight to help organizations unravel the tangled web of interpersonal conflict and low emotional intelligence.Pamela shares how she "fell into" conflict resolution and developed a transformative approach that helps teams move from dysfunction to harmony. Learn how unacknowledged emotions, workplace triggers, and unresolved past events can fuel team dysfunction — and how addressing the root cause can turn even the most toxic dynamics around.💡 What you'll discover in this episode:Why low emotional intelligence is at the heart of most team conflictsThe red flags of poor emotional regulation — and how to spot them earlyReal-world examples of organizational conflict and Pamela’s multi-step intervention processHow she uses the Drama Triangle and the TED model to shift teams from blame to ownershipAdvice for leadership coaches looking to specialize in conflict resolutionThe power of being “safe, present, neutral, and non-judgmental” in any coaching situationWhether you're a coach, a leader, or someone navigating complex team dynamics, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and compassionate perspective.🎧 Tune in and learn how to turn even the toughest workplace conflicts into opportunities for growth and transformation.

In this episode of Growth Dialogues, host Venkat sits down with leadership coach and mindfulness instructor Kevin Parker to explore the transformative power of integrating mindfulness into leadership coaching. Kevin shares his unique journey from corporate sales to ministry work and finally to coaching, and how mindfulness became a cornerstone of his personal and professional growth.They dive deep into:The definition and impact of mindful coachingHow mindfulness enhances emotional intelligence in leadersAddressing common misconceptions about mindfulnessPractical ways coaches can begin integrating mindfulness into their sessionsTools and techniques Kevin uses to track client growthWhether you're a coach curious about mindful practices or a leader seeking more presence and clarity, this episode is packed with insights and actionable tips.