Explore every episode of the podcast PRIME SPACE

What does it really mean to “be with” a client? In this conversation, Elias Scultori, MCC, and Jayme Roderick, ACC, explore the inner work behind genuine coaching presence—and why it begins with our relationship with ourselves.

Jayme reflects on how a client’s overwhelm can activate our own, how the need to fix or perform can limit what becomes possible in a session, and how courage allows coaches to move toward the moments they might otherwise avoid. Together, they consider imperfection, silence, emotion, chaos, self-awareness, and the body’s signals as part of the coaching process.

The invitation is simple, but demanding: notice what is happening within you so you can meet the client more fully. Because every place we cannot yet be with in ourselves may become a limit in how we can be with another person.

Jayme Roderick, ACC, spent more than 25 years bringing stories to life on Broadway, off Broadway, and at Pixar before turning toward human transformation as an integration and empowerment coach, speaker, and workshop facilitator. Jayme is the founder and CEO of The Colorful Heart, LLC.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What makes a coaching conference valuable? The presentations and professional learning matter, of course. But sometimes the most meaningful moments happen after the formal program ends.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori reflects on Luminous 2026, the ICF South Florida conference held in Miami on October 9, where PRIME Coaching Academy was a sponsor. He acknowledges the people who made the event possible, shares highlights from the conference, and reflects on the open conversations about the challenges and future of the coaching profession.

The heart of the episode, however, is an unexpected dinner invitation. After a long day, Elias nearly chooses to return to his hotel and rest. Instead, he joins a small group of coaches for a conversation that moves beyond coaching into childhood, cultural backgrounds, travel, values, world affairs, and the many ways we see the world.

The experience becomes a reminder that diversity becomes meaningful when we are open to learning from it—and that we do not need to share the same experiences or conclusions to form meaningful connections.

Elias offers a simple invitation to coaches: participate in your professional community, especially through regional conferences. Go beyond the presentations. Stay for the conversations. You may find a new idea for your practice, but you may also rediscover why this profession matters.

The real light of our profession comes not only from what we know, but from what becomes possible when we bring our humanity into the room and choose to grow together.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

100 episodes later, what has PRIME SPACE taught us about coaching? 

For this milestone episode, Elias Scultori invites regular listeners from around the world to share the ideas and conversations that have had the greatest impact on their coaching. 

Their reflections touch on humility, not knowing, presence, partnership, purpose, curiosity, skill development, and the courage to resist shortcuts. 

Taken together, they point to something deeper: coaching is more than a collection of techniques or best practices. It is a way of relating to another human being. 

After 100 conversations, the journey continues.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

With episode 100 just around the corner, Elias Scultori, MCC, sits down with Amy Donovan, MCC, to look back at the journey of PRIME Coaching Academy and PRIME SPACE—and to ask a larger question:

What are we building?

The conversation begins with the origins of PRIME Coaching Academy and the shared vision that brought Elias and Amy together: coach education that puts the power of coaching at the center.

From there, they explore what has emerged over the past few years—a community of coaches committed to learning, development, connection, and the continual refinement of their practice.

They talk about what it means to be a serious learner, why certification is not the ultimate goal, the relationship between coaching mindset and coaching skill, and what PRIME SPACE has become through 99 episodes of conversations with coaches from around the world.

But this episode isn't only about looking back.

Elias and Amy also look ahead to 2027 and the possibilities for expanding learning opportunities, supporting experienced coaches, and creating more ways for coaches to participate in community.

Because ultimately, the question isn't only what PRIME has built.

It's what we are building together—as coaches, as a community, and as a profession.

Episode 99 is a reflection, a conversation, and an invitation to participate.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Why Client-Generated Awareness Matters in Coaching...

In coaching, awareness is often treated as the desired outcome of a conversation. But who creates it matters. When a coach provides the insight, answer, solution, or interpretation, the client may receive something useful—but the source of the awareness remains outside of them.

In this episode, Elias explores why awareness needs to belong to the client. He looks at how coaches create the conditions for awareness to emerge, why no magical question or technique can manufacture insight, and why the real value of coaching may be less about what the coach knows and more about what the client discovers for themselves.

When clients generate their own awareness, they do more than find an answer. They are practicing their ability to think, question assumptions, recognize resources, make choices, and trust their own capacity.

And perhaps that is one of the most powerful things coaching can offer: not simply an answer for today, but the growing ability to find their own answers tomorrow.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What if the body could speak in a coaching conversation?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, speaks with David Ridley-Parris, ACC, about somatic coaching and what becomes possible when coaches expand their attention beyond the verbal and conceptual.

David shares how his work with clients experiencing grief and loss led him to somatic coaching. He noticed that, at times, “their language hadn’t necessarily caught up to what their body already knew.” From there, the conversation explores how the body, the client’s environment, objects, movement, and physical space can become additional sources of awareness within a coaching conversation.

David explains the distinction between conceptual and embodied self-awareness, addresses the concern that somatic coaching may feel “too woo-woo,” and describes how he introduces somatic exploration as an invitation rather than something imposed on the client.

The conversation includes practical examples—from simply taking a few breaths or walking, to using body shapes, moving through physical space to explore decisions, and working with everyday objects as metaphors. All of David’s somatic coaching is conducted virtually, with clients exploring their own bodies and environments from their own space.

At its heart, this is a conversation about expanding the vocabulary of coaching beyond words—and considering what else might support a client in becoming more aware of what is happening for them.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
02:21 - Why David Came to Somatic Coaching
04:13 - What Is Somatic Coaching?
06:08 - Is Somatic Coaching Too “Woo-Woo”?
08:51 - Introducing Somatics Into Coaching
10:38 - Letting the Body Speak
11:29 - Exploring Decisions Through Movement
13:47 - Somatic Coaching on Zoom
14:01 - When Objects Become Metaphors
15:13 - Beyond Words
16:29 - David’s Invitation to Coaches
17:01 - Closing

About David Ridley-Parris

David Ridley-Parris, ACC, is a coach based in Portugal who works with clients around the world. With a background in HR and a coaching practice that includes grief and loss as well as executive clients, David explores how somatic approaches can expand the ways coaches support awareness and exploration.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

It's a question more coaches are asking—and one worth taking seriously.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores why coaching needs a professional organization, particularly as a self-regulated profession. Standards, ethics, accountability, professional identity, collective learning, and public trust all depend on our willingness to come together and take responsibility for the profession we are creating.

But coming together does not mean agreeing with everything an organization does.

Elias challenges coaches to consider a more difficult question: Is the ICF serving the profession? Are we preserving what is distinctive about coaching? And are we willing to question, challenge, and contribute to the benefit of sustainable and intentional growth of the profession?

The answer isn't to walk away. 
It's to engage.

Because the ICF is not the profession. 
We are the profession.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it really mean to pursue the MCC credential?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, is joined by Annalise Koltai, MCC, to explore her journey from discovering coaching as a distinct professional craft to earning her Master Certified Coach credential with the International Coaching Federation.

But this isn't really a conversation about credentials.

It is a conversation about excellence.

Annalise shares what she learned about the difference between coaching and other helping professions, the value of coach-specific training, and what happened when she became willing to approach her own coaching with a beginner's mind. She talks candidly about the uncomfortable parts of the MCC journey—including examining the habits, assumptions, and personal patterns that had become embedded in her work.

Together, Elias and Annalise explore a central question for every professional coach:

What does it mean to remain committed to becoming better at this craft?

They discuss deliberate practice, supervision and mentor coaching, the relationship between preparation and presence, and why letting go in the coaching session is only possible when we have done the work beforehand.

The MCC, as this conversation makes clear, is not the end of the journey. It can be the beginning of a deeper commitment to the craft.

Because excellence isn't something we achieve once. 
It is something we continue to practice.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it really mean to develop as a coach?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori explores three interconnected dimensions of professional development: skills development, personal development, and business development. Rather than treating them as separate areas, Elias argues that they are different dimensions of the same coaching practice—and that neglecting one inevitably affects the others.

From listening and questioning to money, practice agreements, self-awareness, and the sustainability of a coaching business, this conversation examines how the whole person shows up in the coaching relationship.

Elias also explores the relationship between mentor coaching, coaching supervision, reflection, and personal development—and challenges the idea that skills development can be separated from reflective practice.

Because the coach is never separate from the coaching.
Three dimensions. One coach.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome to PRIME SPACE
01:27 — Three dimensions of coach development
02:43 — Where do our coaching skills actually come from?
03:54 — Who is doing the listening?
05:10 — The questions we ask reveal who we are
06:11 — Why skills development requires personal development
07:38 — Developing self-awareness as a coach
08:27 — What happens in us while we coach?
09:27 — Coaching is a Human-to-Human Experience
10:51 — Why business development matters to coaching
11:19 — How business affects the coaching relationship
12:35 — When business and coaching mindset collide
12:53 — Three dimensions of one practice
14:18 — The value of working with a senior practitioner
14:37 — Mentor coaching, supervision, and professional development
15:45 — Why skills and reflection cannot be separated
16:42 — Looking underneath the skill
17:44 — Reflection without movement doesn't propel growth
19:09 — Develop seriously, continuously, and holistically
20:08 — Three dimensions. One coach.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What if building a coaching practice doesn't require you to leave your current job?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, welcomes Joel Dietz, PCC, ACTC, for an unexpected addition to our conversation about developing a coaching business.

Joel shares his experience of building a coaching practice while continuing to work full-time in HR and organizational development. Rather than making the often-assumed leap from employment to independent coaching, he found ways to coach within his existing organization, develop his experience, build relationships, and gradually create the foundation for a future independent practice.

The conversation challenges the idea that there is one right way to become a professional coach or build a coaching business. For some coaches, an independent practice may be the right path. For others, internal coaching, a side practice, organizational work, or a gradual transition may make more sense.

The question isn't simply, "Should I leave my job and start a coaching business?"

It may be: "What is the right coaching practice for me, right now?"

If you're a coach building your practice, accumulating coaching experience, considering a transition from corporate work, or looking for ways to create coaching opportunities where you already are, this conversation offers a different perspective on business development for coaches.

Chapters

00:11 — An unexpected addition to the business development series
00:58 — Meet Joel Dietz, PCC, ACTC
02:43 — The pressure to build a coaching business
05:01 — There is no one way to build a coaching practice
06:03 — Using employment as a foundation for your coaching practice
07:10 — What is the right path for you?
08:45 — Finding coaching opportunities inside your organization
11:54 — Building coaching experience at your current job
14:08 — Using organizational resources to build your coaching toolkit

Memorable Quotes

"There is no one way of doing this."
"You can get very creative about opportunities to do what you love where you already are."
"What is the practice that suits each one of us in this particular moment?"

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Many coaches are told they need to "find their niche" before they can build a successful coaching practice. But is that really true?

In this final episode of the five-part series on business development, Elias Scultori, MCC, welcomes back PRIME Coaching Academy co-founder Amy Donovan, MCC, to explore niching.

Together, they examine both the advantages and the limitations of this level of marketing focus, discuss why labels can unintentionally dilute the power of coaching, and explain why coaches should first become deeply grounded in the true proposition of coaching before worrying about positioning.

Rather than rushing to define a niche, they invite coaches to experiment, coach widely, and let experience—not anxiety—reveal where they naturally create the greatest impact.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The real purpose of choosing a niche
• When specialization becomes a limitation
• Why coaching labels can create unrealistic client expectations
• Why experimentation should come before specialization
• Thomas Leonard's perspective on finding your niche
• How clarity about coaching matters more than clarity about marketing

Whether you're launching your coaching practice or refining an established one, this conversation offers a more thoughtful and sustainable approach to business development.

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:36 – Should Every Coach Have a Niche?
03:15 – The Advantages of Specialization
04:22 – When Niching Becomes Too Narrow
06:13 – The Opportunities You're Not Seeing
08:06 – The Problem with Coaching Labels
09:45 – Protecting the True Value of Coaching
11:35 – Coaching vs. Consulting
12:06 – Final Advice for Coaches
12:35 – Coach First. Find Your Niche Later.
13:52 – Closing

Memorable Quotes
"Niching is a marketing strategy—not your professional identity."
"Don't wait to find a niche before you start coaching. Coach first. Your niche will find you."
"Clarity about coaching matters more than clarity about marketing."
"When we dilute coaching, we also dilute its transformational potential."
"People don't ultimately want your expertise—they want to trust their own."

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Many coaches dream of leaving corporate life and building their own coaching practice. But what does that transition really require?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori welcomes executive coach Mike Alles, PCC, for an honest conversation about what it took to leave a successful 25-year corporate career and build a thriving coaching business.

Mike shares why passion alone wasn't enough. Preparation, resilience, relationships, and a genuine belief in the power of coaching all played an essential role. Together, they explore the difference between running away from something and running toward work that is deeply aligned with your purpose.

Whether you're considering launching your coaching practice or looking for renewed perspective on the work you already do, this conversation offers practical wisdom and thoughtful encouragement.

In this episode:

• Why purpose matters more than escape
• Preparing before taking the leap
• Leveraging your professional experience as a coach
• The role of resilience in business development
• Using your network without "selling"
• Why coaching must be more than just a career choice
• Practical advice for coaches building a practice

Connect with Mike Alles

• O2 Leadership
• LinkedIn

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:00 Mike's journey from corporate leadership to coaching
• 03:10 Finding purpose before taking the leap
• 06:10 Preparing before leaving corporate
• 09:30 Building a successful coaching practice
• 12:40 Why passion matters
• 14:50 Advice for coaches considering entrepreneurship
• 16:15 Business development, resilience, and the numbers game
• 18:15 Final reflections

Memorable Quotes
"Make sure you're running toward something—not simply running away from something."
"Passion gives you the resilience to survive the difficult days."
"Your coaching practice is often the evolution of everything you've done before."
"Success rarely comes from a leap alone. It comes from years of preparation."
"Believe deeply in coaching before asking others to invest in it."

If this conversation resonates with you, follow PRIME SPACE, leave a review, and share the episode with another coach.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Visibility opens the door. Trust is what sustains it. 
That's where great coaching businesses are built.

In the third episode of our five-part series on practice development, I sit down with Renata Lerch, ACC—Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the International Coaching Federation (ICF)—to explore what marketing really means for professional coaches.

Drawing on decades of experience leading global marketing initiatives across Fortune 500 companies, startups, associations, and now the ICF, Renata offers a refreshing perspective that moves beyond tactics and social media algorithms. We discuss why every coaching conversation influences the reputation of our profession, how coaches can build trust before asking for business, and why clarity and consistency matter far more than constant self-promotion.

We also explore the ICF's broader role in advancing coaching worldwide, protecting professional standards, and shaping the future of the profession.

Whether you're just beginning your coaching practice or looking to strengthen an established business, this conversation offers practical guidance grounded in professionalism, ethics, and long-term credibility.

In this episode

• The ICF's role in promoting and protecting the coaching profession
• Every coach's responsibility in shaping public trust
• Why coaching excellence is your strongest marketing strategy
• Building credibility before selling your services
• Creating a memorable professional identity
• Referrals, digital presence, and consistency
• Why marketing should be viewed as service—not self-promotion
• How AI is changing the way potential clients discover coaches

Renata also shares details about her complimentary Marketing Lab for Coaches—a practical workshop designed to help coaches clarify their message and strengthen their marketing approach.

Connect with Renata Lerch on LinkedIn.

If this conversation resonates with you, I encourage you to reach out to Renata, follow her work, and let her know you discovered her through PRIME SPACE.

Chapters

• 00:42 Meet Renata Lerch
• 02:56 How the ICF advances and protects the coaching profession
• 10:13 Every coach's role in building public trust
• 15:21 Practical marketing advice for coaches
• 20:24 Renata's complimentary Marketing Lab
• 22:14 Closing thoughts

Memorable Quotes

"The future of coaching doesn't belong only to organizations like the ICF. It belongs to every single coach."

"You don't need to be famous. You need to be memorable."

"Build trust before you ask for business."

"Don't think of marketing as self-promotion. Think of it as service."

"The quality of our work shapes the reputation of our entire profession."

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Marketing feels uncomfortable for many coaches. Visibility doesn't have to.

In this second episode of the Business Development series, Elias Scultori invites coaches to stop thinking about marketing as selling and start thinking about it as visibility.

When we don't have clarity about why coaching and why us, marketing easily becomes forced, uncomfortable, and performative. But when we are genuinely convinced of the value coaching brings, visibility becomes an act of service rather than self-promotion.

Elias explores why so many coaches stay hidden behind endless planning, social media strategies, certifications, and preparation instead of simply showing up where their potential clients already are. He offers a practical framework for becoming visible by building authentic relationships, engaging with communities, and allowing others to experience the coaching mindset firsthand.

Building a coaching practice isn't about becoming a better salesperson.
It's about making sure the people who need your work know you exist.

In this episode:
00:00 – Continuing the Business Development series
02:08 – Why coaches resist marketing
04:14 – Replacing the "M word" with the "V word"
05:52 – Visibility as an act of service
07:51 – When marketing becomes authentic
08:45 – The two practical steps to becoming visible
10:13 – Going where your potential clients already are
11:14 – Letting people experience coaching
12:26 – Relationships before clients
14:01 – What really fills your coaching pipeline
15:03 – Stop hiding. Become visible.

Memorable Quotes
"We can't be a secret."
"Building a coaching practice should be based on the joy of sharing this process we are so proud of."
"Find out where your potential clients are. Go and put yourself in front of them."
"The world is thirsty for what you have to offer."
"Become visible, and the world will respond."

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Business development can feel uncomfortable for many coaches. Perhaps that's because we've been starting in the wrong place. We invest years refining our coaching skills, yet often struggle to attract clients and build a sustainable practice.

In this opening episode of a new PRIME SPACE season, Elias Scultori, MCC, challenges the conventional marketing advice that dominates the coaching industry. Rather than beginning with websites, social media, niches, or branding, he argues that effective business development starts with the coaching mindset itself.

Introducing a simple framework that connects skills development, personal development, and business development, Elias explores why these three dimensions are inseparable. He then offers two deceptively simple questions that every coach should answer before creating another marketing plan:

Why coaching?
Why you?

The answers to these questions become the foundation for every conversation with prospective clients, every marketing decision, and every coaching practice built with authenticity and integrity.

If you're looking for a more human, values-driven approach to growing your coaching practice, this conversation is the place to begin.


Chapters
01:16 - Why business development matters for coaches
02:01 - The three dimensions of coaching success
04:15 - Coaching is also a business
06:08 - Why traditional marketing feels uncomfortable
08:29 - When marketing contradicts the coaching mindset
09:29 - Two questions every coach must answer
17:55 - A different path to building your practice

Memorable Quotes
"We're using marketing strategies to sell something that often contradicts what coaching actually is."
"Our coaching mindset is our most powerful business development tool."
"People aren't simply hiring your methods. They're choosing to spend time with you."

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it truly mean to be an “expert” coach?

In this reflective season finale of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores a profound moment from his recent conversation with Ann Fogolin, MCC — a moment that opens the door to one of the deepest paradoxes in coaching: the more we grow, the more aware we become of how much we do not know.

Drawing from the foundational coaching tenets taught at PRIME Coaching Academy, Elias reflects on the idea that coaching is both a humbling and courageous act. In a profession often shaped by expertise, performance, and recognition, what happens when the coach steps out of the spotlight and creates space for the client’s own wisdom, power, and humanity to emerge?

This episode is an invitation to reconsider the role of knowledge, certainty, identity, and ego in the coaching relationship — and to explore the courage required to truly listen, remain curious, and serve without the need to be “the one who knows.”

A thoughtful closing to Season 4, this conversation speaks not only to coaches but to anyone interested in leadership, presence, growth, and authentic human connection.

Chapters

00:11 — A Moment from “The Future of Coaching”

01:09 — What Real Experts Understand

02:06 — The Coaching Tenets

03:21 — Coaching as a Humbling and Courageous Act

05:21 — The Human Need to Be Right

06:29 — The Illusion of Knowing Another’s Experience

07:45 — When the Coach Becomes the Center

08:52 — Humility, Presence, and Empowerment

10:08 — The Courage to Truly Listen

Memorable Quotes

“Coaching is a humbling and courageous act.”

“What do we truly know about what is happening in the heart of this person in front of us?”

“That’s when we begin to truly listen.”

“Humility and courage. That’s at the core of coaching.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this heartfelt episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores one of the most overlooked realities of the coaching profession: isolation.

Behind the meaningful conversations, transformational moments, and professional growth, many coaches quietly navigate their practices in isolation. After the energy and connection of coach training programs fade, coaches often find themselves building businesses, holding complex client situations, and reflecting on ethical dilemmas alone.

This episode is a reminder that coaching was never meant to be a solitary path.

Elias reflects on the essential role of coaching communities, mentor coaching, supervision, peer reflection, and professional organizations in sustaining not only coaching excellence, but also emotional well-being, ethical clarity, and professional resilience.

From ICF communities and peer coaching spaces to mentor relationships and industry associations, this conversation is an invitation to reconnect — not only with other coaches, but with the shared humanity at the heart of the profession.

If you have ever questioned yourself as a coach, felt isolated in your work, or hesitated to ask for support, this episode is for you.

In this episode

• Why coaching can become an isolating profession
• The hidden emotional cost of working alone
• The importance of reflective practice and community
• Why “a coach needs a coach”
• Shame, vulnerability, and asking for support
• The role of mentor coaching and supervision
• Building sustainable professional relationships
• How coaching communities strengthen ethical practice
• Why volunteering and participation matter
• Finding your professional “home” as a coach

Memorable Quotes

“Humans are social creatures. We need each other — and as coaches, we need other coaches.”

“For a coach, having a coach is an ethical issue.”

“We cannot do this alone.”

“This is an opportunity for us to exercise our transparency, authenticity, vulnerability, and live the coaching mindset.”

Chapters

00:13 – The loneliness many coaches experience

01:49 – The power of coaching community

02:54 – Coaching through complex client situations

03:53 – Why coaches also need coaching

05:17 – Shame, vulnerability, and asking for help

06:34 – Reflective practice and the coaching mindset

07:50 – Finding community through professional organizations

09:07 – Volunteering, contribution, and authentic connection

10:23 – Closing reflections and season four finale preview

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it mean to move a profession forward without losing its essence?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, is joined by Ann Fogolin, MCC, for a thoughtful exploration of where coaching is heading and what may be at stake along the way. Drawing on decades of experience in coaching, mentor coaching, and assessment, they reflect on key inflection points in the profession, including the introduction of competency markers, the evolution of credentialing, and the growing influence of AI.

Rather than predicting trends, this conversation examines the deeper questions shaping the future of coaching: How do we preserve the human core of the work? What distinguishes coaching from adjacent practices? And what responsibility does the profession carry as it continues to define itself?

The dialogue invites coaches to consider not only where the industry is going, but how each practitioner participates in shaping that direction.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction and welcome
02:08 – The evolution of coaching standards and the impact of PCC markers
07:08 – Credentialing, assessment, and the shift toward developmental evaluation
10:40 – AI in coaching: opportunities, tensions, and limitations
15:37 – The role of knowledge and shifting interpretations of coaching competencies
17:37 – Identity, maturity, and the ongoing definition of the profession
20:42 – Belonging vs. fitting in: a reflection on the profession’s future

Key Themes

• The unintended consequences of standardization in coaching education
• The distinction between demonstrating competencies and embodying them
• Evolving approaches to mentor coaching and assessment
• AI as both a tool and a mirror for the profession’s values
• The importance of human connection in coaching conversations
• The ongoing need to define a clear and shared coaching mindset

Memorable Quotes

“There are recordings where every box is checked—and there is no coaching happening.”  
“Coaching is not just about the solution. It’s about being seen, valued, and understood by another human being.”  
“AI can support the process, but it cannot replace the human connection that defines coaching.”  
“We are still trying to define our identity as a profession.”  
“You want to belong, not just fit in.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What if the key to transformation isn’t changing our thoughts—but changing how we think?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, is joined by Aaron Listhaus, ACC, for a thoughtful conversation exploring the distinction between individual thoughts and the patterns of thinking that shape them.

Together, they explore how clients often become trapped not by what they think, but by how they habitually think—patterns that quietly shape behavior, decision-making, and ultimately, life outcomes. Drawing from real client examples and the concept of “immunity to change,” Aaron reveals how coaches can help clients identify and shift the underlying cognitive habits that keep them stuck.

This episode moves beyond surface-level mindset work and into the deeper architecture of awareness—where lasting change actually occurs.

For professional coaches, this conversation sharpens the distinction between content and process—between what clients say and how they generate what they say. It reinforces a core truth of coaching: transformation is less about solving problems and more about evolving the system that produces them.

Chapters

02:56 – Why Thinking Patterns Matter More Than Thoughts
07:06 – Immunity to Change: Why We Stay Stuck
11:59 – Coaching the Pattern, Not the Content
14:27 – Shifting Perspective: Expanding the Client’s Lens
16:20 – The Marble Staircase: How Change Really Happens

Memorable Quotes

“It’s not the thought—it’s the thinking behind the thought.”
“Awareness gives you choice—and choice changes everything.”
“We don’t coach the problem; we coach the pattern that sustains it.”
“Lasting change isn’t a breakthrough moment—it’s a worn path, created over time.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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There are some changes coming to the ICF Certification process.
What does that mean to you?
What does it say about coach training and development?

Beginning January 1, 2027, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) will eliminate performance recordings for ACC and PCC portfolio applications. In their place? A more robust, relationship-based, and developmental approach centered on mentor coaching.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, unpacks what this change really means—not just procedurally, but philosophically. This is more than a policy update. It’s a redefinition of how coaching mastery is cultivated, assessed, and embodied.

You’ll explore the shift from one-time performance evaluation to ongoing formative development, the introduction of the Mentor Coaching Qualification (MCQ), and why this evolution elevates—not dilutes—the integrity of ICF credentials.

More importantly, this conversation challenges a deeper question:
Are you pursuing certification… or development?

This episode invites you to reconsider your relationship with growth, standards, and what it truly means to become a great coach.

Chapters

00:00 — A Major Shift in Coaching Certification
01:39 — From Performance to Formative Development
04:39 — The Rise of Mentor Coaching (Done Right)
06:00 — Introducing the MCQ: Accountability for Mentors
10:32 — Beyond Technique: A Holistic View of Coach Development
13:06 — The Real Question: Why Certification at All?**

Quotes

“The spotlight is no longer on a moment—but on a lived developmental process.”
“Mentor coaching is not a requirement to complete. It is a process to inhabit.”
“You cannot separate skill development from the human being who is developing.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Empathy is often named as a core coaching skill.
And yet… its depth continues to unfold the more we practice.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, moves beyond definitions and into the nuanced terrain where coaching excellence lives. While empathy is often cited as a foundational competency (ICF Core Competency 4.4), its definition remains vague, even among experienced coaches.

Drawing on the well-known distinction popularized by Dr. Brené Brown, this episode expands the conversation to include sympathy, emotional resonance, and compassion, revealing how each subtly but significantly impacts trust, partnership, and client agency.

Through precise language analysis and real coaching examples, Elias challenges coaches to examine not just what they say, but the internal stance from which their words emerge.

Recommended Video
• Brene Brown on Empathy vs Sympathy

Chapters

00:00 — The Question Beneath the Competency
03:06 — Empathy in Practice: Beyond Words
06:19 — Sympathy: The Subtle Break in Partnership
08:17 — Emotional Resonance: Instrument or Interference?
11:04 — Compassion: The Hidden Urge to Fix
14:25 — Applied Distinctions: Real Client Moments

Memorable Quotes

“The moment you create distance, you weaken partnership.”
“Emotional resonance becomes powerful only when it stops being about you.”
“Compassion, unmanaged, is the gateway to fixing—and fixing breaks coaching.”
“It’s not the words you use—it’s the position you take.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, is joined by executive coach, supervisor, and abstract artist Cecilia McKay, PCC, for a conversation that extends beyond language into the realms of perception, intuition, and creation.

Together, they explore coaching as an art form—where presence replaces performance, and where the unexpected becomes an invitation rather than a disruption. Cecilia shares how her artistic practice informs her coaching: letting go of rigid plans, listening beyond the intellect, and responding to what is emerging in the moment.

This dialogue challenges coaches to reconsider their reliance on words and to expand their practice through other forms of expression—objects, movement, environment, and imagination. What happens when we stop trying to “get it right” and instead allow the coaching conversation to unfold like a canvas?

A reflective and provocative exploration of humanity, creativity, and the courage to meet the unknown—together.

Chapters

02:30 – Where Art Meets Coaching
06:00 – Letting Go of the “Perfect Coach”
11:40 – Beyond Words: Expanding the Coaching Space
16:30 – Reclaiming Humanity in Coaching

Memorable Quotes

“It’s a space where expression meets inquiry—and creativity becomes a pathway of self-discovery.”
“If you stay only in the intellect, what doors are you closing?”
“Everything is information—if you’re willing to notice it.”
“When we try to be the perfect coach, we miss the whole story.”
“It’s not about creating your picture or their picture—it’s what emerges between you.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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What else is there about cultivating trust and safety?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores the role of partnership in the International Coaching Federation competency "Cultivates Trust and Safety."

The conversation turns toward a question that often remains implicit in coaching practice:
Who holds responsibility for trust and safety in the coaching relationship?

Rather than approaching safety as something the coach creates, this episode introduces the concept of Brave Space, originally developed by Dr. Brian Arao, ACC, and Kristi Clemens. From this perspective, trust, safety, and growth are not managed by the coach alone but emerge through shared responsibility.

The episode reflects on how discomfort, accountability, vulnerability, and action show up within that shared space—and how a coach’s presence may either invite or limit the client’s willingness to engage with them.

This is not a redefinition of trust and safety, but rather a closer look at how it is practiced.

Chapters

01:27 – The Overlooked Competency: Trust & Safety Revisited
03:49 – Why We Can’t Make Clients Feel Safe
05:16 – From Safe Space to Brave Space
07:03 – Key Traits: Discomfort, Ownership, Vulnerability
10:50 – Brave Space as a Catalyst for Action & Transformation
11:56 – A Poetic Invitation to Brave Space

Memorable Quotes

• “We cannot make anyone feel safe—safety is the other person’s choice.”
• “Brave space welcomes discomfort because growth doesn’t happen in comfort.”
• “Are we creating value… or taking away the client’s ownership?”
• “Our vulnerability is an invitation for the client to be fully human.”
• “Transformation begins the moment we stop protecting comfort and start inviting courage.”

Links to Episode 59: "The Overlooked Competency"
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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The most important shift isn't easy...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores what may be the hardest—and most essential—skill in coaching: the capacity to set aside our own perspective and truly step into our client’s world.

Drawing on a powerful personal experience visiting the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal in Mexico, Elias invites coaches to reflect on humility, curiosity, and the courage required to let go of attachment to our own beliefs, insights, and “brilliance.” Because coaching doesn’t happen when we bring more of ourselves into the space. It happens when we create space for the client to fully exist within it.

This episode challenges even the most experienced coaches to confront a subtle but critical question: Are you truly serving the client—or unconsciously centering yourself?

Memorable Quotes

• “We live inside our minds—and mistake it for reality.”
• “Coaching is a humbling and courageous experience.”
• “Curiosity is the fuel of coaching.”
• “You are not the center of the session—you are a guest in someone else’s world.”

Chapters

01:28 – A Lesson from the Mayan World
03:28 – The Illusion of Our Own Perspective
06:03 – When the Coach Takes Over
08:32 – Cultivating Humility and Curiosity
11:02 – Letting the Client Take Center Stage

Why This Episode Matters

In a world increasingly driven by opinion, identity, and certainty, coaching calls for something radically different: the discipline to listen beyond ourselves. This episode is a deep invitation to refine your presence, expand your awareness, and elevate your impact as a coach.

Subscribe for more advanced conversations in coaching that challenge assumptions, deepen your craft, and expand what’s possible in the coaching space.

#Coaching #LifeCoaching #ExecutiveCoaching #CoachingSkills #ICFCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingMindset #Curiosity #SelfAwareness #PRIMESPACE

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Is ICF Coaching real coaching?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores a common tension in professional coaching today: the "rules" of coaching and the reality of our practices.

Many coaches feel overwhelmed by the structure of professional coaching—session agreements, open questions, avoiding advice, demonstrating competencies, preparing for certification. At times, it can feel like coaching requires carrying a mental checklist that conflicts with supporting the client.

But what if that understanding misses the deeper purpose?

Elias challenges the following rules myth and invites coaches to see competencies for what they truly are: best practices designed to serve the client, not constrain the coach. Using a powerful analogy from surgery, he explores how mastery enables coaches to move beyond rigid technique to thoughtful, moment-by-moment decision-making.

This episode is an invitation to move from legalism to discernment, from performing coaching to embodying it, and from rules to freedom in the coaching conversation.

If you’ve ever wondered whether ICF coaching is “real coaching,” this conversation goes straight to the heart of the question.

Memorable Quotes

• “You cannot coach in a straitjacket.”
• “The goal of the competencies is not rules for rules’ sake. The goal is the client.”
• “Mastery is not using every tool. Mastery is knowing when to use the right one.”
• “ICF coaching is real coaching—if we dare to understand it fully.”

Chapters

00:00 — The Weight of Coaching Rules
Why many coaches feel overwhelmed by competencies, certification requirements, and the pressure to “do coaching right.”

04:10 — There Are No Rules
Why the ICF Core Competencies are not rules, but best practices developed through research and collective professional experience.

07:49 — Finding Freedom
Why some coaches struggle with the rules and ways to find freedom in their practices.

12:01 — The Surgeon Analogy
How true excellence comes from understanding every tool deeply—and then making the best decision for the client in the moment.

#Coaching #ICFCoaching #CoachTraining #ProfessionalCoaching #CoachingMindset #CoachDevelopment #LeadershipCoaching

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this thought-provoking solo episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, explores how the human brain processes information, and why our natural tendency to label and categorize the world can quietly interfere with powerful coaching.

Scientists estimate that the brain processes around 11 million bits of information per second, yet we can consciously hold only 40–50 bits at a time. To cope with this overload, the brain relies on shortcuts: labels, assumptions, and categories.

But what happens when those shortcuts shape how we listen to our clients?

Through a playful reference to the Netflix show Is It Cake?, Elias invites coaches to question the certainty of what seems obvious. Just like a hyper-realistic cake disguised as an everyday object, the stories and labels we attach to situations—and people—can easily fool us.

This episode explores a central tension in coaching: the balance between knowledge and curiosity. While training, frameworks, and experience are essential, the real power of coaching lies in the willingness to question what appears clear and remain open to what has not yet been seen.

What assumptions are shaping how we hear our clients?
What labels are quietly narrowing our perception?
And how can coaches cultivate the humility and courage required to move beyond them?

For professional coaches who want to deepen their presence, expand their listening, and challenge their own certainty, this episode is an invitation to look again.

Because sometimes the question isn’t what is happening.
It’s what are we missing?

Memorable Quotes

“Labels help us navigate the world—but they can also quietly limit what we are able to see.”
"Knowledge is cheap these days. If I am too attached to my own knowing, I cannot fully support my client’s exploration.”
“Sometimes the most powerful coaching question is simply: What else might be here?”

Chapters

00:13 — 11 Million Bits vs. 40 Bits
How the brain filters overwhelming information and why we rely on labels.

02:42 — “Is It Cake?” and the Illusion of Certainty
A playful example of how easily perception can be fooled.

04:17 — What This Means for Coaching
How assumptions and labels influence the coaching relationship.

05:47 — The Power of Labels
How identity markers and categories instantly shape perception.

09:40 — The True Mindset of Coaching
Why humility, openness, and courage matter more than technique.

⭐ Subscribe to PRIME SPACE for more advanced conversations on the craft and mindset of professional coaching.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What if listening in coaching isn’t just a skill… but a system?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, explores the multidimensional nature of listening in professional coaching. While most coach training programs introduce listening as the first skill, Elias shares why at PRIME Coaching Academy it comes later—after covering coaching mindset, distinctions, and even framework.

Why? Because skills without foundation stay mechanical. True listening emerges from identity, awareness, and discernment.

This episode challenges coaches to move beyond capturing details. It introduces the idea that a coaching conversation is a *system*—one that includes the client, their story, what’s beneath the story… and the coach.

You’ll explore:

• The difference between hearing details and listening for identity
• Why self-awareness is the gateway to masterful listening
• How your own values, fears, and biases inevitably enter the coaching space
• The evolution from ACC-level listening to PCC/MCC-level systemic listening

If you're a coach committed to mastery—or simply someone who wants to listen more deeply in your relationships—this episode will shift how you think about presence and partnership.

Chapters

00:14 – The need for foundational learning before listening
04:33 – Capturing details vs. understanding context
06:01 – Listening to what the client says vs. who the client is
08:45 – Coaching as a living system
10:14 – When your story interferes with listening
11:41 – Self-awareness as advanced listening (PCC/MCC level)

Memorable Quotes

“In coaching, we don’t only listen to what the client is saying — we listen to who the client is.”
“Details are data. Identity is the bottom line.”
“I enter the room, and everything that I am comes with me.”
“The question is not how to eliminate who you are — but how aware you are of who you are.”

This Episode Is For You If:

• You’re working toward ACC, PCC, or MCC credentials
• You want to deepen your coaching presence
• You’re curious about systemic and reflective practice
• You value evidence-based coaching *and* inner development

If this conversation resonates with you:

• Follow the show on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
• Leave a 5-star review
• Share this episode with a colleague
• Subscribe on YouTube for more conversations on coaching mastery

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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What does *partnership* really mean in coaching?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC explores one of the most foundational ideas in coaching – the assumption of equal partnership between coach and client.

Using the official ICF definition of coaching as a starting point, this episode challenges a core belief in our profession:

Is coaching truly a meeting of equals?

Elias unpacks:

• Why “partnering” is everywhere in coaching—and why that matters
• The hidden power dynamics created by labels like coach and client
• How hierarchy can subtly enter the room despite our best intentions
• What becomes possible when we strip away roles and meet as human beings
• How language shapes mindset, presence, and ethical practice

This episode is especially relevant for ICF ACC, PCC, and MCC coaches, mentor coaches, and anyone committed to embodying the coaching mindset with depth, humility, and integrity.

Chapters
00:12 – Partnering is everywhere
04:00 – Is equal partnership realistic?
05:24 – Labels, roles, and power dynamics
06:38 – Challenging the partnership assumption
08:12 – Beyond masks: two human beings in conversation
09:52 – Redefining partnership in practice

Subscribe for weekly reflections on coaching mindset, presence, and mastery

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Across the coaching industry, there is an increasing emphasis on being evidence-based.
And it matters. A lot.

In this solo episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC explores why evidence-based coaching is a vital foundation for the credibility and sustainability of our profession.

From there, the conversation opens into what evidence makes possible—how strong research and standards create the conditions for innovation, adaptability, and deeper presence in real coaching conversations.

This episode is an invitation to honor the science, respect the standards, and use them as a springboard for continued growth.

You’ll hear reflections on the pioneers of coaching, the responsibility we carry today, and why you, in every coaching conversation, contribute to shaping the future of our profession.

Episode Highlights & Timestamps
00:13 – Why “evidence-based” matters more than ever in coaching
02:15 – Coaching pioneers: building the airplane while flying it
03:57 – Why waiting for evidence would have killed innovation
05:55 – The sustainability of coaching depends on research and rigor
09:33 – When evidence alone makes us obsolete
12:48 – Coaches as creators of the next wave of evidence

Memorable Quotes
“Evidence-based is not the finish line. It’s the starting point.”
“If the pioneers had waited for evidence, coaching would never have existed.”
“Innovation is at the core of the coaching mindset.”
“It’s not the ICF staff that sets our standards—it’s you, in every coaching conversation.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it take to remain steady when everything around us feels uncertain, loud, or chaotic?

In this powerful episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, sits down with Patricia Risch, MCC, a coach, edgewalker, and global citizen, to explore the lived experience and coaching implications of moving from chaos to coherence.

Drawing from her time living through geopolitical crises in Pakistan and Jordan, Patricia shares how navigating global instability shaped her capacity for grounded presence, energetic coherence, and conscious choice. Together, Elias and Patricia unpack how coherence is not just a mindset but a practice, one that allows coaches and leaders to hold space without being hijacked by fear, reactivity, or overwhelm.

This conversation is especially relevant for coaches, leaders, and change-makers who work with clients facing uncertainty, emotional dysregulation, or complex systemic challenges. You’ll hear how coherence becomes a generative force that supports clarity, emotional regulation, leadership presence, and forward movement—even in the midst of chaos.

✨ Key themes

• The concept of the *edgewalker* in coaching and leadership
• Moving from reactivity to intentional choice
• Coherence as an energetic and embodied practice
• How coaches can stay grounded when clients arrive in chaos
• Coaching as a catalyst for the evolution of human consciousness

Episode Chapters

01:49 – Living in Global Chaos
Patricia reflects on experiencing embassy bombings, 9/11 abroad, and cultural liminality.

04:25 – Choosing Steadiness in Crisis
Detachment, awareness, and the power of internal anchoring.

05:42 – Coaching as Integration
How coach training helped Patricia bring meaning and coherence to her experiences.

08:47 – How Do We Move from Chaos to Coherence?
Values, recalibration, and intentional presence.

11:50 – “Do I Have Thoughts, or Do My Thoughts Have Me?”
Awareness, detachment, and choice in moments of crisis.

14:12 – The Core Message of Coaching
Movement, momentum, and evolution.

14:46 – Practical Guidance for Coaches
Pause, breathe, ground, listen, and create space.

15:25 – The Power of Choice
From global crises to everyday moments—coherence is always available.

Memorable Quotes

“Reactivity doesn’t have to be the choice.” — Patricia Risch, MCC
“Regardless of the chaos, there is always a choice.” — Elias Scultori, MCC
“Do I have thoughts, or do my thoughts have me?” — Patricia Risch, MCC
“To support our clients, we must first bring coherence within ourselves.” — Elias Scultori, MCC

Subscribe to PRIME SPACE for conversations at the edge of coaching, consciousness, and human potential.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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In this solo episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, invites coaches to rethink one of coaching’s most essential tools: **questions**. How can we enhance the dimension and range of our coaching questions?

Elias explores how questions shape awareness, expand perspective, and unlock client potential. He introduces a clear, practical distinction between questions that explore the present (“what is”) and those that push clients beyond their current thinking (“what could be”). Together, these two categories create clarity, challenge assumptions, and open the door to possibility and transformation.

The episode is full of practical examples and sample questions that can inspire you to craft even more powerful questions.

Episode Chapters

00:02 – The Power of Questions
Why questions are more than a technique—they’re a gateway to awareness, clarity, and choice.

01:24 – Beyond Open vs. Closed Questions
Exploring the wide landscape of question types and why awareness of them matters.

02:57 – Questions of the Present: “What Is”
How present-focused questions help clients clarify meaning, values, emotions, and reality.

04:11 – Questions That Stretch Beyond
Inviting new perspectives through imagination, intuition, and future-oriented inquiry.

06:11 – The Value—and the Limit—of Staying in the Present
Why clarity alone is powerful, but not always sufficient.

06:45 – Opening the Door to Possibility
Using questions to disrupt current thinking and reveal what else might be possible.

08:05 – Challenging with a Whisper
How the most transformative challenges are often gentle, subtle, and expansive.

Memorable Quotes

“Through the power of curiosity, so much can be unearthed and discovered by the client.”
“The best challenges are often those that come with a whisper.”
“In that moment, my knowledge becomes irrelevant—and the coaching becomes transformative.”

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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What does it actually look like to build a successful coaching practice grounded in a true coaching mindset—not theory, not ideals, but real, day-to-day application?

In this PRIME SPACE episode, Elias Scultori, MCC, is joined by master coach Amy Donovan, MCC, to answer the question many coaches quietly struggle with: How do we do this? How do we stay aligned with the coaching mindset when clients want solutions, answers, and quick fixes

Together, Elias and Amy unpack the practical realities of coaching at a masterful level—clarity of role, courage in client relationships, and the discipline required to resist slipping into consulting or problem-solving. They explore how coaches unintentionally compromise the coaching mindset out of fear, scarcity, or pressure to please—and how that compromise slowly erodes joy, impact, and sustainability in a coaching practice.

This episode is a powerful invitation for coaches to recommit to the transformational power of coaching, to educate clients through presence (not explanation), and to build practices rooted in integrity, confidence, and long-term change.

If you’ve ever wondered how to embody the coaching mindset—not just understand it—this conversation is for you.

Chapters

02:04 – The Core Question: “How Do We Do This?”
What it truly means to build a practice aligned with the coaching mindset.

02:16 – The Coach’s Identity and Role
Amy on self-perception, expertise, and informing clients how to use coaching effectively.

03:10 – Clarity About the Proposition of Coaching
Why confusion about coaching leads to compromise and misalignment.

04:20 – Resisting the Seduction of Giving Solutions
How solution-giving quietly undermines transformation.

05:37 – “They Think They Know”
Exploring client expectations and the coach’s responsibility to go deeper.

07:37 – Educating Clients Without Explaining Coaching
The power of silence, presence, and well-placed questions.

08:40 – Is It Really Possible to Do This?
Why a mindset-driven practice *does* work—and thrives.

10:48 – Scarcity, Fear, and the Courage to Say No
How fear drives misalignment—and how integrity creates opportunity.

12:58 – A Call for Coaches to Pause and Reflect
Reclaiming joy, presence, and commitment to the mindset.

Memorable Quotes

“Once we are clear about the proposition of coaching, there is no other way to practice.” — Elias Scultori, MCC
“When we slip into solutions, we choke off the opportunity for real transformation.” — Amy Donovan, MCC
“Education doesn’t happen when we explain coaching—it happens when clients *experience* it.” — Elias Scultori, MCC
“We are the stewards of our profession, and stewardship requires courage.” — Amy Donovan, MCC
“The coaching mindset is the source of your success.” — Elias Scultori, MCC

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

What does it *really* take to build a sustainable, ethical, and successful coaching practice?

In this powerful episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, sits down with executive coach and HR consultant Michelle Tajudeen, PCC, Managing Director of MetaCC Incorporated, to explore one of the most challenging and defining moments in a coach’s journey: having the courage to say no.

Michelle shares a candid story from early in her coaching career, when a lucrative corporate opportunity required her to compromise the very principles she was trained to uphold. Faced with pressure to guarantee outcomes, impose agendas, and prioritize short-term results over client autonomy, Michelle made a decision that would ultimately shape her reputation, integrity, and long-term success.

Together, Elias and Michelle unpack the realities of coaching in revenue-driven environments, the risks of “voluntold” coaching, and why honoring the client’s process is non-negotiable—even when it feels financially or professionally risky.

This episode is essential listening for new coaches, experienced coaches, mentor coaches, and leaders navigating the intersection of ethics, business, and authenticity.

🎧Episode Highlights

• Why saying yes too quickly can cost you your integrity as a coach
• The hidden dangers of outcome-driven, agenda-based coaching
• What happens when coaches compromise their values—and when they don’t
• How saying no led to an 8-year corporate partnership and coaching 250+ executives
• Trusting intuition as a core professional competency
• Building a coaching brand rooted in credibility, ethics, and authenticity

⏱️ Chapters

00:29 – Meet Michelle Tajudeen, PCC
04:06 – The biggest lesson of Michelle’s coaching journey
08:41 – The cost of compromise in coaching
09:51 – Finding the courage to say no
12:52 – How integrity created unexpected long-term success
14:47 – Reputation, trust, and coaching without compromise
17:13 – Final advice for coaches at every stage

🔑 Key Takeaway Quotes

“It takes real courage to say no as a coach.”
“Integrity will always cost you something upfront—but it pays dividends long term.”
“Trust your intuition. It will lead you back to why you became a coach in the first place.”

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, rate, and share PRIME SPACE with fellow coaches and leaders who care about excellence, ethics, and humanity in coaching.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Let’s get real about coaching in the real world.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, tackles a common tension coaches face: the gap between the coaching mindset we’re trained in and the results-driven reality our clients demand.

“Clients want results—and they want them fast.”

But does that mean coaching doesn’t work in high-pressure, executive, organizational environments?

Building on last week’s conversation about coaching mindset, Elias explores why problem-solving, quick fixes, and jumping into expert mode often create the illusion of effectiveness while quietly undermining real transformation.

This episode is a candid invitation to rethink what clients are really asking for, how coaches unintentionally dilute their value, and why holding space, not providing answers, is often the most impactful work we can do.

You’ll hear a clear, grounded exploration of:

• Why coaching is not utopian theory, but a practical, real-world discipline
• The difference between coaching, consulting, mentoring, and training, and why ethics matter
• How “emergencies” can pull coaches out of presence and into performance
• What it truly means to embody a coaching mindset under pressure

This episode is essential listening for coaches who want to stop negotiating their mindset, deepen their skills, and build sustainable, impactful practices—without abandoning the core of coaching.

⏱️Episode Chapters
00:14 – Coaching Mindset Meets Reality
02:58 – Is Coaching Mindset Just Utopia?
05:07 – The Illusion of Effectiveness
06:19 – When Coaching Isn’t the Right Modality
08:35 – Emergencies and the “Building on Fire” Moment
0:02 – The Real Reason Coaches Rush to Solve
12:10 – Educating Clients 13:34 – The Road Less Traveled

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In the Season Four premiere of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores one of the most essential and misunderstood foundations of professional coaching: the coaching mindset.

With the evolution of the ICF Core Competencies, coaches around the world continue to ask: What does it really mean to embody a coaching mindset? In this solo episode, Elias offers a clear, experience-based perspective that goes beyond definitions, checklists, and skill execution.

This episode unpacks five core principles that define the coaching mindset, including why coaching is client-centered rather than solution-driven and is rooted in the belief that clients are capable, resourceful, and whole. Elias also examines power, hierarchy, partnership, and why coaching must be lived—not turned on and off during sessions.

More than a professional framework, this episode positions coaching as a transformational movement—one that has the power to reshape individuals, organizations, and how we relate to one another as human beings.

Whether you are a new coach, an experienced practitioner, or preparing for ICF credentialing, this episode invites deep reflection on who you are being as a coach—and why mindset is the foundation from which all coaching skills emerge.

Quotes
“Solutions are not the goal of coaching; they are the consequence of awareness.”
“The client is always the expert—our expertise is the coaching process.”
“Mindset is the hardest part of coaching—and the foundation of every skill.”

Chapters
01:04 – Why “Coaching Mindset” Still Feels Unclear
Reflections on the evolution of the ICF Core Competencies and why the concept remains elusive.

04:47 – Coaching Is Client-Centered
Why coaching focuses on the *who*, not the *what*, and prioritizes transformation over transactions.

06:17 – Coaching Is Not Solution-Based
How solutions emerge naturally as a byproduct of awareness, not the goal of the process.

07:32 – Clients Are Capable, Resourceful, and Whole
The foundational belief that there is nothing to fix—and how this shifts the entire coaching relationship.

08:49 – Coaching Is Client-Led and Adult-to-Adult
Ownership, responsibility, and the coach’s commitment to “not knowing.”

09:57 – Partnership, Equality, and Power Awareness
Why minimizing hierarchy is essential—and why the client is always the true expert.

11:11 – Coaching as a Way of Being
Why mindset can’t be turned on and off, and how coaching becomes a lived set of values.

13:51 – A Call to Embody the Coaching Mindset
An invitation to reflection, practice, and contribution beyond the coaching conversation.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Sometimes the most powerful coaching lesson comes from the person who never called themselves a coach. In this deeply candid and vulnerable season finale, host Elias Scultori, MCC, opens his heart and invites listeners into a meaningful moment with his mother — a lesson that shaped his coaching, his leadership, and his very understanding of presence and excellence.

In My Mother’s Legacy, Elias reflects on a moment from his teenage years in Brazil, when a simple request from his mother became a lifelong teaching on intention, commitment, and showing up fully. With honesty and emotional clarity, he shares how her wisdom continues to guide his work as a Master Certified Coach and how it can inspire your own journey—especially as the year comes to a close.

Whether you're a coach, a leader, or someone seeking a more intentional life, this episode is an invitation to pause… to breathe… and to recommit to giving your best—not for perfection, but for presence.

✨ Honest storytelling
✨ Coaching wisdom
✨ Reflective year-end guidance
✨ A reminder of what truly matters

00:14 – Introducing My Mother’s Story
A glimpse into the woman whose wisdom shaped a lifetime.

04:35 – The Heart of the Message
Presence, commitment, and the essence of excellence.

05:35 – A Year-End Invitation to Reflect
Questions to guide your personal and professional introspection.

09:39 – Closing Reflections & Looking Ahead
Honoring legacy, appreciating listeners, and a preview of what’s next.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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What happens when an internal corporate coach with a decade of experience steps away from a secure leadership role to open an independent practice—named It’s Not About the Name?

In this inspiring conversation, Ali Cengiz, ACC, joins Elias Scultori, MCC, to explore the courage, clarity, and deep humanity behind becoming a coach who leads from the inside out.

Ali shares what it truly means to center the person—not the problem, not the system, not the process—and how his years as an internal coach shaped the way he now supports leaders and teams through meaningful transformation. From redefining his professional identity to parenting with a coaching mindset, Ali shows us that coaching isn’t something we do—it’s who we are.

⭐ Quotes

“It’s really not about the name. It’s about the person on the other side.” — Ali Cengiz, ACC
“If you want to inspire others, walk the journey yourself first.” — Ali Cengiz, ACC

01:18 — Finding a name for his coaching practice
02:45 — Ali’s courageous transition from corporate to independent coaching
03:38 — Lessons from five years as an internal coach
05:11 — Remembering the people behind the systems
08:47 — Three powerful learnings from PRIME Coaching Academy Level 1
10:52 — Listening as a fundamental human skill
13:47 — Advice for coaches: start with your own inner work
15:03 — Courage: choosing to do work that energizes you

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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When everything feels like it’s shifting beneath our feet, who do you choose to become?

In this powerful episode of PRIME SPACE, the official podcast of PRIME Coaching Academy, host Elias Scultori, MCC, sits down with his fellow Academy’s co-founder, Amy Ruppert, MCC, to explore her thought-provoking article “The World Is Reassessing—What’s Your Role Going to Be?”

Together, they unpack the accelerating disruptions that have reshaped our global landscape—from social upheaval to technological leaps—and what these shifts are asking of us as human beings and as professional coaches. Amy and Elias offer a clear and inspiring lens on why coaching as a profession is uniquely positioned for this moment in history and how coaches can expand their impact far beyond the one-to-one session.

This is an episode about consciousness, courage, societal evolution, and stepping into a much bigger game.

⏱️ Chapters

00:50 — Why “The World Is Reassessing”
Amy explains the global disruptions shaping human behavior and social norms.

03:51 — Technology, AI, and the Human Distinction
Elias and Amy discuss the acceleration of tech, the meaning of wisdom, and humanity’s unique role.

05:05 — Norms Dissolving & Consciousness Rising
How societal norms are shifting—and why collective awareness is expanding.

08:31 — Why Coaching Is Built for This Moment
Coaching as clarity, consciousness, and courageous action during uncertainty.

10:04 — The Call for Coaches to Think Bigger
Elias and Amy reflect on coaching beyond business building—toward societal impact.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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What does it mean to be a coach, not just do coaching? In this inspiring episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, sits down with Travis Gislason, ACC—Director of Field Coaching and Development at Breakthru Beverage Group—to explore how coaching principles show up in leadership, parenting, teamwork, and self-development.

From applying a coaching mindset at home to leading teams in corporate America, Travis shares how his experience at PRIME Coaching Academy transformed the way he works, connects, and lives. Together, they unpack the deeper layers of coach training, the importance of inclusion, and the often-overlooked self-care behind powerful coaching presence.

01:04 – The Role of Field Coaching
Travis explains how coaching shows up in leadership and learning development at Breakthru Beverage Group.

04:23 – Being a Coach vs. Doing Coaching
Exploring how a coaching mindset transforms both personal and professional life.

05:15 – The PRIME Coaching Experience
Travis reflects on his ACC journey and how PRIME Coaching Academy shaped his clarity, confidence, and presence.

06:43 – From Training to Transformation
The difference between training, consulting, and coaching—and why language matters in leadership.

09:21 – Coaching Results and Inclusion
Real-world impact: how inclusion and empowerment are emerging as core outcomes of coaching.

12:37 – Living Values and Self-Awareness
How identifying personal values and prioritizing self-care make coaching sustainable and effective.

15:37 – The Power of Reflection and Community
Elias and Travis discuss how cohort learning and community accelerate transformation.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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In this *Culture in Coaching* episode, Elias Scultori, MCC talks with Rachel Vandenberg, executive coach and founder of Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel, about what it means to coach women through the lens of identity, context, and community. Together, they explore belonging, agency, and how cultural awareness deepens every coaching relationship.

Chapters

01:10 - The Many Facets of a Leader — Rachel shares her unique professional and personal journey.
07:07 - Women in Leadership: What Coaches Should Know — Insights into belonging, voice, and agency.
10:27 - Coaching Through Shared and Different Lenses — What male coaches might miss when coaching women.
13:50 - Context and Culture in Coaching — Seeing the client within their broader world.
15:29 - The Leadership Perspective of Women — Collective leadership and empathy in action.
18:03 - Closing Reflections & Invitation** — Lifelong learning and community through PRIME HOUR.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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“Connection. Celebration. ICF Converge 2025.”

In this special episode, Elias Scultori, MCC, takes you straight to the heart of ICF Converge 2025 in San Diego, California — the ICF global gathering of professional coaches. Experience the energy, wisdom, and warmth of this worldwide community through a lively collage of interviews with coaches, leaders, and innovators who are shaping the future of our profession.

From emotional reunions to deep reflections on learning, presence, and diversity, these voices remind us of the power of connection that defines coaching — beyond screens, beyond words.

Episode Highlights

• 00:50 - Lyssa deHart, MCC – On connection beyond Zoom and the beauty of the “wonder of words.”
• 01:46 - Robin Stueber, ACC – Finding global unity and inspiration in her first Converge.
• 04:16 - Dan Freehling, PCC – Elevating word choice and staying at the cutting edge.
• 05:27 - Claire Bamberg, PCC – Exploring “Ubuntu” and the heart set of coaching.
• 07:44 - Carrie Abner – ICF leadership reflections on community and connection.
• 09:31 - Cheryl Procter-Rogers, MCC – Honoring in-person energy and shared journeys.
• 11:04 - Brian Grisso, ACC – From virtual to real: the magic of meeting fellow coaches.
• 11:58 - Robert Garcia, ACC – The legacy of ICF presidents and the call to leadership.
• 14:13 - Aikyna Finch, PCC – Championing diversity, inclusion, and belonging at ICF.
• 16:20 - Khyla Freeman – The joy of hearing coaches support core competencies.
• 17:29 - Mariela Tirado Rivera – Putting faces to the accreditation process.
• 18:41 - Stan Ajemian, ACC – Finding confidence as a new coach and embracing flexibility.
• 20:32 - Camila Cesari, MCC – Celebrating 30 years of coaching from Bologna to San Diego.
• 21:54 - Paul Sanbar, MCC – The art and science of language in coaching.
• 22:57 - Ann Fogolin, MCC – Lessons from the mastery panel: “The less I say, the more profound I am.”

Elias closes the episode with a heartfelt reflection on the spirit of the ICF community — a reminder that coaching thrives when we gather, listen, and grow together.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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A lot is happening in the coaching world right now. In this episode, host Elias Scultori, MCC, breaks down the latest ICF updates that every coach should know about — including a new pilot credentialing exam for PCC and MCC levels, and the release of the Minimum Skills Requirements across all credential tiers. More than just reporting, Elias challenges us to think beyond compliance and strive for excellence in our craft.

🔹 Episode Highlights

01:27 - ICF’s pilot credentialing exam – What’s changing, who qualifies, and how it could reshape the testing experience.
03:27 - Minimum Skills Requirements explained – What these new documents cover for ACC, PCC, and MCC levels.
08:55 - Beyond the minimum – Elias’s invitation to see the new standards not as a goal but as a starting point.

🎧 Tune in for

• Insider updates from the ICF
• A powerful reflection on professional excellence
• A call to elevate your coaching practice beyond standards

Links

• PRIME SPACE - Episode 56 - ICF Core Competencies 2025 - What's Changed?
• PRIME SPACE - Episode 8 - "ACC, PCC, MCC in a nutshell"
• New Pilot Credentialing Exam
• ACC Minimum Skills Requirements
• PCC Minimum Skills Requirements
• MCC Minimum Skills Requirements

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this episode, host Elias Scultori sits down with leadership coach Joe Miller, ACC, to unpack a challenge many coaches regularly face — what to do when a client shows up in self-doubt.

Joe describes noticing two distinct “modes” in his clients:
✨ Mode One — confident, prepared, full of faith.
🌧️ Mode Two — insecure, resistant, and uncertain.

As the conversation unfolds, they realize that these “modes” may reveal just as much about the coach’s own mindset as they do about the client’s. Together, Elias and Joe explore how to stay genuinely curious, let go of personal definitions of success, and keep believing in the client’s wholeness — no matter what “mode” they’re in.

This is a vulnerable, reflective conversation about the inner work of coaching — and the growth that happens when we’re willing to look inward.

⏱️ Chapters
00:27 – The Coaching Challenge: Two Client Modes
02:58 – When Confidence Fades: Working with “Mode Two” Clients
05:38 – When Coaching Feels Stuck: Referral or Recommitment?
09:17 – Turning the Lens Inward: The Coach’s Growth Opportunity
13:06 – Simplicity, Curiosity, and the Power of Reflection
13:30 – Final Takeaway: Staying Curious with Every Client

💬 Notable Quotes

"...how real are these modes and do they really or as much at least reflect my own growth and learning opportunities and shifting opportunities, thinking opportunities as a coach." [09:17]

"...sometimes you have to start with something simple. Maybe spotting the simplicity of a couple of modes and then letting that drive the curiosity." [13:06]

🎧 Listen now to reflect on your own assumptions, reconnect with curiosity, and rediscover your belief in every client’s potential.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
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Behind every powerful coaching question lies something quieter—but far more essential: trust.

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, shines a light on an often underestimated ICF Core Competencies: Cultivating Trust and Safety. While many coaches focus on powerful questions, agreements, and action planning, the foundation of effective coaching rests on something more fundamental—trust.

Elias explores how trust shows up in everyday life, why it is indispensable in coaching, and how coaches can intentionally nurture it from the very first impression they make. He also introduces the powerful distinction between safe space and brave space, inviting coaches to reimagine trust-building as a shared responsibility between coach and client.

If you’ve ever wondered how to deepen your coaching relationships, this episode will remind you why trust isn’t just another competency—it’s the very ground on which coaching stands.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

Is a coach automatically “good” just because they follow the rules? In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori continues the Coaching Myths Uncovered series by challenging the belief that flawless technique alone defines coaching excellence.

Elias explores why rules and competencies, while essential, are only the framework—and not the essence—of coaching. He introduces the balance of Form and Flow, explains the Japanese concept of Shu-ha-ri as a path toward mastery, and highlights the risks of relying solely on technique without depth.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• Why coaching is a balance between art and science
• How to move beyond “checking boxes” to embody the essence of standards
• The importance of reflective practice in balancing form and flow
• Common habits and excuses that derail growth
• The ongoing journey of mastery every coach must commit to

If you’ve ever wondered whether playing strictly “by the book” makes for a great coach—or if there’s something more—this conversation will challenge your thinking and deepen your practice.

Watch the "Coaching Myths Uncovered" event on YouTube.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores one of the most common and delicate questions coaches face: “How personal can I be with my clients?”

Drawing from ICF Core Competency 4: Cultivates Trust and Safety—specifically sub-competency 4.6—Elias reflects on the role of transparency, vulnerability, and authenticity in coaching. He unpacks what it means to share appropriately, how to balance openness with professional boundaries, and why the guiding question should always be: What is the benefit for the client’s process?

Through this lens, Elias challenges the long-held image of the “flawless leader” and emphasizes the courage it takes for a coach to show up authentically. When coaches embrace vulnerability—not as oversharing, but as a way of being—they empower clients to drop the masks of perfection, embrace their own humanity, and tap into their resourcefulness.

Whether you are a new coach navigating boundaries or an experienced practitioner deepening your presence, this episode offers a thoughtful exploration of what it truly means to be transparent, vulnerable, and authentic in service of your clients.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, unpacks the brand-new 2025 update to the ICF Core Competencies—a milestone that affects every professional coach.

Elias explores the ICF’s rigorous review process, the global collaboration behind the revisions, and the nuances introduced in this new version. From refined language choices to important sub-competency additions, he highlights how these changes impact coaching practice.

But not everything is cause for celebration. Elias also raises concerns about the added complexity and the use of controversial word choices. Through his analysis, he invites listeners to reflect critically on what supports clarity, alignment, and integrity in our profession.

Whether you’re a seasoned coach or new to the field, this episode offers insight, perspective, and an invitation to engage with the future of coaching practice.

🎧 Tune in, review the updates for yourself, and join the conversation.

📥 Download the ICF Core Competencies - v.2025
📥 Download the Comparison Chart

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, welcomes back his friend and colleague Amy Donovan, MCC, for a powerful return to the fundamentals of coaching.

Together, they revisit the timeless question: What is coaching? While it may sound simple, the conversation reveals the depth, nuance, and evolving understanding behind the practice. Elias and Amy explore why coaching is about discovery rather than solutions, the importance of true partnership, and how professional coaching stands apart from mentoring, consulting, or therapy.

Whether you are brand new to coaching or a seasoned practitioner, this episode offers clarity, reminders, and fresh insight into what makes coaching a unique and transformative process.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

For years, coaches have embraced the mantra "there is no coaching without action.” But what if the word *action* no longer captures the depth of what truly happens in a coaching conversation?

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, challenges the traditional view and introduces a more expansive concept—movement. From subtle shifts in mindset to intentional pauses, Elias explores how transformation can take many forms beyond tangible tasks.

Discover why reframing action as movement honors the richness of human development, keeps coaching aligned with its core purpose, and empowers clients to carry their insights forward in intentional, life-shaping ways.

Tune in and reimagine what it means to support your clients as they step into their next chapter.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...

In this episode of PRIME SPACE, host Elias Scultori, MCC, welcomes Rory Courlander, ACC—an Irish-born coach and international educator now serving as Director of Instructional Coaching at GEMS Education in Dubai. Together, they explore the unique dynamics of coaching in Arabic and Muslim contexts, where culture, education, and coaching intersect in powerful ways.

Rory shares his journey from Ireland to Thailand and ultimately to Dubai, offering personal stories and professional insights that illuminate how culture shapes coaching conversations. From experiencing a full Ramadan fast alongside a colleague to discovering the Arabic word “Ershad” (meaning guidance), Rory shows how genuine cultural immersion, language adaptation, and trust-building are essential in creating meaningful coaching partnerships.

Listeners will also gain practical strategies for navigating hierarchical structures, fostering reflective practices, and flexing coaching approaches to align with cultural values while maintaining authenticity. At its core, this episode highlights how coaching, when rooted in respect and cultural sensitivity, transcends boundaries to create an authentic human-to-human connection.

Perfect for coaches working with diverse populations, international educators, and anyone interested in cross-cultural communication, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical wisdom for building trust and impact across cultural lines.

PRIME SPACE is produced by PRIME Coaching Academy, where these conversations continue through our ICF-accredited coach training programs.

PRIME Coaching Academy
We go a step further...