It’s possible for every coaching conversation to build connection and spark change, and Elena Aguilar will show you how. Elena Aguilar is one of education’s leading voices on coaching. Educators around the globe use her research-based coaching method to transform their organizations. Her company, Bright Morning, brings the ideas in her best-selling books to life by providing world-class professional development to mission-driven leaders. In The Bright Morning Podcast, Elena teaches you how to make every conversation count by demonstrating Transformational Coaching conversations. Every episode tackles a pressing coaching challenge. Resistance. Racism. Burnout. Overwhelm. Struggling new teachers. You’ll find it all here. If you’re ready to thrive in your work, listen in. New episodes drop every Monday. To learn more about Elena, go deeper into every episode, find the resources and tools she mentions, or join one of her workshops, check out https://brightmorningteam.com.
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How to Create an Energizing Summer Learning Plan: Episode 245
Monday, June 16, 2025 • Duration 23:50
In this episode, Elena tackles a challenge you're likely facing right now: the frantic race to complete year-end responsibilities while a crucial growth opportunity passes you by. Through an authentic coaching conversation, she shows you how to create an intentional summer learning plan when you're the one who always develops others.
Notable moments:
01:19 Context for coaching conversation
03:59 Start of coaching conversation
07:06 Addressing Confidence and Cultural Competence
11:23 Feedback and Communication Skills
16:43 Creating a Summer Learning Plan
21:04 Conclusion and Resources
Keep learning:
Start your Coach Learning Library and PLC subscription – the Creating Your Summer Learning Plan Skill Session will help you find so much more fulfillment in your job (and life!)
What aspects of your coaching or leadership practice felt most challenging this past year? How might intentional summer learning help you address these challenges and return to school with renewed confidence?
Consider your professional growth over the past few years. Where have you made progress, and what areas still feel like opportunities for development? What would meaningful growth in these areas look like?
What conditions help you learn most effectively? Do you thrive in collaborative settings, prefer self-directed study, or benefit from structured courses? How might you design a summer learning plan that honors your unique learning preferences while stretching you in new ways?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
Elena reveals how those moments when you suddenly lose composure—whether from a colleague's comment or an unexpected email—aren't signs of weakness but powerful opportunities. Discover how understanding your emotional activation points can actually be the unexpected key to greater job satisfaction and professional effectiveness.
Notable moments:
00:31 Exploring Emotional Triggers at Work
01:32 Understanding and Recognizing Triggers
04:22 Steps to Manage and Explore Triggers
09:29 Frameworks for Analyzing Triggers
11:07 Practical Examples and Applications
14:33 Conclusion and Further Resources
Keep learning:
Start your Coach Learning Library and PLC subscription – the Exploring Your Triggers Skill Session will help you find so much more fulfillment in your job (and life!)
Tired of end-of-year celebrations that only recognize a select few? In this episode, Elena reveals how inclusive celebrations that honor everyone's growth—not just achievement—can transform school culture and build resilience. Through practical examples and actionable advice, she shows how meaningful recognition fills resilience tanks and strengthens communities, especially after challenging years in education.
Notable moments:
00:28 The Importance of Celebrating Successes
02:05 Why Celebrations Matter in Professional Communities
03:52 Elements of Meaningful Celebrations
05:47 A Real-Life Example of Effective Celebration
08:09 Overcoming Challenges to Implement Celebrations
10:19 Building Collective Resilience Through Celebrations
12:07 Invitation to Learn More
13:33 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts
Keep learning:
Start your Coach Learning Library and PLC subscription – the Celebrating Your Successes in Community Skill Session will help you find so much more fulfillment in your job (and life!)
Want to improve your self-awareness, strengthen your relationships, and refine your ability to make choices that align with your values?
That’s what this episode will help you do. Elena shares five questions from her end-of-year reflection for coaches that will help you soak up all of the learning from this year and help you head into summer with clarity and self-appreciation.
Notable moments:
00:43 The Power of End-of-Year Reflection
01:39 Key Reflection Questions
03:54 Start Your Reflection!
Keep learning:
Join the Coach Learning Library and PLC to access the Your End of Year Reflection Skill Session (and 47 additional sessions + monthly live PLC!)
Did you meet your goals for the year? If so, what do you think allowed you to do so? If not, what got in the way?
Coaching Up: Episode 241
Monday, May 19, 2025 • Duration 09:15
Have you ever been frustrated in a conversation with a manager? If so, this episode is for you! Elena shares how you can use your coaching tools to “coach up,” resulting in more empowered and impactful conversations.
How to Lead an End-of-Year Conversation With a Client: Episode 240
Monday, May 12, 2025 • Duration 22:14
The peak-end rule tells us that how a person experiences an ending matters tremendously– that people judge an experience based on how they felt at its peak and its end, rather than the total sum or average of an entire experience. That means that your final conversation of the year is arguably one of the most critical for your coaching relationships. In this episode, Elena demonstrates how to facilitate a conversation that celebrates growth and builds forward momentum.
Do you have a client who failed to make meaningful progress towards their goals this year? In this short episode, Elena guides you through how to navigate these painful situations and provides specific techniques and questions to facilitate productive and compassionate end-of-year reflections.
Notable moments:
00:19 Navigating Client Progress Challenges
01:25 Facilitating End-of-Year Reflections
03:15 Probing for Insights and Recognizing Growth
03:40 Sharing Observations with Clients
04:47 Conclusion and Additional Resources
Keep learning:
Join the Coaching Learning Library and PLC to access the Gathering Data and Reflecting on Your Client’s Growth Skill Session (and 47 additional sessions + monthly live PLC!)
Coaching emotions is a foundational ability of a Transformational Coach…and one of the hardest things for many people to do. In this episode, Elena demonstrates how to use the Core Emotions tool in an especially challenging situation–when a client is struggling with external factors like the state of the broader world– but is resistant to talking about their experience.
Cultivating our way of being—how we show up—is the most important work we can do. In this episode, Elena shares the five Transformational Coaching dispositions that will change your conversations—and your life.
Not being present is a recipe for unproductive conversations and relationships. Unfortunately, it’s a hard state for most people to be in–especially in a world where much is designed to distract us! In this episode, Elena offers practical strategies to help you return to presence when distracted so you can have the type of impact you hope for in your coaching conversations.
Think about the last time you were emotionally triggered at work. What physical sensations did you notice in your body, and what emotions arose? How might recognizing these signals earlier help you respond differently in future triggering situations?
Consider your pattern of triggers over time. Do you notice any common themes or situations that consistently activate you? What might these patterns reveal about your core values or unmet needs in your professional life?
How do you typically treat yourself when you've been triggered? Do you tend toward self-criticism or self-compassion? What simple phrase of self-compassion could you develop to offer yourself in moments when you're emotionally activated?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
Think about your own experiences with end-of-year celebrations in educational settings. Which ones felt meaningful and why? Which ones left you feeling unseen or unacknowledged? What might these experiences reveal about what you and your colleagues need from celebrations?
Consider the current celebration practices in your school or organization. To what extent do they acknowledge everyone's growth and contributions? Who tends to be recognized, and who might be feeling left out? What small shift could make these celebrations more inclusive?
Reflect on a moment from this school year when you felt you were living your purpose as an educator or leader. Who knows about this moment? How might sharing this story—and hearing others' stories—contribute to your collective resilience as a community?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
What do you think you did that had the biggest positive impact on those you coached? Were there any specific activities that stand out as having been impactful?
Have you had any big “a-ha” about yourself as a coach? Tell the story of one of those moments.
Identify a time when you were demonstrating a core value, when you were really living into it. What happened? What did it feel like? What did that moment teach you about yourself?
What have you learned about what you need in order to thrive as a professional?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
Have you experienced a conversation where you think it would be helpful to “coach up?”
If you have, place yourself back in that situation. What is one coaching tool or sentence stem that you can see retroactively you could have used to make that conversation feel more productive or hopeful for you?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
How is this conversation similar or different from the ones you have been a part of in the past?
What is one question you want to try in your conversations?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
Do you have a client who has failed to make meaningful progress towards their goals? If so, what is your hypothesis for why that is?
If you have a client who has failed to make meaningful growth toward their goals, in what areas have they grown? Be as specific as possible.
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
How comfortable and confident are you with coaching emotions?
Elena shared that most of the time, people share that they don’t want to make someone else uncomfortable; what they’re really afraid of is their own discomfort. Does this apply to you?
What is one thing you heard Elena do that you would like to try on in your next conversation?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
What is one step you want to take after listening to this episode?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
What does it feel like for you when you are in a state of presence?
What is a situation recently when you were pulled from presence? How did you know?
Podcast Transcript and Use:
Bright Morning Consulting owns the copyright to all content and transcripts of The Bright Morning Podcast, with all rights reserved. You may not distribute or commercially exploit the content without our express written permission.
We welcome you to download and share the podcast with others for personal use; please acknowledge The Bright Morning Podcast as the source of the material.
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