Targeted Skill Sessions, Toolkits, and How-to Guides

Engaging in a solo study of Arise? This guide is your companion for supported learning as you explore the art of Transformational Coaching at your own pace:

• Editable templates to capture insights and track growth
• Reflection prompts and intention-setting tools for each chapter
• Curated extension activities to move from reading to practice
• A masterful coaching demonstration to see key moves in action

Ready to lead a powerful book study on Arise with confidence? This guide gives you everything you need with expert guidance from Elena herself:

• Step-by-step facilitation plans for every chapter
• A masterful coaching demonstration brings key strategies to life
• Thoughtfully crafted discussion prompts and group activities
• Editable note-taking and planning templates
• Tools to support intention-setting and habit-building

Your Beginning-of-Year Coach’s Skill Session Bundle will prepare you to lay the foundation for successful coaching relationships and an effective coaching practice this year:

• Introduce Yourself to New Clients
• Determine Your Weekly Schedule
• Partner With Admin
• Craft Your Personal Vision

This Coach's Toolkit, curated by Elena Aguilar, contains the 21 most invaluable and essential Transformational Coaching tools and frameworks.

This tool contains resources to:

• Remain present and deeply listen to your clients
• Coach client emotions
• Explore and shift client beliefs
• Support your clients to close their gaps
• Plan for and reflect on your coaching conversations
  

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Transform emotional moments into pathways for growth. This comprehensive toolkit brings Elena Aguilar's ACE Emotions framework to life through ready-to-use resources that help you:

• Navigate five challenging emotional scenarios with confidence
• Recognize core human needs beneath strong emotions
• Apply targeted strategies that move clients from stuck to empowered
• Use the power of emotions to deepen transformation, not derail it

From quick reference cards to script examples, find practical tools designed to build your emotional coaching fluency and create meaningful change.

This comprehensive toolkit brings Elena Aguilar's equity coaching principles to life through ready-to-use resources that help you:

• Navigate challenging conversations with confidence
• Examine beliefs without triggering defensiveness
• Transform classroom observations with an equity lens
• Discover your unique coaching orientation with our signature assessment

From novice to experienced, find targeted resources to meet you where you are and help you grow.

This ebook and toolkit equips you with practical frameworks and strategies to navigate challenging coaching dynamics with confidence and skill. Through ready-to-use resources, you'll learn to:

• Understand resistance as valuable information rather than an obstacle
• Apply the Resistance-Resilience Continuum to foster growth
• Identify your unique Resistance Response Style with our signature assessment
• Implement powerful resilience-building strategies tailored to specific needs

Your Core Human Needs Skill Session will teach you how to utilize this invaluable framework to coach your clients to get their needs met and thrive. You'll learn:

• Targeted coaching strategies to help clients meet their core needs
• The six fundamental needs that drive behavior and satisfaction
• How to recognize unmet needs behind challenging client patterns and responses

Your personal vision for your role anchors you in purpose and helps ensure your actions align with who you want to be. In ~45 minutes, Elena guides you through a process to stay true to yourself.

You'll learn how to:

• Identify the ways of being that will allow you to thrive as a Transformational Coach
• Create a plan for your ongoing professional development
• Craft a personal vision and mission statement that will serve as your North Star

Create a space where your client can see themself and their year more clearly.

This tool contains frameworks that will support you to help your client:

• Experience a true sense of closure—a meaningful bookend to their year
• Recognize and name their growth
• Learn from any regret or disappointment
• Integrate emotional experiences rather than carry them forward unresolved
• Clarify who they are becoming as an educator and leader

Capture data that tells the expansive story behind your client's transformation. In less than 45 minutes, you'll learn:

• A framework that helps you spot and document changes in behaviors, beliefs, and ways of being
• A refreshingly simple note-taking method that takes minutes but captures mountains of evidence
• The art of turning "I think they've improved" into "Here's exactly how they've transformed"
• How to make EOY reflection feel less like a final exam and more like unveiling a masterpiece

It's time to kick off your coaching relationships! In ~45 minutes, Elena teaches you what you need to know and provides the resources you need to start the year with clarity and confidence.

You'll learn:

• How to craft an introduction that will lay the foundations for a trusting coaching relationship
• What decisions to make when selecting a format
• When and where to share that introduction

Your Launching Your Coaching Practice Skill Session Bundle provides explicit instruction and modeling around four key challenges that coaches face:

• Determining Your Coaching Focus/Goals
• Getting to Know Your Clients
• Your First Observation
• The Arc of a Coaching Conversation

Build trust through what you do, not just what you say.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn how to build trust through consistent, intentional coaching moves—so your clients experience you as someone they can be honest with and rely on.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build trust through specific, observable actions—not just intention
• Identify subtle missteps that may be weakening trust without you realizing it
• Demonstrate consistency, credibility, and care in your coaching practice
• Strengthen trust over time through a few focused, repeatable shifts
• Choose one or two moves to implement in your very next conversation

When progress stalls, this tool gets you moving again.

In this 90-minute recording, Elena shows you how to use the Gaps Framework—her go-to tool for coaching behaviors and diagnosing what’s blocking progress.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the six internal gaps that block action
• Use reflective questions to uncover what’s really happening
• Coach behaviors that shift practice—not just conversation

Learn how to bring Transformational Coaching into your leadership role without blurring boundaries.

In this 90-minute recording, Elena shares how to apply Transformational Coaching strategies when you’re both a leader and a supervisor.

You’ll learn how to:

• Assess which stance to use—coaching, directing, or mentoring—in different situations
• Frame coaching conversations clearly when you supervise the person you’re coaching
• Address resistance, increase clarity, and deepen ownership on your team
• Build a coaching culture even within a performance-based system

What you say in the moment can either shut things down—or build connection.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn a simple, repeatable framework for responding to questions with intention—so your answers move conversations and relationships forward.

You’ll learn how to:

• Slow down and respond with intention instead of reacting in the moment
• Recognize and respond to what’s underneath a question—not just what’s said
• Avoid answers that shut down conversation or create distance
• Use language that builds connection while still offering clarity and direction
• Apply a practical framework you can use in coaching, meetings, and everyday interactions

Regain capacity and energy.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn how to notice when you’re over-functioning in a coaching conversation—and how to shift responsibility back to your client without withdrawing support.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize when you’re doing more of the thinking, planning, and problem-solving than your client
• Understand why even skilled coaches take on too much responsibility
• Pause, redirect, and return ownership to your client in real time
• Use specific moves that keep the cognitive load where it belongs
• Leave conversations with more clarity, energy, and shared accountability

Learn how to stop avoiding hard conversations and enter them with clarity, care, and confidence.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll know exactly how to approach a conversation you’ve been avoiding—and feel ready to have it.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the internal barriers that lead you to avoid necessary conversations
• Determine when a conversation is ready to be had, and when you need more clarity
• Use a clear structure to enter a difficult conversation with honesty and care
• Communicate directly without sounding punitive, vague, or avoidant
• Plan and initiate a real conversation you’ve been putting off

Lead your first coaching conversation with clarity, not guesswork.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll leave with language you can use immediately and a clear plan for your next conversation.

You’ll learn how to:

• Open a first coaching conversation in a way that builds trust from the start
• Clearly communicate your role so your client understands what coaching is and is not
• Set expectations that support consistency, focus, and follow-through
• Ask questions that invite reflection without losing direction
• Plan and lead your next first conversation with clarity and confidence

The most reliable factor in determining how impactful coaching conversations will be is the level of preparation you've done on the front end. In 35 minutes, you’ll learn what to plan for, how to plan, and how to make time for it all in your busy schedule.

Elena guides you through:

• The critical link between planning and coaching success
• Essential elements to consider in your pre-conversation preparation
• Practical techniques to streamline your planning process
• Time-management hacks to ensure you always have space for preparation
• Strategies to maximize impact, even with minimal planning time

In the Wheel of Privilege and Power Skill Session, Elena will guide through exploring how your sociopolitical identity influences your decisions, interpretations, and relationships. You'll learn:

• When and why to offer clients an opportunity to reflect on their identity, privilege, and power
• How to introduce these reflection activities and tools

Want to strengthen your leadership and build stronger teams—on your own time? This self-paced guide helps you move from reading to action with tools that bring The Art of Coaching Teams to life:

• Reflection prompts and curated activities for every chapter
• Editable templates to organize insights and apply your learning
• A video demonstration showing tools in action with a team member
• Intention-setting tools to help you grow your practice, chapter by chapter

Facilitating a book study of The Art of Coaching Teams? This all-in-one guide equips you to lead an exceptional learning experience and help your group transform how they lead teams.

• Step-by-step facilitation plans and guidance from Elena Aguilar
• Curated discussion prompts and group activities for every chapter
• Editable templates for capturing insights and planning action
• A video demonstration to model the tools in real conversations
• Tools to support trust-building, reflection, and shared learning

7 Steps to Better Decision-Making is a comprehensive toolkit for leaders who want a proven path to making decisions that build buy-in and get meaningful results.

You'll get:

• A 7-step framework that transforms “I’m stuck” into "I know exactly what to do next"
• Prompts to ensure today’s solutions don’t turn into next month's problems
• A simple tool that ends the "Who should decide this?" ping-pong match
• Communication samples and a bonus coaching demonstration video

This how-to guide will reveal four actionable steps that show how Elena Aguilar has built a thriving team culture at Bright Morning.

You'll receive resources to support you with:

• Developing your norms (4 resources)
• Bringing your norms to life (4 resources)
• Strengthening your team members’ emotional intelligence and communication skills (2 resources)
• Strengthening the skills of the team leader (20 resources)

Build trust through what you do, not just what you say.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn how to build trust through consistent, intentional coaching moves—so your clients experience you as someone they can be honest with and rely on.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build trust through specific, observable actions—not just intention
• Identify subtle missteps that may be weakening trust without you realizing it
• Demonstrate consistency, credibility, and care in your coaching practice
• Strengthen trust over time through a few focused, repeatable shifts
• Choose one or two moves to implement in your very next conversation

When progress stalls, this tool gets you moving again.

In this 90-minute recording, Elena shows you how to use the Gaps Framework—her go-to tool for coaching behaviors and diagnosing what’s blocking progress.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the six internal gaps that block action
• Use reflective questions to uncover what’s really happening
• Coach behaviors that shift practice—not just conversation

Learn how to bring Transformational Coaching into your leadership role without blurring boundaries.

In this 90-minute recording, Elena shares how to apply Transformational Coaching strategies when you’re both a leader and a supervisor.

You’ll learn how to:

• Assess which stance to use—coaching, directing, or mentoring—in different situations
• Frame coaching conversations clearly when you supervise the person you’re coaching
• Address resistance, increase clarity, and deepen ownership on your team
• Build a coaching culture even within a performance-based system

Transform your agreements from words on the wall into tools that support thriving teams.

In this 90-minute recording, discover how to make community agreements meaningful, memorable, and actionable. 

You’ll learn how to:

• Teach and revisit agreements so they guide daily behavior
• Use language to reference agreements in challenging moments
• Repair trust when agreements are broken
• Turn agreements into a powerful culture-building tool

Make fewer decisions—and better ones.

In this 90-minute recording, you’ll be guided through a practical framework for reducing decision fatigue and protecting your energy.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the decisions draining your time and attention
• Use the Default Decisions Tool to simplify routine choices
• Create clear defaults that reduce daily decision-making
• Communicate new structures so your team gains clarity

Deliver feedback that fuels growth—not defensiveness.

In this 90-minute recording, you’ll gain a clear framework for delivering feedback when performance falls short.

You’ll learn how to:

• Use a simple framework that balances care and accountability
• Prepare for feedback conversations with clarity and purpose
• Use language that communicates expectations while preserving trust
• Stay grounded and constructive when emotions run high

What you say in the moment can either shut things down—or build connection.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn a simple, repeatable framework for responding to questions with intention—so your answers move conversations and relationships forward.

You’ll learn how to:

• Slow down and respond with intention instead of reacting in the moment
• Recognize and respond to what’s underneath a question—not just what’s said
• Avoid answers that shut down conversation or create distance
• Use language that builds connection while still offering clarity and direction
• Apply a practical framework you can use in coaching, meetings, and everyday interactions

Realign your team with clarity, connection, and shared purpose.

In this 90-minute recording, you’ll be guided through a simple, structured process for facilitating a team reset.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify early signs that a team is drifting out of alignment
• Use a clear protocol to guide a restorative reset conversation
• Name challenges without blame and rebuild shared purpose
• Help teams reconnect before misalignment grows into burnout

Turn tension into an opportunity for reinforcing culture.

In this 90-minute recording, you’ll build your capacity to stay centered and lead skillfully when tension rises in a meeting. 

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize cues that signal rising tension in a group
• Use language that brings calm and clarity to the moment
• Respond skillfully when resistance or discomfort surfaces
• Turn difficult moments into opportunities to strengthen trust

Lead with clarity and compassion—without burning out.

In this 90-minute recording, you’ll get concrete ways to set and communicate boundaries that sustain you and strengthen your relationships.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify where your current boundaries are blurred or crossed
• Clarify your needs and non-negotiables
• Communicate boundaries with empathy and clarity
• Protect your energy while maintaining strong relationships

Wrap up your work so you can enjoy your time away.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn how to close out your work, clear your mind, and step into break without carrying everything with you.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify what actually needs your attention before the break—and what can wait
• Communicate clear boundaries so nothing important is left hanging
• Reduce the mental load you’re carrying so you can fully disconnect
• Create a simple, realistic plan for your final days before stepping away
• Return from break with more energy, clarity, and focus

Regain capacity and energy.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn how to notice when you’re over-functioning in a coaching conversation—and how to shift responsibility back to your client without withdrawing support.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize when you’re doing more of the thinking, planning, and problem-solving than your client
• Understand why even skilled coaches take on too much responsibility
• Pause, redirect, and return ownership to your client in real time
• Use specific moves that keep the cognitive load where it belongs
• Leave conversations with more clarity, energy, and shared accountability

Start the year with days that energize your staff, not drain them.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll leave with a clear plan and concrete strategies you can use immediately.

You’ll learn how to:

• Design using core adult learning principles instead of defaulting to information delivery
• Identify and plan for the emotional needs staff bring into the year, including belonging, clarity, agency, and hope
• Redesign at least one portion of your agenda to replace passive listening with meaningful participation
• Facilitate connection in ways that feel authentic, purposeful, and worth the time
• Welcome new staff so they feel integrated into the community from the start

Learn how to stop avoiding hard conversations and enter them with clarity, care, and confidence.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll know exactly how to approach a conversation you’ve been avoiding—and feel ready to have it.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the internal barriers that lead you to avoid necessary conversations
• Determine when a conversation is ready to be had, and when you need more clarity
• Use a clear structure to enter a difficult conversation with honesty and care
• Communicate directly without sounding punitive, vague, or avoidant
• Plan and initiate a real conversation you’ve been putting off

Lead your first coaching conversation with clarity, not guesswork.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll leave with language you can use immediately and a clear plan for your next conversation.

You’ll learn how to:

• Open a first coaching conversation in a way that builds trust from the start
• Clearly communicate your role so your client understands what coaching is and is not
• Set expectations that support consistency, focus, and follow-through
• Ask questions that invite reflection without losing direction
• Plan and lead your next first conversation with clarity and confidence

Owning Your Time as a Leader provides 10 practices for aligning your time with what matters most.

This comprehensive guide is designed for mission-driven leaders who need to work differently, not harder. You'll learn how to:

• Claim ownership of your time
• Work within your capacity
• Protect your time through structure
• Contain your email

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The Transformational Meetings Toolkit is your go-to resource for designing gatherings that actually move the work forward.

You'll get:

• Ready-to-use agenda templates
• Communication scripts for tricky moments
• A decision tree to know when a meeting is needed
• Micro-moves that build trust and invite every voice
• A Meeting Culture Reset guide—and more

The Trust Catalyst Toolkit helps you transform trust from an abstract value into a lived, daily experience on your team.

You'll get:

• The Diagnosing Trust Breakdowns Guide
• Scripts to navigate trust-rupturing moments
• Three “Trust-Building Routines” for teams
• Self-coaching prompts for when you feel undermined
• A Leader’s Reflection Journal to deepen awareness and action

Designing transformative professional development starts with your own learning. This guide helps you translate The PD Book into action—on your own time.

• Reflection prompts and curated activities for every chapter
• Editable templates to capture insights and plan for practice
• A masterful facilitation demonstration to see key strategies in action
• Intention-setting tools to guide your growth as a PD designer and facilitator

Facilitating a study of The PD Book? This guide gives you everything you need to lead a dynamic learning experience that transforms how your group designs and delivers PD.

• Step-by-step facilitation support from Elena Aguilar
• Ready-to-use discussion prompts and group activities for every chapter
• A masterful facilitation demonstration to model the book’s practices
• Tools to foster deep reflection, skill-building, and collective growth

What you say in the moment can either shut things down—or build connection.

In this 90-minute recording, you'll learn a simple, repeatable framework for responding to questions with intention—so your answers move conversations and relationships forward.

You’ll learn how to:

• Slow down and respond with intention instead of reacting in the moment
• Recognize and respond to what’s underneath a question—not just what’s said
• Avoid answers that shut down conversation or create distance
• Use language that builds connection while still offering clarity and direction
• Apply a practical framework you can use in coaching, meetings, and everyday interactions

Start the year with days that energize your staff, not drain them.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll leave with a clear plan and concrete strategies you can use immediately.

You’ll learn how to:

• Design using core adult learning principles instead of defaulting to information delivery
• Identify and plan for the emotional needs staff bring into the year, including belonging, clarity, agency, and hope
• Redesign at least one portion of your agenda to replace passive listening with meaningful participation
• Facilitate connection in ways that feel authentic, purposeful, and worth the time
• Welcome new staff so they feel integrated into the community from the start

Learn how to stop avoiding hard conversations and enter them with clarity, care, and confidence.

After this 90-minute recording, you'll know exactly how to approach a conversation you’ve been avoiding—and feel ready to have it.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the internal barriers that lead you to avoid necessary conversations
• Determine when a conversation is ready to be had, and when you need more clarity
• Use a clear structure to enter a difficult conversation with honesty and care
• Communicate directly without sounding punitive, vague, or avoidant
• Plan and initiate a real conversation you’ve been putting off

Based on Elena Aguilar's powerful 3Bs Framework, this comprehensive toolkit gives you everything you need to transform your facilitation when circumstances are uncertain.

• Ready-to-use digital templates
• Printable quick-reference materials
• Script Library
• 10-day quick implementation guide

The Virtual PD Tech Toolkit provides practical tools and strategies to facilitate engaging, inclusive virtual learning.

You’ll learn how to: 

• Prepare participants for their learning experience
• Design workshop materials that are accessible in a virtual environment 
• Run breakout rooms with confidence
• Manage inevitable glitches with calm

The Transformational Meetings Toolkit is your go-to resource for designing gatherings that actually move the work forward.

You'll get:

• Ready-to-use agenda templates
• Communication scripts for tricky moments
• A decision tree to know when a meeting is needed
• Micro-moves that build trust and invite every voice
• A Meeting Culture Reset guide—and more