Bright Morning Blog

Best-selling author and coaching expert, Elena Aguilar, shares her wisdom about coaching, leading teams, and designing and facilitating transformational professional development.

Four Design and Facilitation Learnings

July 22, 2024

Last year, I wanted to take my PD design and facilitation skills to the next level. I felt a little stale.

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I’d Always Be in the “Needs to Improve” Column in this Area

May 20, 2024

Truth is, a part of me hates emotions. Hates that I experience them. Hates that I have to deal with them. I’m afraid of them. I find them uncomfortable. I’d rather write, present, or facilitate a meeting than feel my feelings. I also think I don’t do feelings well. If there were a rubric for feeling feelings, I’d always be in the “needs to improve” column.

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5 Questions I Ask Myself When I Design PD

May 6, 2024

I’m deep into designing my new, in-person The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop, which I’ll deliver during fall 2024 in 9 cities around the U.S. This workshop is based on my forthcoming book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching, and both the book and workshop reflect all that I’ve learned in the 20 years since I became a coach, and in the 11 years since I published The Art of Coaching (retiring in July 2024 with the release of Arise).

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My best design resource

April 29, 2024

I am deep in planning my new in-person workshop on Transformational Coaching. In Fall 2024, I’ll be taking this 2-day learning experience on the road. It’s been over 4 years since I’ve done these kinds of workshops, and I can’t wait to be in person with others who are committed to transforming schools.

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End-of-year reflection questions for you

April 22, 2024

These reflection questions invite you to consider your ways of being—and they’re ones you can offer coaching clients as well. At the core of Transformational Coaching is the concept of the Three Bs: Behaviors, beliefs, and ways of being. We know that it is only by coaching in these three domains that we create sustained, transformative change in schools; our behaviors emerge from our beliefs and our ways of being.

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“These kids can’t…”

April 15, 2024

My newest book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (July 2024), has two chapters dedicated to coaching for equity. And another three on coaching emotions. And even more on preparing ourselves to coach. And of course, a lot of concrete strategies. It has so much because in many ways, this is complex. And it’s also simple: when we tend to ourselves, we can tend to others.

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How trust develops

April 8, 2024

In my newest book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (July 2024), there's a short section about trust—what it is and how we build it—and this got me thinking about how, at the end of the school year, we often reflect on how our relationships developed. We might think back to what it felt like to start coaching a certain teacher or managing a certain staff member, and how we initially misjudged them, and now we really love them, and how initially they were standoffish, and now they’re open and vulnerable. This is a reflection on the development of trust.

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Who do you find hardest to listen to?

April 1, 2024

In my newest book, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (July 2024), there is a portion about listening, how we listen, and what it takes for us to listen deeply.

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Is there “us” and “them” drama on your team?

March 18, 2024

As a coach, I was perceived as being “them”--as being on the “side” of admin. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I felt hurt and angry. I felt rejected. I became defensive and decided to ally myself with the admin. But I also didn’t align in any way with the site administrators. I felt very lonely and unable to deal with all the tension.

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