The best coaching conversation ever?
October 3, 2025
Fall is here, and with it, the shift we know so well. The honeymoon period is fading. The weight of the work is settling in. For many educators and teams, this is when resilience is tested.
So I want to share a story from Becky, one of our Bright Morning presenters and coaches, that reminded me of what’s possible, even in the midst of challenge. Becky had just finished a coaching session with a member and was reflecting on how much she’s grown this past year. How becoming more fluent in The Art of Coaching Teams has made her facilitation and coaching not just stronger but more transformational.
The member she was working with shared a story of his own:
He had recently completed the Expansive Listening Skill Session and introduced our Expansive Listening Lenses to a teacher he coached. But instead of just explaining the tool, he used it to center her agency.
He asked her: How do you want me to listen to you today?
Afterward, the teacher told him it was the best coaching conversation she’d ever had.
And then she came back. The teacher asked for the tool again—because she wanted to try it with her students.
She wanted them to feel as empowered and heard as she had felt in that conversation.
Did I tear up a little hearing about this? Yes, yes, I did!Â
He had recently completed the Expansive Listening Skill Session and introduced our Expansive Listening Lenses to a teacher he coached. But instead of just explaining the tool, he used it to center her agency.
This is the ripple effect of Transformational Coaching.
When we listen with intention…
When we center agency…
When we offer tools that invite others into their full humanity…
It spreads.
So as you and your team navigate this first real test of the year, I hope this story is a reminder:
The way you show up matters.
The way you listen matters.
And sometimes, a single conversation can change everything, and not just for one person, but for everyone they lead.
Keep Learning
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Want to learn the tools that sparked this transformation? The Expansive Listening Skill Session is part of our Coach Learning Library, available as a subscription and through Bright Morning memberships. Start your subscription or membership today!
Want your team members to experience this kind of growth? The Expansive Listening Lenses—and dozens of other tools—are part of our Coach Learning Library, available through Bright Morning membership. If you support a team, we offer group packages that make it easy to build this capacity across your school or organization. Start here.
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