In this episode, we feature a special webinar recording where LaTonya Wilkins, award-winning executive coach and author, introduces Coaching Below the Surface, an ICF-approved coach training program launching in July 2025. This initiative outlines a fresh approach to coaching, emphasizing connection across differences and creating psychological safety in coaching relationships.

Episode Summary

In Episode 49, we dive into a comprehensive introduction of Coaching Below the Surface, a groundbreaking ICF-approved coach training program designed to help coaches navigate the complexities of our VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. LaTonya explores how this program prepares coaches to work effectively across differences, focusing on the importance of psychological safety for both coaches and clients. The presentation also introduces the REAL leadership model (Relatable, Equitable, Aware, and Loyal) and how this unique framework addresses the diverse needs of today’s coaching landscape.

Key Insights:

  • Connecting Across Differences: The program highlights the need for coaches to connect with clients across diverse perspectives and challenges, addressing the complexity of the VUCA world.
  • Psychological Safety: Coaches must create “dual psychological safety”—ensuring safety for both themselves and their clients—to foster authentic, effective coaching interactions.
  • KPE (Knowledge, Perspectives, and Experiences): The program introduces KPE as the foundation for understanding the unique differences that coaches and clients bring to the relationship.
  • The REAL Model: This coaching approach is rooted in the REAL model, which stands for Relatable, Equitable, Aware, and Loyal, helping coaches navigate diverse client needs.
  • Target Audience: The program is designed for three key groups:
    • Experienced leaders who engage in coaching as part of their role
    • Credentialed coaches seeking continuing education to renew their credentials
    • Individuals who are “coach curious” and want to explore coaching
  • Understanding Gen Z: Gen Z’s unique challenges are highlighted as a key focus, positioning them as one of the top leadership issues in today’s coaching landscape.
  • Cohort-Based Learning: Participants will engage in a cohort-based environment, fostering psychological safety, belonging, and “coaching joy.”
  • Outcomes for Coaches: By joining the program, participants can expect tangible outcomes: more clients, improved ratings, and an overall improvement in their coaching practice.
  • The Importance of Coaching Now: The program underscores that this is a pivotal time for coaches to make a significant impact in today’s complex workplace.

Resources from today’s episode:

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Podcast Transcript: 

Hello folks, welcome to another episode of the Leading Below the Surface podcast. I have a very special episode for you today.

So we are going to be launching our ICF-approved coach training program, Coaching Below the Surface. And I am so excited. I think all of you will be as well. This is something that is so needed in the world right now. Coaching Below the Surface is all about how we connect and coach across differences.

How do we hold spaces to have dual psychological safety for ourselves and our clients so we can truly show up? How do we truly show up as a mirror for our clients? How do we truly show up in these times of uncertainty? These are some of the things I’ve been thinking about. When I first conceptualized Coaching Below the Surface, it was a close mirror to Leading Below the Surface. But now it’s even bigger, and it’s even better, and it’s even more encompassing.

What I have for you today is very special. It’s a webinar I recently did for an ICF group in India. It’s a great sample of Coaching Below the Surface and what will be included in our new ICF coaching program that launches in July 2025.

Enjoy, everyone! It’s really great to see all of you today. I just love coaches so much. And let us know how important this topic is right now.

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So, why do I support the coach community? Because this is our time. This is so important right now.

As Repenter said, investing in yourself is important. But we are at a point in time where investing in yourself as a coach might look a little different than it did before.

I think I’ve been coaching since 2018, and when I first started, it was all about techniques—powerful questions, how to coach. And I was very, very nervous about being perfect with that stuff. And now, it’s different.

It’s just way different. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Our clients are going to look different. Our clients’ problems are going to look different. I know we’re not therapists, I’m not saying that, but we have to deal with today’s world. We have to navigate it. This is such a great time for coaches. I think we’re going to be more important than ever. So congratulations for being here because this is really the first step to prepare us for the future.

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So what are we going to do today? This is going to be our journey today. So we’re going to talk about the world we’re living in, how it’s VUCA—and many of you probably know what that acronym means. We’ll talk about that. Then I’ll talk a little bit about DEI and how it relates to this VUCA world. So I see these two things as integral to each other.

I also see wellness as a part of this because, again, everything is changing in our societies. Globally, I’m going to give you a little timeline around DEI in the U.S. and I know it’s U.S.-focused, but I want to just go there. We’re going to talk about a point here of how this works and what this means and what our role is in it. And then we’ll talk about Coaching Below the Surface.

Alright, so we don’t have a poll set up, which is okay. So I’d love to just kind of start off in chat and hear from some of you. There’s a lot going on in the world—not just here in the U.S., but everywhere. So I’d love to hear what you think about what’s going on across the world right now. Are you optimistic that we’re going to get through all the challenges?

Is it about the same as always? Are you not seeing any of this stuff as big changes in the world, or are you convinced it’s ending? I know that one is a little extreme and exaggerated, but that’s the reason why I do this. Hopefully, we’ll get a little chuckle out of this. You know, it’s so interesting because us coaches, I think we’re pretty optimistic people. I think it’s because our work is so intertwined with positive psychology that a lot of us are optimistic on how we’re going to get through everything. So I’m also optimistic.

I think it’s… we are in a new world. And I also think at the same time, I feel very lucky and fortunate to be a coach because I’m able to be in a position to help the world navigate all of these new challenges. If anybody knows what VUCA means, we are in what is called a VUCA world. So I’ll talk a little bit about my experience with VUCA worlds and what that means and that landscape.

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One of the things I did before I became a coach, I first started a career in HR, and then I hated that I was a recruiter—it wasn’t really for me. So I went back to business school. After I got out of business school, my first job was consulting. So I did consulting with PwC. It was a traditional consulting job. It was really, really neat. It was human capital and strategic change. One of my favorite jobs—the only reason why I left that job was because of the travel.

But one of my favorite clients was the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in the U.S. It’s like the WHO of the world, except in the U.S. The CDC was working on something new that I had never heard of. I was young in my career, and they were working on something called zoonotic diseases. So I think we all know what zoonotic diseases are, now with COVID-19.

They were starting to see the effects of climate change, and they were starting to see that diseases were going to look different. We had to live differently as humans. We had to make sure that we were getting vaccines. We had to make sure that when we were doing urban planning, that we didn’t put things too close to certain habitats of certain animals.

This was the first time I heard the term VUCA—everything was volatile, everything was uncertain, everything was complex, everything was ambiguous.

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Fast forward about a decade, and I did one of my first keynotes ever at Disrupt HR Chicago. I did it on what the world was calling “wicked problems” at the time. So not only were we living in a VUCA world, but we were having these things called wicked problems hit us. These are very, very complex problems created by a VUCA world. And although all the technologies and everything is great—how many of you use ChatGPT every day? I know I do—these technologies are convenient for us, but they also create new problems.

One of the problems that these technologies cause—and again, these are technologies I use every day—is loneliness. Let’s talk about this VUCA world and some of the problems it creates. We are consistently seeing that belonging is a huge predictor of employee engagement. Why?

Well, let’s go back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, right? People need to feel like they belong, and it’s more necessary than ever. This is not just a DEI thing—it’s a human thing. All humans need spaces where they belong. It’s a fundamental leadership principle. And I’m sure all of you have taken some sort of leadership course. Some of you are probably leadership coaches. This is as important a skill as leadership strategy or leadership vision. These are fundamental things. This is now fundamental.

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So, if you’re thinking about a fundamental principle of leadership, which is building trust, this goes on that same page. Again, this is not just a DEI principle; it’s a human principle. The VUCA world is creating this need for humans to get back to being human. Humans need to belong. This is very, very concerning. Some of you may have children who are Gen Z, nieces and nephews, or you might mentor Gen Z.

Gen Z has reported very high rates of anxiety, unwellness, and stress. This is growing to a very concerning level. I’m on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y, so I understand both generations. But this is especially pronounced with Gen Z. There’s a book called The Anxiety Generation by Jonathan Haidt that I strongly recommend. This group grew up with forces many of us didn’t. They were online constantly. We’re still trying to understand the effects of this.

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In some areas, psychological safety is also very important. Again, this goes back to that VUCA world. This is not a DEI thing—it’s a leadership thing. And this is one of the reasons I wrote Leading Below the Surface—because I was so obsessed with leadership research, theories, and archetypes. I saw that these archetypes, even though they got us here, won’t get us there. They won’t move us forward because they don’t consider today’s society.

I don’t know how many of you have seen this—if you have, type yes in the chat. But Gallup recently released a report called “The Four Needs of Followers.” It’s really, really interesting. I downloaded it last month and have talked to my students about it a lot.

Today’s followers want something different from their leaders. They want hope. So, congratulations coaches—you’re all pretty optimistic. You’re able to offer a sense of hope to your clients. They want trust. We want to have integrity, respect. These things still matter.