Coffee House Coaching
Coffee House Coaching is an Executive Coaching podcast where I speak with fellow Executive Coaches about their practice, their process and how they help their clients. I also speak with individuals impacted by coaching and how it has improved their lives. My goal is to shine some light on the wonderful world of Executive Coaching and explain what it is and how it works. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversations about Executive Coaching.
Coffee House Coaching
Ep 174 Stephen Burke - Aerospace to Inner Space / Come Empty / Hold Everything Neutral
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Gary Nowak
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Season 3
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Episode 174
8 Questions + 1 Fun Stuff Summary
1️⃣ Best Coaching Advice
- Come empty — show up without your agenda or rucksack of tools.
- Be nothing for your client; let their story lead.
- The less you bring, the more emerges.
2️⃣ What You’re Still Improving
- Deepening the art of listening to understand, not respond.
- Using somatic awareness — grounding, feeling feet, breath, and body connection.
- Staying present instead of preparing a response.
3️⃣ Most Outrageous Thing Done
- Asked a founder, “What if this company isn’t yours to build?” and stayed silent.
- Invited a high-performing board to consider, “What if your ceiling is your floor?”
- Held everything neutral — courage through calm curiosity.
4️⃣ What Still Makes You Uncomfortable
- Taking notes during sessions — breaks connection and presence.
- Managing the tension between documentation and deep listening.
- Letting silence hold more value than written words.
5️⃣ Advice for New Coaches
- Focus equally on your state of being and the business of coaching.
- Learn to consciously create your internal state before each session.
- Build awareness of how your presence shapes every client interaction.
6️⃣ What You’ve Had to Conquer
- Shifting from doing to being — from tools to trust.
- Letting go of performance mindset from engineering roots.
- Embracing neutrality and imperfection in the coaching journey.
7️⃣ How You Use AI
- Uses ChatGPT and Gemini daily for proposals, tone checks, and ideation.
- Exploring creating custom AI agents for repetitive business tasks.
- Sees AI as a creative partner, not a threat — a reflection tool, not a replacement.
8️⃣ What You’ve Learned About Yourself
- Coaching meets him where he is in every season of life.
- Always keeps a coach — it’s a non-negotiable business expense.
- Strives to be “the best coach in the world” — not from ego, but from intention.
🎬 Fun Stuff Question — Favorite Movie
- Amélie — a French film he saw three times in one week.
- Loves its color, music, and magic.
- Proof that beauty, like coaching, is found in the small details.