About this episode
Podcast Notes Episode 482 An Insight Into the Internal w/ Val Hastings Host: Brian Miller, PCC Guest: Val Hastings Date: September 11th, 2025 In this episode, Master Certified Coach Val Hastings shares insights from his book Coaching from the Inside and decades of experience training leaders and coaches worldwide. He unpacks what makes internal coaching unique, how it differs from external coaching, and why every leader can and should integrate coaching into their leadership style. Val also introduces guiding principles for internal coaches, highlighting both opportunities and challenges of coaching within an organization. Key Highlights: Val's coaching journey began unexpectedly but led to a lifelong commitment to transforming leaders through an inside-out approach. Only 7% of coaches work as full-time external coaches—93% are internal leaders, supervisors, or professionals integrating coaching into their roles. Internal coaching presents unique challenges: existing relationships, vested interests in outcomes, confidentiality concerns, and "in-the-moment" hallway or workplace coaching. Three powerful principles from Val's Guiding Principles of Internal Coaching: Coaching Initiative: internal coaches can proactively engage with clients in real time. Demonstrating Worth: internal coaches must continually educate and show value within their organizations. Hat Switching: balancing multiple roles (leader, supervisor, peer, coach) fluidly without derailing conversations. Coaching is often better caught than taught—demonstrations and live experiences help people grasp its transformative power more than explanations. Takeaways
