The Good, the Bad, and the Coachable

Reflections for Leaders Navigating Growth, Paradox, and Possibility

Leadership is full of paradox. We’re expected to be visionary and practical, confident and humble, strategic and relational. If these tensions ever feel contradictory—or just plain exhausting—you’re not alone. I’ve lived those pressures too, especially in high-stakes environments where the risks feel both personal and professional. It can feel like no matter what you choose, something’s going to suffer.

That’s why I created this space.

Welcome to The Good, the Bad, and the Coachable—a blog for leaders who want to reflect, grow, and thrive amid complexity, ambiguity, and change. It’s a place to make sense of the hard stuff—and reconnect with your capacity to lead with clarity, compassion, and intention.

Each post explores real-world leadership challenges through the lens of polarities—those interdependent opposites we all wrestle with: control and empowerment, action and reflection, independence and collaboration. Together, we’ll explore how to hold these tensions, find the wisdom in both poles, and expand your leadership range.

Drawing from my experience as an executive and leadership coach, psychologist, and former healthcare executive, I’ll share stories, questions, and practices that invite reflection and growth—not perfection. These insights are grounded in my Five Intelligences™ model of exceptional leaders and organizations:

Self-Intelligence: Knowing who you are, what drives you, and how to lead authentically.

Relational-Intelligence: Understanding others’ needs and perceptions and creating meaningful connection.

Communication-Intelligence: Speaking with clarity and courage—and listening with curiosity and empathy.

Execution-Intelligence: Turning insight into aligned, intentional action.

Neuro-Intelligence: Leveraging neuroscience to lead with presence, adaptability, and resilience.

These Five Intelligences give us the language and tools to navigate the human side of leadership—the inner dilemmas, the interpersonal disconnects, the nervous system overload. They help us move beyond binary thinking and toward wholeness.

The concept of polarities—inspired by Gestalt coaching and adult development—reminds us that growth rarely comes from finding the “right” answer. It comes from expanding our awareness and leaning into tension rather than resisting it. That’s how we access deeper wisdom—and lead from a more grounded center of gravity.

I’ll help you recognize when you're stuck in a narrow pattern and offer ways to widen your view. By developing your Five Intelligences and embracing both/and thinking, you’ll build the inner and outer capacity to meet complexity with calm, compassion, and courage.