The Thoughtful Entrepreneur 2205 - Navigating Uncertainty How Coaching Fuels Success with The Preston Associates' Luciana Núñez
Unlocking Leadership Potential: How Luciana Núñez Champions Coaching-Centric Cultures
In this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, host Josh Elledge speaks with Luciana Núñez, Executive Coach at The Preston Associates and author of Coaching Power: Leading with Coaching to Create Individual, Team, and Organizational Outperformance. Luciana shares her deep passion for understanding human dynamics, her approach to building empowered leadership teams, and the actionable framework outlined in her new book. If you’re a founder or executive looking to level up your leadership and foster a high-performing team culture, this conversation offers strategic insight and practical tools.
Embracing Coaching as the Future of Leadership
Luciana opens up about the human-centered influences that inform her coaching practice—particularly her appreciation for interpersonal storytelling, like in the series The White Lotus, which reveals the layered complexity of relationships. She sees a strong parallel between coaching and storytelling, noting that both require empathy, deep listening, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. Drawing from this, Luciana encourages leaders to observe how they engage with others and to reflect on the subtle cues that impact team dynamics.
Professionally, Luciana emphasizes that 70% of her coaching work focuses on team coaching—not just individuals—which she believes is a more scalable and sustainable way to transform organizations. At The Preston Associates, she collaborates with a global network of coaches to implement systems-level leadership development. As companies face rapid growth or operational complexity, she helps leadership teams align on values, communication, and accountability—turning fragmentation into cohesion.
Luciana also underscores the importance of coaching in navigating today's VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) environment. With up to five generations now represented in the workforce, leaders must adapt to evolving expectations—especially from younger employees who prefer empowerment over command-and-control leadership. Through her book Coaching Power, Luciana provides a step-by-step guide for leaders looking to adopt a coaching mindset, offering tools for giving feedback, driving clarity, and promoting self-leadership across all levels.
About Luciana Núñez
Luciana Núñez is an executive coach and thought leader in leadership transformation. As a partner at The Preston Associates, she specializes in helping senior executives and teams unlock peak performance through a coaching-centered approach. She is the author of Coaching Power, a practical guide for leaders aiming to drive measurable business outcomes through people empowerment.
About The Preston Associates
The Preston Associates (TPA) is a global executive coaching firm that partners with leaders and organizations to create sustainable, high-performance cultures. Through tailored coaching, strategy facilitation, and leadership development, TPA supports organizations navigating complexity, change, and growth.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
Episode Highlights
- The rising demand for team coaching over individual coaching
- How to lead in a VUCA world with empathy and clarity
- Why younger generations want coaches, not bosses
- Tips for integrating coaching principles across an entire organization
- A practical framework from Coaching Power to lead with impact
Conclusion
Luciana Núñez offers a fresh, human-centered vision for modern leadership. Her insights around storytelling, empowerment, and cross-generational alignment reflect the shifting landscape of organizational development. If you're looking to lead with authenticity and elevate your team's performance, Luciana’s approach and book are invaluable resources.
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