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:

Internal coaching is the reality for most professionals, and learning its unique dynamics is essential for effective leadership.
Being intentional about confidentiality, boundaries, and bias safeguards trust when coaching inside an organization.
Demonstrating value and educating others about coaching is critical even for internal coaches—visibility and clarity sustain impact.
Leaders who master “hat switching” can seamlessly balance authority with coaching presence, maximizing both trust and effectiveness.
Coaching from the inside-out creates sustainable cultural transformation, equipping leaders to unlock potential at every level.

Get more of Val at the following:

And don't forget to join us as we welcome Val back to host a free, online webinar that will showcase the power and impact of internal coaching! www.coachapproachministries.org/val

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