Leadership Development Articles with a Coaching Mindset

Browse the practical, research-backed articles on a variety of leadership development topics from Dr. Bethany Peters, a leadership professor and professionally certified coach.

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Dr. Bethany Peters, Ph.D., PCC

With over 20 years of experience in leadership development and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, I take a coach approach to help leaders and teams thrive. As an expert thought partner, I facilitate clarity, inspire creative thinking, and help growth-minded professionals overcome barriers to make meaningful progress. Meet Bethany.

How to Start Job Crafting: 5 Coaching Questions to Redesign Your Role

What part of your work would you reshape if you could?

Job crafting is the research-backed practice of redesigning your current role, its tasks, relationships, and meaning, to fit your strengths and energy more closely; no new job required.

Here are five coaching questions and job crafting examples, to help you start redesigning the role you already have.

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5 Types of Journaling When You Don't Know Where to Start

You know journaling could help—you've read the research, heard the recommendations, maybe you’ve even bought the perfect journal. But when you sit down with that blank page, you freeze up. Or despite getting started, you just can’t stay motivated to stick with it.

In this post, we will cover five distinct approaches to journaling and when to apply each type, with example prompts for each.

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The Science Behind Self-Reflection: What Happens in Your Brain When You Journal

What if 15 minutes of writing could quiet your overactive mind, help you make sense of difficult experiences, and free up mental space you didn't know you were losing?

Research shows that expressive writing engages three distinct brain processes. Discover the science-backed three-step process, why processing hard emotions builds resilience, and a practical protocol you can start using today.

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The Brain Science Behind the Comfort Zone — Plus 9 Coaching Questions to Push Beyond It

Your brain loves predictability—and that’s why staying in your comfort zone feels so good. But what if that same comfort is quietly holding you back?

In this post, we’ll explore the science behind why the brain resists change, how fear, learning, and growth unfold as stages, and 9 coaching questions to help you move beyond comfort with clarity and confidence.

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7 Simple Self-Reflection Tools You Can Use in 10 Minutes or Less

Self-reflection sounds great, but finding the time feels impossible, right?

That's why I’m sharing 7 simple reflection exercises – like the Gratitude Walk and the Resilient Reframe – that take 10 minutes or less. Learn how to easily build self-awareness and manage stress, even on your busiest days.

Find your simple starting point here.

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Hitting the Reset Button: How to Reinvent Your Career in 5 Steps

Feeling stuck in a dead-end job? If so, you're not alone. Many people reach a point where their careers no longer spark joy (or even a flicker of interest). However, making a change - even if there’s a promise of a more engaging career on the other side - can be an overwhelming endeavor. The RESET method described in this post will provide you with a structured, strategic process to navigate a courageous journey towards a more fulfilling career.

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4 Questions to Build Your Confidence

When you find yourself lacking confidence, this state of lower confidence does not need to define you or derail you. In fact, confidence can be learned, practiced, reset, and refined.

The four questions here provide a simple but streamlined guide to helping you develop stronger confidence for a new task, an unfamiliar situation, an unexpected transition, or a challenging role.

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Mapping Your Path to Personal Growth: Navigating the Five Stages of Boyatzis' Intentional Change Theory — Plus 10 Coaching Questions

In the pursuit of personal and professional development, understanding what we should expect in a change process, and what can do to facilitate more sustainable change is critical. Intentional Change Theory, established by thought leader Richard Boyatzis, outlines five stages that create a pathway for you to pursue when intentionally seeking to bring about positive transformation in your life.

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How to Choose Your Word of the Year

In the hustle of daily life with constant competing commitments, being intentional in your growth requires discipline and persistence. One simple practice that can increase your intentionality throughout the ebb and flow of the New Year is to select a word of the year.

Once chosen, your word of the year can help to inspire clarity, encourage a positive mindset, and increase momentum for your growth. So, how do you find a word that will serve as your inspiration? Read on for three key strategies to keep in mind.

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7 Ways to Live in Alignment with Your Core Values

When your actions and choices reflect what truly matters to you, you create a life that is authentic and meaningful. However, let’s be honest, living out your core values is simply easier said than done.

But, with some inspiration and a few extra measures of intentionality, it is possible! The key strategies I share here will make your work easier when you are striving to live in greater alignment with your most important values.

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5 Steps to Identify Your Core Values

Values are the broad goals and guiding principles that we want to shape our beliefs, decisions, and actions across contexts and circumstances. Values serve as an internal compass, influencing the way we interact with the world and the people around us. Identifying your values is an essential step in living a purposeful and fulfilling life.

In this blog post, I will explore what values are, why they matter, and how you can identify your own values.

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3 Steps to Strengthen Your Self-Awareness

Despite how valuable it is, we can be easily deceived into thinking our self-awareness is higher than it is. Without pausing for honest, thoughtful self-reflection, we may hold onto a fuzzy, idealistic self-assessment that is either unclear, inaccurate, or both.

How would you rate your self-awareness?

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The Coaching Design Co.

Practical tools to put the ideas to work

Guides, journals, and coaching question sets that turn what you read here into what you do next.

Mastermind Toolkit: How to Start Your Own Mastermind Group
$24.99

Starting your own mastermind group is a powerful way to bring together like-minded individuals for growth, support, and shared learning. But without a clear mastermind agenda, ground rules, and facilitator structure, the logistics can quickly become overwhelming.

That’s where this How to Start Your Own Mastermind: The Complete Guide comes in—a 25+ page mastermind toolkit with everything you need to run your group with confidence.

This comprehensive bundle of templates (25+ page pdf download) is designed to save you time and energy while providing you with everything you need to set up a successful mastermind group. Whether you're a seasoned coach, entrepreneur, or group facilitator, this guide provides all the resources you need to create an impactful and organized mastermind experience.

The package includes:

  • Facilitator Guidelines: Clear, step-by-step instructions to help you lead your mastermind group with confidence.

  • New Member Screening Questions: Essential questions to ensure that your group is the right fit for your participants.

  • New Member Orientation Guide: A helpful guide to onboard new members smoothly and make them feel welcomed.

  • Group Ground Rules: Establish a solid foundation by setting expectations for a respectful, supportive group dynamic.

  • Format & Facilitation Tips: Best practices for running your mastermind sessions, including timing, structure, and engagement ideas.

  • Sample Agenda: A ready-made agenda to get your sessions organized and running smoothly.

  • Community Building Activities: Fun and effective activities that foster connection and trust within your group.

  • Goal-Setting Tools: Templates to help your members set clear, actionable goals that they can achieve.

  • Coaching Tips & Questions: A selection of questions and prompts to help you facilitate productive, thought-provoking discussions.

  • Mastermind Evaluation Form: A tool to gather valuable feedback from your group to help you continuously improve the mastermind experience.

  • Canva Templates: Links to free Canva templates like progress trackers and meeting agendas to keep your group organized and engaged.

  • Recommended Digital Platforms: An overview of some of the most helpful online platforms to support your group, whether you are meeting in person or virtually.

With these templates, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a thriving mastermind group that drives results.

Formatted as an 8.5×11 pdf download with fillable workbook pages. No physical product will be shipped to you.

Customer Review:

“This guide is perfect for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to create a mastermind group without trial and error. It's comprehensive yet concise, making the process feel doable. The time and effort saved by this purchase are substantial. This purchase is priceless for anyone serious about building a successful mastermind group.”

-Alice Horrell, Executive Coach, Cultivating Splendor

100 Coaching Questions for Leaders: An Essential Guide
$24.99

Transform Your Leadership Style with 100 Powerful Coaching Questions for Leaders

  • 100 Powerful Coaching Questions for Leaders: Organized into 10 key leadership categories, these coaching questions will help you facilitate insightful conversations, encourage self-reflection, and drive positive change within your team. The categories include:

    • Self-Awareness: Foster deeper understanding and personal growth.

    • Productivity: Enhance efficiency and time management.

    • Decision-Making: Improve judgment and problem-solving skills.

    • Vision & Strategy: Align individual and team efforts with organizational goals.

    • Communication & Influence: Strengthen interpersonal skills and impact.

    • Mentoring & Development: Guide and support the growth of your team members.

    • Team Building: Cultivate collaboration and high-performing teams.

    • Managing Stress: Help individuals navigate challenges and maintain well-being.

    • Change Management: Support team members through transitions and new initiatives.

    • Managing Performance: Provide constructive feedback and drive improvement.

  • Essential Coaching Tips and Templates: Learn fundamental coaching skills and immediately implement ready-to-use templates for various coaching conversations.

  • Coachability Assessment: Understand your team members' readiness for coaching and tailor your approach. This assessment helps you identify where coaching will be most effective.

  • Goal-Setting Exercise for Leaders: Develop your own coaching goals and create a roadmap for integrating coaching into your leadership style.

  • 10 Inspirational Quote Posters: Stay motivated with these inspirational quote posters designed to support your growth as a coaching leader.

Who is this toolkit for?

  • New leaders looking to build a strong foundation in leadership coaching skills.

  • Experienced leaders wanting to enhance their coaching abilities and adopt a more coach-like leadership style.

  • Managers transitioning into broader leadership roles who need a complete guide to coaching their teams.

  • HR professionals and leadership development trainers seeking valuable coaching resources for their programs.

  • Coaches who specialize in leadership coaching.

  • Anyone who believes in the power of employee development and fostering a growth mindset.

This is a digital download, formatted as a PDF file. No physical item will be shipped to you.

“This is a practical tool for leaders who want to grow in curiosity and connection with their team. The workbook is clear on its purpose, offering both direction on developing a coaching mindset and a practical path for applying coaching questions in leadership—whether in everyday conversations or specific situations. The 100 questions will fill your coaching toolbox, and the reflection work creates space to lead your team with authentic invitations to grow together. Best of all, it doesn't feel like one more thing on a full leadership plate—it feels like a tool that makes leadership easier.”  — Tonia M., Program Manager

The Mindset Reset Journal
$19.99

There's a particular kind of fatigue that comes from leading without a pause.

Your patterns harden. Your boundaries blur. Habits that once served you start running you. The pace continues, but somewhere along the way, your alignment slips.

The Mindset Reset Journal is a 30-day reflection practice designed for when your leadership needs a reset

When you feel like you are stuck, fatigued, or living out of alignment with what matters most, this journal offers you a structured developmental arc, built around the Reset Rhythm™ — a four-week sequence that walks you through Sync, Stop, Start, and Sustain.

Each week opens with a guided introduction that names what you're practicing and why and each day offers a focused prompt that moves the work forward.

The Reset Rhythm™:

Week 1 — Sync. Slow your pace and tune in to what's actually present. Practice listening to your thoughts, body, and energy without rushing to fix anything.

Week 2 — Stop. Interrupt the routines, habits, and assumptions that no longer serve you. Practice creating space for intentional choice instead of defaulting to autopilot.

Week 3 — Start. Build new rhythms, boundaries, and habits aligned with your values. Practice designing your daily life from the inside out.

Week 4 — Sustain. Anchor your insights so the shifts last. Practice grounding new patterns into your real, demanding life.

This journal is for you if:

  • You're leading well but feeling stretched thin across the board

  • You can name what's draining you, but the patterns keep showing up anyway

  • You're out of sync with your values and ready to recalibrate

  • You're running on autopilot and want to recenter how you're showing up

  • You want a structured reflection practice grounded in real coaching pedagogy

What's inside:

  • A 30-day guided journaling practice

  • Four weekly introductions framing the Reset Rhythm™

  • Daily prompts designed for focused 10-15 minute reflections

  • Beautifully designed pages with space to write, breathe, and return to

  • Digital download — print at home or use on your tablet

Please note: This is a digital product. No physical product will be shipped to you.

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Book a free 45-minute consultation to talk through your leadership goals, your team, or the next step that feels stuck.