Leadership Development Articles for Growth-Minded Leaders

I’m Dr. Bethany Peters, a leadership professor and professional coach. These articles turn research on coaching, strengths, teams, and resilience into practical steps you can use right away.

Join 3,000+ professionals who receive The Coaching Mindset, my newsletter for practical tips to inspire intentional growth and tools to take a coach approach. When you subscribe, you will also get a copy of my free e-book, Coaching for Change: A Guide to Facilitating Change for Leaders, Coaches, & Personal Growth Enthusiasts.

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Dr. Bethany Peters, 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.

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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