The podcast

Leadership. Coaching. No fluff.

Sam, Rick and Kent work through the CLEAR system one card category at a time. Thirty minutes an episode, no guests, no small talk.

Latest episode

Quick Start: Be Curious

Episode 18 · 34 min ·

Ask instead of answer. The one move every great coach makes.

Sam Bracken, Rick Timlick, and Kent Vaughn kick off the Quick Start series with Be Curious. You'll learn why curiosity over telling is the core move of CLEAR coaching, why giving the answer backfires even when you know it, and Sam's five curiosity questions to use in your next conversation.

Your hosts

Three co-founders, one framework.

  • Sam Bracken

    Co-founder, author

  • Rick Timlick

    Co-founder

  • Kent Vaughn

    Co-founder, lead coach

The series

One topic at a time.

  1. Introduction to CLEAR Coaching (Cards 1-6)Episode 1Published
  2. Coach the Coachable (Cards 19)Episode 2Published
  3. What Coaches Do (Cards 7-13)Episode 3Published
  4. CLEAR Coaching Defined (Cards 14-18)Episode 4Published
  5. Coachability (Cards 19-23)Episode 5Published
  6. How to Coach the People You Lead (Cards 24-29)Episode 6Published
  7. How to Improve Performance: Take CLEAR Action (Card 30)Episode 7Published
  8. How to Improve Performance: Clarity (Card 31)Episode 8Published
  9. How to Improve Performance: Leverage (Card 32)Episode 9Published
  10. How to Improve Performance: Engagement (Cards 33-34)Episode 10Published
  11. How to Improve Performance: Accountability (Cards 35-36)Episode 11Published
  12. How to Improve Performance: Results (Card 37)Episode 12Published
  13. Get People Unstuck: The Current State (Cards 38-39)Episode 13Published
  14. Get People Unstuck: The Desired Future State (Card 40)Episode 14Published
  15. Get People Unstuck: The Stuck State (Card 41)Episode 15Published
  16. Get People Unstuck: The Breakthrough State (Card 42)Episode 16Published
  17. Get People Unstuck: The Freedom State (Card 43)Episode 17Published
  18. Quick Start: Be Curious (Card 44)Episode 18Published

All episodes

Every episode.

  1. 17

    Get People Unstuck

    The Freedom State

    Freedom isn't free. How a plan becomes consistent action, and why the best coaches work themselves out of a job.

    33 min

  2. 16

    Get People Unstuck

    The Breakthrough State

    Breakthroughs are never found by the coach. They're hosted by the coach.

    35 min

  3. 15

    Get People Unstuck

    The Stuck State

    What happens when people get stuck, and the five questions that cut past blame to the real barrier.

    32 min

  4. 14

    Get People Unstuck

    The Desired Future State

    How to help someone build a compelling picture of what they actually want, and why so many cannot answer that question.

    33 min

  5. 13

    Get People Unstuck

    Current State

    Diagnosing where someone actually is. Blind spots, self-awareness, and why 95 percent think they have it while about 10 percent do.

    27 min

  6. 12

    Improve Performance

    Results

    Why celebrating wins matters as much as learning from failure, and how a fail-fast mindset builds resilience instead of burnout.

    29 min

1–11Earlier categoriesEleven earlier episodesShow all
  1. 11

    36 min

  2. 09

    35 min

  3. 08

    36 min

  4. 07

    37 min

  5. 06

    30 min

  6. 05

    31 min

  7. 04

    34 min

  8. 03

    36 min

  9. 02

    31 min

  10. 01

    34 min

The system behind the show

Every episode is one card.

The deck is the whole framework, in your pocket, with a video on the back of every card.

Buy the Kit · $499