The Competency No. 5 Show
Around 4% of the 55,000+ coaches certified with the International Coaching Federation hold the revered status of Master Certified Coach. Why so few? I set out to find out, and in February 2026 I became one of around 2,800 coaches globally and under ten New Zealanders to earn the MCC.
Competency No. 5, the podcast, began as a chronicle of that journey: a self-retired professor and global business reporter from New Zealand logging beaucoup coaching hours and mentoring, and adhering strictly to the ICF’s core competencies, especially the deceptively tricky Competency No. 5, maintaining presence.
Now the show explores the coach approach to life and leadership: how we stay calm and present when we coach, lead and live our lives. We interview coaches and others whose very livelihood and existence depends on staying present with those they serve.
The Competency No. 5 Show
Latest Episodes
“I saw students struggling, including myself”: Nathan Chacko on his AI app to ease high school stress
When Nathan Chacko, a senior at a competitive Bay Area high school got cut from his basketball team, he felt shocked, disappointed, then relieved. An entire new focus awaited him: learning to code. He spent the summer learning, then...
"Coming to a new country opens your eyes." Award-winning author and coach Lucy Chen on navigating cultural change
When Lucy Chen moved to California, U.S. from Beijing, China in the early 90s, cultural confusion abounded. Presidents getting impeached? Strangers smiling and waving hello? And then nuanced confusions of her own, telling one person she was fiv...
“Most people want to tell their truth to me” — UK artist Alexander Lumsden
"One of the rare things in my life has been that most people want to tell their truth to me." So says Swedish born, UK-based artist Alexander Lumsden who has dedicated his life to studying art around the world and to his own artistic practice.&...
Tears Have Words. On the lost human connection when we jump in too early to fix
Reading from an excerpt within my upcoming guide I'm soon publishing on why conversations fail. TEARS HAVE WORDS. I heard that from my coaching instructors, and I think of it every time a client cries — or I do.
"Faith in myself inspired me to move my coaching business from side hustle to my all," with Christopher Chin
Our host Debbi McCullough asks Hidden Speaker CEO and TEDX speaker Christopher Chin about his transition from engineer to coach, side hustle to full-time coach. It started with paying attention to his body and then taking that faith to give his...
