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In the Right Direction with Deb Elbaum

Deb Elbaum

Do you ever feel like you're ready to try something new? Or change the old stories and the way you think about your life? Or accomplish that big goal? Maybe you get excited….and then you hear yourself saying, nah…because you think it's too late or too hard or you don't know where to start.

Well, it's not and you can – starting now.

Welcome to "In the Right Direction," where Life and Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum will help you on your self-help journey to clarify your goals, build your confidence, and create your life to increase your happiness and productivity.

In each episode, she'll share stories from people just like you, neuroscience need-to-know concepts, and simple and actionable suggestions and strategies for changing your mindset, habits, and relationships.

Deb has helped hundreds of people – from stay-at-home moms to CEOs – get started on the path of purpose and personal growth by helping them re-frame, re-focus, and get re-energized. She knows the most common obstacles that get in our way, and how to leap over them to the other side. And she speaks from the heart, from experience, and from a knowing that much more is possible.

Isn't it time to feel in control of your life? And to feel confident about the choices you're making and the path you're on? You can do it, and it's the perfect time to start.

www.debelbaum.com

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#76
September 1 · 10 min
76: The Question to Ask When You Don't Know What to do
Being human means having situations and challenges that knock us off center. Many times, we know what to do next, although sometimes we need help refocusing our thinking. We want to shift from feeling at the mercy of others to remembering that we have choices. One way to refocus our thinking is to coach ourselves with a powerful question. Powerful questions invite our brain to shift into clearer, confident, and more focused thinking. The question, "What are 3 choices I have?" also reminds us we have agency. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum discusses the reason you need to keep this question in your toolkit for coaching yourself and others. She shares examples of how this question shifts coaching conversations from stuck to seeing a way forward. If you're ready to feel more empowered as you navigate the unknown, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#75
August 4 · 10 min
75: How to Know You're Being Successful
When you're working toward something – whether a short-term project or long-term goal – you want to know that you're making progress and achieving the outcome that matters to you. Often, though, we just do things without being clear on where we are headed. Having a clear picture in your mind of what success looks like can help make the path forward easier. When working with a team, defining success at the outset helps to create alignment and agreement. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a powerful question you can use to coach yourself and others to help define what success looks like, both in work and in life. If you're ready to recognize and celebrate your progress and successes more, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#74
July 7 · 10 min
74: The 3 Pieces of Effective Communication
In important conversations, we want to show up as clear and direct. We know what we want to say, and we want to make sure it lands in the way we intend. Too often, though, we hold back in our communication because we're worried about what others will think. Communicating confidently takes more than words – it also takes being aware of and intentional around the tone you use and the energy you bring. Words, tone, and body language can all help you be perceived in the way you want to be seen. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares context and examples that illustrate the importance and power of incorporating the 3 pieces of communication: words, tone, and body language. If you're ready to communicate more clearly so that you can lead more confidently, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#73
June 2 · 10 min
73: How to Build a Good Working Relationship
Having positive working relationships can make all the difference when it comes to being productive and enjoying work. This can be hard when starting to work with new people you don't yet know or when working with people in a new reporting structure. Working together effectively requires conversation, clarity, and talking about the how of working together. When you understand what the other person expects, how they like to receive feedback, and how you'll make decisions together, it creates more clarity and alignment. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a coaching tool that helps relationships get off to the right start, right away. If you're ready to create positive new relationships – or even upgrade older, outdated ones – press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#72
May 5 · 10 min
72: How to Refocus During a Challenge
Challenges – especially those that happen unexpectedly – can knock us off center. The overwhelm, fear, and frustration we might experience can stress our body and keep our thoughts focused on what we're worried about, and we feel lost. Having a way to reorient ourselves is critical. Knowing how to redirect our thinking to what we do know, what we do want, and is clear helps us see through the fog more easily, and lead those around us more confidently. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a powerful coaching question that can help quickly shift your thinking so that you can have more capacity to navigate your personal and professional challenges. If you're ready to feel calmer and more resilient, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#71
April 7 · 10 min
71: The One Phrase to Use Sparingly
How we show up is in our control – this includes our words, tone, and body language. When we use the phrase "I don't know" too much, it conveys an energy of not caring or not having an opinion. This keeps us stuck, and it can be frustrating for others. The truth is that there are always things we do know. When we choose a different answer instead of saying "I don't know," it can help us be more clear, precise, and intentional. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum brings awareness to this commonly used phrase and talks through how to reframe it for yourself, as well as how to handle it when you hear it from others. If you're ready for more confidence and clarity – even when you might not know – press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#70
March 3 · 11 min
70: How to Manage a Frustrating Direct Report
When we are frustrated with a direct report or colleague, it's easy to slip into judgement mode. In judgment mode, we make assumptions and stories about other people's thinking, feelings, and motives. This gets in the way of the relationship and the work. Dealing with a frustrating direct report or colleague requires curiosity. There are often things you don't know about what they understand, what's clear to them, and what they're thinking. Bringing a curious mindset and asking 100% purely curious questions can shift the conversation and the relationship. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares an idea and tool to build your curiosity muscle and practice so that you can feel calmer, clearer, and more positive when working with frustrating colleagues. If you're ready to bring a new approach to difficult relationships, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#69
February 3 · 11 min
69: How To Move Through Challenges More Easily
Challenges can keep us stuck in our thinking. We might have trouble making a decision or taking action. We want to be moving forward and tackling the situation, although we're not sure exactly how to do that. Having a tool to help us return to effective thinking to see our way forward through a challenge can help. We can press the pause button to ask ourselves a powerful coaching question and then sort through different possible answers to help our brain return to effective thinking. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares an approach for you to understand the real challenge for you when you feel stuck. With this insight and clarity, you can then move forward more easily. If you're ready to for a tool to reduce your stress and bring more clarity, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#68
January 6 · 10 min
68: How to Give Feedback Upwards
Sometimes we need to deliver challenging information to our bosses and senior leadership, and this can be daunting. How can you make sure to show up in the right way, so that you're seen as thoughtful, objective, and confident? Having a structured way to plan can help. Coaching yourself ahead of the conversation to think through what's in your control before, during, and after the meeting can help you communicate more clearly and bring more executive presence. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a framework and coaching questions to help you prepare for meetings that you're worried about – including sharing difficult news with senior leadership. If you're ready to for a framework to help you feel more prepared, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
Dec 2, 2025 · 11 min
67: How To Set Better Boundaries
Do you find yourself saying Yes to things you wish you had said No to? For example, do you work later at night than you'd like or spend too much time doing things that drain you? If so, you might want to or need to set some more boundaries for yourself. Setting boundaries is a choice. The process starts by asking yourself some key coaching questions to understand what's OK and not OK for you. When you're clearer in your own head, you can then communicate and maintain the boundary more confidently. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares personal examples that illustrate how to clarify your Nos and recognize the underlying Yeses. If you're ready to communicate your boundaries more clearly so that you live more intentionally, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#66
Nov 4, 2025 · 10 min
66: How To Make Leadership Development Easy
Leadership development is about setting personal goals and working toward them, and it's is a necessary part of becoming an effective and successful leader. Yet, for some people, thinking about their professional growth is daunting and feels too hard. What if there were an easier way to embrace leadership development? Our attitude is something that's in our control. Bringing a certain mindset and approach to leadership development – an experiment mindset – can make it easier to take action, fail fast, and learn from data gathered. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum discusses the gift of an experiment mindset and explains how small experiments can lead to big behavioral changes. If you're ready to become a better and more confident leader, press the play button now. Full transcript at: https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#65
Oct 7, 2025 · 10 min
65: How to Make Decisions More Confidently
We make decisions every day. While some are easy to make, other decisions weigh more heavily on our mind. The tougher decisions can hold us back in life and as leaders, especially when we're scared of making the wrong choice. Having a framework for making big decisions that honors what's most important to you and what you really want can help. When we anchor our decisions in our values, purpose, and priorities, we can make and communicate decisions more efficiently and confidently. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a structured way to think about decision making so you can understand how different choices line up with what's most important to you and your organization. If you're ready to be more decisive and confident, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#64
Sep 2, 2025 · 10 min
64: An Activity to Jump-Start Innovation
Most leaders are excited to take time to think strategically, and yet, during a busy week, it can be hard to prioritize time to innovate. To think expansively, we have to be in the right head space, and give ourselves permission to dream and see a situation from different perspectives. Having a structured activity can help. Question storming is a process that invites curiosity, fun, and your most creative thinking. It gives you permission to innovate before choosing a course of action. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the step-by-step process for question storming so that you can easily use this thinking tool with yourself, your colleagues, and even your family. If you're ready to lead others in an exercise of innovative thinking, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#63
Aug 5, 2025 · 10 min
63: A Framework for Giving Feedback
Giving others feedback is important, and it can be anxiety-producing. You might be unclear what your goal is with the conversation, what information to share, or how to share it. Because we can't read others' minds, you also might be making assumptions about the other person's motives or thinking. Preparation is the key to a successful feedback conversation. Having a structured framework to prepare for important conversations like giving feedback will help you be a more intentional leader so that you can communicate clearly and facilitate more productive conversations. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum will share a framework to help you feel ready, calm, and confident for feedback conversations and other meetings that matter. If you're ready to build your partnerships through more effective feedback conversations, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#62
Jul 1, 2025 · 10 min
62: How to Approach Your Career Transition
Starting a career transition can feel overwhelming. You're not sure where to start or what to say when reaching out to people. When you're not sure where to focus and spend time, it's easy to lose momentum and motivation. Having a structured way to think about career transition can help. Understanding the pieces to put attention to, and deciding which ones you want to start with, can help you move forward more easily and with a mindset of curiosity and optimism. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares the "chess pieces" approach to career transition so that you can take your next steps more confidently and easily. If you're ready to think through the important pieces as you look for your next role, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#61
Jun 3, 2025 · 10 min
61: How to Get Around Your Obstacles
As we work toward personal and professional goals, we often come up against obstacles and barriers. These can be things outside of our control, and they can also be worries or thoughts that get in the way of us making decisions or taking action. Having a way to manage and contain obstacles makes it easier to keep moving forward and focusing on things in our control, including the conversations we initiate, the leadership "experiments" we try, and the mindset we approach a challenge from. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a strategy to move more easily and quickly past obstacles. Using a common leadership challenge as an example, she explains how to use this tool to think more effectively. If you're ready to feel more empowered and productive, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#60
May 6, 2025 · 11 min
60: Tips to Shine in a Job Interview
The interview is an important factor of whether or not you're offered a job, and so you want to make your interview count. Preparing for an interview can be stressful and people often spend too much time guessing what they think the interviewers want to hear. Shifting from guesswork to preparation and focusing on all of the things in your control can help build your confidence. Preparing and practicing your leadership belief statements, illustrative share stories, and confident body language will help you communicate the most important points as well as convey executive presence. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares tips, examples, and questions to ask yourself as you prepare for your next job interview. If you're ready to showcase your authentic leadership, strengths, and potential, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#59
Apr 1, 2025 · 10 min
59: A Framework for Delegating Effectively
Delegating is important for both leaders and their team members. Having responsibility helps people grow, and giving others responsibility frees up a leader's time and energy so they can focus on big picture thinking and strategy. Yet, despite knowing the importance of delegating, many leaders know they can do more of it. Having a framework and structure to approach delegating can help us feel prepared and confident. When a leader is clear about the specific task, and the abilities and readiness of the person they're delegating to, they can have a delegation conversation that is clearer and more productive and focused. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a structured way to think about delegating that brings more objectivity to the process and removes the guesswork of how micromanaging to be. If you're ready to empower others and free up your time so that you can be a more effective leader, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#58
Mar 4, 2025 · 10 min
58: How to Convince Others More Easily
Both at work and in life, we always have opportunities to share our suggestions and ideas. Sometimes those conversations are easy, and sometimes we face resistance. When that happens, conversations get derailed and we spend a lot of energy convincing someone to see our point of view. To help make these conversations more productive, it helps to have a way to share your behind-the-scenes thinking. Telling others our reasoning, purpose, and the outcome we want helps create understanding and alignment. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares an easy-to-use phrase that reminds you to share your "why" behind the ideas or solutions you're offering. If you want to add another communication tool to help build alignment more quickly in meetings and discussions, press the play button now. Full transcript at https://debelbaum.com/podcast/
#57
Feb 4, 2025 · 10 min
57: How to Get Someone to Open Up
It can be hard when you want to have more of a conversation, and the person you're with isn't talking. They might be naturally quiet, or their brain might be too stressed or overwhelmed to think clearly. In either case, there's a missed opportunity for sharing ideas. Having a way to invite someone else's participation in a conversation helps build trust and deepen the relationship. Sharing ideas when there's a problem also helps create more solutions. In this episode, Leadership Coach Deb Elbaum shares a communication tool involving two easy words that can be easily incorporated into a question to invite more engagement from the other person. If you're tired of hearing "I don't know" and want a thoughtful answer, press the play button now. Full transcript at: https://debelbaum.com/podcast/

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