Wisdom From Our Elders Part V: Stewardship: What Are You Entrusted to Carry Forward?
- 12 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Summary:
What are you being asked to carry forward?
This question opens Season 11 of The UpLevel Podcast, a season focused on Stewardship: Being the Work.
And to kick it off, we return to a conversation that has become a meaningful annual ritual. This International Coaching Week 2026, we gather a circle of elders—mentors, teachers, and leaders whose wisdom has shaped us and so many others.
These are the people who walked the path before us, who held the work before we knew how to hold it, and who, in many ways, made it possible for us to be here.
In this conversation, we are joined by:
Together, we explore what it means to step into eldership as a way of being, a way of releasing the need to prove and stepping fully into contribution. Listen now!
In This Episode:
The connection between stewardship, leadership, and elderhood
What it means to carry wisdom forward without holding too tightly to it
How to stay relevant, present, and human in a rapidly changing world
The role of relationship as the foundation of leadership
What today’s leaders are being called to protect, nurture, and pass on
Order of Topics:
Welcome and Season Introduction
Defining Elderhood
The Paradox and Evolution of Elderhood
Linking Eldership, Stewardship, and Leadership
The Practice and Essence of Stewardship
Core Practices of Elder-Stewards
The Power of Relationship in Coaching
Influences and Lessons from Mentors
Generosity, Representation, and Legacy
Spreading Coactivity Beyond Coaching
The Present and Future of the Coaching Profession
People-First Leadership in a Changing World
The Call for Evolution and Rigor
Entrusted Wisdom and Personal Legacy
Raising Collective Consciousness
High Dreams for Eldership and Intergenerational Impact
Respect, Presence, and the Cycles of Eldership
Closing Reflections and Gratitude
Action Items:
Embrace Elderhood and Stewardship
Shift Focus: Move from proving yourself to contributing to others' growth.
Let Go: Release control and serve as a conduit for wisdom, allowing new generations to adapt relevant insights.
Stay Open: Balance owning your wisdom with remaining open-minded in a changing world.
Practice Embodied Leadership
Model Engagement: Demonstrate active, positive engagement with life rather than just discussing it.
Foster Connections: Prioritize human relationships over technological interactions; be the host that nurtures authentic presence.
Cultivate Personal Practices
Center Yourself: Develop presence through mindfulness before coaching sessions or engagements.
Pursue Joyful Activities: Engage in hobbies or social activities that bring joy and community connection.
Commit Wisely: Only take on commitments that resonate deeply ("full-body yes"), ensuring they are meaningful and joyful.
Mentor Generously
Role Model Vulnerability and Humility: Share personal stories of growth, showing emotional range to mentees.
Champion Autonomy: Give space for mentees to lead while safeguarding their journey's safety.
Maintain Coaching Integrity
Uphold professional standards like ICF certification amidst commodification pressures within the industry.
Prepare for Future Trends in Coaching
Adapt coaching practices beyond traditional methods focusing on transformation rather than transactional goals.
Integrate technology thoughtfully while maintaining focus on human connections as central elements of coaching practice.
Carry Forward Sacred Values
Promote inclusivity, attentive communities, and intentional legacy-building focused on love and connection across divides.
Panel:
Caroline Hall, MA, CPCC, PCC
Caroline Hall is senior faculty for the Co-Active Training Institute. Since 2000, she has led more than 550 coaching and leadership workshops in 27 countries and served dozen of client companies. She also worked with the Stanford University Graduate School of Business to develop and deliver coaching related programs, including Next Frontier, a program that helps alums think through their next chapter of life.
Before she began coaching, Caroline was a professional dancer, raised two sons, and ghost-wrote14 books, mostly for psychologists. She is co-author of the 2009 book The Bigger Game. In the early 1980s she was Copy Chief for a Tokyo public relations agency and appeared in the Japanese television series Sanga Moyu, starring Toshiro Mifune.
Caroline still keeps her hand in the coaching game. However, she spends most of her time enjoying:
• Her sons Ty and Sheff and Sheff’s nine children
• A wonderful new marriage
• Dancing, playing in a marimba band, and traveling the world for fun instead of work
Clark Friedrichs, MCC & CPCC
Clark Friedrichs is a pioneer in the profession of coaching. He started his journey nearly 30 years ago with the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), where he continues to train other inspiring coaches to make the world a more human place. He served as CTI’s Director of Leader Training and Development, selecting and developing talent all over the world to facilitate powerful, experiential and transformational coaching courses. He is CEO of Green Light Go, a company based in Barcelona, Spain, where he continues to provide training for coaches and leaders looking to improve their way of being present and master tools to navigate an ever-changing world. Clark brings his knowledge of Co-Active Coaching, systems-based team coaching and somatic insights to his consulting, coaching and training. His years of experience at the Master Certified Coach (MCC) level, allows him to support other professionals on their journey to mastery through mentor coaching.
Deborah Colman, Master Certified Coach, MCC, CPCC, MA(Ed)
Deborah Colman is an Executive Coach, Leadership Educator and Trainer for senior leaders and their teams in organizations across the US and Canada. Prior to becoming an Executive Coach, Deborah was a Senior Director of Organizational Development in the Health Care industry. She is committed to humanizing organizational cultures where leaders and leadership teams consciously create a productive and rewarding work experience. More specifically, she specializes in executive presence, self-compassion, self-authority, and eldership.
Since 2001, Deborah has been a Senior Faculty member with the Co-Active Training Institute™ educating emerging coaches, consultants, and professionals on the competencies required for extraordinary leadership. Since 2009, Deborah has been a Senior Coach and Consultant with the Leadership Circle, conducting 360 Debriefs for C-Suite Leaders and mentoring others on how to conduct insightful debriefs and develop meaningful leader development plans.
Under her leadership, Deloitte Canada and The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) both received the International Coaching Federation's (ICF) PRISM Award for excellence in business achievement through coaching.
Deborah is a self-proclaimed ‘personal growth geek’ who delights in learning new things about herself and the world. She is an avid street-portrait photographer, and enjoys exploring Northern Ontario by canoe, dance, and yoga.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborahcolmanmcc
Dori Ben-Chanoch, PCC, CPCC
Dori Ben-Chanoch has been in the training and development field for 24 years, specializing in leadership development, executive presence, and business transformation. His unique journey includes serving in an elite airborne unit, where he learned the literal meaning of leading under fire. After a successful career as a business owner in financial services, Dori transitioned into executive coaching and global leadership program design.
Dori has held several key roles at the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), including Global Director of Corporate Training & Development. His work has taken him across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America, serving clients such as Google, Microsoft, UNICEF, and MSF-Doctors Without Borders.
A member of Marshall Goldsmith’s Alliance for Strategic Leadership, Dori is also certified in The Leadership Circle (TLC) 360 assessment. In his free time, he is a perpetual explorer who thrives on discovering new territories and spending quality time with his family and global network of friends.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dori-ben-chanoch-660468
Joni Mar, MCC, CPCC, CNTC, CTIC
For more than two decades, Joni Mar has been helping leaders wrestle with a deceptively simple question: who do I need to become to lead what’s next?
Known for her warmth, grounded presence, and ability to ask the question beneath the question, she helps leaders uncover the hidden patterns shaping how they think, decide, and lead. Joni believes the most powerful leadership shift is expanding a leader’s awareness of who they are being while they lead—because the hardest part of leadership isn’t strategy, it’s identity.
A Master Certified Executive Leadership Coach and senior faculty member with the Co-Active Training Institute, Joni has been training coaches since 2003.
An early contributor to the global expansion of coaching, Joni introduced Co-Active Coaching to the Hong Kong market and has spent more than a decade working between North America, Asia and Europe, bringing a deeply cross-cultural lens to leadership and human development.
A long-time steward of the field, Joni now focuses on supporting the next generation of coaches and helping leaders bring greater wisdom, compassion, and courage into the systems they serve.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonimar/
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About UpLevel Productions: Founded by Christie Mann, MA, CPCC, PCC, and Rachel Baldi, CPCC, PCC, UpLevel creates, produces, and delivers Transformative Experiences, Workshops, Training, Events + Media that develop leaders who make our world a healthier, more alive, and connected place to be. As Associate CTI Faculty Partners, UpLevel is licensed to sell, produce, and deliver Co-Active coach training and leadership development programs around the world to support the transformational growth of individuals and culture inside the workplace and organization. www.uplevelproductions.com Instagram @uplevelproductions Facebook & LinkedIn @uplevelproductionscompany
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