Why Great Salespeople Don’t Feel Like Salespeople (With Darren Mitchell)

What if the best salespeople… don’t actually feel like they’re selling?

In this episode, we sit down with Darren Mitchell, Sales Leadership Coach and founder of Exceptional Sales Leader, to break down the biggest misconceptions about sales and why most people are getting it completely wrong.

With 800+ podcast episodes and decades of experience, Darren shares why sales isn’t about pushing products… it’s about service, curiosity, and guiding people to better decisions.

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable “selling” or struggled with how to build trust with clients, this conversation will challenge how you think about sales—and leadership.

In this episode, we cover:
00:00 – Introduction to Darren Mitchell
02:10 – Why sales has such a bad reputation
05:30 – The biggest misconception about sales
09:15 – Why “selling the pen” is outdated
12:00 – Car dealerships, Tesla, and the shift to buyer-driven sales
17:45 – Why most sales training fails
21:00 – Talking yourself out of a sale (and how to avoid it)
25:30 – What top 1% salespeople actually do differently
29:30 – Bringing more joy into a high-pressure sales role
34:00 – Where to find Darren

Connect with Darren Mitchell:
🌐 Website: https://exceptionalsalesleader.com/
🎙 Podcast: https://exceptionalsalesleader.com/podcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-j-mitchell/

Coachful Coaching Leadership Podcast:
🌐 Website: https://coachfulcoaching.com/
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachfulcoaching
🎧 Spotify: https://spotify.link/NTBgVJIL3yb
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41Cz5gI

About Coachful Coaching:
Coachful Coaching helps leaders build high-performing, human-centered teams through practical coaching, communication, and leadership frameworks. If you’re a technical leader looking to grow your influence and impact, you’re in the right place.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who still thinks sales is about “convincing people.”

Lead the Person, Not the Drivers with Matt Martocci

What does real leadership look like when the pressure is high, the market is noisy, and results still matter?

Matt Martocci, Chief Commercial Officer at hc1, shares lessons from a career across healthcare, pharma, SaaS, and commercial leadership, including roles at Salesforce, Definitive Healthcare, GHX, Millennium Health, and Novartis.

In this conversation, he breaks down why great leaders focus on people before metrics, why motivation is often misunderstood, and how presence, feedback, and recognition shape high-performing teams.

The episode also explores the future of healthcare technology, the growing role of diagnostic data, and how better leadership decisions can lead to better business and patient outcomes. Matt shares practical insights on standing out with customers, keeping teams engaged during tough stretches, celebrating wins, and leading in a way people actually remember.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:29 What Matt does at hc1
03:47 Why the hospital lab matters more than people think
05:19 How hc1 uses data to identify anemia risk before surgery
06:19 Prevention, healthcare, and the role of diagnostic tools
08:22 Why Matt joined a smaller, entrepreneurial company
09:17 From pharma rep to people-first leader
12:06 Why leadership is often more about motivation than coaching
13:38 How to keep teams motivated when results are not going your way
15:16 How to stand out with customers in a world full of meetings
16:24 Why it is okay to ask customers for feedback
17:01 Practical ways to get real-time feedback in the room
18:53 “Never miss an opportunity to tell somebody they did a good job”
20:51 Why great leaders start debriefs with the positive
23:28 Where face-to-face business still matters in an AI world
26:48 Why attention spans are changing how we communicate
27:38 The importance of celebrating wins
28:42 Matt’s mantra: be present
29:37 “Lead the person, not the drivers”
30:48 Where to find Matt

Connect with Matt Martocci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmartocci

Coachful Coaching
Website: https://coachfulcoaching.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachfulcoaching
Spotify: https://spotify.link/NTBgVJIL3yb
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/41Cz5gI

For more conversations on leadership, growth, and bringing more joy to your hustle, subscribe on YouTube and follow on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of the Coachful Coaching Leadership Podcast, we sit down with Ian Watts — author, speaker, and go-to expert on workforce transformation.

Ian has scaled HR systems, recruited and retained hundreds of team members, and helped transform leaders across 30+ industries, from middle America to the Middle East. As the founder of SB Dream Coach and Employee Success Group, he’s shared stages with speakers like ET, the Hip Hop Preacher, and has been featured on Fox News (Detroit) and PBS (Detroit). After two decades as a servant-leader, Ian’s mission is simple: **build businesses that bless the world.**

In this conversation, we get practical about:

- Why “money doesn’t hug you back” (and what actually drives loyalty)

- The ACTS Method: Aspirations, Calling, Transformation, Support

- How to lead when deadlines are brutal without losing your culture

- Why small acts of appreciation create outsized loyalty over time

- How to create more joy through focus, gratitude, and daily “priming”

Find Ian:

Website: employeesuccesscompany.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: Ian Watts + the “money doesn’t hug you back” idea

00:43 “Build businesses that bless the world”

00:56 Detroit, poverty, and the money chase

03:48 When chasing money feels empty

05:43 Sales pressure, performance culture, and the BMW chase

07:40 Why Ian started Employee Success Group

10:04 The ACTS Method (Aspirations + Calling)

12:10 Transformation + Support (showing people they matter)

13:47 The IKEA story: why small gestures stick for decades

15:54 Short-term targets vs culture (leading under pressure)

17:02 “Little hinges swing big doors” (small appreciation, big impact)

20:10 Ian’s “big door” right now (perspective, meaning, emotion)

23:24 Who shaped Ian: Uncle Kelvin + Pastor Christopher Brooks

26:11 Finding purpose: faith + the SHAPE framework

28:31 “Life is a team sport” (you need others to see yourself clearly)

32:36 More joy: focus, gratitude, enjoying the journey

35:26 Priming + the RAS (your brain finds what you focus on)

37:34 Where to find Ian + closing

AI is moving so fast that a “right answer” from two days ago can already feel outdated.In this episode, I’m joined by Kyra Meyer-Johanson (Senior Product Marketing Manager at ServiceNow, focused on Platform + AI). We talk about what that pace of change is doing to people, why the fear is real, and how leaders can create an environment where teams stay grounded and move forward anyway.We also get practical about a simple practice Kyra uses called “glimmers”: small moments of good that train your brain to notice hope, not just risk.In this conversation, you’ll learn:* Why AI uncertainty is hitting people so hard right now* A simple way to lead when your team is anxious or resistant* How to create “space” for people without lowering standards* How to use glimmers to bring more joy into your day (even when life is busy)Connect with Kyra* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyrameyerjohanson/Follow Coachful Coaching* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachfulcoaching* Spotify: https://spotify.link/NTBgVJIL3yb* Apple: https://apple.co/41Cz5gI#Leadership #AI #Coaching #Change #JoyInTheHustle----------------------------------------CHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:01 Welcome + Kyra’s background0:57 Creating space for people to flourish2:28 Why AI change feels so intense right now4:27 Humans hate change, and the pace is accelerating7:35 “Born in uncertainty”: Kyra’s immigrant story10:54 A principal’s leadership lesson: space over conformity12:08 Building an environment where people thrive (even with AI fear)16:08 Who influenced Kyra’s leadership mindset20:42 Instant gratification culture and why we misread “progress”22:06 What to say to people resisting AI and feeling threatened23:35 Slow down: notice fear, then choose your response24:21 Validating emotions without getting stuck in them26:14 What Kyra wants to give back: ripple of positivity28:31 Negativity bias and training the “glimmers” muscle30:14 Joy advice: laugh more and notice the glimmers34:05 Where to find Kyra (LinkedIn + email)34:39 Closing + subscribe

We sit down with Dwayne Smith, host of the What Changed? podcast, for a real conversation about the question most of us avoid when we feel stuck:“What am I protecting by staying the same?”

Dwayne unpacks why willpower-based change so often fails, and why the real work is an identity shift—from “I’m trying to stop…” to “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t…”

He also shares a key leadership turning point: realizing you can’t motivate people, you can only create an environment that is motivating. If you’re in a season where your life looks fine on paper but something feels off, this one will land.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

* The difference between forcing behavior change vs shifting identity

* The question that reveals what “stuck” is really doing for you

* Why your internal environment (your story) matters as much as your external environment (your structure)

* The moment Dwayne moved from “manager” to “leader”

What Changed? https://linktr.ee/whatchangedpod

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-changed-with-dwayne-smith/id1511627465

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UW6hWeJ3vzEOAQLFBoGrG

YouTube (What Changed?): https://www.youtube.com/@whatchangedpod

Dwayne Smith on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/dwayne-smith-6a33751b6

Chapters

00:00 Intro + who Dwayne is

00:46 Quick catch-up: you were just on his show

01:33 “I wasn’t a leader, I was a manager” (his origin story)

03:32 The associate who broke down his “management wall”

04:22 The moment that shifted him toward real leadership

05:47 Identity wrapped in title — and why that’s dangerous

08:07 Upbringing, rigidity, and the “never good enough” loop

09:55 You can’t motivate people — you can only build the environment

11:45 Inside-out environment: the story in your head + the structure around you

13:09 Behavior vs identity (the “I stopped” vs “I don’t” example)

15:16 The interplay: who you are vs what you do

16:18 The question that cuts through it all: “What am I protecting?”

19:18 How hosting What Changed? has changed Dwayne

21:48 Parenting + self-leadership: homework, dopamine vs cortisol

24:41 The “make it fun” shift and the surprising result

26:19 Where he’s trying to make life more fun right now: reading

31:02 Susan Cain’s Quiet and embracing introversion

35:10 Two practical steps to start change today

Most networking starts with the wrong question: “What do you do?”

In this conversation, executive coach and classically trained singer Jessica Wan breaks down why that question shuts people down, especially during layoffs, transitions, and identity shifts, and what to ask instead if you want a real connection.

We also talk about rebuilding community outside of work, why “together” is her word for 2026, and how her best work happens when the creative side and the business side actually meet.If this hit home, drop a comment with the better question you want to start using.

CONNECT WITH JESSICA

Website: https://www.jessicawan.com/About: https://www.jessicawan.com/about-jessicaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicamwan/The Ampersand Manifesto: https://www.theampersandmanifesto.com/Ampersand on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AMXZidOLLlcRSbjo57dC9Ampersand on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ampersand-manifesto-make-your-mark-in-multiple-fields/id1636945117

CONNECT WITH COACHFUL COACHING

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachfulcoaching

Spotify: https://spotify.link/NTBgVJIL3yb

Apple: https://apple.co/41Cz5gI

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: why “what do you do” fails

02:09 Fear-based times and what leaders are feeling

04:20 Rebuilding community after leaving a role

10:53 How to talk about uncertainty without spiraling

14:15 When your network is tied to work identity

19:32 The hidden damage of “What do you do?”

23:58 Better questions: what are you excited about?

29:00 Jessica’s word for 2026: Together

30:45 Blending art + business: the Opera Parallel story

32:55 Create space and your life fills it

36:56 Jessica’s links + The Ampersand Manifesto

What if joy isn’t a big life overhaul… but a small daily practice?

In this episode, David Fung sits down with Grace Brelje, Director of ESBP Development & Enablement at Salesforce, and former leader of Salesforce’s Global Leadership Coaching & Mentoring Center of Excellence for a real conversation about bringing joy back when life is full and work is demanding.

Grace breaks down why joy is often found in the smallest moments, how to protect it with better boundaries, and the simple habit she swears by with her kids:

“10 Magic Minutes”—10 minutes of fully present, intentional time that shifts the entire tone of your day.

If you’re doing “well” on paper but feel flat, tired, or disconnected in real life… this one will hit.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

A practical definition of joy (no fluff)

Loneliness vs. being alone—and why it matters

Why high performance doesn’t have to mean low joy

Burnout, boundaries, and reclaiming agency

The “10 Magic Minutes” habit for parents

How Grace makes self-care normal (without guilt)

One simple weekly practice to start immediately

Grace's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracebrelje/

Chapters

00:01 — Intro + meet Grace Brelje

01:30 — Why we’re choosing joy (not fear-based clickbait)

02:27 — What “joy” actually means

03:51 — Perspective: the lens you choose changes everything

05:29 — The book that “appeared” on Grace’s dresser (Art of Happiness)

07:04 — Loneliness vs. being alone (and the post-COVID impact)

10:08 — If you shadowed Grace on a Tuesday, where you’d see joy

12:06 — What Grace is reading right now (and why curiosity matters)

13:11 — Joy inside a high-performance culture

15:44 — “Who takes care of HR?” Supporting the supporters

18:29 — Burnout: agency + boundaries + redesigning what’s unsustainable

21:17 — Why real change usually needs support (and a coach)

23:14 — Parenting + work: staying sane and joyful

23:56 — Grace’s theme this year: consistency

24:19 — How Grace keeps friendships alive as life gets full

25:59 — Yoga, the family calendar, and dropping the guilt

28:04 — Connection, aging, and why relationships predict long-term happiness

31:12 — Grace’s 1 piece of advice to bring joy back

32:05 — Wrap-up

THIS IS FROM MY GUEST APPEARANCE ON "WHAT CHANGED?" PODCAST with Dwayne Smith.

There’s a moment many people don’t talk about. Life looks fine on the surface. You’re capable, thoughtful, even successful. But internally, something feels off. Not broken. Not in crisis. Just unsettled in a way that’s hard to explain.

In this episode, I sit down with David Fung - CEO & Executive Coach, to explore what’s really happening in those moments and why they matter more than we think.

We talk about why clarity tends to disappear under pressure, how self-trust is actually built over time, and why most people don’t need to reinvent their lives so much as realign them. David shares his own early turning point, how discipline shaped his self-trust, and what he’s learned coaching leaders who look confident on the outside but feel uncertain underneath.

This conversation isn’t about quick fixes or dramatic change. It’s about the quiet space before change. The honesty required to name what’s true. And the small, grounded actions that can bring more calm across work, relationships, and everyday life.

If you’ve been moving forward but feeling misaligned, this episode offers a place to pause, reflect, and reconsider what your next step really needs to be.

David Fung: http://coachfulcoaching.com/

00:00 Episode introduction

01:14 When life feels off

03:19 An early breakup and awareness

05:19 Building self-trust

07:49 When quitting becomes a pattern

10:54 Success without certainty

12:44 Leaving corporate leadership

15:54 Leading with weakness

19:34 Why clarity requires distance

26:04 Clarity, alignment, action

30:54 Why action is hardest

36:20 Applying clarity in real life

44:10 Living aligned over time

52:30 What self-leadership really requires

01:04:14 Letter to my former self

01:07:00 Closing reflections