The Best You - A Coaching Podcast: Personal Growth Through Real Conversations

Hosted by Gary Gillan

Business Education ScienceInterviews guests

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Episodes

156

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Feeling stuck or unsure how to unlock your full potential? Here's the truth: you are the best person in the entire world at being you - even if you don't quite believe that yet. Through real conversations with innovators, coaches, and everyday people navigating their own personal growth journeys, this podcast helps you gain self-awareness, build confidence, and create lasting change. Each week, we explore the breakthroughs, struggles, and insights that help you understand what makes you tick and how to become the best version of yourself. New episodes every week. Start your journey with our latest episode on innovative learning and personal growth.

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60 recent

June 9, 202645 min

The Hidden Gap Holding High Achievers Back - And How to Close It with Dr. LaChelle Wieme

Send us Fan MailYou already have everything you need. You might have just forgot how to access it.Dr. LaChelle Wieme left a 20-year career in anesthesia - and as the family breadwinner - to build a life on her own terms. She didn't have a roadmap. She had one aligned step. Then another. What she discovered changed everything she thought she knew about confidence, identity, and why smart, driven people stay stuck.Perfect for: Ambitious professionals, entrepreneurs, and high achievers who know what they want but can't seem to close the gap between who they are and who they're meant to be.Your transformation: You'll walk away with a completely different understanding of where confidence actually comes from - and a practical way to access the version of you that already has it.Key takeaways:Confidence isn't a prerequisite for action - it's the result of itFix your thoughts, feelings, and habits all you want - if the identity underneath is shaky, the whole structure wobblesYour ancestors didn't just pass down their limitations - they passed down their strengths tooWhen you're spiralling, you're not weak - you're dysregulatedThree affirmations that cover every limiting belief: I am safe. I am capable. I am worthyYou can see more from Dr. LaChelle here:LinkedIn: LaChelle WiemeWebsite: I Am Life By DesignGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

June 1, 202651 min

The Heartbeat of Business with Hanna Bauer

Send us Fan MailMost leaders are treating symptoms. Hannah treats the root cause and systems. As a child, Hannah survived a terminal heart condition through an innovative surgery that went on to save over 30,000 lives. Decades later, she realized she hadn't left that experience behind - she had been supporting organizations using the same principles that saved her life. What she built from that is Heartnomics: a framework for leaders who are tired of band-aids.Perfect for: Leaders, founders, and executive teams who sense something is off but can't pinpoint where. Your transformation: This conversation will shift how you see failure, data, and the hidden cost of avoidance in your organization.Key takeaways:When everything is urgent, nothing gets solved and your team burns out Hiding your scars costs more than showing themKnow your numbers - you can't have courageous conversations without a common ground of measurement If your leaders aren't using values to make daily decisions, that's not your culture Rest isn't weakness - organizations, like bodies, have seasons and rhythmsYou can see more from Hanna here:Website: HeartnomicsLinkedIn: Hanna BauerGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

May 26, 20261 hr 5 min

How to Build a Culture of Excellence with Kyle McDowell

Send us Fan MailAfter nearly 30 years climbing the corporate ladder, Kyle hit a wall. That reckoning became the catalyst for something far more powerful than any career milestone he'd achieved.Kyle walked away, embarked upon deep self-reflection, and returned with a principle-based leadership framework that would become the foundation of his bestseller, Begin with We.This is a conversation about ditching the iron fist, building real standards, and creating the kind of environment where people don't just comply - they own it.Perfect for: Anyone who leads a team, runs a business, or simply wants to show up better - at work and in life. Your transformation: Kyle's 10 We principles aren't theory - they are hard-earned lessons from three decades in the trenches - this conversation brings them to life with honesty and real-world examples.Key takeaways:Excellence starts with doing the right thing, always - even when no one is watching and especially when it's hardLeaders set the tone by example, not by titleSaying what you'll do and then doing it builds trust behind the scenes Challenging each other - diplomatically and grounded in data or experience - is what separates excellent teams from mediocre ones Obsessing over the details signals how much you care about the people you serveYou can see more from Kyle here:Website: Kyle McDowell Inc.LinkedIn: Kyle McDowellGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

May 18, 2026Episode 12947 min

No Safety Net. No Blueprint. Just a Woman Who Backed Herself and Won with Kathrine Farris

Send us Fan MailWomen in tech is still an exception. Women in tech leadership roles are even more rare.Kathrine left a stable banking career - as the sole income earner with a newborn - and built a tech business that clients stay with. Seeing opportunity, aligning with your skills and circumstances, moving with the times, and taking a leap of faith. Have you ever thought about doing that? Kathrine did.This is a masterclass in turning expertise into a business that genuinely serves people.Perfect for: Coaches, consultants, and service-based business owners who want a marketing partner that actually thinks alongside them.Your transformation: You will shift how you think about the difference between a vendor and a strategic partner, and gain an understanding of what it looks like when technology and human relationship combine.Key takeaways:Relationships outlast transactions. Clients who feel known - not just served - will stay, refer others, and grow alongside youYour expertise is your filter for AI. If you can't spot when it's wrong, you're not ready to trust its outputContext-trained AI projects outperform open chat every time. Stop starting from scratchDone-for-you only works long term when it comes with strategic thinkingChasing trends builds nothing. Mastering your craft builds everything.What's one thing in your business that you've been treating as a transaction that should actually be a relationship?You can see more from Kathrine here:Website: MarketecsLinkedIn: Kathrine FarrisGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

May 11, 2026Episode 12853 min

You Can Be Kind and Still Get Paid - Build Your Business Without Abandoning Yourself with Brandi Munguia

Send us Fan MailKindness is not weakness. Neither is love. And you don't have to abandon yourself to be successful. Brandi knows this first hand. Having spent years inside Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi's elite mastermind ecosystem - rising from contributor to executive director, scaling communities, sharing stages, and shaping the rooms that shaped others. Then she chose to leave. Not because it failed her. Because it was her time. What came next is a masterclass in knowing your value, holding your standard, and building a business that reflects who you actually are.Perfect for: Founders, coaches, and consultants who are tired of undercharging, over-giving, and shrinking themselves to close the deal. Your transformation: A sharper understanding of how to position your offer(s) and handle the objections with confidence, grace and firmness.Key takeaways:Contribution without expectation is the fastest path to the rooms you want to be inYour skill set has a bullseye - the centre is where proximity is closest, problems are biggest, and your ability to compress time is most valuableWhen someone asks you to drop your price, change the scope - never the valueKindness weaponised against you is manipulationThe right clients exist - people who say yes without asking you to shrinkHave you ever dropped your price when you should have changed your scope instead? What shifted when you held firm?You can see more from Brandi here:Website: Brandi MunguiaLinkedIn: Brandi MunguiaGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

May 4, 2026Episode 12749 min

Dianetics Explained: How to Break Free From Emotional Triggers and Mental Blocks with Josie Gibson

Send us Fan MailMost of us spend years managing symptoms - the anxiety, self-doubt, and triggers we can't explain.Josie believes you don't have to manage them at all. You can actually get rid of them. Josie is a Dianetics specialist and Director of Communications at Bridge Publications. She first discovered Dianetics when a friend handed her a book that changed everything. What she found inside wasn't motivation or mindset tips - it was a science of the mind she didn't know existed.Perfect for: Anyone who feels stuck in repeating patterns, emotional reactions, or a version of themselves they can't seem to move past.Your transformation: Understanding how the mind stores past pain and silently drives your current behaviour. You'll also understand why you react the way you do and what you can actually do about it.Key takeaways:The mind has two parts. The analytical mind thinks clearly. The reactive mind operates below the surfacePast painful experiences are recorded and storedDianetics doesn't manage the problem - it locates the root, works through it completely, and removes the trigger for goodAs you clear reactive blocks, you move up the emotional tone scale. You recover faster, feel more and handle setbacks with less frictionThe simplest thing you can do right now is change your environmentWhat's one trigger in your life you've been managing instead of solving?You can see more from Josie here:Website: DianeticsLinkedIn: Josie GibsonGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

April 27, 202655 min

Communication Excellence: How to Be Seen, Heard & Remembered with Frankie Kemp

Send us Fan MailCommunication isn't just about being seen - it's about being heard.Frankie has spent her career at the intersection of performance, psychology, and business communication. The gap between being good at what you do and being recognised for it comes down to one thing: how you communicate. Frankie breaks down why connection has to come before the message, how your internal voice is your most underused asset, and why influence starts long before you ever need something from someone.Perfect for: Anyone who feels overlooked despite doing great work, or who knows their message isn't landing the way it should. Your transformation: You'll gain practical, immediately usable strategies to raise your visibility, deepen your influence, and make sure your voice actually lands.Key takeaways:Connect internally before you communicate externally - your nerves and gut feelings are data, not noise, and ignoring them is where things go wrongBuild influence before you need itAsk for advice strategically - asking for input makes you look more competent, not less, and opens doors that cold introductions rarely doMake feedback a daily habit, not a formal eventStaying in contact with clients and contacts when you have nothing to sell is a key connection strategyYou can see more from Frankie here:Website: Frankie KempLinkedIn: Frankie KempGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

April 20, 202651 min

Identify and Overcome Achievement Fatigue with Grace Najean

Send us Fan MailSuccess on the outside doesn't always mean alignment on the inside. Grace knows this better than most. A former concert pianist turned corporate strategist, Grace spent eight years as a Master Coach for Tony Robbins before developing her own framework - Soulfluence - to help high achievers break free from stress-driven success. Grace has coached thousands of executives and leaders across the globe, and in this conversation she shares why the highest performers often struggle the most, and what it actually takes to lead with clarity, calm, and purpose.Perfect for: Leaders, executives, and high achievers who are still succeeding on paper but feel the cracks forming underneath.Your transformation: Shifting the way you think about performance, energy, and what sustainable success actually looks and feels like.Key takeaways:Achievement fatigue is real. When success is still happening but powered by stress rather than alignmentBurnout isn't a time problem - it's an energy problemMore systems and productivity tools won't fix a dysregulated nervous systemMost leaders operate in survival modeYour thoughts are not you. Most of our beliefs about time, money, and worthiness are conditioned - not chosenWhat's one belief about time or success you've carried for years that might actually be conditioning rather than truth?You can see more from Grace here:Website: Grace NajeanLinkedIn: Grace NajeanRetreat: SoulfluenceGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

April 13, 2026Episode 12453 min

Beat Burnout and Reclaim Your Focus with Melo Calarco

Send us Fan MailBurnout rarely announces itself.What if the reason you can't switch off is because you've never actually learned how?Most high performers know how to push harder. Very few know how to pause - and that gap is exactly where burnout lives.Melo has cycled solo around the world, survived a cyclone through 12 hours of meditation, and spent decades helping surgeons, executives, and entrepreneurs perform at their best - without destroying themselves in the process.Perfect for: High achievers, leaders, and entrepreneurs who pride themselves on pushing through - and are starting to notice the cost of never stopping.Your transformation: You'll walk away with a clearer understanding of how burnout actually shows up, and a set of simple, science-backed practices to build more presence, focus, and resilience into your everyday life.Key takeaways:90% of people don't realise they're burning out until it's too lateSelf-awareness is the foundation of both emotional intelligence and great leadership - and it's a skill you can train, not a trait you either have or don'tThe way you do one thing is the way you do everything - eating at your desk or scrolling while you walk isn't harmless multitasking, it's actively training your brain to be distractedPresence is the greatest performance tool most people overlook - giving your full attention, to others and to yourself, is where real clarity and connection beginWhat's one thing you could do more mindfully this week to proactively help you identify potential burnout areas in your life?You can see more from Melo here:Website: Melo CalarcoLinkedIn: Melo CalarcoGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

April 6, 202636 min

Free to Lead: How Limiting Beliefs Can Quietly Run Your Life with Will Steel

Send us Fan MailAre you living to your full potential right now, or is something holding you back?What if the thing holding you back isn't a lack of skill, strategy, or opportunity - but a story you made up about yourself before you were five years old?Will spent 10 years as a Royal Air Force pilot, flew 747s for British Airways, and has delivered transformational programs to over 90,000 people across 26 countries. But beneath all of it? A 3-year-old boy who believed he wasn't wanted.In this conversation, Will pulls back the curtain on what's really driving high achievers - and why no amount of success, status, or external validation will ever be enough until you get to the root of it.Perfect for: People who feel driven but quietly unfulfilled. Leaders, entrepreneurs, and high performers who've ticked every box but still feel like something's missing.Your transformation: This conversation will challenge the way you see yourself, your drive, and what's really been running your show. Key takeaways:Most people are unconsciously driven by a limiting belief - and until you find it, you'll keep running the same patternSuccess without self-awareness is a treadmillLeadership isn't a title - it's a choice. Anyone can do it - the question is whether you're leading from your authentic self or your conditioned oneBefore you can lead others effectively, you have to strip away the identity built around your limiting beliefsIntegrity is the ultimate performance practiceDo you identify with the concepts of limiting beliefs? You can see more from Will here:Website: Will SteelLinkedIn: Will SteelGary's Website | LinkedIn | Facebook