

The Coaching Lab: Evidence-Based High Performance & Wellbeing
Brad Cooper, PhD (Catalyst Coaching)
Stop chasing fads and start mastering the science of change. The Coaching Lab is the premier destination for health coaches, wellness professionals, executive coaches, and high performers who demand more than "fluff." Hosted by Dr. Brad Cooper, this podcast bridges the gap between complex performance psychology and real-world application.Whether you are a certified coach (ICF, NBHWC) looking to enhance client outcomes or a driven professional seeking a competitive edge, we provide the evidence-based tools you need to optimize human potential. We filter out the noise of headline-chasing trends to bring you deep-dive conversations with world-class researchers, elite athletes, and master clinicians.What you’ll master in the Lab:Behavior Change Science: Beyond willpower—how to facilitate lasting transformation using evidence-based coaching protocols.Performance Psychology: Insights into flow state, mental toughness, and the "self beyond the self."Integrated Wellness: Practical strategies for metabolic health, stress resilience, and longevity.The Executive Edge: Leadership development and peak performance tactics for the modern workplace.Professional Growth: Best practices for clinicians and coaches to scale their impact and stay at the forefront of the industry.If you’re looking for an entertaining yet rigorous format to help you—and those you lead—achieve the "Better Path," you’ve found it. Join a community dedicated to the evidence-based journey toward better.Hit Follow to stay at the cutting edge of health, wellness, and high performance.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 30, 2026 • 1h 15min
AI and Coaching: How to Use Artificial Intelligence Without Losing the Human Connection (Sara Parrode)
AI is transforming coaching, leadership, and the way we work—but how do you use it without losing what makes coaching powerful in the first place?In this episode of The Coaching Lab, we sit down with Sara Parrode, AI Coach for Executives and Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach, to explore how coaches and leaders can build a thoughtful, responsible relationship with artificial intelligence.Sara shares practical insights on how to integrate AI into your coaching practice and business, while staying grounded in human connection, ethics, and intentionality. We also explore how this moment mirrors endurance sport—requiring resilience, adaptability, and the ability to navigate uncertainty with clarity and confidence.If you're a coach, executive, or leader wondering how to use AI effectively (without feeling overwhelmed or replaced), this conversation will give you a clear and grounded starting point.In this episode, we cover: How AI is changing coaching and leadership right now Practical ways to use AI in your coaching business The risks of over-reliance—and how to avoid them Building a responsible and ethical relationship with AI Whether you're AI-curious or already experimenting, this episode will help you move forward with intention—not just speed.You can connect with Sara via her website here or connect with her on LinkedIn here.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 11min
Measuring & Enhancing Peak Performance - Dr. Izzy Justice
We’ve all heard that peak performance is ‘all in your head,’ but our guest today invested time mapping where that ‘headspace’ lives. Dr. Izzy Justice is a world-renowned sports neuroscientist who notes he has analyzed over 18,000 EEG brain scans to uncover a startling truth: there is a specific frequency—10 Hz—where elite performance becomes effortless.He is the author of Life Explained: Chasing 10 Hz, and he’s here to show us that confidence isn't a feeling, it's an electrical state. Today, we’re diving into the ‘Neurohacks’ that allow you to downshift your brain from stress to success in seconds. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Mar 2, 2026 • 1h 21min
The Business of Coaching: Systems, Stabilizers and Success
This is the final episode of our special 3-part series on the business of health & wellness coaching. Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Feb 16, 2026 • 7min
Food, Fitness & Free Will? (Bonus Episode)
Do you believe in free will? Really? Our answer to that questions influences SO much of our journey ahead. Text version available hereInfo re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Jan 29, 2026 • 1h 1min
Brad Stulberg: The Way of Excellence
Brad Stulberg, bestselling author and performance coach focused on sustainable excellence, offers a fresh take on mastery and meaning. He explores how excellence is a practiced process, the feel-based path from novice to unconscious competence, balancing obsession with engagement, protecting relationships while pursuing greatness, and habits like digital sabbaths that preserve focus and joy.

Jan 19, 2026 • 52min
How to price your coaching services
One of the most common questions among both new and established coaches is how to establish your pricing. In this episode, Leigh, Suzy and Brad provide a round-table discussion on a range of pricing-related topics ranging from how the market affects your pricing to how to land on "your" number, the role of packages and much more.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Jan 5, 2026 • 26min
Beyond Goals: Dialing in YOUR Clear, Personal Vision
What is a clear, personal vision? How does it overlap (or influence) goals? Why does it matter? What are the steps to discovering and clarifying a vision? What does this have to do with my life? Why not just set goals or resolutions?In this special bonus episode, Dr. Cooper shares a range of insights and "how-to's" related to the powerful, life-shifting step of clarifying and creating a clear personal vision!Accompanying notes utilized for this special episode, including examples, are available here.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Dec 22, 2025 • 1h 11min
Science of Saunas: Wellbeing to Elite Performance (Daniel Gagnon, PhD)
The use of saunas is exploding in popularity in the US, but they’ve been a standard part of life in other parts of the world. Finland is the best example, with more than one sauna for every 2 people! What is it about the health, wellbeing and high performance benefits that are driving such engagement? Is it a fad? Or is the trend driven by dependable evidence? What frequency, duration and temperature are recommended for better health & wellbeing? How about for athletic performance? What’s the difference between infrared and traditional saunas? Today’s guest, Dr. Daniel Gagnon is a thermal physiologist who has been studying the effects of heat exposure on human health & performance for over 2 decades! He is an associate professor at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Montreal Health Institute. If you’ve been curious about what the evidence is saying about saunas, you’ve come to the right place.Here are the two studies Dr. Gagnon mentioned during the discussion: Meta-analysis 1Meta-analysis 2Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Dec 8, 2025 • 1h 5min
Deep Dive into the Business of Coaching
This special episode, hosted by Leigh Baker, with nationally board certified health & wellness coach (and business owner) Suzy Destarac and Dr. Brad Cooper, takes a deep dive into the business side of coaching.Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.

Nov 24, 2025 • 1h 8min
Protein, Muscle, Aging and Performance: What the evidence tells us (Professor Stuart Phillips)
Are we destined to lose our muscle mass over time? Is protein intake important? If so, what are the best forms of it? Does that amount change as we age? Is it influenced by physical activity? These – any related questions continue to dominate the world of health, wellness & peak performance, and there’s no better source for providing the answers than Professor Stuart Phillips from the school of medicine at McMaster University in Canada. He has published over 600 papers and is among the most referenced experts on the subject, with 70,000 citations. Professor Phillips joined us in 2020, and I thought it was time we brought him back. I was grateful when he said yes!Info re earning your health & wellness coaching certification, annual Rocky Mountain Coaching Retreat & Symposium & more via https://www.catalystcoachinginstitute.com/ Best-in-class coaching for Employers, EAPs & wellness providers https://catalystcoaching360.com/Tap into the home of the (freely available) Not Done Yet! articles on unlocking life's 2nd half here.YouTube Coaching Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CoachingChannelContact us: Results@CatalystCoaching360.comTwitter: @Catalyst2ThriveWebsite: CatalystCoaching360.comIf you are a current or future health & wellness coach, please check out our Health & Wellness Coaching Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278207545599218. This is a wonderful group if you are looking for encouragement, ideas, resources and more.


