Shedding the Corporate Bitch
Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch — the podcast where executive leadership gets real.
Hosted by executive coach, strategist, and unapologetic truth-teller Bernadette Boas, this show is built for senior leaders, CHROs, and HR executives who are done with surface-level leadership advice and ready for the conversations that actually move the needle.
Drawing from 25 years in corporate — including being fired — and over a decade coaching leaders at the highest levels, Bernadette delivers the raw insights, honest dialogue, and practical strategies you won't find in a leadership textbook. Each episode tackles what's really happening in today's organizations: toxic cultures, burned-out teams, leadership gaps, talent retention crises, and the fear, doubt, and imposter syndrome that quietly undermine even the most accomplished executives.
Joined by world-class leaders, HR innovators, and organizational experts, Bernadette doesn't just identify the problems — she hands you the tools to solve them.
This is the podcast for leaders who are ready to shed what's holding them — and their organizations — back, and build something that actually works.
Follow now. Your next level starts here.
Shedding the Corporate Bitch
Hiring a Leadership Coach? Ask Them These 15 Questions.
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
We'd love to hear from you. Send us fan mail!
The executive coaching industry is worth $20 billion — and yet most leaders and HR teams either skip the vetting process entirely or choose coaches for the wrong reasons. In this episode, Bernadette Boas lays out a powerful, practical framework including 15 must-ask questions so you can confidently identify, evaluate, and hire the executive or leadership coach who will drive real transformation in your organization.
Who This Episode Is For
• Individual leaders seeking a sounding board, honest feedback, or career acceleration
• Team leaders & hiring managers developing high-potentials or addressing toxic behavior
• HR and L&D leaders building or expanding a coaching program for their organization
Core Topic:
How to properly vet, select, and structure an executive or leadership coaching engagement — and why getting it wrong wastes money, damages morale, and gives coaching a bad reputation.
The Biggest Challenges Leaders Face
• Choosing coaches by referral alone — without asking a single vetting question
• Selecting coaches based on comfort rather than fit (coaching is meant to be uncomfortable)
• Misunderstanding credentials and certifications — or ignoring them entirely
• Expecting coaching to be a quick fix rather than a sustained investment in transformation
• Failing to define developmental vs. remedial coaching needs before the search begins
• Not involving the employee in understanding why they're receiving coaching
Key Takeaways
• Define Your Need First
• The Higher You Climb, the Lonelier It Gets
• ROI Is Real and Measurable
• Chemistry ≠ Comfort
Bernadette's 3-Step Framework for Finding the Right Coach
• Step 1 — Do the internal work
• Step 2 — Ask hard questions: Use the 15 questions (10 universal + 5 for HR/organizational sponsors) to rigorously vet every candidate.
• Step 3 — Evaluate Chemistry, Credentials, and Clarity
Your Weekly Challenge
Identify one leadership challenge for yourself or someone on your team that executive or leadership coaching could address. Start the conversation about coaching ROI, and take one concrete next step.
Connect with Bernadette
• Book a Discovery Call: coachmebernadette.com/discovery-call
• Website: balloffirecoaching.com
• Podcast: Shedding the Corporate Bitch on Apple Podcasts & other platforms
• YouTube: Shedding the Corporate Bitch channel
