Coaching for Leaders

Dave Stachowiak has been hosting Coaching for Leaders since 2011, and the show has quietly become one of the most respected leadership podcasts around. With 777 episodes, over 50 million downloads, and a 4.8 rating from nearly 1,400 reviews, the track record is impressive. Stachowiak draws on his experience leading a global leadership academy and over 15 years with Dale Carnegie, and it shows in how he interviews. He asks questions that go beyond surface-level advice. Each Monday, a new 30 to 40 minute episode drops, typically featuring a bestselling author or expert practitioner. The conversations tackle the messy middle of leadership: what to do when your old strategies stop working, how to navigate organizational politics without losing yourself, how to communicate when the stakes are high. The show also offers a free membership with searchable access to the full episode library by topic, which is a thoughtful touch for listeners who want to study specific challenges. A premium tier adds downloadable interview notes and related episode recommendations. The production is clean and independent, with no network overhead diluting the content. Stachowiak comes across as genuinely curious rather than performative, and guests tend to open up in ways they might not on flashier shows.