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The Coaching Studio with Lyssa deHartAuthor: Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC
Where Psychology Meets the Art of CoachingWelcome to The Coaching Studio! This is the place where transformational conversations unfold. Hosted by Master Certified Coach and author Lyssa deHart, this podcast dives deep with the brightest minds in Coaching, Psychology, Positive Psychology, Somatic Awareness, and Trauma-Informed Practice.In each episode, you'll hear intimate, thought-provoking dialogues with trailblazers like Dr. Richard Boyatzis, Dr. David Drake, Marcia Reynolds, Dr. Carol Kauffman, and Michael Bungay Stanier; alongside rising and established voices shaping the future of human development. These are not surface-level interviews. Expect real stories, bold ideas, and practical insights you can use to expand your coaching and leadership impact.Whether you're a coach, therapist, leader, or lifelong learner, you'll leave each episode with new tools, new questions, and renewed inspiration. New episodes drop twice a month during the Season. Come for the wisdom, stay for the transformation and lively conversations. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Careers, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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the Coaching Studio with Guest Heather Hansen
Episode 89
Thursday, 5 March, 2026
Unmuted at Work: Accent Bias, Belonging, and What We Think We HearIn this episode of The Coaching Studio, I sit down with Heather Hansen to talk about something most of us don’t notice until it’s right in our face: how quickly we decide what someone “knows” or how competent they are, based on how they sound.Heather shares her path into linguistics, starting with being a talker as a kid, competitive speech and debate, then studying language and society, and eventually building Global Speech Academy in Singapore. You can hear the through-line: she’s been tracking the power dynamics of English as a bridge language for a long time, who gets listened to, who gets dismissed, and what it costs people to constantly translate themselves into “acceptable.”We dig into her book Unmuted and the framework behind it, because the ability to speak up is not just about confidence. Heather breaks it into three overlapping parts: conscious communication (reading the room, culture, timing), confident communication (skills and self-trust), and connected communication (belonging and psychological safety). When one piece is missing, people get too loud, go quiet, or start self-editing until they disappear.Then we go deeper into accent bias, and Heather doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Perfect English” isn’t how global business actually works, and a lot of what we treat as “professional” is just power and familiarity dressed up as standards. She shares the real tension she lives with in her work: helping individuals succeed inside a biased system while also trying to change how the system listens.We also talk about what this means for coaches and leaders. Heather points out that we’re listening to layers, pace, pitch, emphasis, tone, and then we assign meaning fast, often without realizing it. And in global workplaces, misunderstandings happen all the time because people assume understanding instead of checking for it. Her practical takeaway is simple and strong: don’t ask “Do you understand?” Ask people to reflect back what they’re taking away and what they’ll do next.Finally, we touch on what’s coming fast: real-time translation and “accent translation” tech. Heather’s take is nuanced, yes, it can reduce harm and open access, but it also raises real questions about identity, inequality, and the cultural misunderstandings that don’t disappear just because everyone sounds the same in an earbud.This was one of those conversations that changes how you listen the next time you’re in a meeting, on a Zoom call, or coaching someone who doesn’t sound like you. And it ends with a book recommendation I loved, and a big question about what we hope people remember about us when we’re gone. Season 5 Host: Lyssa deHart, LICSW, MCC, BCCLet's Connect on LinkedInWebsite Lyssa deHart Producer: Michele Logan Video Editor: Sebastian Crespo Social Media: Lizana Guillen Music: Frolic by Harrison Amer Subscribe, Rate, & Follow on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
