In this episode of Coaching Revealed, we interview researcher and coach Janine Roberts about her research on emotions in leadership and organizational relationships.

Janine traces her path into coaching from organizational transformation work and shares how her research revealed a paradox: leaders love leadership yet often find interpersonal relationships to be their greatest source of stress. Despite decades of emotional intelligence research, many workplaces still suppress emotions, creating toxic cultures.

Through coaching, leaders gain a safe space for authentic expression and transformational growth. Janine introduces her ACE model - Attuned, Create the Conditions, Engage and Evaluate - as a framework for emotional engagement, and describes the practice of emotional contracting to build trust and safety in sessions.

She also shares future directions for her work, including turning her research into practical tools for leaders, HR, and coaches, and developing quantitative studies on the effectiveness of emotional engagement strategies.

This episode is essential listening for coaches who want to deepen their capacity to hold emotions in the coaching space, leaders who wish to navigate complex workplace dynamics, and anyone curious about the role of emotions as information in professional relationships