Between Meetings

The Conversation You Have With Yourself After a Hard Meeting

Host: Scott Sadler, PCC, MCLC, MNLP

Episode Summary

After a difficult meeting, your calendar may move on—but your mind often doesn’t. In this episode of Between Meetings, Scott explores the internal conversations leaders have after tough interactions and how unchecked self-talk quietly shapes confidence, presence, and leadership behavior. You’ll learn how to notice these narratives without becoming them and apply simple, practical tools to reset before your next conversation.

Key Takeaways

Leaders often continue the meeting internally through judgment and rumination, not reflection.
Unexamined self-talk influences tone, energy, and future decisions more than most leaders realize.
Awareness creates choice: noticing the story allows you to separate facts from interpretation.
Effective leaders practice self-coaching—responding to themselves with curiosity, not criticism.
Discomfort after a meeting does not equal incompetence.

A Simple Practice to Try

After your next meeting, pause and ask:

What am I telling myself right now?
Is this a fact—or an interpretation?
Name the narrative, ground yourself with a breath, and choose a more constructive frame before moving on.

Why This Matters

The most influential leader you work with every day is the voice in your head. How you speak to yourself between meetings shapes how you show up in the next one.

What’s Next

In the next episode, Scott explores emotional leakage—what your team feels before you ever say a word.

Learn more: scottsadlercoaching.com