Presence, Power & The Phoenix Rising: A Conversation with Stephen McGhee
Leadership is no longer about barking orders, positioning oneself as the smartest person in the room, or grinding toward an endless finish line. In this soulful and spacious interview with Stephen McGhee, we explored a leadership path that moves through presence, reinvention, personal sovereignty, and even fire-literally.
Stephen, a masterful guide in the world of transformational leadership and personal growth, brings a rich tapestry of experience: 30+ years in the field, clients that include global executives, mountain-climbing adventures as metaphors for inner work, and most recently, the creation of L4 Phoenix Rising, a program born from the ashes of his own home.
Together, we dove into themes that every conscious coach will recognize: the tension between doing and being, the role of spiritual ecology in sustainable leadership, redefining success, mastering enrollment, and transmuting fear into purpose. What follows is a selection of our conversation that I trust will nourish your own journey as a coach, leader, and human being committed to a higher path.
The Essence of Leadership
Leadership Defined
Jonathan Carroll: In your words, what is leadership really about at its core?
Stephen McGhee: To me, leadership is how we positively influence other people toward a greater vision. That is, in essence, the macro version of leadership. Of course, there are a gazillion nuances to leadership that I've learned in well over 30 years of teaching, learning, being with great leaders on the planet. But in essence, it's how we positively influence others.
Evolution of Leadership
Jonathan: What beliefs about leadership have changed for you over time?
Stephen: When I started working in leadership, it was still what I would call a "tell" orientation. You ask me a question, I give you an answer. Today, leadership has moved toward "ask." You ask me a question, and I ask you a deeper question that helps you find the solution inside yourself. That shift from tell to ask is critical. And 30 years ago, we never talked about listening. Today, I think it's the single most important leadership skill.
The Journey to Authentic Leadership
Jonathan: How did your health crisis in 1991 awaken a deeper spiritual and professional calling in you?
Stephen: At the time I was in financial services with Nations Bank. I was being considered for executive leadership, but I was struggling with the integrity of the industry. That struggle caused a health crisis that landed me in intensive care. One night, I listened to the man in the bed next to me, burned head to toe in a motorcycle accident, take his last breath. That moment woke me up. I realized how precious life is. I decided then to quit and dedicate my life to something meaningful. That was the beginning of my journey into leadership.
Jonathan: What does "living out loud" mean to you?
Stephen: It means sharing my authentic truth and infusing it with a lot of love. Great leaders can deliver even difficult feedback with love. If it's infused with judgment or blame, it creates resistance. But truth and love together create transformation.
Jonathan: Where does personal sovereignty come into play in becoming a powerful leader?
Stephen: I think it’s everything. One of the things I believe about leadership is that the pauses are just as important as the action. We glorify massive action, but it’s equally important to journal, meditate, sit in silence. Personal sovereignty is found in the quiet.
The Phoenix Rises
Rising Together
That's why I created the L4 Phoenix Rising program. We rise together.
Keeping What Matters
We lost our things, but we kept our memories, our presence, our faith.
Home Lost
When our home burned down in January, we had 20 minutes to evacuate.
Rising From the Ashes
Jonathan: How do you personally navigate uncertainty?
Stephen: When our home burned down in January, we had 20 minutes to evacuate. It was devastating. But I don't believe in toxic positivity. We have to feel our feels. Grief is part of it. And yet, I also leaned into my training and found the inner strength to support others. Every tragedy holds a message, if we're willing to look.
Jonathan: What did losing your home burn away physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
Stephen: Everything. We lost our things, but we kept our memories, our presence, our faith. Spiritually, I believe it was part of something greater. I still don't know the full reason, but I trust the divine. That's why I created the L4 Phoenix Rising program. We rise together.
Jonathan: What is spiritual ecology, and how does it guide your choices?
Stephen: Spiritual ecology is about spiritual routine. My soul learns through consistency. Two minutes of stillness can change everything. Whether it's breathwork, prayer, journaling, whatever keeps us attuned to self, the divine, and others.
Jonathan: What's one belief you had to unlearn to fully embody the man you are today?
Stephen: That I had to be perfect. I used to think I couldn't show up unless I was fully "on." That cost me authenticity. These days, I show up real, even if I've just had a tough conversation with my wife. Being real is liberating.
Leadership Insights
Self-Care for Executives
Jonathan: What's the most common growth edge you see in top executives?
Stephen: Self-care. High-level leaders burn out. I teach them to take care of themselves first so they can take care of others. Sometimes that means a sabbatical. It often means learning to rest without guilt.
Nature as Teacher
Jonathan: Why do you integrate challenge in nature into your coaching?
Stephen: Nature is the best teacher. On a 23,000-foot summit, one man finally cried about his divorce after holding it in for years. We just circled him and let nature do its work. Nature humbles us, heals us, and reflects truth back to us.
Redefining Success
Jonathan: How do you define success now?
Stephen: It used to be about hitting the goal. Now it's about who I become in the process. Who do I need to be to accomplish that goal? What's being drawn out of me that didn't exist before? That's success.
Advice for New Coaches
Jonathan: What advice would you give a new coach entering the industry today?
Stephen: Master enrollment. Enrollment is service at the highest level without an agenda. It's not about trying to get something. It's the same energy as coaching. You can't be a great coach if you don't understand enrollment.
Jonathan: You've lived many lives; finance, film, coaching, consciousness. What connects all the versions of Stephen McGhee?
Stephen: Following my heart. If something called me, I pursued it. I didn’t always know how. I just had the willingness to learn. That’s the thread.
Jonathan: What would you say to someone who feels a calling but is afraid to begin again?
Stephen: Fear isn’t the thing that stops you—you are. Fear is part of the formula. It can be transmuted into creativity. On the other side of resistance is often the very thing you’re meant to do. So lean in.
Closing Thoughts
This conversation was a masterclass in presence, depth, and what it means to live in integrity with your soul's work. Stephen McGhee has walked through fire, literally and metaphorically, and emerged with a deeper trust in the divine, a more spacious view of leadership, and a message that our presence is our power.
In a world increasingly obsessed with algorithms and outcomes, Stephen reminds us that transformation happens in silence, in nature, in grief, and in the willingness to begin again.
Stephen, thank you for your radiant service to this field. You are not just guiding leaders. You are helping to raise the consciousness of leadership itself.
With appreciation,
Jonathan Carroll
Editor-in-Chief, The Coaches’ Chronicle
Watch the full interview with Jonathan Carroll and Stephen McGhee below (55 min).
Jonathan Carroll
Editor-in-Chief, The Coaches’ Chronicle
Jonathan Carroll is a visionary leader, masterful facilitator, coach, mentor, retreat host, author, and the Editor-In-Chief of The Coaches’ Chronicle, a premier publication for conscious, heart-centered coaches, healers, and visionary leaders. With decades of experience guiding transformational leaders toward authentic alignment and full expression, Jonathan curates The Coaches’ Chronicle to be more than just a magazine. It is a movement, amplifying the voices of those redefining success through purpose, integrity, and deep inner work.
As the founder of The Dragonfly Club™, Jonathan has built a global community dedicated to conscious evolution, blending spiritual wisdom with real-world impact. His expertise in intuitive business leadership, energetic alignment, and authentic expression makes him a sought-after mentor for those ready to embrace their soul’s highest calling.
At The Coaches’ Chronicle, Jonathan continues his mission of elevating the coaching industry beyond fleeting trends, fostering a space where depth, wisdom, and transformation take center stage. Click on Jonathan's photo to follow him on Facebook.
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