Coaching an Identity Not Your Own

About this episode

In this episode, Mo Fong and Alex Temblador discuss the complexities of identity and bias in coaching practices.

Her book is called Writing an Identity Not Your Own — but swap one word, and it becomes a guide for every coach. In this episode, Mo Fong sits down with Alex Temblador, award-winning mixed Latine author and journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, and Architectural Digest. Alex grew up in a mixed Mexican and white household with a queer brother and a sister with intellectual and physical disabilities, and she witnessed bias up close long before she had the language for it. Together, they explore how words shape bias in ways we don't even realize, why identity is intersectional and never fixed, the difference between identity-first and person-first language, how to audit your coaching practice and business for unconscious assumptions, and why seeking discomfort is where real growth happens. Alex's advice: expect mistakes, look for them, reflect on them, and keep going.

People in this episode

Host: Mo Fong

Guest: Alex Temblador

Topics covered

• identity
• coaching
• bias
• intersectionality
• language
• personal growth

Keywords

• coaching
• identity
• bias
• intersectionality
• language
• personal growth
• unconscious assumptions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest

Books & works: Writing an Identity Not Your Own

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