EP712: Dave Buck - How My Mentor Invented The Coaching Industry

“World power is infinitely better than willpower.” 

At the heart of every business breakthrough is the ability to turn hidden potential into repeatable skills. Freedom, friendship, and purpose aren’t things you stumble upon; they’re capabilities you can practice until they become second nature. When fundamentals like belonging, influence, and co-creation are mastered, advanced business skills—marketing, sales, partnerships, leadership—become natural extensions rather than uphill battles. 

Dave Buck shares how persistence turned him from eager student to the right-hand man of Thomas Leonard, the father of professional life coaching. He unpacks the origins of the industry, the lessons of human connection, and the coaching methods that evolved from trial, error, and challenge. His journey proves that sometimes you don’t just choose a dream—the dream chooses you. 

Buck is CEO of CoachVille and a pioneer who has spent 30 years shaping the profession of life coaching. As a mentee and daily collaborator of Thomas Leonard, he helped codify modern coaching methods and today leads programs like Get Your Power Back, designed to restore human connection as the foundation for business and leadership transformation.