Ask an Expert with Deno Hewson
Let's breakdown executive coaching. It's not fixing “struggling leaders,” but helping high performers navigate identity, pressure, loneliness at the top, and the blind spots that hold them back. This conversation with Deno Hewson digs into work, mental health, ROI, and why every ambitious leader needs someone in their corner.
William J. FerrellonMay 13, 2026Most people think executive coaching is for “struggling leaders.”
Deno Hewson will tell you straight: that’s not what he does.
In this interview, he breaks down what real performance coaching looks like, the kind that companies actually pay for because it moves the needle.
And here’s the part most people never admit:
1. Your career is part of your identity.
2. When things get shaky at work, your mental health feels it.
3. When you’re performing well, you feel like a better human.
4. When you’re doubting yourself, you start catastrophizing and imagining problems that aren’t even real.
Deno works with people who are already doing well, and helps them find the blind spots, the marginal gains, the stuff hiding in the shadows that keeps them from leveling up.
One line from the interview that hits hard: “It’s lonely at the top… who can they talk to?”
Exactly. You can’t vent to your team. You can’t unload on your partner who doesn’t even know what you do all day. You can’t tell the board you’re unsure.
So you carry it alone until it breaks something.
This conversation is for anyone who’s ever felt the pressure to “have it all together” at work while quietly falling apart inside.
We talk:
– What executive coaching actually is
– How it overlaps (and doesn’t overlap) with therapy
– Why work identity hits your mental health so hard
– When coaching stops being enough and therapy needs to step in
– How companies measure ROI on coaching
– Why every leader should have someone in their corner
If you’re ambitious, overwhelmed, or preparing for your next big role, this one’s for you.