The Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership
by Jonathan Carroll
When I first met Trevor Timbeck, what struck me was how grounded he is in love as a practical force for leading teams, building culture, and living well. Not sentimental love, but love as clarity, presence, and permission. In our interview, we explored his journey from certainty and control to what he calls workability, and how leaders can shift from command and control to inspire and enrol.
From Righteousness to Workability
Jonathan: You often say you spent your first 40 years mastering righteousness and your next 40 are devoted to workability. What changed?
Trevor: I moved from needing to be right to letting things appear without demands or prejudice. Workability asks what is actually working, not what should be right. That shift has transformed my marriage, my coaching, and the way I live each day. It allows me to steer toward outcomes that create possibility rather than control, which has opened far more doors than I could have imagined.
Jonathan: Your background spans IT, patents, sales, and senior leadership. How did that prepare or challenge you for coaching?
Trevor: In those roles I was rewarded for having answers. A coach challenged me to make questions my job instead of answers. That shift brought relief and possibility and set me firmly on the path to coaching. It also made me realize that my old strength of "being the expert" could become a limitation if I clung to it, while curiosity and humility were the real tools of transformation.
Leading with Love Over Fear
Jonathan: What made you leave fear and control behind and lead with love?
Trevor: Fear led to demands, punishments, and a command and control style that drained everyone. Love created space for possibility, collaboration, and actual leadership. When I began to approach people from a place of love instead of fear, they were more engaged, more willing to take risks, and far more creative in their contributions.
Jonathan: Distinguish inspire and enrol from command and control.
Trevor: Command and control demands obedience. Inspire and enrol invites ownership and contribution. One extracts compliance; the other creates collaboration. In practice, it means shifting from "do it because I said so" to "let's discover what is possible together."
Jonathan: How do you practise this in daily life?
Trevor: I start each morning with what I call a radical act of loving such as meditation, reflection, writing, or breathwork. I notice when I slip into control, feel the tightness in my body, and listen for how my language shifts. Presence is my cue. It is about catching myself in real time and choosing to respond with openness rather than defaulting to old patterns of control.
The Conversations Leaders Avoid
Jonathan: Which conversations do leaders avoid most?
Trevor: The ones they fear. Feedback, performance issues, even praise. When leaders avoid those, conversation stops flowing, and the organization suffers. Avoiding tough conversations creates stagnation, while leaning into them with openness builds trust and growth.
Jonathan: Your work is not for the faint of heart. Why?
Trevor: Love-led leadership is vulnerable. Naming fear in real time feels messy, but it opens connection and transformation. It requires leaders to reveal their humanity, which can feel risky, yet it is exactly what allows others to feel safe enough to reveal theirs.
Jonathan: How do you offer radical candour with compassion?
Trevor: I do not claim truth. I share what I see in unarguable language, ask permission, and check how it lands. It is always a dance, not a demand. Framing my observations as possibilities rather than absolutes creates a space where clients feel supported instead of judged.

Jonathan: What is the biggest leadership blind spot?
Trevor: Believing you have access to the truth. Appeals to objectivity often mask demands for obedience and shut down other perspectives. The more certain we think we are, the more we close the door to innovation and the wisdom of others.
Redefining Success and Growth
Jonathan: What patterns have you seen across large companies?
Trevor: A culture of control is common. But the leaders who quietly lead with integrity and love inspire loyalty. People follow them, not just the title. It reminded me again and again that leadership is not about hierarchy, it is about relationship.
Jonathan: How did becoming Chief Talent Officer change your definition of success?
Trevor: I shifted from external measures to internal integrity. I stopped outsourcing fulfilment and started insourcing it in the present moment. That meant redefining success not as promotions or metrics, but as alignment, fulfilment, and wholeness in how I showed up.
Jonathan: You say personal and professional growth are the same thing. How can leaders embrace that?
Trevor: Your nervous system is the common denominator. Foundational relationships matter. When they are in integrity, everything improves. When they are not, everything is affected. Leadership is never separate from life. The quality of your relationships directly impacts your results at work.
Jonathan: Your new book with Steve Chandler is The Power of Love. How did writing it change you?
Trevor: Steve's work always points from fear to love. Writing together, we agreed to make it an inquiry rather than coming from expertise. Even the writing process became a practice in loving. Co-creating that book with Steve deepened my appreciation of how love really is the foundation of leadership, and how simple it can be to return to it.
Love as Practical Intelligence
How does love help in high-stakes environments?
Trevor: Love increases intelligence by letting things appear without demand. That opens space for collaboration and the best ideas to emerge. High-stakes moments are when fear wants to take over, so choosing love is even more critical for clear thinking and effective action.
What myths about love in business need to go?
Trevor: That love is sentimental or scarce. It is pragmatic. Love raises intelligence, strengthens responsibility, and builds cultures where people are seen and heard. It is not about being soft or permissive. It is about creating the conditions for the very best work to happen.
Walking Slowly and Listening
Jonathan: You walk slowly and listen to the universe. What has that taught you?
Trevor: Many of my distinctions and even book ideas arrive on those walks. Listening creates space for the next right work to reveal itself. It is a reminder that wisdom comes in stillness, not in rushing.
Jonathan: How do you define mastery now?
Trevor: Mastery is being a lifelong student. Stay curious, keep learning, and let love lead. I see mastery not as control or expertise, but as the ability to remain open, humble, and receptive in every situation.
Jonathan: What is drift and why does it matter?
Trevor: Drift is trusting the universe's movement instead of forcing a shift. It reduces control, increases presence, and often carries us into flow. When we allow ourselves to drift, we learn to trust life itself, and that trust changes how we lead.
Advice for New Coaches
Jonathan: What one possibility would you offer new coaches?
Trevor: Slow down and learn to trust yourself. Possibility is more valuable than advice. The sooner a coach learns to stop chasing external validation and starts trusting their own voice, the more powerful their work becomes.
Where Leadership Begins
Trevor's leadership is a steady invitation to choose workability over being right, questions over certainty, and love over fear. If you are leading a team or building a practice, try his simplest move: before you decide or direct, pause. Notice your state. Ask one better question. Then listen. That is where intelligence rises and leadership begins.
To dive deeper into Trevor's philosophy, check out his newest book The Power of Love, co-authored with Steve Chandler, which expands on many of the themes we touched on here.
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Watch the full interview with Jonathan Carroll and Trevor Timbeck below (47 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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