All Episodes
Displaying episodes 1 - 30 of 39 in total
The hardest and easiest parts of growing a one-on-one practice.
Part of the appeal of a one-on-one practice is that its hard parts aren't as hard as other business models (like "scalable" training), and its easier parts are even ea...
A utility vs luxury view of coaching.
Coaching can be a utility the client views as a semi-permanent part of their life, or a luxury they view as a special one-off event. Both approaches offer great experi...
An Invitation to the Pain of Coaching
The best coaching is an invitation to productive pain in pursuit of the reward on the other side. Today's episode inspired by this essay, shared with me by my coach, Liz.
Ending the Launch-Based Adrenaline Addition - Conversation with Kristen Boss
Kristen Boss's coaching business started in 2019 with pajama-clad Facebook lives at 6am. In the five years since, she's generated millions of dollars in revenue -- mos...
Conversation with Paula Engebretson - Why Can't I Publish Consistently?
Paula Engebretson coaches people with an ADHD diagnosis (or ADHD tendencies). Since I know she has ADHD, and since I may or may not be a member of her target audience,...
The Rise and Fall of My $50,000 per Month Membership Business
I've been wondering whether a membership model would be the best way to set up a practice space for coaches (discussed a few episodes back). You may not know that betw...
Go where your people are (or bring them to you).
Two weeks ago I went to Tennessee to speak at an event hosted by my friend, Edie Wadsworth. This week, Kate (my wife) taught some classes at a church camp for young wo...
Look alive on the internet.
I've recently taken a walk through dozens of coaches' websites and social media profiles. I found many of them are just like me: we tend to forget, ignore, and/or aban...
If you're putting in the effort and no one is hiring you.
You may feel like you're working as hard (or harder) than your peers but not seeing the same (or any) results. This episode explains what I think you're experiencing, ...
Succeeding as you, not as someone else.
As we grow our practices, it's helpful to know the big picture (what I call strategy) and the specific actions (tactics) that flow from the big picture. But if we don'...
Creating Spaces and Times for Coaches to Practice and Improve
Although I don't care much about certifications (see last week's episode), I believe strongly in the benefit of supported practice for coaches. We can elevate individu...
The Urge to Create a Course
Twenty years now since I started doing money stuff online, and the urge to create a course still creeps up on me. Let's talk about it, and let's make sure to work in s...
My Thoughts on Coaching Certifications
There are good reasons and bad reasons to pursue certification(s) as a coach -- up to and including becoming a licensed therapist.
Please be kind to yourself.
I realize the episode title is a corny bumper sticker. But people, including coaches, are not being nice to themselves. It's getting in the way of the growth and progr...
Addressing My Own Concerns About Group Coaching
I like last week's episode but it didn't feel quite right. Today's episode rounds out some of my ideas/suggestions/hypotheses for how group coaching could go from bein...
Why I'm Not in a Hurry to Sell "Group Coaching"
A few of my thoughts on the kind "group coaching" I'm accustomed to seeing in my coaching community. I'm not strongly against it; I'm not strongly for it; and I think ...
My Personal Coaching Code of Ethics
Coaching is a totally unregulated industry...which is exactly how we like it. With no governing body to create or police our interactions with our clients, it's up to ...
A Coach's Ongoing Evolution: Conversation with Chantel Allen
Coaches can feel trapped in the way of being they learned in training -- especially if they were trained in a dogmatic community. My friend Chantel is an example of a ...
A Story About Referrals and the Law of the Harvest
This is the story of a teen in pain receiving support from a great coach. By itself, this is wonderful. This episode explains how a chain of relationships introduced t...
The Coach is the Product: A Character-Driven View of Your Coaching Practice
If the coach is the product, personal development is the most important business strategy. This should come as a huge relief.
Two Perspectives on Launch-Based Selling (Because I'm Trying to Be More Open-Minded)
In 2017 I published a podcast episode railing against launch-based selling. In seven years, my opinion hasn't changed much...but a wise client has helped me open my mi...
"I want my whole executive team to get coaching." -- Conversation with Jesse Mecham from YNAB
My friend Jesse Mecham is the founder of YNAB, a company that helps people love the way they spend their money. I asked Jesse to come on the show to talk different kin...
How to Read a Sales Page: Some Thoughts on Coaches Selling Training to Other Coaches
Trainings (and certifications, and, I guess, "masterminds") can be powerful and transformational. They can also be the place where coaches' dreams, hopes, confidence, ...
A Deliberate Practice Method for Improving Coaching Skill
As coaches, we are the product--our skills are the product. The question is how do we become more skillful? In this episode, I suggest that the deliberate, patient pra...
Non-Transactional, Zero-Pressure Client Creation: Conversation with Amber Smith
"She could coach you." That's what my wife, Kate, said about Amber Smith after meeting her. Kate has never said this before or since. (She knows many wonderful coaches...
The List of Maybes: A Marketing Hypothesis for One on One Coaches
I'm not sure my fellow coaches realize how simple it can be to fill--and keep full--a coaching practice. I'm not saying easy--I'm saying simple. In this episode I outl...
Coaches Make Money and I Can Prove It
This episode almost seems pointless, because of course coaches make money. But, after a decade in this business, I'm in a position to speak to the psychology of the pe...
377 Sessions, $149,000 -- 2023 Coaching Year in Review
I look at my 2023 coaching practice through four lenses: 1. The workload.2. The relationships.3. The money.4. The marketing. It was a good year for my practice. Lookin...
700 Conversations: From spam-driven consultations to becoming a preferred coach for one of the biggest companies in the world.
After starting her coaching practice in 2018, my friend and client Melisa Liberman (host of the Grow Your Independent Consulting Business podcast) threw herself into a...
Why I won't do traditional "consultations", "mini-sessions", or "strategy sessions".
I don't do sales calls where I explain my "program", make an offer, overcome objections, and close the sale. There are tactical/practical reasons and there are ego rea...