Consulting Matters

Struggling to figure out which consulting or coaching business to start? If you're a mid-career professional with years of experience, strengths, and possibilities, it's not always obvious which direction is right. In this episode of Consulting Matters , my client Deborah Masak shares what she's learned about transforming decades of corporate leadership experience into a consulting and coaching bu...

Wondering if you can have it all - a consulting or coaching business AND life you love, without burning yourself out to get it?  If you think building a thriving consulting or coaching business requires sacrificing your health, relationships, or personal life, think again. In this episode of Consulting Matters , executive coach and burnout resilience expert Rachelle Stone shares what she's le...

Five years ago, J. Kyle Howard hired me because he was struggling to articulate what he did and how to package it into a business. At the time, he was a former CIO trying to figure out how to turn decades of experience into something other people would understand, value, and buy. In other words, he thought he had a messaging problem. What neither of us realized was that the challenge wasn't really...

I am super excited to introduce my brand-new "Where Are They Now?" series on the Consulting Matters podcast, and I could not have picked a better first guest.   You've heard me talk about Denise Musselwhite before. I chose her to kick off this series because I love her story. She found clarity on her purpose as an executive development coach for diverse leaders in tech, and that clarity fast-...

Are you living your purpose in your business?   I brought on Kevin McCarthy to Consulting Matters to talk about purpose! He literally wrote the book on-purpose. Discover what purpose truly is so you can align your business with why you're here and what you're meant to do as a consultant, coach, or business owner.   Tune in to hear: What most of us don't understand about purpose (and how...

Is the fear of failure holding you back from what you want to create or achieve in your consulting or coaching business? If so, you won’t be after you tune into my episode with Melisa buie, author of Faceplant: FREE Yourself from Failure’s Funk (great title, right!). Her book is the result of a quest she had to understand why failure is accepted and even embraced in lab-type situations but not in...

When I got into consulting, I was really drawn to organization development. I was a young international HR manager at the nonprofit where I worked. As I walked around the organization, I would always get confused by what was said on the break room walls and what was actually lived out. And I always wanted to bring those two things together. I think that's a lot of what drove me. And I think many o...

  Is your consulting or coaching designed around what you’re best at, love doing, and what people actually want to pay you for? Today, we are talking about one of my favorite topics and one of the best parts of my brand positioning and messaging strategy. I really love the work I do with my clients, and it’s what we're gonna discuss in this episode of Consulting Matters… discovering your best...

You heard it from me, now hear it from my sister! I recorded the podcast you heard on Wednesday, " To AI or Not to AI: The Question Is When, Not If,"  on my ahas about AI from our conversation at the beach a couple of weeks ago.    I told my sister about it, and she was like, " Hey, I got more information.” And I said, “Well, I have more thinking!”  So, I’m releasing a&nbs...

To AI or not to AI? That is the question. Just kidding! Today’s episode of Consulting Matters is about when and how to use AI, which is the real question that every Consultant Coach must answer. I decided to tackle this topic after my sister and I went away for a beach weekend a couple of weeks ago. My sister and I normally just talk about the deep meaning of life and explore our childhoods… the u...

I want to share my inspiration for this week’s episode. It’s personal, but it’s powerful so hang in there… I’m so passionate about building your business and brand around your ideal clients because they make us happier, they are more profitable, and most importantly, they lead to lasting relationships. Of all the organizations I worked with when I was a consulting business owner, Wyndham Vacation...

Why is the messy middle a big part of our experience as consultants and coaches, and what we do with our clients? Find out on today’s episode of the Consulting Matters podcast.​ So, I just got back from the second annual in-person retreat with my client, of four years, Katie Anderson, who is the messy middle of writing her second book. On the last day, we recorded a podcast for her show Chain of L...

Want to add keynote speaking to one of the things you offer in addition to consulting or coaching, but lack the clarity and confidence to make that happen? Find out how to overcome that with my guest, Dr. Christina Madison , on today’s Consulting Matters podcast. This episode is for anyone who wants to take the stage as a keynote speaker but holds themselves back, feels shy or introverted, and wan...

I want to talk to you today about…marketing. That dreaded part of consulting or coaching business ownership that so many of us want to avoid. Not only does it make us feel ick – like we’re begging for an audience, but also super-vulnerable, especially because as consultants and coaches, we’re the product, we’re the service, we’re the brand. There’s nowhere to hide. I don’t know about you, but this...

Got big visions for your consulting or coaching business?  Chances are you also have big fear and self-doubt. Great news!  I’m going to explain why fear is both an expected, and welcome companion on your journey to growing your own thriving consulting or coaching business and give you the cure for dealing with it on today's Consulting Matters podcast.   Because just when you th...

Want to know the difference between leaving your consulting or coaching success up to chance or creating with strategic intention? Today on the Consulting Matters podcast, we’re getting into the differences between getting clients and building a business and standout brand with my guest and client, Leslie Faircloth. For a lot of us, we get into consulting or coaching after leaving our jobs because...

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your clients isn't to consult or coach them… but to mentor them? We are the ones who guide our clients to achieve their aspirations and become who they are striving to become! We come alongside clients who are in the middle of their heroic journey. So if the client is the hero, then who are we? We are the mentors. We are the guides. We are the Obi-W...

Is your consulting or coaching business in the product, service, or transformation business? Today's episode is all about getting your consulting or coaching business firmly into the transformation business. And that means shifting your perspective on whatever you do with your clients or what you want to sell them from the end… to the means to a bigger end, which is what your clients truly desire…...

Want to know how to start your own consulting business right... the first time? No false starts. No expensive trial and error. Find out how with my guest and client, Sara Guttman, on today’s Consulting Matters podcast. Today, we’re getting into what it actually looks like to seamlessly step out of your leadership career and into consulting business ownership, instead of doing what a lot of us do (...

As consultants and coaches, we know trust is the foundation of any meaningful relationship. And it is especially true in the work we do with our clients. When clients trust us, everything changes. They open up. They share what is really going on. They accept feedback. They take risks. They implement our recommendations. That is when real transformation happens in their careers, businesses, and org...

How do you influence others to change, especially when you don’t have positional authority? You don’t. Find out what to do instead on today’s episode of the Consulting Matters podcast. I've been getting into the real systemic issues on the Consulting Matters podcast that make our influence with clients harder than we might think. A couple of weeks ago, I got into the differences between stakeholde...

Last week I did something different on the podcast. I talked about stakeholder vs. shareholder capitalism... and a lot of you reached out saying "this finally explains everything I've been experiencing." So this week I'm building on that. Because understanding the economic system is one thing. But understanding the management philosophy that flows from it? That's where it gets real. This week's ep...

The best part of my work as a brand positioning and messaging strategist is the vantage point it gives me. I get to see the brilliance of my clients up close and where they truly stand out in the market. I also see the bigger vision so many of you share: workplaces that prioritize people alongside profits, and systems that put humanity first. We may come from OD, Lean, leadership development, chan...

I accidentally started a series sharing all the “AHA” moments I've had about branding for consultants and coaches, inspired by writing my workbook. A couple of weeks ago, I shared the big picture – 5 things I learned in general. Last week, I broke down the three types of expertise . And today, I'm diving into your unique title and why it matters. For instance, imagine you're at a networking event....

Did you know there are three types of expertise that consultants and coaches can use as the foundation of their businesses? I didn’t...until I tore apart my own process for the workbook I’m writing! Even though I’m at the part of the writing process where I HATE my book and want to throw my computer out the window 😩... ...I’m just as excited about the amazing things I discovered that I didn’t kno...