Consulting Matters

I’ve got some big news! I am finally, finally, finally starting to work on a very long-term goal I’ve had: writing my first book. Well, technically, I’ve decided to make it a workbook. And it’s focused on the brand positioning and messaging process that I have developed, honed, and refined over 10 years of working with hundreds of consultants and coaches. The goal with this workbook, and the reaso...

If you think storytelling is just for the stage, think again. In this week’s episode of Consulting Matters, I sat down with not one but two former Disney executives—brothers Bob and Rick Allen—who know the real power of story: not just to entertain, but to lead, influence, and change minds. Their Disney roots run deep (102 years combined, starting with their dad, who worked alongside Walt himself)...

  So, are you one of those people who like to pick a word to reflect your intention for the year? Well, I am! It took a bit, but I finally figured out my word for 2026, and it’s actually 2 words – meaningful connection. I chose this as my intention for the year because I feel like I’m emerging from the sabbatical cocoon that was a big part of last year. And also because of the joy and fun I h...

We’re at the end of the year, with my final episode of a season that has ultimately been about owning the power of what you do and positioning yourself for the clients, impact, and income you’re ready for. So, it feels exactly right to close the year with pricing expert Casey Brown. I initially invited Casey on the show for her to unpack what she said on her Ted Talk on knowing your worth and ask...

Unsure about your niche... what it is or if you should switch it? That's exactly what we're getting into today. Your niche is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, and it's the most misunderstood.  Your niche isn't about looking through your strengths and areas of expertise and having to choose one with a Sophie's-Choice-like decision. That is NOT going to work, because a niche is...

Have you lost your business mojo? I’ve been there too. This episode dives into that moment many consultants and coaches experience after they have been at it for a while. You have invested so much time, money, and heart into building a business you once loved, and then, almost without warning, you stopped loving it. It is just not working for you anymore. You might still have clients, but they are...

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve talked about how to tell if you have a brand messaging problem, why it’s worth fixing, and how the sneaky culprit behind fuzzy messaging is the curse of knowledge—a trap that’s so easy for consultants and coaches to fall into. This week, we’re getting into the fix. Or more accurately, my fix. I’m taking you behind the scenes of my brand positioning and messagin...

Is it possible that knowing too much is actually standing between you and the clients you want? In this episode of Consulting Matters , I’m unpacking one of the sneakiest barriers to clear communication— the curse of knowledge. After years of mastering our craft, it’s easy for consultants and coaches like us to forget what it’s like to not know what we know. That’s when jargon, industry terms, and...

What's holding you back from the success and impact you're ready for as a consultant, a coach, a business owner? Is it marketing? Is it fear? Or is it simply unclear and fuzzy brand messaging? Let's dig deeper. How do you feel when someone asks you what you do? Do you feel excitement or dread? Or how easy is it for you to write copy for your website or for your marketing, your LinkedIn bio? Does i...

Turning your consulting or coaching expertise into a product, program, or technology that customers will pay for sounds exciting, but making that shift is not just a minor tweak. It is a complete business transformation that affects everything: • Your offers • Your messaging • Your marketing • Your value proposition • Your entire path to scale If you are feeling the grind of constantly chasing cli...

What does it really take to influence transformational change?  Today we’re getting into the challenge of consulting and coaching in a very unstable world and how to influence leaders to buy-in and lead transformational change when the world is experiencing a historic wave of disruption – economic, political and institutional – unfolding all at once. To help us catalyze real leadership and or...

Do you really stop and celebrate your growth in your big milestones in your consulting or coaching business journey? I know I sure don't. A few weeks ago, I received an award from Kajabi, the platform on which my website is built. They recognized me for earning a million dollars. I'm a "$1 million Superhero," and when I got this award, I felt really weird about it. I wasn't sure what to make of it...

Today, we're exploring what it means to stay human in the age of AI and what it truly entails to create a human-centered organization in these challenging times. To help us explore this topic, my guest today is  Edwin Mouriño-Ruiz . He's the president and founder of Human Intelligent Workplace, and he is dedicated to prioritizing human intelligence at work in the area of artificial intelligen...

Have you ever wondered if you’re charging enough for your consulting or coaching? I know I sure have. Maybe you’re stuck pricing by the hour, or maybe you discount to win the work. If that sounds like you, you’re in luck, because in this episode we’re getting into how to confidently ask for your worth and get paid for it. We’re wrapping up the series on the journey from service provider to strateg...

Are you ready to learn how to run the absolute best discovery meeting of your client's life?    Find out how to make that happen on today's episode of the Consulting Matters podcast.    I'm super excited about the Discovery Meeting because I believe in its power. It's literally the most important meeting of your entire consulting or coaching engagement, and it plays the definin...

 Ever feel that gap between knowing that your consulting or coaching adds tremendous value to your clients and being able to articulate that value, let alone quantify it? Today’s episode of the Consulting Matters podcast is going to change that .   We are not just talking about clarifying the value of what you do; we're also about quantifying it and making that value clear, credible, and...

Ever notice how many consultants and coaches struggle with trying to figure out the right questions to ask?  Which, honestly, is better than obsessing over the right advice to give. Here’s the truth: it’s not about the question. It’s about how well you listen to the answer. That’s why I’m super-excited about this week’s Consulting Matters episode. I got to sit down with my very first mentor—D...

Why do some consultants and coaches land the strategic, bigger, higher-impact and higher-paying client engagements? Hint: it’s not better sales or contracting skills.  Pay close attention this episode where I’ll share with you how to use the very skills that make you such an amazing consultant or coach (active listening, bringing order to chaos, relationship building) to shift your approach t...

Are you positioning your consulting or coaching as a service provider or as a strategic partner? In this episode, I break down the difference, the trap most of us fall into, and how you can start shifting into the role that positions your consulting or coaching for greater influence. This is the question I’m diving into as I kick off my new series, From Service Provider to Strategic Partner . I’ll...

Too often, Lean consultants and improvement practitioners have the skills and tools to create massive transformation but struggle to communicate their value in a way that resonates with executives and decision-makers. In this bonus episode, I sit down with Katie Anderson , internationally recognized leadership and Lean consultant, to talk about why positioning and language matter just as much as t...

Wondering if working on clarifying your brand positioning and refining your messaging creates revenue? You bet it does! If you have been thinking that working on this is a nice-to-have marketing or coaching exercise when you have more money to invest or clients... think again. Especially in today’s confusing and complex market. Today we’re talking about the powerful, rock-solid return on your inve...

Lean: The unsung hero of employee engagement that actually works You might think employee engagement is best created by HR. Think again. In this episode of the Consulting Matters podcast, I’m joined by Tom West and Mark Ryan of Green Dot Consulting - self-proclaimed improvement nerds on a mission to rescue the world from bad processes. If you’re a consultant or coach who wants to help your clients...

Agree or Disagree: Employee engagement should be the #1 leadership priority. If you have been working with organizations, as a leader or a consultant, I'd hedge a bet that you'd agree. But what if we have all gotten this completely wrong!  What if everything we believe about employee engagement and what organizations are pumping billions of dollars into can't and will never work, or not how w...

When you think about the work we do as consultants and coaches, it’s easy to focus on deliverables, frameworks, and strategies. But beneath all that lies a deeper truth: What is the real power we bring—especially when we don’t have formal authority? In this episode, I’m diving into some of the most meaningful questions facing our profession today: What is the true influence of consultants and coac...

What does it really mean to scale up your success as a consultant or coach? What does it look like to step into new levels of impact, especially if you don’t have dreams of growing a firm or leading a global enterprise? I’m diving into these questions and more as I take you behind the scenes of my latest brand relaunch – which after months of strategy, design, copywriting and more – it’s finally d...