Craft of Coaching Podcast

It's exceedingly common for coaches to finish coach training, go all-in on building a business, and then...something happens. A loss, a partner's unexpected layoff, an illness, or burnout from trying to hard to make the business happen. The coach takes a step back, thinking it's just a pause--and then it's longer. The thought of returning feels awkward. So how do you come back...

At some point, we all face loss--which means that at some point, you'll have coaching clients who are facing grief and loss. Because grief and loss experiences can vary so significantly from person to person, it's important that life coaches understand the terrain that their clients are walking through and best practices to help clients navigate grief and loss while the coach maintains a...

Coaching clients through career transitions is always complex work — but right now, when the job market is genuinely difficult and economic uncertainty is running high, it requires a particular set of skills that most coach training doesn't fully address. When a client has done everything right and the market still isn't responding, standard coaching moves can land as tone-deaf. And when...

Growing a coaching business in a difficult economy tests something most business advice doesn't prepare you for — not your strategy, but your belief. When inquiries slow down, the silence has a way of becoming evidence. Evidence that you're not good enough, that you waited too long, that the market has moved on. None of that is necessarily true. But it feels true, and that feeling drives...

Coaching business pricing during economic uncertainty is where a lot of coaches quietly come undone. Not publicly — there's no announcement, no decision point. It happens in small moments. A potential client mentions money is tight and you immediately offer a discount. Someone ghosts after hearing your rate and you spend three days wondering if you should lower it. You start pre-emptively apo...

Most coaches create their offers by copying what they see others doing—but that leads to packages that don’t actually work. In this Craft of Coaching episode, we dive into how to structure coaching packages that support real transformation for your clients and sustainable income and energy for you. You’ll learn how to align your offers with the actual arc of change, why underpriced or overpromised...

This episode gets into why naming imperfection — genuinely, not as false modesty — is foundational to coaching well, leading well, and building community that's actually real. We talk about assumed role power, the guru model that's quietly everywhere in the coaching industry, and what it costs coaches who are still performing perfection when a client brings them something messy. We also...

Most coaches finish coach training--and then they're on their own. Most clients are trying to make life changes on their own, and only find success once they start coaching with you. And that's not an accident. You've heard the advice to regulate your nervous system. What you're hearing less often is that it might not be fully possible to do that alone — and the science backs t...

If you're a coach considering a group program,  you need to know how to build a community. Building real community isn't about luck or personality — it's about understanding what actually creates belonging, and developing the skills to sustain it. Most of us were never taught how to build community in any deliberate way, and the gap that leaves is real: connection that feels hollow,...

We’ve absorbed a quiet rule in the coaching industry: you’re not legitimate until your calendar is packed. If you’re not fully booked, you’re still “trying.” Still “building.” Still “not quite there.” Let’s challenge that. A fully booked client roster is a business metric — not a measure of your identity. When we tie our legitimacy to calendar saturation, we hand our confidence to algorithms, econ...

Ever catch yourself scrolling and wondering, Why am I not there yet? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Craft of Coaching, we’re naming the comparison spiral that so many coaches fall into—especially in a world where highlight reels dominate.  We break down exactly how comparison derails your intuition, your business decisions, and your confidence—and what experienced coaches do differently...

When a client says "my manager is the problem," what do you do with that? In this episode, we're joined by Melody Wilding — executive coach, speaker, and author of Managing Up  — to talk about one of the most common and least discussed challenges in coaching: helping clients navigate difficult relationships with the people above them at work. Melody breaks down why coaching clients...

What does it really take to get honest and face hard things — in your coaching practice, and in your life? In this episode, we're joined by Andrea Owen, author of Live Like You Give a Damn: 25 Bold Moves to Get Honest and Face the Hard Stuff , for a conversation that goes well beyond coaching technique. We’re digging into how the coaching industry has shifted from "good vibes only"...

There’s a line—and every coach needs to know where it is. When a client starts unraveling childhood trauma, asking for advice, or bringing deep grief into the session… are you coaching, mentoring, or sliding into therapy without meaning to? This episode is for the coach who cares deeply—and doesn’t want to cause harm. We’re digging into the ethical gray zones where even experienced coaches can los...

Feeling invisible in a crowded coaching market? You’re not alone.  In this episode of the Craft of Coaching podcast, we're giving you the real talk on the state of the coaching industry, including whether the coaching market is too saturated, and talk about what to DO about that.  Learn how to shift from trying to stand out in a "crowded"market-- to building trust, resonance, and re...

Ever have a client push back hard on a reflection—not because the reflection was wrong, but because it hit a nerve? That’s "identity threat" in action. In this episode of the Craft of Coaching podcast, we dive into what’s really going on when a client rejects your insight because it challenges the version of themselves they’ve needed to survive. We’ll explore the psychology behind identi...

As coaches, we’ve all been there—you see what your client needs. You both  know the actions that would help them break through. But they’re stuck. They hesitate. They say they want change, but their actions don’t follow. And suddenly, you’re caught between wanting to help… and pushing too hard. In this episode of the Craft of Coaching podcast, we unpack what’s really happening when a client isn’t...

If "clarity" is the main outcome you're selling on your sales pages and in your "getting to know you" calls, it might be time to stop over-focusing there. In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we explore why selling clarity can create false expectations—and we're talking about what clients actually need instead. While clarity sounds like a powerful promise, it ca...

How do you challenge a client without damaging the coaching relationship? In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we explore how skilled coaches use challenge—not as confrontation, but as transformation. If you’ve ever held back from asking a hard question or reflecting a client’s pattern because you were afraid they’d walk away, this episode is for you. We break down what it really means to ch...

Are you being a supportive coach—or are you just people-pleasing? In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we take an honest look at what happens when coaches confuse kindness with avoidance, and how to recognize when you're prioritizing being liked over being effective. If you’ve ever hesitated to challenge a client, held back from naming a pattern, or found yourself drained after sessions...

How do you support your clients—and yourself—when the world feels like it’s falling apart? In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we’re talking about what it means to coach through chaos, uncertainty, and grief. When clients bring in overwhelm, despair, or real-world fears, many coaches feel unsure about how to respond. Should you stay “neutral”? Try to uplift them? Hold space without absorbin...

What do you do when your client’s political values are wildly different from yours? In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we explore how to navigate political differences in coaching without sacrificing your values—or your presence. Whether a client makes a comment that goes against everything you believe in, or you discover deeper ideological gaps over time, the question becomes: Can I still...

Feeling overwhelmed by your coaching business goals? You’re not alone—and you’re not doing it wrong. In this episode of The Craft of Coaching , we’re breaking down how to create a business roadmap that actually works for you —not against you. Many coaches fall into the trap of overestimating what they can accomplish in a year—setting massive content creation or revenue goals that quickly lead to b...

Let’s talk about what it really means to help clients with nervous system regulation. Kim Kimball—a CLCC grad, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and somatic leadership coach—joins us to unpack the difference between true regulation and what’s often just emotional bypassing. We explore how to help clients recognize what’s actually happening in their bodies, work with their capacity instead of against it,...

What does it really take to go from coach to founder? In this episode, we talk with Megan Hale, MA, founder and CEO of DreamMoney.co, about what it means to evolve from running a coaching practice to building a tech startup. After a decade in the coaching world, Megan made the leap into software development—raising $150K in grants and funding her first platform as a non-technical founder. We unpac...