Mastering Coaching Skills

It's easy to look at another coach and assume they have something you don't. Maybe they're getting results you want, showing up in ways you admire, or teaching something that sounds like the answer you've been looking for. But when you start treating their way of doing things as the only way, what happens to your own ideas, strengths, and judgment?     In this episode, I'm exploring how the way we...

Some of your most valuable coaching skills might be the ones you barely notice. When something comes easily to you, it's tempting to assume everyone else can do it too. So you keep looking for something new to learn, something more impressive to teach, or another skill you think you need before you're ready.      In this episode, I explore why coaches so often overlook their natural strengths and...

When something isn't working in your coaching business, where does your brain go first? Maybe you think you're not smart enough, you're too much, or there's something about you that needs to change before you can succeed. But when you decide that you are the problem, it becomes almost impossible to see what else might be going on.       In this episode, I'm exploring how self-blame keeps coaches s...

There's one episode out of more than 300 that I've wanted to delete for years. Not because I no longer believe the topic matters, but because when I look back at why I recorded it and how I delivered it, I can hear something very clearly that I couldn't fully see at the time: I was defensive.      In this episode of the Unfinished series, I'm revisiting a previous episode where I shared criticism...

Learning something new can make it feel like you're starting from zero. Whether you're building a business, developing a new skill, or trying something you've never done before, it's easy to focus on everything you don't know yet and overlook how much you're already bringing with you.       In this episode of the Unfinished series, I'm sharing one of the most important skills I've learned while gr...

There's a thought that comes up all the time when we're struggling with something: I should be able to do this on my own. Maybe you think you should know how to do it by now, shouldn't need so much guidance, or should be able to figure it out without asking for help. But where did we get the idea that doing something alone is the goal?     In this episode, I explore what actually happens when we l...

The coaching industry has changed a lot over the past several years, and it will keep changing. But when you're building a business inside an evolving industry, it can be easy to wonder whether those changes mean something bigger. Is coaching really going to stand the test of time?      In this episode of the Unfinished series, I'm answering a listener question that deserved more than a quick resp...

So much of coaching can become an attempt to fix what feels wrong. A difficult thought shows up, an old pattern returns, or you react in a way you wish you hadn't, and suddenly the goal becomes getting rid of it. But what if the more useful place to begin is understanding why it's there in the first place?     In this episode of the Unfinished series, I'm joined by my friend and fellow coach Brig...

A successful coaching business isn't only about choosing the right strategy or working harder at the one you're already using. After a recent mastermind conversation, I couldn't stop thinking about two ingredients I see in coaching businesses that are working right now: enjoyment and hunger.       In this bonus episode of the Unfinished series, I break down why you need both and what can happen wh...

Your work doesn't have to stay the same just because the version you've built has been successful. As your life, capacity, interests, and priorities change, the way you coach and the business you build can change right along with them.      In this episode of the Unfinished series, I'm joined by my friend, colleague, and mentor, Trudi Lebrón, for a wide-ranging conversation about her work and how...

It's easy to look at a polished performance and assume you're seeing the whole story. But behind those few minutes when everything looks effortless, there can be hours of preparation, exhaustion, mistakes, frustration, laughter, and people working together to make it all happen.        In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of a weekend at my daughter's horse show and share why the experien...

One of the most common moments that makes coaches question themselves is when a client says, "I don't know what I want coaching on today." It can feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even like something has gone wrong. But what if that moment is actually giving you valuable information?     In this episode, I revisit one of the most popular episodes of the podcast with six years of additional coaching...

So many coaches believe there's a point where everything finally clicks, the messaging feels effortless, the self-doubt disappears, and running a business becomes easy. After 10 years in business, I've learned that there isn't a magical "there" waiting for you.    In this first episode of my new Unfinished series, I share how these next 10 episodes will bridge the current podcast and the new chapt...

What do you do when you know where you want to go, but you can't figure out why you keep getting stuck? Sometimes the answer isn't another mindset shift or a better strategy. The patterns holding you back may not be accessible through your conscious mind at all.     As I celebrate Episode 300 of the podcast, I'm diving into the long-awaited follow-up to Episode 296 by exploring why you can still f...

What happens when you've achieved your dream career, but you start feeling called toward something more?      In this episode, I talk with performance and well-being coach Jo Zakany about her journey from spending 20 years as a violist with the Cleveland Orchestra to becoming a full-time coach for classical musicians. We explore how she navigated that transition, the role coaching played in helpin...

There are so many ways to approach coaching, business, and personal growth, but finding your own style can sometimes feel harder than learning the actual tools.          In this episode, I talk with Amanda Stark, a coach who has helped hundreds of women put themselves first, about Human Design, coaching, and what it takes to build a business that actually fits your life and personality. We explore...

Sometimes your business can be working and still not feel like  you . Maybe you have had your head down, doing the work, achieving the goals, and keeping things moving, only to look up and realize you feel a little lost. In this episode, I'm sharing powerful prompts for coming back to yourself, your work, and the reason you became a coach in the first place. These questions are designed to help yo...

There are certain thoughts that seem to show up at exactly the wrong time. Just when you're working toward something meaningful, they appear and sound so convincing that they feel like facts. Whether it's "I'm not good enough," "I'm not ready yet," or "I'm so far behind," these deeply ingrained beliefs can quietly shape the way you think, act, and coach.      In this episode, I share eight coachin...

Growing a coaching business can feel exciting until the way you're running it stops supporting the business you've built. If you're successful by most measures but constantly overwhelmed behind the scenes, the problem might not be motivation, discipline, or consistency.     In this episode, I talk with Michelle MacNeil, a coach who teaches people systems and processes, about simple systems and how...

The idea of "having it all" can feel inspiring, unrealistic, or even frustrating depending on who you ask. For many ambitious women, it often feels like there is an invisible tradeoff between success, family, health, relationships, and the things that matter most.      In this episode, I talk with colleague and client, Binie Klein, about what it really means to have it all and why the answer may b...

Every coaching business has two roles running behind the scenes: the part of you making the big decisions and the part of you doing the day-to-day work. When those two roles are not communicating clearly, your business can start to feel heavier, more chaotic, or harder to run than it needs to.       In this episode, I talk about the relationship between your inner CEO and inner employee and how th...

There comes a point in many coaching businesses when what once worked starts to feel harder to sustain. Not because anything is wrong, but because you've grown, your priorities have changed, or the business you've built no longer fits the life you want to live.     In this episode, I talk with one of my incredible clients, Melisa Liberman, about the process of reimagining her coaching business. We...

So many coaches spend time looking for the next certification, strategy, or breakthrough while completely overlooking the things already getting in the way of their coaching. Sometimes the biggest obstacles are not a lack of talent or potential, but the thoughts, habits, and pressures we carry into our work.         In this episode, I talk about some of the most common things I see standing betwee...

As coaches, we can often get caught up in the idea that we have to be in constant transformation energy to be successful in our coaching businesses. But what happens when we stay in that constant state of transformation and forget to shift into our coaching expertise?      In this episode, I dive into how staying in transformation energy can lead to burnout and a constant sense of needing to chang...

Confusion, anxiety, and constant second-guessing in your business are not always signs that something bigger is wrong. Sometimes, the real issue is much simpler: decisions that have never actually been made.       In this episode, I break down how unmade decisions can quietly create chaos, uncertainty, and unnecessary stress in your business. I share how to spot these unmade decisions that may be...