STaR Coach Show

In today’s episode, I’m going solo to explore a question I’ve been asked dozens of times: “Should I take notes during my coaching sessions?” As with many things in life, this is not a black or white issue, and the experts are divided over their answers. It’s a simple question that doesn’t have a simple answer! Join me to weigh the ins and outs of the “great notes debate.” Show Highlights:There are two sides of the coin with strong opinions on both:Side 1: Taking notes during sessions:Note-taking can make you a better listener. (Are you distilling the info down to the essence of the conversation or trying to capture EVERY detail?)It gives the coachee a “break” from being stared at.My personal experience in documentation Taking notes helps track details, progress, and accountability. Side 2: Minimal note-taking (or the “less is more” mindset):Our job is to hold space for the client to process through the session; note-taking is not necessary.Note-taking can slow you down to the point that you won’t “end up” at the same place as your client.Note-taking can cause you to miss nonverbal cues from the client. The big question around taking notes: What is the purpose of your notes?Grounding with ethical principles in coaching around legality, records, privacy, etcWhat seasoned coaches say about their notes regarding transparencyFinding middle ground in the Great Notes DebateThe science of what happens in our brains: Divided attention vs. deep, empathetic listeningDeciphering body languageIs note-taking truly about helping the client move forward?Workable solutions to find middle ground: use appropriate forms, practice strategic note-taking (the two-layer approach, ABC framework, and technology tools)Meg’s advice: “Craft your own approach and find what works for you to serve your clients best and maintain the integrity of the coaching relationship.”To beginning coaches: “Give yourself permission to experiment while building your curiosity and presence muscles.”Resources:Connect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the third Thursday of every month at 1:00 p.m. CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

The important question every coach asks is, “How do I attract great clients?” We all want more amazing clients without having to invest in more marketing. Are you spending too much energy on building visibility and credibility? Learn to spend less time on daily content creation and more time on strategic relationship building and direct client generation! That’s our focus in today’s episode. Join us to learn more!Mary Cravets is an award-winning client generation expert and international speaker who helps coaches grow their businesses without working nights and weekends. She’s heard all the confusing and conflicting advice, and she’s not surprised that most coaches struggle to establish a sustainable business–but she’s here to change that. Using Mary’s methods, the majority of her clients quickly increase their income by 50% or more. Her clients range from the former CFO of Microsoft North America to coaches in their first few years of business. Show Highlights:A story from Mary: How 20 minutes of coaching can be transformativeWhat keeps coaches stuck? Confusion about visibility vs. lead generation (Credibility/visibility should be 10-20% of your time, and lead generation 80-90%.)“Lead generation is all about sparking, building, and nurturing genuine relationships.” –Mary CravetsIdentifying strategies vs. action steps (not dependent on competence!)What things lead to success for coaches? Referrals and speaking engagementsBreak down your discomfort; where is it coming from?“More clients, less marketing”: What does it mean?The skill set of client generation is not intuitive; it is challenging.Magnetic messaging is the key to client generation. Resources:Connect with Mary Cravets: Website, Free program: Uncomplicate Your Marketing, andFacebookConnect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.  

I was recently interviewed by John Ray on The Price And Value Journey Podcast, and I thought it only fitting to return the favor. I’ve loved spending time with John and getting to know him and his work. Today’s topic is an important one: pricing. We will discuss what we tell ourselves about pricing, how we underprice ourselves, and what needs to change about our pricing mindset. John has extensive experience and valuable wisdom to share, and every coach needs to hear what he has to say! Join us!John Ray is a consultant and business coach who advises expert service providers, including consultants, coaches, attorneys, fractional executives, and other service professionals, on two of their biggest challenges: pricing and business development. He is passionate about how changes in mindset, positioning, and pricing change the trajectory of a business and the lifestyle choices of a business owner. John’s #1 bestselling book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, was published in 2023. John is a radio enthusiast and fellow podcaster, hosting The Price And Value Journey Podcast and North Fulton Business Radio. Show Highlights:Red flags of inadequate pricing: pricing by the hour and working too hard for too little money  “You need a certain number of clients who are saying NO because you are too expensive.” –John RayAs a service provider, YOU are the product.Mindsets that get in the way of success for service providers: impostor syndrome, inadequacy, and helpingGenerosity Mindset: Getting in the head of your clients and understanding where they see value in what we deliverAn example of the generosity mindset at work in the intangibles“The effectiveness of your pricing is constrained by your willingness to have a value conversation.” –John RaySales vs. serving people in understanding their needs, wants, hopes, desires, and fearsConsiderations in offering differentiated options to clients with a “good, better, best model”Advice about creating long-term clientsDon’t turn yourself into a commodity!Messages about pricing across the lifespan of a business Pricing adequately will help you achieve the ultimate goal of working less and earning more. Abundance vs. scarcity mindsetResources:Connect with John Ray: Website, Facebook, Emaill, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices book, and The Price And Value Journey Podcast Connect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the

As service providers, it’s imperative that we emphasize our own well-being before we can be there fully to help others. My guest is the ideal person to help us understand this concept of transforming sabotage into success. Join us to learn more!Carol Look is a psychotherapist, Founding EFT Master, bestselling author, and international speaker. In creating The Yes Code, her signature coaching method, she combines her traditional training as a psychotherapist with clinical hypnosis and advanced applications of EFT for unprecedented results. Known for her laser-like focus and state-of-the-art approach, Carol has utilized EFT tapping for over 25 years to help clients release their limiting beliefs and emotional conflicts, enabling them to enjoy lives of exceptional success and fulfillment. Carol is a world-renowned EFT workshop presenter and is a regularly featured energy medicine expert on leading global telesummits and documentaries. Her book, The Yes Code, was just released in late 2024. Show Highlights:Carol’s journey to create The Yes Code, her three-step coaching process“Taking care of myself consistently is what changed my life.”--Carol LookThe importance of asking the right questions to address the core issuesUnderstanding the emotional expense of sabotaging yourself with the fear of visibility and successQuestions to ask yourself to understand your behaviors (the real issue vs. surface behaviors)Being neutral about our reactionsTapping (EFT): the ultimate stress-relief technique (that rewires your brain)An example of using Carol’s technique around the fear of being visibleCarol’s takeaway from our conversation regarding calming down your stress levels (A tapping technique will help in only 10 minutes daily!)Resources:Connect with Carol Look: The Yes Code Website (free resources), Carol’s Website, and The Yes Code bookConnect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.  

Today’s expert guest joins us to explore the essentials of business building through self-coaching and personal alignment. We discuss the importance of self-reflection, niching down, and adapting in today’s ever-changing coaching landscape. Join us to learn more!Ellen Kocher is a visionary entrepreneur, workplace wellness expert, and Master Certified Coach who works with coaches to be their very best. She has over two decades of experience empowering individuals, teams, and organizations to thrive through transitions. Her long career is a testament to her agility, creativity, and passion for building solutions that drive meaningful impact. The founding of three thriving businesses reflects her innovative approach to coaching and consulting. Her book, Wake-Up, Shake-Up, Thrive! How to Lift Up Your Life in Your 50s and Beyond, and transformative workshops have inspired professionals worldwide to embrace growth, possibility, and reinvention at every stage of life. Show Highlights:Using a coach approach on ourselves, and what that meansAsk the important question—and re-ask it continually.Ellen’s personal example of using a coach approach on herself by listening and adaptingUnderstanding your “inside driver” to resolve and succeed in your values-based coaching businessFeeling “wobbly”? Here are Ellen’s tips:Ask, “Who am I?” (Use self-awareness, and focus on being and doing.)Align with your values, and re-align when necessary.Be open to growth and “pivot-ness.” (There is power in pivoting!)Niche down as specifically as possible by listening to internal and external feedback. (Try, listen, observe, and adapt.)Highlights of Ellen’s journey and the many pivots along the wayEllen’s #1 takeaway about collaboration, connection, and needing othersResources:Connect with Ellen KocherLinkedIn, Whealthness Facebook, Wake-Up Shake-Up, Thrive,  Facebook, Wake-Up, Shake-Up, Thrive! How to Lift Up Your Life in Your 50s and Beyond book, and Email.Connect with MegENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.  

In today’s solo episode, we are exploring why developing emotional regulation is fundamental to having an effective coaching mindset. We will learn how emotions are valuable clues to our underlying thoughts and self-talk. I’ll share practical techniques to master your emotional compass. Join me!Show Highlights:A personal example from MegThe key is to slow down and discover what’s happening beneath the surface to generate your emotions.Guard against putting yourself in the middle of the session. It’s supposed to be about the client!Unregulated emotions lead to hijacked sessions, where we project our own issues onto our clients and miss important clues.Five specific techniques to use to master your emotional compass:Develop a pre-session centering ritual.Practice the pause.Use body awareness as an early warning system.Maintain a reflection journal to document moments of emotional activation during sessions. Work with your own coach to explore your emotional patterns.Examples of different coaching scenarios that trigger our responsesThe client’s perspective is THE most important one, not yours.Emotional regulation is about developing a wise relationship with your emotions so you can learn from them.“Great coaches are not emotionless; they are emotionally masterful.”One simple practice to strengthen your emotional regulation muscle: “Name it to tame it.”Remember that emotions are clues, not commands.Resources:Connect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

Today’s show focuses on personal growth and mindset, and we are highlighting the significance of being the main character in your life story. Along with how to maximize gratitude and attitude, you’ll learn the four essential energies for success, the energies that stop us in our tracks, and the storytellers that live in our brains. Join us to learn more!Dianna Kokoszka is an award-winning entrepreneur, business leader, and former CEO. She is a practitioner of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and a founding member of the John Maxwell Team of Certified Coaches. Her dedication to developing leaders and encouraging individuals to recognize and harness their innate potential has made her a prominent figure in the coaching industry. Dianna is the author of Becoming More: You Can't Get to Better Until You Get to Different.Show Highlights:Which character are you playing in your life story?Adding value to others’ lives—every single dayIf you don’t like your story right now, YOU can change it!The four energies of success: confidence, gratitude, being in the present, and purposeEnergies that limit us vs. those that liberate usAdvice for those who are stuckThe power of gratitude in your mindsetAttitude and mindset are NOT the same!The four storytellers that live in our brains: the devious storyteller, the flattering storyteller, the reasonable storyteller, and the empowering storytellerThe human brain loves negativity!Understanding the prevalence of a scarcity mindsetDianna’s key takeaway about growthResources: Connect with Dianna Kokoszka: Website, Coaching Blitz Bootcamp, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Becoming More: You Can't Get to Better Until You Get to Different.Connect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

Today’s episode focuses on how nature inspires leadership and personal growth. If you’ve never considered how this plentiful resource can beautifully complement the world of coaching, join us to learn more!John Sigmon is an esteemed executive coach, speaker, and organizational transformation expert. He owns and leads Sigmon Leadership Solutions and is the author of Wild Leadership: What Nature Teaches Us About Adaptability, Resilience, and Intuition. John has over 25 years of experience in executive coaching, and his integration of nature into coaching began during the pandemic, inspired by a creativity-focused learning event. He helps connect people to their higher wisdom and partners with executives to tap into effective business solutions and practice leadership applications. John is a returning guest to the show, appearing a couple of years ago in Episode 175. We are discussing the concept behind his book, what nature teaches us about leadership, and the vastness of the untapped resources all around us. Show Highlights:John’s motivation to focus on nature AND leadershipJohn’s transformational journey as a coach who wanted MOREClients’ transformations encompass a wide range of experiences with nature.Adaptability, resilience, and intuition—how these qualities show up in coachingLeading chemistry and alignment conversations to get clear with clientsNature IS reality and is a free resource that “holds us.”Key takeaways from JohnResources:Connect with John Sigmon: LinkedIn, YouTube, Wild Leadership, and Episode 175Connect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

Being a solopreneur is NOT easy! How do you know what to outsource and what to tackle yourself? There are many things to consider, so join us to unlock winning strategies with our expert, Carly Ries. Carly Ries is a marketing expert with nearly 20 years of experience. Since 2020, she has been the Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for LifeStarr and has cohosted The Aspiring Solopreneur Podcast. She also co-authored the upcoming book, Solopreneur Business for Dummies. Because of Carly’s passion for helping solopreneurs, she’s the perfect person to help us learn more about getting our work into the world and building thriving businesses.Show Highlights:Carly’s smart tips for outsourcing: (It’s a mindset thing! Being a solopreneur does NOT mean doing it all yourself!)Outsource things that don’t bring you joy and aren’t your genius work, so you can focus on high-quality work.Consider bartering for services with others.Put AI tools to work for you! Considerations in creating a business that works for your life and your ideal lifestyle. (Learn to reverse engineer!)Start small when it comes to outsourcing.Establish and document your SOPs.Instead of trying to do EVERYTHING, let people know what you do.Change your viewpoint! Turn social media platforms into true communities.Use AI to be more human and make more connections.Think about your pipeline and get creative with your downtime. Resources:Connect with Carly Ries: Website, The Aspiring Solopreneur Podcast, LinkedIn, and Solopreneur Business for DummiesConnect with Meg:ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.  

Is fear holding you back? We are diving into this topic, which affects all of us in our coaching careers. I believe that fear, not hate, is the opposite of love. When we are caught up in the fear of what other people think about us, whether we are smart enough, bright enough, and strong enough, we are held back from the love of what we do and the love for those around us. With our focus on stepping into fear vs. love, I hope this episode will keep fear from being the barrier preventing us from stepping into the world and bringing our expertise forward. Along with exploring this topic, we will discuss practical strategies to move beyond fear. Join us!Show Highlights:Recognizing and normalizing the fearThe chatter in our brains is fueled by fear and keeps us small!You, your special sauce, and your unique perspective are needed in the world!The cost of staying small for you, your audience, and the world.Specific fears that service professionals encounter:The fear of criticismThe fear of “impostor syndrome”The fear of responsibilityPerfectionismThe comparison trapStrategies to conquer fears:Set clear boundaries.Ground yourself in general knowledge and expertise.Adopt a communication style that is adult-to-adult.Shift your lens to the service you offer and the impact you can have.Examples of those who have pushed past the fear that held them backKey takeaways and a challenge from MegResources:Connect with MegENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Click here for more information and sign up now! Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.