Ep 15 — Executive Coach Corner — The NASA Protocol for High-Performer Burnout

A summary of a recent Executive Coach Corner session on coaching the high performer who's flying high — and keeping them from crashing on the way down. The centerpiece is a memorable framing: a rocket that goes up has to plan its splashdown. NASA doesn't just get astronauts to space; it builds re-entry protocols to bring them home safely — physically and emotionally, through the disorientation of a radically widened perspective. You'll hear how to apply that to founders, authors, and competitive athletes mid-surge: don't kill the momentum, but help them self-assess where they are and pre-plan the comedown before the burnout arrives. The conversation also gets into why friends rarely hire you (and the "one-way street" where clients become friends but friends can't become clients), the "strength of loose ties" as a referral engine, and a sharp metaphor for integrity — treating it like a stabilizing muscle you build with lighter weight, so clients stop breaking commitments they were never strong enough to keep. Inside CORAL shares summaries of the live sessions our members get every week. CORAL is a private, application-only community for people who work for themselves — founders, operators, and creators. Not a member yet? Apply to join at coral.vip.