Better Bolder Braver

What if your best marketing move wasn't saying more - but asking better questions?In this episode, I'm joined by Rob Lawrence: seasoned podcast producer, experienced coach, and - I'll be honest - one of my marketing heroes. Rob is also, rather wonderfully, the reason Better Bolder Braver exists at all. It was his generosity in inviting me onto the Association for Coaching podcast that kicked the whole thing off.Together we explore one of the most liberating ideas in good, ethical marketing: that coaches are already equipped with one of the most powerful marketing tools there is. They just might not have recognised it yet.What we talk aboutWhy asking questions often generates more engagement than sharing expertise - on LinkedIn, in podcasts, and in lifeHow "holding the space" in marketing creates the same trust and intimacy as a coaching relationshipThe connection between self-awareness in coaching and self-awareness in marketingWhy you don't need to say something new every week - and why saying the same five things, creatively, is actually the goalHow questions can move your ideal clients through the Journey of Consciousness - from "I didn't know I had a problem" to "I'm ready to work with you"The difference between posting publicly and taking conversations offline - and why Rob's quieter LinkedIn strategy works beautifullyRob's 10-year weekly mastermind with his Australian counterpart Steve Palfreyman - and why he calls it his single biggest business secretHow to translate your best coaching questions directly into your marketingMentioned in this episodeThe original Association for Coaching x BBB podcastMy weekly Reflection & Confidence space in the BBB communityThe Journey of Consciousness frameworkJoin Rob liveRob has hosted two workshops for BBB members - about "Podcasting for Coaches" and, most recently about "How to Use Brilliant Coaching Questions to do Good Ethical Marketing" - to accompany this podcast episode. To access the recording, become a BBB member.

In this episode, I spoke with Dawn Mullen, coach, psychology student and researcher, about the wellbeing of coaches. We explored some of the pressures coaches face, from the emotional demands of the work itself to the realities of marketing, visibility and running a business. It was a thoughtful conversation about boundaries, self-awareness, reflection, support, and what it takes to build a coaching practice that is both sustainable and humane.You can find out more about Dawn and her work via her Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-mullen/

In this episode, I talk to coach Sophie Swinn about what can change when you get clearer on who your work is really for, and start building your business accordingly.Sophie shares how her business has evolved over the past year, from questioning whether she could really make coaching work, to developing a more focused offer for CEOs in scaling organisations, attracting higher-value clients, and growing in confidence as a business owner.Together, we explore what clearer positioning actually looks like in practice. We talk about niching without feeling boxed in, using real client language instead of coaching jargon, experimenting with webinars and LinkedIn outreach, and finding a way to use automation without losing the human touch.We also discuss pricing, longer-term retainers, and the internal shift required to stop charging mainly for time and start thinking more seriously about results, value, and fit.This is an honest conversation about visibility, courage, sustainability, and what it can look like to grow a coaching business in a way that is more intentional, more commercially viable, and more aligned with the work you most want to do.In this episode, Sophie and I talk about:how she became clearer about working with CEOswhy niching can make your marketing easier, not harderthe difference between coaching language and client languagewhat she has learned from webinars, newsletters, and LinkedIn outreachhow she thinks about AI, automation, and keeping marketing humanwhy she moved away from six-session packages towards longer-term retainerswhat changed when she began thinking more seriously about pricing and valuehow improv has helped her with visibility, confidence, and getting things wrongthe role of humility, experimentation, and consistency in growing a businessAbout SophieSophie Swinn is a coach who works with CEOs and senior leaders, helping them think more clearly, lead more effectively, and navigate the complexity of growth. In this conversation, she reflects candidly on the mindset shifts, marketing decisions, and business development experiments that have shaped her journey so far.LinksFind Sophie Swinn: www.swinnleadershipcoaching.co.ukFind out more about Better Bolder Braver: www.betterbolderbraver.comIf this episode speaks to where you are in your own marketing journey, please follow the show and share it with a coach who might appreciate it too.

This is the first episode of the newly revamped Better Bolder Braver podcast, and I’m delighted to be joined by Fiona Greenhill — a coach, trainer and consultant, and long-time member of the BBB community, who supports people working in theatre, the arts and culture.We talk about Fiona’s move from London to Hampshire— creating a life close to the sea and the woods, while still working in a sector that can feel very London-centric — and how she’s built a steady, spacious “work-work balance” by combining coaching with part-time employment.Fiona also shares why outdoor coaching didn’t quite work in practice, and how she now brings the environment into her work as a valuable “third element” in the coaching relationship. And she introduces her new offer: Coaching Skills for Arts Leaders and Managers, designed to help teams lead well and know when to coach and when to be direct.I hope you enjoy the conversation.

In this episode, Frances speaks with strategic communication expert and Think Room CEO, Liora Kern, about how coaches can use AI in their marketing without losing their voice, values, or humanity.They explore:What Generative Engine Optimization (GEO/AIO) is and why it matters more than traditional SEOHow to define your “DNA key” – the unique voice, story, and stance that should sit behind all your marketingPractical ways to use tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Granola and others – even if you’re just startingHow to brief AI properly so it sounds like you, not like generic “AI language”Privacy, ethics, and why your business can benefit from AI without pretending to be a robot or burning outIf you’re a life or executive coach feeling both curious and cautious about AI, this conversation will help you understand what’s possible, what to watch out for, and how to stay credible, ethical, and human in the age of algorithms.

In this episode, BBB community member, Fiona Partington, shares her story of transition and what has inspired to grow her coaching business in 2026.She talks about joining Better Bolder Braver in July 2024 after discovering it through an AoEC alumni session, and why the community model matters more to her than consuming marketing content alone. She describes trying to work through The Coach’s Marketing Journey alongside a demanding job, and how the live sessions, chapter-based check-ins, and confidence focused reflections have helped her stay connected and keep moving.Fiona outlines the coaching work she is building, including her role with Future Dreams, a breast cancer support charity in North London. She explains the two client groups she is most drawn to, people navigating work / life balance decisions and people making big life changes around career, family, and location. The common thread is rebuilding confidence during transition.She also addresses her relationship with marketing, moving from discomfort about self-promotion to a clearer view that marketing is simply how people find out a safe space exists. She shares her preference for one-to-one, human centred coaching over personality based approaches, and her belief in word of mouth rather than chasing vanity metrics. Fiona is active on LinkedIn and is currently building her presence without a website.Finally, Fiona speaks candidly about integrating her own health experience as a breast cancer survivor into her work, including what she has learned about acceptance and the reality of “never going back to normal”. She closes with her next steps for 2026, including joining the January Coach’s Marketing Journey sprint and building a sustainable balance between cancer related coaching and wider transition work.

In this final episode dedicated to the Better Bolder Braver Coach’s Marketing Journey (CMJ) course, Betty and Bruno guide you through the sixth and final chapter: Journey—where all the pieces come together into a sustainable, ethical, and purpose-led marketing strategy.This chapter helps you map out both your client’s journey—from where they start to where they aspire to be—and your own journey as a coach and marketer. You’ll explore how to align your content with your client’s progression, craft messaging that speaks to a smallest viable audience, and clearly communicate the outcomes and process of working with you.Alongside practical tools like journey and content mapping, you’ll be encouraged to refine your purpose, reflect on your course experience, and continue building a marketing approach that puts your clients first—while remaining grounded in your own values.If you’re ready to step forward with a marketing plan that truly reflects who you are and how you help, this episode offers the clarity and encouragement to do just that.Learn more about the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In this episode, Betty and Bruno introduce you to Chapter 5 of The Coach’s Marketing Journey, where the focus turns to content creation—not as a sales tool, but as a way to build trust and deepen connection with your ideal clients.You’ll explore how to shift from selling to informing, creating content that resonates, reassures, and reflects your unique voice as a coach. This chapter covers how to identify your audience’s needs, find an authentic tone, and use the right format—whether Watch, Read, Listen, or Do—to meet them where they are.You’ll also learn how to repurpose content for efficiency, and why embracing imperfection in your content is often the key to getting started and staying consistent. Through guided reflection and practical exercises, you’ll begin to approach content creation as a natural extension of your coaching rather than a performance.If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure about what to share, this episode will help you unlock a more joyful, confident, and sustainable approach to showing up online.Learn more about the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In this episode of the Better Bolder Braver Podcast, Betty and Bruno walk you through Chapter 4 of The Coach’s Marketing Journey, where we focus on developing and refining your coaching offer as a clear and compelling “product.”This chapter helps you design services that truly meet your clients’ emotional and practical needs, while keeping your product design simple and purposeful. You’ll explore how to deliver your methods effectively, structure your offer, and present it in a way that resonates with the people you want to help.We’ll also cover pricing strategies and invite you to reflect on your product development process, ensuring your coaching offer feels aligned, valuable, and easy to communicate.If you’re ready to shape a coaching offer that your ideal clients will instantly understand and feel drawn to, this episode will guide you through the essentials of turning your service into a product that works.Learn more about the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In this episode of the Better Bolder Braver Podcast, Betty and Bruno dive into Chapter 3 of The Coach’s Marketing Journey, which is all about the power of storytelling for coaches.This chapter guides you in confidently and authentically sharing your story with potential clients, while keeping their journey at the heart of your message. You’ll learn how to weave empathy and authority into your narrative, explore the “Who, What, and Why” of marketing, and understand how to set boundaries and show vulnerability without stepping into the victim, persecutor, or rescuer roles.You’ll also discover the structure of a great story—from its compelling beginning to its meaningful end—and get practical exercises to craft and pitch your coaching story in a way that inspires trust and connection.If you want to tell your story with confidence and purpose, this episode will guide you through a process that makes your marketing both human and effective.Learn more about the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In this episode of the Better Bolder Braver Podcast, Betty and Bruno guide you through Chapter 2 of The Coach’s Marketing Journey—a deep dive into the world of your ideal client.This chapter helps you niche with confidence so you can serve the people who truly need and value your coaching. You’ll explore the 'Five Levels of Awareness' that shape how potential clients think, feel, and eventually choose to work with you.Through practical exercises like imagining your ideal client and building an audience transformation table, you’ll learn to define your target audience, understand their needs, and start shaping a marketing approach that feels authentic and sustainable. The chapter also invites reflection and further reading to help you integrate these insights into your marketing journey.If you’re ready to clarify who you serve and how to reach them, this episode will help you focus your energy where it matters most.Learn more about the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In today’s episode, Betty and Bruno take you inside the first chapter of The Coach’s Marketing Journey, Better Bolder Braver’s self-paced online course for coaches. This opening chapter is all about mindset—inviting you to explore the profound impact you have on your clients’ lives and the wider world.Over thirteen sequential topics, you’ll uncover your unique value, set meaningful personal and professional goals, and begin to develop a marketing mindset that feels authentic and sustainable. Each exercise is designed to help you see yourself, your work, and your marketing in a new, empowering light.If you’re ready to step into a mindset that makes marketing feel natural, ethical, and aligned with your purpose, this episode is the perfect place to start your Coach’s Marketing Journey.

In this episode, Betty and Bruno explore The Coach’s Marketing Journey, Better Bolder Braver's self-paced online course designed to help coaches build effective, sustainable, and authentic marketing strategies. This unique programme takes a coaching-style approach to marketing, guiding you through a reflective process of self-discovery and deep client understanding.Structured into six comprehensive chapters, the course covers everything from mindset and ideal client identification to product creation, content development, and finally crafting your own personalised marketing plan. With over 70 bite-sized video lessons, practical exercises, and downloadable resources, it offers a complete toolkit for coaches who want to market confidently without losing their values.Beyond the core curriculum, participants gain access to bi-weekly group check-in sessions led by BBB Founder and Cheeleader-in-Chief, Frances Fogel, as well as a supportive online community for discussion, reflection, and encouragement. Plus, the program is accredited by The Association for Coaching, meaning members can log CPD hours upon completion.If you’re a coach looking to develop a marketing approach that is ethical, sustainable, and truly your own, this episode will introduce you to the journey that can take you there.Learn more and join the course here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/coachs-marketing-journey

In this very short episode, Betty and Bruno  introduce Better Bolder Braver as a comprehensive resource for coaches seeking to engage in ethical, human-centered, and sustainable marketing. They outline here how BBB provides a safe and reflective community space for "people-helpers" to enhance their self-awareness regarding visibility and explore good marketing practices. You will hear about the diverse offerings, including workshops, masterclasses, and interactive discussions, alongside (along with the monthly subscription price) and the various channels through which Better Bolder Braver connects with its audience.Get clear here on the value of this supportive community for coaches looking to become more confident and joyful in their marketing journey.Read all about it here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/the-better-bolder-braver-vision/

Better Bolder Braver introduces the concept of the "Journey of Consciousness" as a framework for coaches to practice effective and ethical marketing. This approach prioritizes nurturing relationships and guiding potential clients through five levels of awareness—from being unaware of a problem to being ready for engagement—rather than focusing on aggressive sales. In this episode of The Deep Dive, Betty and Bruno emphasise that coaches should understand where a prospect is in their journey and provide information and support tailored to that stage, making the discovery call booking process seamless. The Journey of Consciousness aims to attract genuinely aligned clients ready for meaningful coaching work.Find out more via the Better Bolder Braver website:https://betterbolderbraver.com/journey-of-consciousness/

In this first episode of a brand new, deep but also light conversation series from Better Bolder Braver: The Deep Dive, your hosts - Betty and Bruno - guide you through "Starting with the Numbers," written by Frances, the co-founder of Better Bolder Braver community.The free guide aims to help coaches improve their relationship with marketing by focusing on practical financial planning and self-awareness. The guide emphasises understanding personal needs, limits, boundaries, and values before traditional marketing strategies. It introduces "The Spreadsheet of Things" as a core tool for income planning and managing work-life balance, offering a template and clear instructions for its use. This BBB-original resource seeks to empower coaches to build a sustainable and energising business by aligning their financial goals with their personal well-being and broader impact.

I’m really proud to announce that we are partnering with EcoSend, a “pioneering platform dedicated to increasing email marketing productivity and performance while minimising the carbon footprint associated with digital marketing”.  The coaching industry continues to boom, with over 71,000 professional coaches in the UK alone. In this conversation we discuss helping coaches make wise choices about your marketing in mind of your own Wants, Needs, Limits and Boundaries, those of your Ideal Client, and the Planet. The environmental impact of our digital activities is an often overlooked subject, despite studies indicating that sending one email campaign can generate as much as 26g of CO2. It is estimated that over 340 billion emails are sent every day, and processing, sending, receiving, and storing the contents of every email requires energy. Even small improvements can add up to make a significant impact when deployed at a global scale. There is so much noise out there about how to sell coaching to generate a six-figure (or “10x” your) income. For three years now, Better Bolder Braver has been all about how to avoid the Toxic Marketing Bullsh*t. The BBB community and the Coach’s Marketing Journey course offers you guidance and support about building up a coaching business via feel-good and ethical marketing practices. I have myself moved Better Bolder Braver’s email marketing operations over to Ecosend to reduce our carbon footprint. Building on this, I have partnered with EcoSend to support you to do the same. Better Bolder Braver friends (that’s you!)  benefit from a discounted EcoSend service as well as some incredibly helpful hand-holding from their team. As part of this partnership, I’ve been asked by EcoSend to provide them with marketing mentorship - so that they can enhance their own efforts to reach like-minded companies and individuals committed to creating responsible businesses. The move to EcoSend has been utterly painless, even for a technophobe. If you are minded to make the move, I’d say DO IT! It’s arguably the easiest way you can have a positive impact on the environment as an entrepreneur. James says: "Great email marketing campaigns shouldn’t come at the expense of Planet Earth. We're thrilled to be partnering with Better Bolder Braver to support coaches in nurturing and growing their audiences, while sharing a positive climate message and reducing their digital carbon footprint."  You may also like to visit the MarketingKind and Ethical Move websites for more information about good, ethical marketing - and the Carbon Literacy Trust, which was set up to advance understanding and action on climate change. I trained with them recently and wholeheartedly recommend it. I’d really love to know if you make the move to EcoSend, and how you are getting on with email marketing generally. Please be in touch if you'd like the magic link that entitles you to 15% off the EcoSend service.

Humans have been "trying to figure it all out" for a while now... The most important thing about this podcast episode with highly qualified coach and excellent human, Vix Anderton, is that it comes at a time when so many could do with an injection of hope. The balance of self-work and bigger picture system change are very alive for a lot of us right now. But how can we mitigate the overwhelm? We are only human. We are but dust. We recently ran a BBB Tools & Techniques workshop just for coaches (available on demand for BBB members) about 'Cyclical Living' with Vix. This podcast episode is about that subject... and so much more. Recently, Vix - an ex-military, recovering perfectionist, has been thinking a lot about the importance of PURPOSE... or, indeed, the importance of not necessarily having one. Her first book, Enough, is "an imperfect antidote to perfectionism". And now she is embarking on a second... listen to this episode to hear all about what she's cooking up. It's going to be another banger, no doubt. Whilst arguably IMperfect, Vix's writing, which recently has been focused on themes such as "an alternative approach to discipline", NOT reaching your goals and "leaning into mystery" is pretty damn impressive/permissive/refreshing. Earth yourself in a moment of realistic optimism and consider creating positive change - both individually and collectively - without a rigid plan. P.S. If you want a pretty good idea of what perfect MIGHT look like, were there such a thing, do check out Vix's website - from the 'look and feel 'of it to the delightfully-to-the-point blog headlines, it's a great example of where coaching and marketing make magic happen.

Are you a coach who is really struggling to "put yourself" out there in the world?Is there a voice in your head (that perhaps harks back to your childhood) that is telling you that everything you need to produce has to be perfect before you share it?Are you convinced people are not interested? Scared of rejection? Worried about what people will think of you? Embarrassed about (being seen to want to be) taking centre stage?If you've read thus far, you are - what we call in the Better Bolder Braver community - "Problem Aware". YOU are not the problem... the problem is the hold up at your end. And the JUDGEMENT about that hold up!Please - give yourself a break. Put your feed up. And have a listen to our resident Mindfulness Coach, Alex "mindfulskills" Irving, sharing and caring all about what you - as a fellow coach - can do to befriend yourself and your relationship with what we are calling here your "Inner Critic".The aim of the BBB game is to provide coaches with a safe and compassionate community within which we can play with, and practice, putting ourselves and our services out there with great clarity, confidence and joy.Alongside technical tools and strategies for doing good, ethical marketing, we hold each other kindly - and to account - for taking our goodness out to the world, so that we - and "Our People" can benefit from this work."We are not for everyone" - says Marketing Godfather, Seth Godin... and that's OK".

So many people that were looking to pivot their career thanks to Lockdown trained to become a coach. And sadly, a significant number of them then got caught up with some seriously dubious marketing advice and services. It is totally unsurprising, therefore, that Chelle Douglas (now safely in the BBB community) was one of them. Having to think creatively about what to do when her previous line of work became unviable in its current format, Chelle trained with one of the most well-known coaching training providers. But when she qualified, she felt lost and unsure as to what she was supposed to do next to get her business and good name out there. A familiar story. Along came a seemingly reliable marketing outfit that promised to show her how to get loads of clients pretty quickly and - you guessed it - to "10 x her income". She followed all their (farcical) advice and... Nothing. So they tried to get her to pay them even more money (her original investment being no less than £5K... she could have been in the BBB community for more than 8 years for that amount of money!) But she's not bitter. Thankfully Chelle is a brilliant, intelligent, optimistic and resourceful coach and mother of three children. So she picked herself up, dusted herself off and carried on looking for a way to grow her coaching business. She's very kindly offered up this candid account of what happened so as to help prevent other, newly qualified coaches from being brainwashed and taken advantage of. Please do have a listen and kindly share this with fellow coaching students, your coaching training providers, accreditation bodies and anyone else that you think needs to steer clear or could do with feeling that they are not alone. I am incredibly grateful to Chelle for her generosity here, and so happy she is now safely in the BBB community and working with me on a 121 basis.

The BBB Podcast is back!And here's the latest episode, which is all about... PODCASTING! In this jovial chat - designed for any people-helpers out there looking to do good, ethical marketing - we give you a raw and ready-to-help rundown of how to go about doing podcasting properly, how to repurpose the content and be inspired by ideas about creating conversations with your "low hanging fruit". BBB "in-house" podcasting and email marketing expert, Mark Steadman, is all about how to organically grow your followers and build great relationships with them across your podcast and/or email platforms. This is a great episode to listen to if you are thinking about your ideal client and who you want to surround yourself with.Better Bolder Braver Tools & Techniques workshops are open to community members as well as all "people-helpers" more widely who are interested to join BBB and do good ethical marketing. The corresponding podcast episodes are designed to compliment these workshops - with each host being a guest on the pod.If you are not a member of the BBB community and so missed the workshop, here's your opportunity to not miss out! Register for our next Tools & Techniques workshop here

Nearly three years ago, BBB Community Mentor, Kieran Morris, joined a fledging community for coaches on a hunch that it might be just what he was looking for. He'd already spent time and money on many of the magical silver bullet solutions out there – outsourcing his social media to an agency, trying out a 'bulletproof lead gen' strategy, signing up for those seminars that promise to teach you how to win at LinkedIn. He truly hated them all – the strategies, not the people – and had rarely felt so little alignment with my own values and vision. Finding Better Bolder Braver made it feel as though a door had been opened to another world for Kieran. He met people he loved, formed deep friendships, collaborated, get clearer on his coaching offering and became less attached to the idea of what it is to market oneself as a coach. Kieran is now working for that very community as a Mentor, alongside his friend and fellow community old-timer, Ellie Lloyd-Jones. Both felt that that they wanted to offer their expertise and lived experience back to the others with whom they share this inspriing space. On this podcast episode, Kieran and Ellie chat about their plans for a new offering in the BBB community. Their new sessions - 'Know Yourself' and 'Show Yourself' - will run alongside the existing curriculum, and will give space for members to explore the depth and breadth of what it is to put ourselves out there – emotionally and practically.

In this honest conversation, Simon and I tell you why Simon is leaving Better Bolder Braver, and what exciting things are up next for them and also for the BBB community, which continues to thrive. I announce three big bits of news for the future of BBB and, together, Simon and I look back on what has been a remarkable and very rewarding journey having built this community together. This is an exciting moment for us both, apart and together!

It is with great joy that I announce a new and wonderful era of collaboration and cheerleading for Better Bolder Braver. I am very pleased to share with you that two of our longest-standing community members, ⁠Ellie Lloyd-Jones ⁠and ⁠Kieran Morris⁠ - two of the most delightful beings there are out there - will be stepping up to help mentor new members. Having worked their way through the community's signature Coach's Marketing Journey course themselves, and having now built wonderful coaching businesses that continue to grow, they are in a great position to help me guide others along the way. In this brief video, we tell you all about how this new collaboration will work and announce some new sessions for the BBB calendar to complement the existing live sessions - all for the same community membership price of £50 a month... Despite rising costs of living, it's important to me and other community members that we keep our space open and affordable for other coaches on a similar journey in building their businesses. I will be talking more, moving forward, about how other BBB members are becoming marketing experts, stepping up to support and collaborating to help others to build resilient and sustainable coaching businesses. Ellie, Kieran and I very much hope you will taken advantage of the 2-week community trial period and join us in time for the first of the next Coach's Marketing Journey Check-in sessions on Tuesday 24th April 2024. Join Better Bolder Braver before April 24th 2024: https://bit.ly/3TDYB37

Joe Portsmouth has 51.3K Followers on X (formerly Twitter), 15K email subscribers and 26K followers on Linkedin. The headline for his newsletter - Write-On - is, "Hulk Smash Your Revenue Goals With Mouth-Watering Copy (Even if you think your writing sucks). In this conversation, Frances and Joe talk about Joe's course, The Storywriting Playbook - Joe's 5-step approach for writing compelling stories in copywriting that has helped him generate over $50,000,000 in revenue. The also talk about The Journey of Consciousness, ethical marketing, how learning how to tell stories can boost your confidence more widely, and how business use stories for good. If you'd like to sign up for Joe's course, you can DM him via Linkedin.

On this podcast episode, I dive deeply with a very dear friend of mine and fellow people-helper, Matt Matheson. Matt is known as The Speaking Coach. He helps people communicate, present and facilitate better. He is a co-creational events and retreat designer and the creator of The Church of Fail - "a cultural totem to instil reflective learning". We talk about: Coaching in the Workplace Your Personal Brand Harnessing corporate stories to improve culture and sales Johann Hari's Nine Causes of Depression Summercamp Would You Rather CBT Improv and Comedy Matt Matheson on Linkedin

Leslie Mello is a brand consultant, designer and nutritionist who loves to help natural health practitioners thrive. She is also a member of the Better Bolder Braver community. Check out her gorgeous website: https://www.mellobranding.com/ She is dedicated to supporting natural health professionals with everything they need to launch a successful practice and keep growing and - like us, Leslie is on a mission to help people-helpers to grow their business in a healthy and sustainable way. She says, "Marketing your business works best when you have a healthy brand built on a solid foundation." She cares about all of the BBB things and herself describes on her website how, Many people get overwhelmed by things like how to choose a business name, create a logo, make a website, content creation, marketing and more. It can seem like the market is flooded with competitors who are already super successful. I promise you are unique and have a lot to offer! In this live podcast recording session, we talk to a fellow member of what we call our Better Bolder Braver "marketing family" about what beautiful brand assets are and what good, ethical marketing looks like.

In this first episode of our mini series to celebrate the new Better Bolder Braver offering for Businesses, I speak to an old friend, inspirational coach and consultant in Innovation, Warren Minde. We discuss Personal Brand at work and how important it is to get clear on one's limits, needs, skills and values. We talk about how being a leader is like parenting, but also how important it is for employees to establish their own, independent sense of self. If you are a business owner, an employer, or person working in an organisation with other people, then conversation is definitely for you. To find out more about how Better Bolder Braver can help YOU at work, visit our website: www.betterbolderbraver/corporate And you can find out more about Warren and his work via https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenminde/

Are you a coach trying to help change the world one client at a time and to support people you love and care about?However, is the sea of coach product platforms out there like the wild west to you??Are you excited to expand your coaching from 121 to group, workshop, programme, cohort, community work?Would you like to help your clients be more productive and to enjoy accountability but are overwhelmed with the tech available to do so?We want to make your life easier so that you can do the work you love.Please join us for this live masterclass to hear from one of our members, David Henzel, the CEO of upcoach, an exciting platform built for coaches by coaches as a place to host coaching courses, worksheets, communities and other services.

Thomas Kolster's 'Zone of Genius' is where marketing, business and sustainability meet.He continuously challenges the status-quo with his vocal, and often provocative, views on values, purpose, and leadership."In an over-crowded do-good market," he says, "people don’t buy your values or your “why”, but rather who you can help them become... Change begins with you!"We are looking forward to talking to Thomas, a dear member of our ‘Marketing Family’, about how the pressure of being a global citizen can be both exciting and inspiring, and can also feel overwhelming.We want to inspire coaches to get over their fear of putting themselves out there in favour of focusing on the bigger picture system change they might affect, one client at a time.And at the same time, we recognise that feeling that you need a "value", a "purpose" and a "why" can be tricky in itself... Learn more about Thomas: https://thomaskolster.com/masterclass

Helen Isacke is the founder of the Trusted Coach Directory, established in 2016. She has a varied background, having worked in hospitality, IT, HR, recruitment and marketing. Helen changed direction again when she trained as a coach in 2003. She was an Accredited Coach with Association for Coaching, trained in a range of profiling tools including Type Dynamic Indicator, Talent Dynamics, Team Dynamics & FIRO B.Helen’s coaching experiences and opportunities led to her finding her niche; working with newly-appointed managers. This experience inspired her to write ‘Soft Skills for Strong Leaders’, published in 2013. Helen has two grown up daughters, and lives in Marlow where she is most at peace walking along the Thames.Helen has been on her own coaching journey, which led her to founding the directory, which - as a platform and service - is shaping the future of the coaching industry. In this Marketing Masterclass, Helen will talk with us openly and honestly "about the mistakes I made when setting up, and some tips around each mistake/topic, to help coaches build their business with confidence in an ever increasingly crowded market."Come with your listening ears and also any practical questions that you think Helen - or we - might be able to help answer.www.trustedcoachdirectory.com

What connects Property Law to the BBC, Freud to Modern Dance, Classical Music to Swimming in Swiss Lakes, Film Production to Music Festivals and the National Garden Scheme to Venice Biennale. My Dad... I talk a lot about what I call a "work/work" balance (as opposed to the well known concept of the work/life balance).  Coaches - in particular - are very likely to have chosen to move into the coaching space as a way not only to help others flourish, but  because the attraction of a more independent, entrepreneurial, creative and joyful work life are very attractive to them.  They may class themselves as having reached their "midlife", see themselves on a "Second Mountain", be disillusioned by the corporate world, by being beholden to the 9-5 structure of time, or just bored of the rat race... Covid and Working From Home have  helped us all reconsider our options.  But bills need to be paid. And when you are just starting out as a coach, getting clients can be tough. So sometimes we need to do other work to supplement our income. AND, when we have a unique blend of work practices going on, it can really help to make us stand out... as long as we are able to speak to why the various hats we wear make us an Authority, have Empathy, and have an interesting Story enough that people want to work with us, employ us, appoint us or ask us for our help. My father is Steven Fogel. I am going to be interviewing him on Thursday 20th October about his life. He has had "a lucky discovery that left him feeling happier and more fulfilled." Here's what happened...

We are so happy to have one of our coaching industry besties - Lucy Mullins - to talk to us all about diversity in the future of the coaching industry, and to join us in discussing how to have fun with marketing your coaching business. Lucy is also a wonderful advocate for how coaching not only helps create personal change, but can impact big picture system change in the world too. She's also a fantastic example of a healthy "work/work" balance as we call it. We've invited Lucy to write here a dedication to the Future of Coaching - to share with you all ahead of the discussion... "We set up #RideTheWave to bring more diversity to the world of coaching and to make positive waves in the world through the power of coaching. #SocialImpact, #CelebratingDiversity, #Community, and #Laughter are our core values at #RideTheWave and guide everything we do. We also believe these values are the key to the future of coaching. We believe that the Future of Coaching is about more people being equipped with coaching skills, more people being able to access coaching, and more positive impact in the world. Here at #RideTheWave we are committed to contributing to the future of coaching by… 1. Educating and empowering a diverse range of coaches around the world so that there is a coach for everyone 2. Training and inspiring a new wave of leaders to use coaching skills within their organisations 3. Demystifying coaching so that it becomes a universal set of skills and tools used by people around the world, in both their personal and professional lives 4. Sharing coaching tools and skills from our community with people and organisations who wouldn’t normally be able to access professional coaching Here’s a bright future for coaching." ....Join us for what will no doubt be a heart-warming and heart-felt discussion about how you as a coach can build something just right for you, great for others and wonderful for the world.

As a follow on from our recent podcast episode, "Why you want fast results from marketing but won't get them", this episode is all about establishing good, sustainable marketing habits that will help you build a long-lasting, healthy coaching business. Drawing on the parallels between physical fitness, self-awareness and Marketing-as-another-self-growth-opportunity, Frances and Gemma discuss the concepts of; aspirations, being prepared, being The Victim, The Pursuit of Happiness, Living in the Moment, nourishment, motivation, being in control, goals vs the bigger picture, figuring out your "Why?", energy, stamina, confidence, self-worth, systemic thinking, habits, patience, perfection, punishment, momentum, small wins and taking action. Gemma is a weight-loss management and physical fitness consultant. And - Frances would say - a Buddhist philosopher. Listen to this honest conversation about both of their body stories and business strategies for a deep dive into how it really feels to be in control...

We are honoured to have Robbie Swale - a seasoned coach, author, blogger and podcaster - as the first guest on our new "Future of Coaching..." series. There couldn't be a better person to help us kick things off for 2023...   Robbie is the host of the super popular podcast, 'The Coach's Journey'. His third book – written using his 12-Minute Method – is all about how to create habits, mindsets and relationships that will help you thrive. It is full of lessons that Robbie has learned in his own quest to fulfill his potential and make the contribution he thinks he is capable of.   "We can’t know for sure what will help us do our best work", Robbie says. And so he is going to help us set the scene for a year of uncertainty - that's right!... Let's celebrate that we can put our best foot forward when we accept that nothing will be perfect, we don't know what will come, we can only control ourselves and that working alongside others with shared hope makes it a lot easier.   Join us live for this conversation to manifest some great intentions for the year.   In the lead up, check out Robbie's blog, in which he employs the 12-Minute Method to write for twelve minutes, proof-read once with tiny edits and then post online… Marketing mastery right there!   https://www.robbieswale.com  https://www.robbieswale.com/about-the-12-minute-method  https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-45-doing-the-right-thing-even-when-its-hard-raquel-ark-interviews-robbie

Whether you already host a podcast or want to start your own, there are a lot of questions that come up for coaches. We're lucky enough to have two podcasting powerhouses as members of this community Mark Steadman and Rob Lawrence. Mark hosts Ear Brain Heart and was there at the dawn of podcasting. Many of you will recognise Rob's voice from the Association for Coaching podcast as well as his own show, Inspirational Creatives. In this live show, we'll be discussing, and answering, some of the most common questions that we get asked about podcasting and inviting questions from the audience. There will also be an opportunity to share your favourite podcast and a shameless plug section where we'll give a shout-out to shows from the audience. It's time to get curious, inspired and energised to hit that record button and get podcasting.

Does the thought of creating content and fiddling with Canva for hours on end fill you with utter dread? Want to get ahead and be confident your content is taken care of so you can take a week off without worrying about posting on social media? Kate Clarke wants to take away the pain, and do the hard work for you. But how do we know what marketing is important for us to do ourselves? How does retaining control of it makes us feel more in control of our businesses and our lives?? At Better Bolder Braver, we encourage coaches to - on the whole - not “outsource” their marketing. We see marketing as Another Self Growth Opportunity - by thinking about what you want to say to the world, you have an opportunity to hold a mirror up to yourself and Coach Out Loud… show your approach to how you come from a place of Empathy, Authority and with a personal Story that makes you stand out and be qualified to help your ideal client. AND creating and repurposing content can feel like being on a “hamster wheel” as Kate calls it. Once you have decided what to say, who says asking for some help to get it out there isn’t a very intelligent business decision? Kate Clarke helps people get their messages onto social media. Find out more about Kate on her website: https://www.kateclarkemarketing.com   Follow us on LinkedIn to get notifications about upcoming conversations: https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-bolder-braver

Abe is co-founder and CEO of Ruzuku, an easy-to-use online course platform for entrepreneurs, authors, coaches, and small businesses.  He helps authors, coaches, speakers and other independent experts create their own online courses and learning communities. His mission in life is to make it ridiculously easy for bloggers, authors, coaches, speakers and other passionate experts to create engaging online courses and learning communities.   Ruzuku has hosted more than 75,000 courses serving over half a million students around the world. Abe specializes in learning design and user experience research, and earned his Ph.D. in human-computer interaction at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he teaches seminars on educational innovation.  Abe says, "Ruzuku was built from the ground up with a focus on streamlining the course creation process. Experts want to share their passion and expertise, but technical hurdles and cumbersome tools can make this difficult."  In the Better Bolder Braver community, we are on a mission to help coaches create products and services that stand out and support their own mission to help their ideal clients, whilst not burning out or over-extending themselves... to help them streamline their marketing and share their expertise so that people understand quickly what the value of working with them is.   A coaching programme is a great way to engage potential clients and create meaningful experiences for them. They can also be a great way of disseminating information and conducting group coaching. But are they all they are cut out to be? Are we at risk - when creating course material - of reinventing a wheel that has been engineered many times by others? How can we make our lives easier, help as many people as we can, be true to our values, mindful of our limits, still be really creative and keep up with the Joneses?  Free workshop: https://mirasee.com/2022/ic-replay?redirect=false Free course: https://courses.ruzuku.com/courses/2dc0af1e-baea-409a-91f9-3185253fc1fd/checkout/price-3w2Q6Y80_IfeIwE4ZFf0fA

Coaches often want fast results and turn to marketing to get them. However, for fast results, marketing isn’t the right tool for the job.  There are a lot of people who will argue that it is. And the same people are often happy to take your money to help you get these fast results. The results they’re offering are traffic, clicks or ‘engagement’. But does this really translate to new clients? And if the ‘result’ (fast or otherwise) or your marketing isn’t a new client, is it really a result?  This episode will show you how to get the results you really want.

Every coach has been there – especially when you’re just starting out: you need clients, and the quicker the better. At least, that’s how it feels.  So, how do you attract people to work with you?   You could use Facebook or Google Ads to put your offer in front of a wide audience in the hope that they feel like signing up for some coaching. You could pay someone to send lots of LinkedIn messages on your behalf and hope that of the 1-2% of people who reply, at least some decide to click ‘buy’.   There’s no shortage of quick ways to advertise. Although it will cost you money before you make any money – catch-22.   So is there another way of attracting coaching clients without spending money on Ads? Yes there is and this episode will show you how.

When coaches ask “How do I advertise my coaching business?” the tried, trusted (and tired) answers are: SEO, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Squeeze pages, set up a marketing funnel, or my favourite, a baffling combination of all of these presented as if it’s some kind of Secret Formula™ for success!   I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you don’t need any of this. In fact, I’ll go further and say, I can’t tell you what you “need” or “should be doing”.   What I can and will do in this episode is show you how you can start to put your coaching business out there without the need for what you might be thinking of as “advertising”.

Anya Pearse is like the mobile libraries of our childhood. You would look forward to it arriving and be welcomed in with open arms to a cave of wonders filled with exciting and nourishing resources to cosy up with. She is the first to have a reassuringly apt reference in any conversation - be it a book, an article, a podcast, a poem… she can contextualise our experience in any moment within a wide world of others' experiences, reflections and wisdom - which is hugely comforting, inspiring and humbling. If we “read to know we are not alone”, Anya compassionately shares what she’s discovered to help us feel this directly. As a child herself she was “baffled, yet intrigued” by the behaviour of those around her, and now combines a researcher’s curiosity, a poet’s turn of phrase, and a comedian’s sense of timing to help those she encounters gain insight and compassion into what they do. She is no stranger to tricky times, having lived with a disabling chronic illness for 16 years; reimagining it as her spiritual path helps her to bring a particular kind of hard-won grace, wisdom and empathy into her work. The Head of Positive Psychology at The Museum of Happiness, where she co-facilitates their Certified Happiness Facilitator Training, she is an intuitive adviser, and Fellow of the Positive Psychology Guild. She consolidates her interest in “the science of what makes life worth living” with an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology, focusing on the concept of “self-as-instrument” – how our own qualities of attention, openness and presence impact others and create our first intervention. Anya invites us to consider patterns, meaning and connection within ourselves and the universe to which we may previously have been blind: “Dots can be connected, allowing patterns to appear. Clarity and new ideas start to flow.” As a coach, you too are a treasure trove of magic for your clients. And you can show up with it through bringing resources, energy, compassion and inspiration into your marketing as well as into your coaching practice. We will be talking to Anya about what it is to bring our full selves to our interactions - and interventions - to creative moments between two people. On the surface, this Marketing Masterclass is about (repurposing) content, resources and showing that you are the best guide for your ideal client. Underneath, this time with Anya will be a mind-expanding dance with joy, a celebration of the self and about how to take things slowly...

Most marketing advice for coaches doesn’t work. Why? Because the Holy Grail of traditional marketing strategies is the conversion. And as a coach, conversions are not what you’re chasing. You’re not selling vacuum cleaners, or water bottles, or any other ‘disposable’ product or service. Conversions are not your focus. The heart of the coach’s marketing journey isn’t the ‘sale’ at the end of it, it’s the conversation that takes place between you and the prospective client. You’re not just chasing a sale, you’re looking for the right sale, to the right client… and that requires a conversation, an exchange with someone who resonates with what you do and sees the value in the outcome, feeling or insight that you’ll guide them to. So, how can you shift your marketing mindset? How do you wean yourself off the conversion drive and focus on creating opportunities for conversations instead? We have a few ideas…

Not everyone learns in the same way. As a coach marketing their services, seeking to showcase your expertise and reliability to a target market, you can’t afford to ignore the fact that how people like to absorb information differs, according to one of four broad preferences. Why is this a potential problem? Because if you always market the same way, using the same method (the one you’re most comfortable with, no doubt) you’re only engaging a fraction of your potential audience. But don’t worry, reaching more people, broadening your appeal, isn’t a huge or complicated task…

In our community of coaches, the question of ‘product mix’ often comes up. People want to know how best to expand their portfolio of services: How do I start a course? How do I create a programme? How do I set up a community? Good, valid questions, although frequently people worry about them before they’ve even got their first product sorted (or selling). So how can you make the perfect mix? In this episode, we'll find out. Read the blog version here: https://betterbolderbraver.com/how-to-create-your-coaching-product-mix/

Melanie is a business coach and the co-founder of Joypreneurs, a community for women in innovation who want to build something of their own, with ease and joy. Melanie has been on a journey herself, finding that joy is her motivator. Being part of the Better Bolder Braver community, the THNK School of Creative Leadership and also The Happy Startup School communities have helped her with this, as she has enjoyed creating for creating’s sake, learning a lot about herself along the way. She sees entrepreneurialism as another self-growth tool, and is keen to support other women on a similar path to find joy too. Melanie is an example of a coach who has chosen to find, guide and inspire people with similar experiences to her. This is not an appropriate niching path for all coaches, for whom working with people just like them may be triggering. But for Melanie - who is hugely inspired by Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey - it is important for her to “return to her tribe”, tell her story, help people explore and play. And, as a result, find joy and clarity on their next (work) steps. With Better Bolder Braver behind her, Melanie is continuing to find joy, stay curious, find her people and also be open - to collaborative models and to what she builds next. So much of this conversation will no doubt resonate with many coaches. You can join the next conversation live on our Corwdcast channel: https://www.crowdcast.io/betterbolderbraver

Whatever your motivation for being a coach, your coaching is a business. As such, it’s there (at least in part) to make money. Yet, just like everyone else in the world, you only have so many hours in the day. How do you make the most of those hours? There are various options to maximise your business earnings and they tend to boil down to a question of efficiency. For example, you could look into creating multiple revenue streams – not just coaching clients but offering courses, selling materials and other resources that could earn you some passive income. Whatever the option, our main focus is not on “getting rich quick” or using coaching clients to “make a fast buck”. As ethical marketers, our focus is on a fair exchange of value with the client in a way that sustains and nourishes you to deliver more of your important work. The question is how to do that while being more efficient and maximising your earnings. One way is to look for clients who will pay a higher price for your coaching service. You can read the blog version on our website: https://betterbolderbraver.com/how-do-i-find-high-paying-coaching-clients/

Social media is a great tool, especially LinkedIn for making connections, networking, joining like-minded communities, and of course, finding clients. But like any tool, it only works when you know how to use it. The top three questions we get from coaches about how to use LinkedIn are: What should I post about? How do I connect with more clients? How do I convert connections to clients (i.e. get them to say yes to working with me)? In this podcast, I’ll answer these three questions (though not necessarily in the above order!) and talk about how as a coach you can use LinkedIn to attract clients who are the perfect fit. You don’t need to create endless content and you don’t need to rely on ads. Our process is all about starting meaningful conversations with your LinkedIn connections and finding clients organically. You can read the blog version on our website: https://betterbolderbraver.com/how-do-i-find-coaching-clients-on-linkedin/

Qualifying as a coach is a fantastic start to an exciting and rewarding journey. You get to make an impact on your clients’ lives. Your training has taught you all about how to coach, including practical experience through co-coaching. The challenge now is finding some clients. But how to find them when the ink is still wet on your coaching certificate? Not to worry – the process is simple and doesn’t cost a lot of money to get up and running, although it may be less ‘sales-y’ than you think. Marketing coaching services is a little different to the classic sales approach, being focused more on conversations than conversions. This episode will point you in the right direction and offer some signposts to a marketing strategy that isn’t just about chasing leads, likes and views. You can read the blog version on our website: https://betterbolderbraver.com/how-do-i-get-coaching-clients-after-qualifying/

Marketing is often talked about in relation to ‘products’ – but how does that apply when you view what you do as a service? What’s more, why bother thinking in product terms? Why not just market your services? For the simple reason, people (potential clients) are more comfortable buying products. Products – whether the latest iPhone or a tin of peas – are tangible, demonstrable, easier to attribute value to. If your marketing can give people something to grasp (literally or metaphorically) about what you’re offering then they’ll see it as valuable – at which point they start to think seriously about buying. Here we often talk about marketing your coaching as a product and I realised the other day that I’ve never actually written about a very common question I get asked: What is a coaching product? In this episode we'll find out. You can also read the blog version: https://betterbolderbraver.com/how-to-turn-your-coaching-service-into-a-product/