Coach Pony

Do only business coaches make money? Nope. This season of the Coach Pony Get Paid to Coach podcast, we're going deep on five wildly different coaching niches to prove you can get paid to coach — and design the life you want — in almost any niche.

In episode 5, our season 9 finale, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims talks with David Hamilton, a writing coach and science fiction author.

David is an Amazon best-selling author and writing coach living in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2017, he has helped numerous aspiring novelists feel that sense of achievement from accomplishing their dream through his personal coaching and writing workshops. He credits Coach Pony and the Build a Real Business program for getting him on the right path.

Prior to writing and coaching full-time, David enjoyed a career with the government before teaching English literature at Carleton University. His own novels often combine his love of the natural world, a message of hope, and the endless possibilities of science fiction.

Here's how David's business works: online, trust is hard to earn, so he earns it in workshops first. Free 60-minute workshops and $75–$400 paid workshops let would-be novelists do the work and see that his methods help. That trust sells his high-ticket offer, a $6,000, 12-month group program where up to 8 writers go from an idea to a finished book. He started with a $1,200 one-on-one program that burned him out, and he's helped well over 300 writers since.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

• His niche: first-time novelists in midlife and beyond who've carried a story around for decades
• Why the "Jessica Fletcher writes a novel in a weekend" myth makes new writers quit
• How one student asking for private coaching led him to Coach Pony and Build a REAL Business
• His business model: free workshops, 75–400 workshops, and a $6,000, 12-month group program for up to 8 writers
• Why he moved from one-on-one to group coaching, without handing clients off to junior coaches
• Why workshops are his best way to build trust with skeptical buyers
• His biggest early mistake: thinking everything he tried would work the first time
• Why he now tests everything, from program titles to brochure colors (and what Moneyball taught him)
• Why community, not going it alone, helped him most, in business and in writing
• How he handles self-doubt and manages the lizard brain

To learn more about David Hamilton:

• David's author website: his science fiction novels and what he's working on

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Build a REAL Business 10-Year Anniversary Special: our flagship program on how to start and scale your coaching business turns 10 this year. We're offering the best deal we've ever offered — this October only. Save thousands at coachpony.com/barb
• Download Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

Do only business coaches make money? Nope. This season of the Coach Pony Get Paid to Coach podcast, we're going deep on five wildly different coaching niches to prove you can get paid to coach — and design the life you want — in almost any niche.

In episode 4, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims talks with Elaine Belansky, PhD. Elaine is a retirement transition coach who helps thoughtful, accomplished women design a next chapter that feels intentional, meaningful, and fully their own.

After a 30-year university career in public health and education, Elaine now supports women navigating the identity shifts, emotional complexity, and loss of structure that often accompany retirement. Drawing on psychological research and lived experience, she guides clients through a structured process to clarify who they are becoming, design a weekly rhythm that supports energy and engagement, and choose ways to contribute that feel purposeful — not obligatory.

She is also a regular contributor to Sixty and Me, where she writes about the emotional and identity shifts women face in retirement.

Here's the twist: Elaine's main marketing channel isn't social media or ads. It's one article a month for Sixty and Me, an online publication that reaches about 75,000 women a day. She found it by asking AI where to pitch. On the day we recorded, a new article brought 12 people onto her email list in its first 90 minutes. She shares exactly how the article-to-freebie-to-client path works, and why her part-time, one-on-one business is built to fit the life she wants.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

• How freaking out about her own retirement ("what in the world am I going to do with myself?") became her niche
• Why career women get plenty of help with the money side of retirement, and almost none with who they're retiring to
• Her business model: the Bold Retirement Method, 12 one-on-one sessions with research-based packets and email support, for $2,100
• How she used AI to find Sixty and Me, and how she pitched it
• Her path from article to client: a free resource at the end of each article, then a 6-email nurture sequence
• How her articles led to speaking invitations, and why she turned one down
• Her biggest early mistake: being afraid of hearing no
• What she did right from the start: getting certified, and joining Build a REAL Business
• How a mastermind partner she met in BARB got her through the doubtful days
• Her advice for new coaches, and why coaching is "so much more fun" than academia

To learn more about Elaine Belansky:

• Elaine's website: free resources, the Bold Retirement Method, and how to work with her
• Sign up for Elaine's newsletter

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Build a REAL Business 10-Year Anniversary Special: our flagship program on how to start and scale your coaching business turns 10 this year. We're offering the best deal we've ever offered — this October only. Save thousands at coachpony.com/barb
• Download Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

Do only business coaches make money? Nope. This season of the Coach Pony Get Paid to Coach podcast, we're going deep on five wildly different coaching niches to prove you can get paid to coach — and design the life you want — in almost any niche.

In episode 3, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims talks with Richelle Gamlam, the Move Abroad Coach.

Richelle Gamlam is the founder of Move Abroad Coach. After her own experience being stranded in rural China, trapped in a contract she couldn’t afford to leave, she came to believe that moving abroad shouldn’t mean following someone else’s path or spending years overwhelmed by research.

After 13 years abroad, six countries, and four continents, Richelle now helps aspiring expats and digital nomads take control of their own moves. Through expert guidance, practical tools, and proven frameworks, she helps people navigate everything from choosing where to go and securing visas to creating location-independent income and building a freedom life that allows them to work and live from anywhere.

Her mission isn’t simply to help people relocate abroad. It’s to give them the confidence and skills to build a Freedom Life, enabling them to choose what comes next - to pivot, evolve, and intentionally build a life aligned with their goals, values, and dreams.

Here's the twist: Richelle made $4,000 in revenue in 2021. The next year she made $100,000. Last year she made over $780,000, and she's on track for $1 million this year. She shares exactly what changed: the $37 paid bootcamp that replaced her free webinars, the $8,000 program that gives every client a private coach, and the scary decision to take out a loan to invest in coaching for herself.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

• How a rough first year teaching English in China (including a contract that would have cost her a full year's salary to leave) turned into a coaching business
• Why she rebranded from helping people move to China to Move Abroad Coach, for people who work for themselves
• Her launch model: a $37, four-day paid bootcamp instead of free webinars, with ticket sales that pay for her ads
• Her signature Freedom Life Experience: an $8,000 hybrid of group coaching plus a private coach for every client, many of them her own alumni
• The growth: $4K in 2021, $100K in 2022, $780K+ last year, and on track for $1M
• "The kiddie pool": how being afraid to charge or spend money kept her stuck for years
• Why she took out a loan to join a $6,000 coaching program, and how her first bootcamps made $4K, then $10K in six months, then $45K profit on her third
• What she does when revenue plateaus: let herself build the thing she already wanted to build
• Her best advice for new coaches: "If you could only ever win, what would you want your business to look like?"
• Why Christie took Richelle's bootcamp herself (and what it has to do with a French chateau)

To learn more about Richelle Gamlam:

Join the Freedom Life Bootcamp: 4 days, $37, October 26–29. Christie took it and loved it!

Richelle on Instagram

Richelle on YouTube

(NOTE: the bootcamp link is an affiliate link. Coach Pony may earn a commission if you join, at no extra cost to you.)

To learn more about Christie Mims:

Coach Pony

Build a REAL Business 10-Year Anniversary Special: our flagship program on how to start and scale your coaching business turns 10 this year. We're offering the best deal we've ever offered — this October only. Save thousands at coachpony.com/barb

Download Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

Do only business coaches make money? Nope. Welcome to a brand-new season of the Coach Pony Get Paid to Coach podcast! This season, we're going deep on five wildly different coaching niches (that AREN’T business coaching) to prove you can get paid to coach — and design the life you want — in almost any niche, from 7 figures to part-time.

In episode 2, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims talks with Tre Balchowsky, a public speaking and storytelling coach in the heart of the Bay Area tech world. Tre helps founders and executives turn complex tech ideas into stories that move people to act. Her clients have closed funding rounds, built loyal audiences, and hired the talent they needed to grow, often by learning what a story actually is and how to tell one with confidence.

Here's the twist: Tre charges $13,000 for a TED-style talk engagement, has landed a $50,000 corporate contract, and gets 99.9% of her clients by referral. She's barely on social media, and her clients often don't want anyone to know they hired her. She shares exactly how she structures her offers, what she charges companies vs. individuals, and the three circles of networking that keep her calendar full.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–How Tre found her niche in tech, and why founders and executives pay well for help with high-stakes talks

–Her business model: corporate and conference work (40–50% of revenue) plus 1:1 coaching (50–60%)

–Her pricing: $13,000 for a TED-style talk engagement, and why she never goes below $1,000 per person or $7,000 for a new corporate client

–Why selling to companies is different: the person who pays isn't the person you coach, so you speak to two sets of pain points

–Her three circles of networking: referrers, community owners, and the people who'll actually hire her

–Why many of the most successful coaches are invisible online, and why your algorithm hides them from you

–Her biggest early mistakes: bold assumptions without market research, and "death-gripping" her first niche when tech layoffs hit

–How she used the coaching loss leader (CLL) from Build a REAL Business to land her first clients

–"No advice without permission": how she gets clients by giving three pieces of feedback at conferences

–What she did after a hard first half of the year, including a course she built and launched in two weeks

To learn more about Tre Balchowsky:

Tre's website

Permission to Experiment, Tre's newsletter (watch for Tre’s November course on developing a talk)

Tre on LinkedIn

To learn more about Christie Mims:

Coach Pony

Check out Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Learn about Build a REAL Business and the amazing 10-year anniversary deal in October

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

Do only business coaches make money? Nope. Welcome to a brand-new season of the Coach Pony Get Paid to Coach podcast! This season, we're going deep on five wildly different coaching niches (that AREN’T business coaching) to prove you can get paid to coach — and design the life you want — in almost any niche, from 7 figures to part-time.

First up: Coach Pony founder Christie Mims sits down with Kate Bee, founder of The Sober School. Kate is a former BBC journalist turned certified life coach who helps women stop drinking and start living — without shame, labels, or deprivation. Her flagship program, Getting Unstuck, has helped more than 4,000 women change their relationship with alcohol.

Kate doesn't coach one-on-one at all. Instead, she built her whole business on a group cohort model with a monthly membership on the back end. She shares exactly how it works, what it costs, how she markets it, and the newspaper she picked up on a train that got the whole thing started.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–How Kate turned her own struggle with alcohol into a coaching niche nobody was serving online

–The random newspaper and the £4,000 grant that funded her launch

–Her business model: a 6-week cohort program £497 plus a £35/month membership that about half her clients join

–Why recurring revenue matters once you have a team and overhead

–How she markets today (Google and Facebook ads, plus a weekly video blog) and why new coaches should NOT start with ads

–Her biggest early mistake: no marketing help, and being too text heavy

–The one thing she did right from day one: building an email list (and ending every email with a question) –What she did when her editor told her "8 out of 10 businesses fail"

–How a part-time job gave her the runway to go full time

–Kate's advice for any coach who doesn't feel "ready" yet

To learn more about Kate Bee:

Find Kate at The Sober School website

Check out Kate at The Sober School on Instagram

To learn more about Christie Mims:

Coach Pony

Check out Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Learn about Build a REAL Business and the amazing 10-year anniversary deal in October

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

AI, Ozempic, and a business model that actually lets you take August off — here's what's really happening in health coaching right now.

In this episode of the Coach Pony podcast, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims sits down with holistic weight loss coach Tameika G, who has spent 11+ years building an online coaching business from scratch — and recently blew it all up to simplify.

In this episode, Tameika breaks down how she went from 5 confusing offers to ONE signature 3-month program that launches 3 times a year, why her clients rejected an AI coaching agent (even with voice chat), and what new health coaches should actually be doing to land their first clients in 2026.

Whether you're a new health coach trying to figure out your niche, or an established coach drowning in too many offers — this one is for you.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–What GLP drugs (like Ozempic) actually mean for health coaches

–Why people still want a human coach — not an AI

–How Tameika uses AI for backend tasks WITHOUT replacing the human connection

–Her ONE-offer, 3x/year launch model (and why it changed everything)

–How she got her first 5 online clients from Facebook

–Why niching down is the #1 move for new health coaches

–Life tip of the week from Tameika: her "Batch & Build" method for eliminating food decision fatigue!

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Download Coach Pony's FREE 14-Day Client Blueprint

Check out Tameika G’s AMAZING Instagram

Feeling like a fraud is one of the most common struggles new coaches face — and almost nobody talks about it honestly.

In this episode of the Coach Pony podcast, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims and Date Like a Grownup founder Bobbi Palmer pull back the curtain on their own experiences with imposter syndrome and fear of failure so you know: you are not alone.

In this episode, you'll hear how to face your worst-case fears, plus real talk on why confidence doesn't come before action — it comes AFTER.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–Why "fake it till you make it" is only half the story

–The #1 mindset trap that keeps new coaches stuck (and how to coach yourself out of it)

–How to use fear as fuel instead of a stop sign

–Why imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time

–Christie's real story: how she structured her very first paid coaching client ($2,000!) to feel safe enough to say yes

–Business and life tip of the week with Christie and Bobbi!

Check out Christie’s “Crash Landing Plan” for great advice on how to go full time in your coaching business.

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Check out Coach Pony's free marketing masterclass

To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:

• Soft Landings San Miguel
• Date Like a Grownup Blog

Are you a life coach looking to expand your coaching business into a new niche, but struggling with client acquisition?

In this episode of the Coach Pony podcast, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims and Date Like a Grownup founder Bobbi Palmer dive into the reality of getting clients in an unfamiliar market and provide you with valuable coaching tips to help you succeed.

As a coach, it's essential to have a solid coach marketing strategy in place to attract potential clients and grow your business. We'll explore the challenges of client acquisition in a new niche and share practical advice on how to overcome them, so you can focus on doing what you do best - helping your clients achieve their goals. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your coaching business to the next level, this video is for you. Learn how to effectively get clients and build a thriving coaching business in a new niche.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–How to find clients in a new niche in 2026

–Bobbi's new business in a new niche: helping single women relocate to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico

–Options for marketing in a new niche

–Building expertise in one marketing channel first

–Do's and don'ts for posting on LinkedIn

–Participating in other people's communities on social media

–Business and life tip of the week with Christie and Bobbi!

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Check out Coach Pony's free marketing masterclass

To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:

• Soft Landings San Miguel
• Date Like a Grownup Blog

Getting your first coaching clients feels impossible when you have zero testimonials — and getting testimonials feels impossible when you have no clients. Here's exactly how to break that cycle.

In this episode, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims and Date Like a Grownup founder Bobbi Palmer walk you through the proven system new coaches use to collect feedback and testimonials from day one — even before you've charged a single client.

Whether you're figuring out how to start a coaching business or you're already working with your first clients and wondering how to build social proof — this episode gives you the roadmap.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–How to run informational interviews to validate your coaching niche (and what to ask)

–The free coaching cohort strategy that gets you testimonials AND real experience fast

–In-the-moment feedback techniques with up to 100% response rates

–Exactly what to say when asking for a testimonial — including the before/after question that makes clients shine

–How to use the Appreciative Inquiry model so feedback is always constructive

–Business and life tip of the week with Christie and Bobbi!

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie as she discusses the latest ideas and topics from the coaching industry!

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Check out Coach Pony's free marketing masterclass

To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:

• Date Like a Grownup Blog
• Soft Landings San Miguel

The number #1 thing to do before using AI in your coaching business! …And some practical tips on how we are using it!

In this episode, Coach Pony founder Christie Mims and Date Like a Grownup founder Bobbi Palmer talk all about niching and also how they are using AI in their coaching businesses. They share their experience from coaching across multiple niches, and what they have seen when coaches fail to niche. And, Bobbi shares a deep dive on her process for using AI while developing content for her new business website.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

–Do you need a niche?

–Why juggling multiple niches impacts your credibility (and ability to find clients)

–How we are using AI in our coaching businesses

–The 8 pieces of information Bobbi used for her new business website (and why)

–Using AI for images

–Brainstorming with AI

–Business and life tip of the week with Christie and Bobbi!

–A great tip about the task feature of AI on how to save suggestions from AI for later

Subscribe to the Coach Pony YouTube channel so you’ll see all the latest from Christie!

To learn more about Christie Mims:

• Coach Pony
• Sign up for Sunday Couch School (our free weekly email newsletter)

To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:

• Soft Landings San Miguel
• Date Like a Grownup Blog