Healthy Hustle

Everybody can pretend to be an expert now, because AI can write the caption. That is why trust is the real bottleneck, not posting frequency.

In this episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman sits down with Simone Sauter, a PR and AIO strategist and former journalist, to talk about the Visibility Triangle, why a website still matters, how podcast interviews and media features create proof AI and humans can both trust, and how to pitch press without an agency or a press release.

Simone Sauter is a PR and AIO strategist, visibility expert, and former journalist with more than 20 years of experience in the media industry. She specializes in helping founders, CEOs, and established entrepreneurs build authority recognized by the press, Google, and AI systems that influence public trust. Her career began in journalism before communications and PR roles for brands including Match.com, Siemens, Daimler, and Tupperware. She has been featured in Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Closer, and more than forty international media outlets, continues to write for Business Insider and Parents.com, and has been interviewed on more than ninety podcasts worldwide.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why AI-written captions stop building trust once everyone uses the same tools
• Simone's upside-down Visibility Triangle: website hub, podcast interviews, and media
• The website pages that matter: About, Media and PR, plus person and organization schema
• Why podcast interviews are hard to fake and how to start with smaller shows
• How to repurpose interview transcripts into blogs and captions without losing your voice
• Building a Spotify playlist of your interviews into a welcome email sequence
• The Publicity Rockstar Method: ideal client, what you want to be known for, media list, pitch, performance, promotion
• Featured expert vs contributor, and why press releases rarely work for small businesses
• Common About page and Media page mistakes, and how many speaking topics to list
• Where to find Simone on LinkedIn and in her free AI Visibility Lab on Skool

Captions Alone Do Not Build Trust Anymore

Simone loves AI and runs an AI-first company, but she is clear that when everybody uses AI to write content, the text stops standing out. Before AI, regular posting could build trust because readers assumed the words came from your own thinking. Now anyone can sound like an expert with a prompt, so coaches need another way to prove they are the real deal.

The Visibility Triangle

Simone describes an upside-down triangle with the website at the bottom as the hub. AI looks at it and humans look at it. You can make sales without a website, but a future-proof business that is visible to AI and trusted by people needs one. Key pages include About and Media and PR, plus technical foundations like person schema and organization schema.

From that hub, podcast interviews and media features feed each other. Speak on a podcast and you create long-form language AI can cite. Land media and you get third-party endorsement humans and AI both take seriously. Simone runs her business primarily through PR, a blog, podcast interviews, and media rather than daily social posting. She has close to 12,000 LinkedIn followers and posts about once a week.

Podcast Interviews as Proof You Cannot Fake

Simone says nobody can send an AI agent to a live interview. If you are not an expert, you cannot answer the questions. Clients sometimes arrive ready and sometimes need mindset work first. The upside is you can start with smaller podcasts, practice, and work your way up.

She also recommends turning interviews into a Spotify playlist and putting that playlist in your welcome email sequence so new subscribers hear your voice and story for 30 to 60 minutes. That human signal matters when buyers are deciding who to trust.

Repurpose Without Losing Your Language

Simone uses the interview transcript with a Claude skill and tells it to write a blog post using only what was said in the interview. The same process can create LinkedIn posts and captions tied to audio or video snippets. Her rule is to tell AI to use only what you gave it, then ask for research with sources when numbers are missing, and double-check those sources because AI makes mistakes.

Rachel shares that when she uses AI, she talks into it for five to ten minutes first so the output keeps her own language.

The Publicity Rockstar Method

Simone walks through a six-step framework for getting into media without an agency:

1. Understand your ideal client so you know which publications matter. 2. Decide what you want to be known for, because that is what you will write and speak about. 3. Build a media list from publications you already read and ones relevant to your niche, then study their headlines and topics. 4. Find the right human to pitch: journalist, editor, or freelancer, depending on whether you want to be a featured expert or a contributor. 5. Deliver the performance: the interview or the article. 6. Promote the hit. Put it in your welcome sequence and on your website, then keep pitching the same contact once the relationship starts.

She notes that agencies can cost around $10,000 per month and often send press releases that work for global brands but rarely for small businesses. When Simone started her first business as a relationship coach, press releases got nowhere, which is why she built this personal-pitch approach. The story, the right person, and the right timing matter more than a giant contact database.

What People Miss on Their Websites

Simone often sees About pages that stay stuck on the founder instead of quickly shifting to how the reader is helped. About is one of the most-read pages, so storytelling still has to lead somewhere useful.

She also sees people delay a Media and PR page until they have features. Her advice is to set one up anyway with a photo, three to five niche speaking topics, a bio, and downloadable images. When media hits arrive, add them. Too many topics make you look unfocused.

Your Action Step

Pick one proof asset this week: update your About page so it moves from who you are to how you help, draft a Media page with three speaking topics, or pitch one small podcast using a story from your real client work.

Final Thoughts

AI can write the caption. It cannot sit through a 45-minute interview or earn a third-party media feature for you. Build the website hub, speak where people can hear you think out loud, pitch press with a real story, and promote the proof you earn. That is how trust compounds when everyone else is posting harder.

Resources

• Simone Sauter: https://simonesauter.com/
• Free AI Visibility Lab on Skool: https://www.skool.com/ai-visibility-lab/about
• Podcast one-sheet: https://onesheet.simonesauter.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonesauter/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simoneesauter/
• Email: [email protected]

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

You can have hundreds or thousands of views and not one DM.

In this solo episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman walks through the five reasons health coaches post, get likes, and still do not book clients, plus the Health Coach Sprint that starts November 3.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why views and likes are not the same thing as clients
• Reason 1: talking to everyone, and why a specialist gets remembered
• Reason 2: a message that blends in, and the bio formula that makes someone stop
• Reason 3: an unclear offer, and why people buy a result, not a pile of sessions
• Reason 4: avoiding the sales conversation, and why hoping is not a strategy
• Reason 5: being visible only on social media
• What is inside the five-week Health Coach Sprint

It Is Not the Algorithm

Rachel opens with the complaint she hears on repeat: I post every day and nothing happens. My friends like my posts and that is it. I spent money on ads and did not get one call. Some coaches stop posting altogether because it feels pointless.

She came out of corporate commercial real estate, started in Florida by handing out cards at health food stores, yoga studios, and farmers markets, and made $13,000 in her first year while charging $197 a month. What was missing was a clear niche, a clear message, a structured offer, and a simple funnel. Community filled her first programs. Summits and interviews put her in front of audiences she did not have yet. Hiring help, including eight business coaches over the years, took her from $13,000 to six figures in three years. The posting schedule was not the thing that changed. The message got clear, so the content started working harder.

Reason 1: You Are Talking to Everyone

Gut health on Monday, hormones on Wednesday, sleep on Friday. The likes come from friends and other coaches, not buyers. New coaches were told to just start posting, so they post everything from the certification. Seasoned coaches have helped so many kinds of people that they cannot pick one. Generic content is everywhere now, especially with AI writing posts in seconds. A generalist blends into the feed. A specialist gets remembered.

Reason 2: Your Message Blends In

Tips and facts do not make someone see themselves in the post. A fuzzy line sounds like "I help women feel their best." A clear one sounds like "I help busy moms over 40 beat the 3 p.m. crash without cutting carbs." If any coach could have written the post, the right person scrolls past it. Rachel's bio formula: I help [who] get [this result] without [the thing they hate]. Then give one next step: a freebie, a DM keyword, or a discovery call.

Reason 3: Your Offer Is Unclear

People ask what you actually do, and you flinch at the price. Rachel's first offer was sessions and handouts. A neighbor showed her a magazine detox with recipes, and that was the light bulb: she needed a system people could see. Her first structured program was a 14-day detox. People do not buy sessions. They buy a clear result with a clear path, and they want to see the assets, the guide, and the recipes.

Reason 4: You Are Avoiding the Sale

Nobody DMs, or the DMs go nowhere. People sign up for the webinar and never book. The call ends with "let me think about it." New coaches treat selling as pushy, so they post and hope someone asks to work with them. Hoping is not a strategy. Social media starts the relationship. The decision happens in a real conversation, which is why the sprint includes DM scripts and a discovery call script.

Reason 5: You Are Only Visible on Social Media

One app's algorithm is a fragile plan. The same small group sees every post. Rachel's alternative is unglamorous and effective: workshops at gyms, yoga studios, spas, and health food stores; a chamber, BNI, or speakers group; a referral circle with a doctor, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or massage therapist; local mom groups. Then podcasts. Smaller shows say yes faster, and one clear interview can do the work of months of posting. Pick the platform the ideal client already uses. Turn one video into a blog post, an email, and a social post. Algorithms change and accounts get shut down. The email list stays.

The Health Coach Sprint

The sprint is five weeks, from confusion to clients. Each week fixes one of the five problems: niche and positioning, messaging, the offer and a simple launch plan, sales that feel like service, and a podcast visibility kit. Calls are about 90 minutes, with teaching plus hot seats, and Rachel is the one in the room. It includes templates, a private community, a 30-day social media kit, and AI prompts. It starts November 3. Early-bird pricing ends October 31. She is taking 25 coaches, and the first 20 get a private 30-minute session to set goals and audit niche, message, and offer.

Your Action Step

Rewrite the bio with Rachel's formula: I help [who] get [this result] without [the thing they hate]. Then name one next step under it.

Final Thoughts

It is not the algorithm, and it is not that you are bad at content. It is the niche and the message, and that is fixable. You did not become a health coach to be a full-time content creator.

Join the Health Coach Sprint

If you want to fix the niche, the message, and the offer with me, join the Health Coach Sprint. This cohort starts November 3. It is five weeks of live calls, so you leave with a clear message and an offer you can sell. Early bird is $397, or four payments of $99, through October 31.

Resources

• Health Coach Sprint (starts November 3, early bird ends October 31): https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com
• Rachel Feldman: https://rachelafeldman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelafeldman/

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

We are living longer, but we are not living better. Our lifespan is increasing, but our health span and quality of life are not, and most of our healthcare system is built to manage disease after it shows up.

In this episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman sits down with Dr. Kristin Oja, founder and CEO of STAT Wellness, to talk about how a personal trainer turned ER nurse turned nurse practitioner built the first membership-based functional medicine and movement practice in the country. Kristin shares her origin story, the affordable membership model behind STAT, why muscle is the foundation of healthy aging, how her team coaches overwhelmed clients one small habit at a time, and what it has taken to grow from one Atlanta clinic to eight locations across the Southeast.

Kristin Oja, DNP, FNP-C, IFMCP, is the Founder & CEO of STAT Wellness, a rapidly growing functional medicine and wellness company transforming healthcare through an innovative model that combines personalized medicine, movement, and health coaching. As a Doctor of Nursing Practice, entrepreneur, and business leader, Kristin is passionate about building mission-driven organizations, scaling businesses without losing their purpose, and helping leaders create sustainable success in both business and life. She also hosts the Little By Podcast, where she explores the intersection of health, leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth through actionable conversations with industry experts.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Kristin's path from personal trainer to ER nurse to nurse practitioner, and the freshman-15 moment that started it all
• Why our healthcare system is so good at sick care, and the difference between lifespan and health span
• The three foundations STAT is built on: muscle, low inflammation, and stable blood sugar
• The ER "brown bag" of medications and why symptoms have root causes
• How STAT's membership model works, and how it keeps functional medicine approachable
• Why muscle is a metabolic bank and the best predictor of independent, healthy aging
• How STAT coaches overwhelmed clients with one small, attainable change at a time
• Accountability, tough love, and taking ownership when a client does not follow through
• Scaling from one clinic to eight locations: infancy, toddler, childhood, and adolescence in business
• How Kristin markets herself: impact first, so her patients become her marketing

From Personal Trainer to ER Nurse to Nurse Practitioner

Kristin describes herself as someone who was built a little differently: an Enneagram seven who sees opportunity in everything and has always asked why. She grew up dancing and playing lacrosse, and never had to think about exercise or food until she went to college, came home in December, and could not button her pants. It was not about the weight. She simply did not have the tools to eat well or move intentionally outside of sports.

That realization led her to personal training, and she loved helping people get stronger than they ever thought possible. Her parents encouraged her to get a degree, so she chose nursing as a safe fallback, and her clinical rotations opened her eyes to how sick our society really is.

We Are Great at Sick Care, Not Health Care

Kristin is grateful for the healthcare we have, but she points out that it is reactive and focused on disease management. We are living longer, but our health span and quality of life are not keeping up.

She set out to build something proactive and preventive, starting with a simple question: what gives us the biggest bang for our buck as we age? Three answers kept coming back:

• Muscle: muscle is our greatest asset as we age, and losing it (sarcopenia) ages us faster.
• Low inflammation: nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle all drive the inflammation behind so many chronic diseases.
• Stable blood sugar: keeping blood sugar balanced helps prevent many of the most common chronic conditions.

The Brown Bag That Changed Everything

Working in the emergency room, Kristin watched patients arrive on gurneys clutching a brown bag full of their medications. Some were on 10, 12, even 15 different prescriptions from specialists who never talked to each other, and some of those medications interacted.

As she put it, the root of a blood pressure issue is not a lack of beta blockers, and the root of constipation is not a MiraLAX deficiency. These things have root causes. Even as a nurse practitioner in primary care, she had about five minutes with a patient once a year, which was not enough to understand their history, family dynamics, or how they ate and moved. That pushed her toward functional medicine, longer appointments, and eventually a model she could make accessible.

An Approachable Membership Model

Traditional functional medicine can be expensive and intimidating, with long supplement lists and big testing bills. STAT Wellness opened in 2019 with a different approach: a membership designed to be predictable and approachable.

Kristin explains that the core medicine membership is $185 a month (HSA eligible) and includes unlimited health coaching, unlimited dietitian access, five functional medicine visits a year, three physical therapy appointments, and body composition scans to track muscle mass. Lab work runs through insurance or cash-pay options, so the less predictable costs stay flexible.

The model keeps evolving. Some members feel so good after a year that they move to a la carte visits, and custom memberships now add options like VO2 max testing, resting metabolic rate, continuous glucose monitors, and peptides once the foundations are strong. Throughout, the functional medicine provider acts as the patient's quarterback, because not everyone needs the same protocol.

Your Health Today Is a Picture of Your Past

Every new patient at STAT starts with a one-hour visit and a body composition scan. Kristin asks about their birth, their upbringing, and their diet, because if you are 45 or 55 years old, your health is a reflection of the last 45 or 55 years, not just what you ate last week.

From there, the team decides which lab testing actually serves the patient and which membership fits. Someone eating fast food seven days a week, not exercising, and feeling stressed needs more support than a single visit and a handout.

Muscle Is a Metabolic Bank

Kristin is black and white on this one: the more muscle you have as you age, the healthier you are likely to be. Muscle loss starts in our 30s, and if we let it continue through every decade, we lose vitality and independence.

She walks through why muscle matters so much:

• Muscle acts as a metabolic bank that helps with blood sugar control and makes diabetes harder to develop.
• More muscle means fewer injuries and broken bones when we fall, and faster reaction time when we trip.
• Exercise and muscle are linked to lower Alzheimer's risk and better brain function.
• The heart is a muscle, and overall strength supports cardiovascular health.

If she can get a 60-year-old patient focused on building muscle and nourishing their body to support it, she calls that a win.

One Small Change at a Time

Nobody goes from fast food every day to a perfectly balanced plate, daily walks, and three strength sessions a week after one appointment. Overwhelmed clients need nurturing and someone to break it down.

Kristin's team might start with just getting into bed by 10 PM for two weeks. Once sleep improves, they focus on a nourishing breakfast, then a 10-minute family walk after dinner. Rachel shares that she used the same approach with her own clients: start with the basics, see what is missing, and build from there. Small steps feel attainable, and attainable steps are the ones that stick.

When it comes to food, the goal is not a rigid meal plan forever. STAT can personalize plans, but the real win is when clients know how to build their own plate, read their hunger cues, eat out confidently, and balance their blood sugar within their real life.

Accountability and a Little Tough Love

When a patient shows up embarrassed because life got in the way, Kristin's first response is to take ownership: maybe the team did not simplify things enough for that season of life. A full season calls for one thing they can do, so they can walk in next time and say, "I did it."

She also knows some people need a push. A patient can feel great while their cardiovascular markers say otherwise, and sometimes the honest conversation is that change has to happen. Her team is still exploring where meeting people where they are ends and tough love begins.

Scaling From One Clinic to Eight Locations

STAT Wellness opened in Midtown Atlanta in 2019 with no investors, no bank loans, and no proof of concept, just a small loan from Kristin's parents that she has since paid back. She compares business growth to raising a child:

• Infancy (2019 to 2022): learning to be a business owner and perfecting the model.
• Toddler (second location in Roswell): figuring out how to run two clinics when you cannot be at both.
• Childhood (third location in Peachtree City): systems in place and a smoother rhythm.
• Adolescence (Nashville and beyond): a new state and time zone brought growing pains.

Today STAT has eight locations across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with telemedicine in the states where its providers are licensed and virtual health coaching nationwide. Keeping pricing approachable at scale means tightly controlling overhead and operating costs, and choosing locations carefully.

Become the CEO of Your Life

Kristin's closing message is about ownership. You have one body and one life, and you are in the driver's seat whether you work with STAT or your primary care provider. Get clear on what you want, what gives you meaning, and what your why is, and the rest becomes much easier to plug in.

When Rachel asks how she markets herself, Kristin says she shares content on Instagram and LinkedIn, but her real marketing strategy is impact. The more she serves her team, her family, and her patients, the more they market STAT for her.

Your Action Step

Pick one foundation to focus on this week, for yourself or a client: a consistent bedtime, a protein-rich breakfast, two strength sessions, or a 10-minute walk after dinner. Keep it small enough that next week you can say, "I did it," then build from there.

Final Thoughts

Longevity medicine is just good medicine earlier. Build muscle, keep inflammation low, balance your blood sugar, and take one attainable step at a time. And if you are building a wellness business, remember that the impact you have on your clients is your best marketing.

Resources

• STAT Wellness: https://www.statwellness.com
• Kristin Oja's website: https://kristinoja.com
• Free 15-minute consultation with STAT Wellness: text 404-254-5905
• Instagram: @statwellness and @kristinojadnp
• Little By Podcast, hosted by Kristin Oja

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

You can have 10,000 followers and zero clients, while the coach with 300 people on her email list is booking calls every week.

In this solo episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman gets straight to the point on why social media feels so hard right now, why your email list is the one marketing asset you actually own, and the simple three-email freebie sequence and weekly newsletter rhythm that turn subscribers into clients.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why followers and likes are not the same thing as clients
• The reel-making hamster wheel and why it is a platform problem, not a you problem
• Why Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are rented land and your email list is owned
• The three-email freebie sequence: the auto-responder, your story plus a quick win, and the invitation
• Why your freebie is the first date, not the finish line
• How to run a consistent weekly newsletter without starting from scratch
• Rachel's own story of perfectionism, over-apologizing, and what changed
• Your homework for this week

Likes Do Not Pay Your Mortgage

You spend an hour or two on a reel, refilm it four times, rewrite the caption, post it, and check back to find 11 views. Rachel's message: that is not a you problem, it is a platform problem.

Instagram decides who sees your content, only a small slice of your followers ever see a regular post, and the rules change every month. Engagement feels good, but a post can get 200 likes and not one booked call. For health coaches who teach rest, boundaries, and nervous-system health, letting an algorithm run your week is the exact opposite of what you coach.

Social Media Is Rented Land

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube can change the algorithm, drop your reach, or lose your account overnight. Your email list is something you own. When you send an email, it lands in the inbox with no algorithm deciding who sees it.

Someone who gives you their email is raising their hand and saying, "I have this problem and I think you can help." That is a very different person from someone who double-tapped a reel in the carpool line. Keep using social media to meet people, but make its job moving them onto your list.

The Three-Email Freebie Sequence

Most coaches build a list, send the freebie, and then go quiet until a launch three months later, when nobody remembers who they are. The moment someone downloads your freebie is when they are paying the most attention, so do not waste it on a lonely delivery email.

• Email 1, right away (the auto-responder): deliver the freebie, introduce yourself in a few sentences, and ask one question: what made you grab this? Asking for a reply tells you what your people struggle with and helps your emails land in the inbox instead of spam.
• Email 2, your story and a quick win: share why you became a coach or a client case study (with permission), then give one small tip they can use today.
• Email 3, day four (the invitation): make the offer. A discovery call, your program, or your membership. Be clear, be direct, and do not apologize for it.

You write these once and they work every day while you coach, sleep, or travel, unlike a reel that disappears in 48 hours.

Your Freebie Is the First Date

Please do not skip email three. Your freebie is not the finish line; it is the first date, and at some point you have to ask them out. Not everyone buys after email three, and that is where the newsletter comes in: some people need to hear from you for months before they are ready.

A Weekly Newsletter That Keeps You Top of Mind

Pick a day and stick to it. Once a week is ideal, so when someone is finally ready, you are the coach they think of.

• Consistency beats cleverness every time.
• One idea per email: one tip, one story, or one lesson. It is not a magazine.
• Write like you talk, like you are texting a friend who asked for advice.
• End with one small step: reply, read a blog post, book a call, or watch your masterclass.

You already have the content. An Instagram post that did well, a podcast episode, a YouTube video, an evergreen masterclass, or a question a client asked on a call can each become an email. Nobody is counting likes in your inbox. You do not have to perform; you just have to help.

Consistency Over Perfection

Rachel shares that she once measured her worth by how a post performed. When she finally sat down to write a newsletter, she would spend three hours on it, rewrite the subject line ten times, and then not send it, or send it opening with "Sorry I've been MIA." That was perfectionism and over-apologizing wearing a marketing hat, and it cost her clients.

What changed was deciding that showing up consistently matters more than showing up perfectly, and that an app does not get to decide what she is worth. Your people do not need a perfect email. They need to hear from you.

Your Action Step

Write your three freebie emails this week (or grab the done-for-you follow-up and indoctrination emails at yourhealthcoachbiz.com). Then pick a newsletter day, put it on your calendar, and send the first one, even if it is not perfect. Especially if it is not perfect. A client case study is a great first topic: what they were dealing with, what you did, and where they are now.

Final Thoughts

Views are not clients. Your followers are nice, but your list is your business. Treat it that way.

Resources

• Done-for-you follow-up emails and indoctrination email series (5 emails): https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com (use code GO50 at checkout)
• Book a session with Rachel to write your three to five freebie emails together: https://rachelafeldman.com

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

One in six couples worldwide struggle with infertility - and for many women, the conventional path jumps straight to medication or IVF without asking why the body stopped feeling safe enough to conceive.

In this episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman sits down with Dr. Kela Smith, Ph.D., DNM - founder of The Hormone Puzzle Society and Fertility Coaching Mastery - to unpack the fertility and hormone niche for health coaches: root causes beyond age, nervous-system safety, foundational habits that actually move the needle, and how practitioners can ethically serve women from fertility through perimenopause and menopause.

Dr. Kela Smith, Ph.D., DNM, is a holistic doctor, researcher, educator, business strategist and the founder of The Hormone Puzzle Society, a virtual clinic and educational platform supporting individuals and couples on their fertility and hormone health journeys. After navigating and overcoming her own infertility and hormone challenges, Dr. Kela transformed her personal healing journey into a mission to help others uncover and address the root causes of infertility and hormonal imbalance through a whole-body, evidence-informed approach. Her work focuses on hormone signaling, metabolic health, gut-immune balance, detoxification pathways, and nervous system regulation as they relate to reproductive outcomes and hormone balance at every age. She is the host of The Hormone Puzzle Podcast, where she shares expert interviews and stories of hope, host of the Fertility Coaching Mastery Podcast where she teaches practitioners how to start, grow, and scale a profitable and purpose-driven fertility coaching business, and is the author of her latest book - Solving Your Infertility Puzzle: A Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Your Fertility. Dr. Kela is also the founder and lead educator of The Hormone Puzzle Society Educational Institute, where she trains and certifies future fertility and hormone coaches, and is a sought-after speaker at conferences, summits, and professional trainings.

In This Episode, We Cover

• Why fertility and hormones are one of the fastest-growing wellness niches
• Dr. Kela's personal infertility story - and how it became a teaching mission
• Root causes beyond "just age": delayed family timing, birth control-first care, toxins, male fertility, and stress
• Nervous-system safety, fight-or-flight, and the "type A" fertility avatar
• How functional care differs from the conventional prescription/procedure path
• Foods and foundations for fertility: protein, whole foods, minerals, hydration
• The hormone PUZLE method and why systems beat willpower
• The 2-2-2 nervous-system reset (silence, breath, journaling)
• Perimenopause/menopause overlaps, bioidentical HRT, and when foundations come first
• Environmental toxins, beauty/cleaning swaps, fragrance/phthalates, and Think Dirty
• How practitioners can train and build a fertility/hormone coaching offer

From Unexplained Infertility to a Teaching Mission

At 36, Dr. Kela was told she had unexplained infertility and advanced maternal age - with IUI and IVF as the default next steps. She refused to accept that as the whole story.

She optimized her own fertility, conceived twice (including at 40), then went back for a PhD so she could teach other women - and practitioners - what she learned. With a newborn and a two-year-old, her mission became clear: shorten the learning curve for anyone who wants to serve this niche with integrity.

Root Causes Beyond "Just Age"

Kela points to delayed family timing, birth-control-first care with little cycle education, rising environmental toxins, overlooked male fertility, and chronically stressed nervous systems.

When the body is stuck in fight-or-flight, it often will not prioritize conception - even if labs look "fine." Fertility, she reminds us, is not only about getting pregnant. It is a fifth vital sign of broader health - and if systems are struggling now, perimenopause and menopause often amplify that struggle later.

The Type A Woman Who Cannot Slow Down

Many of her patients are high-achieving, caffeine-fueled, under-slept, and trained to equate skinny with healthy. That lifestyle keeps the body in go-mode.

Rachel shares her own story of coming off birth control, losing her period for nine months, and being put on Clomid - until an energy healer named the real issue: she did not feel safe in her body to conceive. The next month, her cycle returned.

Coaching that restores safety - through foundations, boundaries, and systemized nurture - is often the real unlock.

Functional Care vs. Prescription or Procedure

Conventional medicine is often trained to ask what prescription or procedure is next - Clomid, Letrozole, HSG, IUI, IVF - not why the body is not healing.

Kela's first appointment is an hour looking at health history from birth to now, mapping systems, and finding dysfunction beyond age. Nine times out of ten, she says, her patients get pregnant - including into their mid and late forties - when the body is optimized instead of rushed through a clinic pipeline.

Her goal is not either/or. She wants conventional and functional care working together for women.

Foundations, Foods, and the Hormone PUZLE Method

Across fertility, perimenopause, and menopause, the same foundations show up: whole-food nutrition, enough protein (about 30 grams per meal plus a snack - roughly 100 grams a day), leafy greens, eggs, iron-rich foods, nuts and seeds, fiber (30+ grams), minerals, hydration, electrolytes, strength training, sleep, and stress load.

Kela's hormone PUZLE method packages the pillars: Proper whole-food nutrition; Understanding supplements (right quality, dose, and quantity); Zapping stress / staying in zen; Zs - sleep; Love and encouragement; Exercise and environment. If one piece is out, the whole picture shifts.

Foundations come before biohacks. Functional testing (Dutch, gut, HTMA, mycotoxins/environmental toxins), peptides, and HRT only work when the basics are in place - not on top of McDonald's and nightly alcohol.

Nervous-System Resets and Systems That Stick

For the burned-out "do everything perfectly" woman, Kela starts with a hard inventory: What is serving you? What can wait or go?

Then she systems everything - workouts, nutrition, business - so habits run without burning willpower. Her 2-2-2 reset is six minutes a day: two minutes of silence, two minutes of deep breathing, two minutes of journaling. Small enough to do; big enough to signal safety to the nervous system.

Perimenopause, Menopause, and Bioidentical HRT

As cycles become irregular, track them. Keep protein and fat with meals for blood sugar, heal gut symptoms, and prioritize strength training for metabolism and bone health.

In post-menopause, ovarian estrogen drops. Kela is a fan of finding a practitioner who can test and, when appropriate, prescribe bioidentical hormones - often looking at estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone case by case. The majority of her practice is fertility and perimenopause: weight gain around the middle, sleep disruption, hot flashes, brain fog, and anxiety are the struggles she hears most.

Toxins at Home and Building a Fertility Coaching Practice

You may not control outdoor toxins, but you control your home: filter air and water, swap beauty and cleaning products as you run out, watch parabens and fragrance/phthalates, skip plug-in air fresheners and perfume on skin (essential oils or perfume on clothes if needed). Scan products with Think Dirty. Simplify your routine - and DIY with castor oil, jojoba, and frankincense when it makes sense.

For practitioners: Kela's Fertility Coaching Mastery certification (about 30 weeks) teaches clinical fertility/hormone care plus business - legal setup, avatar, social, podcasting, media - and the identity work of stepping into the coach you're becoming. It is built for health coaches, nurses, chiropractors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, dietitians, and women whose own infertility journey pulled them into this work.

Your Action Step

Pick one foundation to systemize this week - meal prep with enough protein, a hard bedtime, a six-minute 2-2-2 reset, or a non-toxic swap as you run out of a product - and treat it as nervous-system medicine, not another item on a perfect to-do list.

Final Thoughts

Fertility is not only about getting pregnant. It is a signal of how safely and sustainably a woman is living in her body - across fertility, perimenopause, and menopause.

Coaches who can hold that nuance, teach foundations before biohacks, and build ethical offers in this niche are needed now more than ever.

Resources

• Fertility Coaching Mastery (assessment + roadmap): https://www.fertilitycoachingmastery.com
• Becoming HER retreat: https://www.fertilitycoachingmastery.com/retreat
• Fertility & Hormone Coach Certification: https://www.fertilitycoachingmastery.com/certification-course
• Fertility Coaching Mastery Podcast: https://www.fertilitycoachingmastery.com/podcast
• Book: Solving Your Infertility Puzzle - A Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Your Fertility
• Instagram (practitioner): @becomeafertilitycoach
• Instagram (personal/health): @kela_healthcoach
• Instagram / TikTok (doctor): @drkelasmith
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelarobinsonsmith/
• Think Dirty app (product scanning)

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

If social media feels like a drag — or it isn't working as fast as it needs to — I want you to hear this:

Your content probably isn't underperforming because you don't post enough.

It's underperforming because you're not telling stories.

You're stating facts.

And facts don't move people.

Facts don't build trust.

Stories do.

In this episode, I'm handing you something I wish somebody had handed me years ago: a dead-simple storytelling framework called SPARK.

You can use it for a reel, a caption, an email, or even a podcast episode.

If you're tired of posting into the void — tired of "five tips for better gut health" getting twelve likes from your mom and your business bestie — this one's for you.

In This Episode, We Cover

• Why "post more" doesn't fix underperforming content
• Why facts educate but stories connect
• What people actually buy from a coach (hint: it's belief)
• Why Google, ChatGPT, and freebies can't replace your story
• Permission to stop calling storytelling "oversharing"
• The SPARK method: Situation, Problem, Action, Result, Key takeaway
• How specificity makes people feel seen — not just informed
• Naming the real problem underneath the surface problem
• How to show a result people can actually picture
• Using SPARK for reels (hook, middle, CTA)
• Turning client testimonials into stories people finish reading
• Why one post should carry one SPARK — not your whole biography
• How storytelling rewrites your relationship to your own story

A Message I Want You to Hear

A lot of coaches avoid storytelling because it feels exposing.

It feels like too much.

You've been trained — by school, by corporate jobs, by the one client who made a snide comment once — to keep it professional, polished, and informational.

But people don't buy information.

Information is everywhere.

Google has it.

ChatGPT has it.

Your competitor's freebie has it.

What people buy is belief.

Belief that you understand them.

Belief that transformation is possible.

Belief that you're the one who can guide them there.

And belief isn't built with bullet points.

It's built with story.

So I want you to let go of the idea that sharing your story is oversharing.

It's not oversharing.

It's strategy.

Why Your Content Underperforms

Here's the truth I keep hearing from clients:

Social media feels like a drag.

Or it's not converting as fast as it needs to.

So they post more tips.

More carousels.

More "value."

And still feel like they're posting into the void.

The problem usually isn't volume.

It's that the content sells facts instead of telling stories.

Facts can educate.

Stories make someone stop scrolling, screenshot the post, and send it to a friend.

If your content isn't landing, ask yourself:

Am I informing people — or am I helping them feel understood?

The SPARK Method

I'm giving you a five-part framework called SPARK.

You can use it for a reel, a caption, an email, or even a podcast.

Grab a pen.

S is for Situation.

Start by painting the before picture — where you were, or where your client was, before the transformation.

Be specific.

Not, "I used to feel tired."

Try, "I was setting three alarms just to convince myself to get out of bed, and I still hit snooze on all of them."

Specificity is what makes people feel seen — not just informed.

P is for Problem.

Name the real problem.

Not the surface-level one.

The surface problem might be "I wasn't sleeping."

The real problem underneath is often something like, "I didn't believe I deserved rest until I earned it."

That's the line that makes somebody screenshot your post.

A is for Action.

What did you actually do?

This is where you get to be the expert without sounding like a lecture.

Walk them through the turning point — the one decision, the one conversation, the one framework that changed things.

R is for Result.

Show the after.

Again: specific, not vague.

Not, "I feel so much better now."

Try, "Six months later, I wake up before my alarm and I don't hate my life at 6:00 AM anymore."

Give people something they can picture.

K is for Key takeaway.

This is the bridge back to your audience.

This is where you turn your story into their possibility.

One line.

Something like: "If you're setting three alarms too, this isn't a discipline problem — it's a self-worth problem, and that's fixable."

Situation. Problem. Action. Result. Key takeaway.

SPARK.

That's the framework.

How to Actually Use SPARK

A framework you don't use is just a cute acronym.

First, use SPARK for your reels.

Situation and Problem are your hook — the first three seconds.

Action and Result carry the middle.

Key takeaway is your caption or your call to action.

Second, use it for client stories — not just your own.

Same structure: Situation, Problem, Action, Result, Key takeaway.

This is how you turn a testimonial into a story people actually read all the way through instead of skimming past.

Third — and this is the part people skip:

Don't try to tell the whole story in one post.

One post. One SPARK.

You have hundreds of these stories in your life and in your client work.

Stop trying to cram your whole biography into a single caption.

Zoom in.

You can also turn a bigger transformation into a series:

My client's transformation — one SPARK at a time.

Storytelling Is Stepping Into Your Power

Storytelling isn't a content tactic bolted onto your marketing.

It's an act of stepping into your power.

Every time you tell the truth about where you started, you're doing two things at once:

You're building trust with your audience.

And you're rewriting your own relationship to your story.

I know how easy it is to over-apologize for taking up space.

To soften your story until it's polished and safe and forgettable.

I want you to notice that instinct — and do the opposite.

Tell it specific.

Tell it honest.

Tell it like it happened.

That's what makes people stop scrolling.

Not perfection.

True.

Your Action Step

Take one story — yours or a client's — and run it through SPARK this week.

Situation.

Problem.

Action.

Result.

Key takeaway.

Post it.

Then come back and notice how it landed.

Don't try to tell everything.

One post. One SPARK.

Final Thoughts

You don't need more tips lists.

You need stories that build belief.

Your depth, your turning points, and your honest "before" pictures are not liabilities.

They're the reason someone will trust you with their transformation.

Keep showing up.

Tell it specific.

Tell it honest.

Your message matters.

Resources

• Website: https://rachelafeldman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelafeldman
• Done-for-you offers for health coaches: https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

CEOs often skip mindfulness because they fear losing their edge. Aaron Hendon argues the opposite: anxiety is not performance fuel — and about ten minutes a day can rewire how you lead.

In this episode of The Healthy Hustle Podcast, Rachel Feldman sits down with mindfulness teacher, author, and high-performance coach Aaron Hendon (The Mindful CEO) to unpack why hustle culture feels safer than practice, what top performers actually do, and how to train attention without turning meditation into another self-improvement grind.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why leaders cling to hustle culture and fear losing their "edge"
• Edge vs edgy — and what top performers actually practice
• The myth that meditation means emptying your mind
• Agency of attention as a leadership superpower
• Why meditation apps churn — and how to start with 10 minutes (or one breath)
• Training the mind like a puppy: return to the breath and raise the floor under stress

The Fear of Losing Your Edge

Aaron names the real blocker underneath "I don't have time": leaders worry that calm means losing the anxious grind that produced results. Rachel connects this to perfectionism and overwork — the version of anxiety that fueled her own hustle.

Aaron's point: ample data suggests the opposite of the fear story. Ignoring that data is often the path of least resistance — defaulting to willpower and frenetic effort instead of building the capacity to self-regulate.

What Top Performers Actually Do

First, Aaron draws a sharp line: there is a difference between having an edge and being edgy. If you want edge, do what people with demonstrated edge already do.

Citing Tim Ferriss's Tools of Titans, Aaron notes that roughly 80% of the profiled top performers keep a mindfulness practice. He also points to sports examples — Phil Jackson ("the Zen Master"), the Bulls era, and modern pro teams — where mindfulness is treated as a performance edge, not soft fluff.

The reframe that lands: they don't meditate because they have time. They have time because they meditate.

Practice, Not Perfection (or Apps Alone)

Meditation is not about emptying the mind or forcing calm. It's about watching thoughts — including judgments — and gently returning attention to the breath. Calm may follow, but it cannot be the scoreboard, or practice turns into another "get somewhere" project.

Aaron compares it to the gym: you don't go to get good at going to the gym. You meditate to develop agency of attention — especially when a trillion-dollar attention economy is trying to hijack it.

On apps: well-intentioned tools can help later as timers, but learning without a teacher often reinforces "get better" striving. Aaron cites roughly 90% churn. Celebrate mindful moments; reps beat duration. Start with any 10 minutes — or five, three breaths, or one breath if that's all you have.

His puppy metaphor: the mind will keep leaving the box. Training is returning it, kindly, again and again — raising the floor so you sink to preparation instead of rising to reactivity when the client is lost or the hard conversation starts.

Your Action Step

Block any 10 minutes today (or three breaths if that's all you have). Sit, watch thoughts without trying to empty your mind, and gently return attention to the breath each time it wanders. If you only think about meditating twice, celebrate those as mindful moments — then stack the next rep.

Final Thoughts

Hustle got many founders here — but what got you here won't get you further without capacity. Raise the floor with attention training so you can lead from presence and devotion, not only threat response.

Resources

Aaron Hendon: https://www.aaronhendon.com/

Media kit: https://www.aaronhendon.com/mediakit

Substack: https://aaronhendonthemindfulceo.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronhendon_themindfulceo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronhendon/

Book (guest): How to Live a Grateful Life in a Fcked Up World

Reference discussed: Tim Ferriss — Tools of Titans

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer? Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support? Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman

If you're doing everything "right" for your sleep and still waking up exhausted, tossing and turning at night, or lying in bed with your brain running a mile a minute, the problem might not be your nighttime routine.

It might be what your brain has learned to do when you get into bed.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with licensed psychologist Jessica Meers to talk about the psychology of sleep, insomnia, and why some of the things we do to compensate for a bad night of sleep can actually keep the cycle going.

Jessica specializes in treating insomnia without medication using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). She explains why sleep is both biological and psychological, how we can unintentionally train ourselves to associate our beds with stress and wakefulness, and why there is no perfect sleep routine that works for everyone.

We also talk about overthinking at night, maintaining a consistent wake time, what to do when you can't fall back asleep, creating a sleep-supportive environment, and how hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can affect sleep.

If you've been chasing the perfect bedtime routine but still aren't sleeping well, this conversation may help you look at sleep in a completely different way.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why sleep affects so much more than how tired you feel the next day
• The relationship between poor sleep and mental health
• Why the "5 AM club" approach isn't right for everyone
• How individual sleep needs can change with age and life circumstances
• Why sleep is both a biological process and a learned behavior
• How lying awake, worrying, and tossing and turning can reinforce poor sleep patterns
• Why overthinkers often struggle when everything finally gets quiet at night
• Jessica's strategy for scheduling "worry time" before bed
• Why getting out of bed may be better than staying there trying to force yourself to sleep
• How to distinguish insomnia symptoms from potential signs of sleep apnea
• What Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is
• Why a consistent wake-up time can be one of the most important parts of improving sleep
• Why sleeping in to "catch up" after a bad night can disrupt your rhythm
• How to create a simple wind-down buffer before bed
• Why temperature and light matter for sleep
• Why the perfect sleep environment may not be enough when your nervous system is on high alert
• The relationship between perimenopause, menopause, hormones, and sleep
• Why addressing sleep may require support from more than one type of practitioner

Sleep Is More Than Feeling Tired

We tend to think about poor sleep in terms of how we feel the next morning.

We're tired. We're foggy. We need more coffee. We don't have the energy we normally have.

But Jessica explains that sleep reaches much further than our energy levels.

As a psychologist, she pays particular attention to the relationship between sleep and mental health. Poor sleep and insomnia are closely connected with conditions like anxiety and depression, and sleep difficulties can sometimes appear before other mental health symptoms.

Sleep also intersects with hormones and metabolic health, which is one of the reasons getting consistent, restorative sleep matters so much for our overall health.

This isn't simply about getting enough hours so you can be productive tomorrow.

Sleep is one of the foundational systems supporting your physical and emotional health.

There Is No Perfect Sleep Schedule

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was Jessica's take on the "5 AM club."

We see these routines everywhere.

Wake up at 5 AM.

Work out.

Take the cold plunge.

Journal.

Meditate.

Get more done before everyone else wakes up.

And while that routine may work beautifully for one person, it doesn't mean it's healthy for everyone.

Jessica explains that healthy sleep needs are generally discussed within a range, but the exact amount an individual needs can vary depending on the person, their age, their circumstances, and what is happening in their life.

Trying to force yourself into somebody else's sleep schedule can work against what your own body needs.

Your goal isn't to become the person who wakes up earliest.

Your goal is to find a sleep pattern that actually supports your health.

You Can Train Yourself to Sleep Poorly

This was such an important distinction.

Our bodies know how to sleep.

But psychologically, sleep can also become a learned behavior.

That means we can unintentionally teach ourselves patterns that make sleeping harder.

Think about what happens when you repeatedly lie in bed unable to sleep.

You toss.

You turn.

You start thinking about tomorrow.

You worry about how tired you're going to be.

You look at the clock.

You try harder to fall asleep.

And eventually, your brain begins associating your bed with being awake, alert, worried, and frustrated.

Instead of your bed becoming a cue for sleep, it becomes a cue for stress.

Jessica explains that breaking this association is an important part of addressing insomnia.

The goal is to help your brain relearn what your bed is supposed to represent.

Sleep.

Why Overthinkers Struggle at Night

If your brain suddenly decides bedtime is the perfect opportunity to review every problem in your life, you're definitely not alone.

During the day, we're distracted.

We're working.

We're answering messages.

We're taking care of our families.

We're running businesses.

There is always something competing for our attention.

Then everything gets quiet.

Suddenly, your brain has room to bring up all the things you haven't processed yet.

For someone who already tends toward worrying or rumination, bedtime can become the moment when those thoughts get louder.

One strategy Jessica recommends is intentionally creating space for those thoughts earlier.

Rather than waiting until your head hits the pillow, schedule time after dinner to think through what's worrying you.

Write it down.

Identify the next step you can take.

Give the thought somewhere to go.

You're not trying to solve your entire life before bedtime.

You're showing your brain that the problem has been acknowledged and there is a plan for dealing with it.

What to Do When You Can't Sleep

This advice sounds completely backwards at first.

If you can't sleep, get out of bed.

Jessica explains that staying in bed worrying, stressing, tossing, and turning can reinforce the exact association you're trying to break.

You're teaching your brain that bed is where you stay awake and struggle.

Instead, get up.

Go somewhere else.

Do something relatively mindless that you enjoy until you begin feeling sleepy again.

Jessica even explains that, in the context of this approach, she would rather someone get out of bed and watch television than stay in bed desperately trying to force sleep while becoming increasingly frustrated.

The goal is not to reward yourself for being awake.

It's to stop reinforcing the connection between your bed and wakefulness.

Could It Be More Than Insomnia?

Not every nighttime awakening is caused by insomnia.

Jessica also discusses some signs that may warrant talking with a healthcare professional about obstructive sleep apnea.

If you're frequently waking during the night and also experiencing symptoms such as loud snoring, gasping for air, morning headaches, or waking with a dry mouth, it may be worth discussing a sleep study with your healthcare provider.

This is another reason why getting appropriate support matters.

You don't want to spend months trying to "fix" your sleep routine if there is another underlying sleep issue that needs to be evaluated.

What Is CBT-I?

Jessica specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, commonly called CBT-I.

Rather than relying solely on medication to manage insomnia, CBT-I looks at both the behaviors and thought patterns that may be contributing to sleep difficulties.

Jessica describes it as a relatively short-term, structured form of therapy, often completed over approximately six to eight weekly sessions, although treatment needs vary by person.

The process can involve changing behaviors around sleep, rebuilding the association between bed and sleeping, addressing worry and rumination, and helping people understand the psychological patterns that may be keeping insomnia going.

For someone who feels like they've tried every sleep hygiene tip imaginable without getting lasting results, looking at the behavioral and psychological side of sleep may be the missing piece.

Stop Trying to Catch Up on Sleep

After a terrible night of sleep, sleeping in feels completely logical.

You're exhausted.

Your body missed sleep.

Why wouldn't you stay in bed longer and catch up?

Jessica explains that constantly changing your wake time can disrupt your rhythm and make the next night more difficult.

One of the strongest anchors you can give your sleep schedule is consistency in the morning.

Rather than obsessing over the exact time you fall asleep, Jessica encourages people to pay attention to when they get up.

Set a regular wake time.

Get up at approximately the same time each day.

And resist constantly shifting your schedule based on how well you slept the night before.

One bad night doesn't necessarily need to become several bad nights.

Sometimes our attempts to compensate for poor sleep are what keep the pattern going.

Give Your Brain Time to Wind Down

You cannot expect your brain to go from full-speed work mode to sleep in thirty seconds.

If you've been answering emails, working on your business, scrolling on your phone, solving problems, or thinking about tomorrow right up until bedtime, your brain may still be activated when you lie down.

Jessica recommends creating at least a short buffer before sleep.

Even thirty minutes can give your brain an opportunity to transition.

The goal isn't to create an elaborate two-hour nighttime routine filled with ten different wellness practices.

It's simply to give yourself a period where you are intentionally disengaging from the activities that keep your brain switched on.

Your Sleep Environment Matters, But It Isn't Everything

Temperature and light can absolutely support sleep.

Jessica recommends keeping your bedroom cool and comfortable, with research often pointing toward temperatures around 67 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit for many sleepers.

Darkness can also help.

Dimming the lights in the evening gives your body additional environmental cues that nighttime is approaching.

But there is an important caveat.

You can have the perfect temperature.

The perfect blackout curtains.

The perfect eye mask.

The perfect wind-down routine.

And still struggle to sleep if your nervous system is highly activated.

If you're lying in bed hypervigilant and on edge, your body's arousal system may be competing with your ability to settle into sleep.

Sleep hygiene can support the process.

It cannot always solve the underlying problem by itself.

Perimenopause, Menopause, and Sleep

Jessica's path into sleep psychology actually began through women's health research focused on sleep and the menopausal transition.

That made this part of our conversation especially interesting to me.

Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can significantly change a woman's experience of sleep.

Jessica discusses estrogen's role in sleep and why changes during this stage of life can contribute to sleep disruption.

But there can also be a second layer.

Once sleep becomes difficult, we naturally start worrying about it.

We compensate.

We change our routines.

We try harder.

And some of those psychological and behavioral responses can begin perpetuating the sleep problem even when hormones were part of what triggered it initially.

That is why Jessica advocates for a collaborative approach.

For some women, that may mean working with a psychologist or sleep specialist alongside a gynecologist, menopause specialist, physician, or other appropriate healthcare practitioner.

There isn't always one single solution.

You Don't Have to Keep Fighting Your Sleep

One of the biggest messages I took from this conversation is that struggling with sleep doesn't mean you simply need more discipline.

You don't necessarily need another supplement.

You don't necessarily need another complicated nighttime routine.

And you definitely don't need to force yourself into somebody else's 5 AM schedule because social media told you that successful people wake up before sunrise.

Sometimes the behaviors we use to compensate for poor sleep are actually helping the pattern continue.

Understanding those patterns gives you something you can work with.

If sleep has become a nightly battle, consider getting support from someone who specializes in sleep rather than continuing to experiment on your own.

Your Action Step

Pay attention to what happens around your sleep for the next several days.

Not just what time you go to bed.

Ask yourself:

Do I stay in bed worrying when I can't sleep?

Do I dramatically change my wake time after a bad night?

Am I carrying work and stress directly into bedtime?

Am I trying to follow someone else's "perfect" sleep schedule?

Do I spend the day worrying about whether I'll sleep tonight?

You don't need to change everything at once.

Start by noticing the patterns.

If those patterns have been going on for a long time or your sleep is significantly affecting your health and daily life, consider speaking with a qualified sleep professional about whether CBT-I or another form of evaluation may be appropriate.

Final Thoughts

Sleep is foundational.

It affects how you think, how you feel, how you show up for your family, and how much energy you have to build the business and life you want.

And better sleep isn't necessarily about creating the perfect nighttime routine.

Sometimes it starts with understanding what your brain has learned about sleep and changing the behaviors that are keeping you stuck.

You can optimize your room.

You can buy the eye mask.

You can turn down the temperature.

But if your nervous system is on high alert and your brain has learned that getting into bed means worrying for three hours, there is another layer that needs attention.

That's why I loved this conversation with Jessica.

It reminds us to stop chasing perfection and start understanding what our bodies and brains actually need.

Resources

Connect with Jessica Meers

Jessica Meers is a licensed psychologist specializing in insomnia and helping people improve sleep without relying solely on medication. Her practice is based in Houston, Texas, with both in-person and virtual care.

Instagram: @SHeTalksSleep

Website: rhythm-well.com

If you're experiencing persistent sleep problems, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare provider or sleep specialist for individualized evaluation and treatment.

_______________________________________________

Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support?

Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman.

If you only have one offer, you don't have a business.

You have a bottleneck.

I know that might ruffle some feathers, but I've watched too many incredible health coaches build one offer, put everything behind it, and then wonder why their income feels capped.

A sustainable coaching business needs more than one way for people to work with you.

You need an entry point for the person who isn't ready to make a premium investment yet, and you need a high-ticket offer for the client who's ready to go deeper.

In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly how I structure my own offer ladder, from my lower-ticket group coaching sprint to my premium one-on-one coaching.

I'm also sharing my thoughts on tripwires, why I don't recommend them for most brand-new coaches, and what you should focus on building first if you want a business that creates revenue without burning you out.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why having only one offer can create a bottleneck in your business
• The role of high-ticket and low-ticket offers in a sustainable coaching business
• Why high-ticket coaching isn't about charging for your time
• How premium pricing can create greater client commitment
• Why one-on-one coaching can generate your strongest case studies and transformations
• How a lower-ticket offer builds trust before a larger investment
• Why a coaching sprint can become the bridge to your premium offer
• How a 90-minute intensive can lead clients into a high-ticket container
• What a tripwire is and where it belongs in your offer ladder
• Why I don't recommend tripwires for most brand-new coaches
• What to do if you don't have enough results to justify premium pricing yet
• How to identify the missing offer in your business

A Message I Want You to Hear

You don't need ten different offers.

You need the right offers working together.

One offer can only serve one type of buyer at one point in their journey.

Some people are ready to go deep.

Others need to experience your coaching first.

When you give both people a clear next step, you're not complicating your business.

You're creating a business that can grow.

Why Your High-Ticket Offer Matters

Your premium offer is where the deepest transformation can happen.

For me, that's one-on-one coaching.

A high-ticket client can create the revenue of multiple lower-ticket clients without requiring you to make ten separate sales.

But there's also an important mindset shift here.

You're not simply getting paid for the number of hours you spend with someone.

You're getting paid for the transformation and outcome you're helping them create.

Your premium offer is also where you can develop some of your strongest testimonials, case studies, and proof of concept.

If you don't have a high-ticket offer yet, this may be the most important gap to fill.

Why Your Lower-Ticket Offer Matters

Not everyone who finds you is immediately ready to invest thousands of dollars.

That doesn't mean they're not your ideal client.

They may simply need more trust.

That's where a lower-ticket offer can become incredibly valuable.

My group coaching sprint gives people an opportunity to experience my coaching, get a meaningful result, and understand what it's like to work with me without immediately committing to one-on-one coaching.

Once someone has experienced a win with you, moving into a deeper offer becomes much easier.

Your low-ticket offer isn't necessarily the destination.

It can be the doorway.

Your Offers Should Work Together

Think of your business as a ladder.

Your lower-ticket offer gives someone an accessible way to enter your world.

Your premium offer gives them somewhere to go when they're ready for deeper support.

That means you aren't depending on one price point, one sales conversation, or one type of buyer to generate all of your revenue.

And you don't have to build everything at once.

Start with what your business needs most, get results, and build from there.

Where a 90-Minute Intensive Fits

Your lower-priced option doesn't always have to be a group program.

A 90-minute intensive can also be an effective bridge into your premium coaching.

You might use that time to review lab results, map out a short-term plan, identify deeper connections, or solve one specific problem.

If the client decides afterward that they want deeper support, you can even apply the cost of the intensive toward your premium coaching container.

They get to experience your expertise before making a bigger decision, and you create a natural pathway into your high-ticket offer.

Why I Don't Recommend Starting With a Tripwire

A tripwire is typically a very inexpensive offer, often around $27 or $37, designed to turn a cold audience into buyers.

It sounds perfect for a new coach.

But here's my take:

Don't build the funnel before you build the following.

Tripwires work when you already have traffic and trust.

If hardly anyone is seeing your content, spending weeks creating a complicated tripwire funnel doesn't solve the real problem.

You need people.

You need visibility.

You need trust.

You need results.

Build those first.

Then a tripwire can become a powerful conversion tool.

What If You Don't Have Results Yet?

If you're new and don't feel like you have enough proof to charge premium pricing yet, start with a beta version of your one-on-one offer.

Charge a slightly reduced but still meaningful investment.

Set a clear end date for the beta pricing.

Deliver incredible results.

Then collect the testimonial or case study.

The goal is to use beta pricing as a bridge, not as an excuse to undercharge indefinitely.

What If Your Lower-Ticket Offer Isn't Selling?

Don't immediately assume the price is the problem.

Look at your messaging.

Are you clearly communicating the transformation?

Or are you simply describing what's included?

People don't buy a certain number of calls, PDFs, modules, or worksheets.

They buy what they believe those things will help them achieve.

Make the result clear.

Your Action Step

Look at what you're currently selling and ask yourself:

Do I have an accessible entry point?

Do I have a premium offer?

If one is missing, that's what I want you to build next.

Not another freebie.

Not another lead magnet.

Not another piece of content you're hoping will magically fix your sales.

Build an actual offer with a clear transformation and a price that reflects its value.

Final Thoughts

You don't need to build everything today.

You don't need a complicated funnel.

And you definitely don't need ten different offers.

You need a thoughtful value ladder.

Give people a way to enter your world.

Give them somewhere to go when they're ready for more.

And make sure your offers support both your clients and the business you're trying to build.

Because the goal isn't simply to stay busy.

It's to build a coaching business that's profitable, sustainable, and capable of creating deeper transformations.

Resources

Need help building your low-ticket or high-ticket coaching offer?

Visit yourhealthcoachbiz.com to explore done-for-you programs and offers for health coaches.

Looking for one-on-one business coaching support?

Visit rachelafeldman.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @rachelafeldman.