What does it actually take to go from charging $75 a month to building a seven-figure coaching company? For Keri Ford, founder of Elevate with Keri, the answer wasn't more strategy — it was deeper identity work. In this episode, Keri pulls back the curtain on her decade-long journey from personal trainer to award-winning high performance coach working with C-suite executives and million-dollar founders around the globe.
Keri shares the pivotal moment she paid $5K for her first coaching program and how that single decision changed everything. She breaks down her nervous system approach to pricing, why she pushes back on the "charge your worth" narrative, and what she means when she says we don't have business problems — we have personal problems that show up in our business.
From selling a million-dollar offer from a retreat stage to navigating the upper limiting that followed, Keri's story is raw, honest, and deeply aligned with the mission of this podcast — normalizing wealth, identity evolution, and the real behind-the-scenes work of building a seven-figure business.
If the strategy is who you're being, this episode will change how you show up.
Chapters00:54 — Introduction to Keri Ford
02:14 — What Keri's business looks like today and who she serves
03:35 — Who she had to become to get to this level of success
03:55 — Starting out charging $75 a month and making $35K in year one
05:10 — The $5K coaching investment that changed everything
06:10 — Her first high ticket client: four months at $4K
06:40 — From $75 a month to $6,500 a month — and selling $90K packages
07:22 — Taking a detour back into consulting and why she couldn't figure it out
08:02 — The profit first lesson and what her CPA told her to do with money
10:15 — Audrey's take on profit first versus deeper financial literacy
11:22 — The identity shift that mattered more than any strategy
12:15 — We don't have business problems — we have personal problems
13:11 — Why "charge your worth" is the wrong framework
14:10 — The nervous system approach to pricing
15:15 — The biggest identity shift: going from $75 a month to the first $4K package
16:20 — What part of success still surprises her
16:32 — Treating the vision like a plan and reverse engineering from there
17:40 — What to do when you can't connect to the vision yet
18:04 — If you can't see it, it's an invitation for healing
19:00 — Free gift: The Leader Circle weekly newsletter
19:48 — Where to find Keri online
20:23 — Final closing question: what part of you doesn't want this to work?
20:54 — Money is a tool — stay humble through the highs and lows
Takeaways- The strategy is who you're being. Identity work isn't separate from business strategy — it is the strategy.
- We don't have business problems. We have personal problems that show up in our business. Unexamined stories and subconscious beliefs dictate behavior more than any tactic.
- Pricing should be calibrated to your nervous system. Find the number that feels doable but stretchy — not the number that makes you freeze.
- Don't charge your worth — charge relative to the market and your experience. Worth is a given. Pricing is a business decision.
- Closing the back door changes everything. When you go all in with skin in the game, a new level of commitment unlocks.
- Upper limiting is real. Success can arrive faster than your identity can hold it — do the inner work before you need it, not after.
- Play for the middle. The highs and lows of revenue don't define you. Save during the highs, stay humble, and build for sustainability.
- If you can't connect to the vision, that's an invitation for healing — not evidence that it's impossible.
Guest Free Gift
The Leader Circle — Weekly Newsletter A free weekly newsletter for founders and high-performing women in business. Keri writes it with one intention: that it's worth at least a cup of coffee of your time. Readers say they read it every single week — which says everything. Join and get a virtual cup of coffee with Keri every Tuesday: https://kerilford.substack.com/
Connect with Keri
Website: https://elevatewithkeri.com/
Instagram: @iamkeriford
LinkedIn: @kerifordofficial
Youtube: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerifordofficial/
Where Is All My Money Going?
You'll notice Audrey asks every guest if they have ever been financially phobic. About 80% say yes. Even the seven figure ones. Turns out getting to the other side of that is exactly how they grew faster.
If your own financial reports still make you nervous or nauseous, this is for you.
Every month Audrey hosts Where Is All My Money Going? A free live experience where she walks you through a QuickBooks sample company so you finally understand what your profit and loss statement is actually telling you. Seats are limited and there is no replay so no one feels awkward asking questions.
🔗 Grab your seat here: https://www.audreyfaustconsulting.com/money
About the Host
Audrey Faust, MBA, is known as The Manifesting CFO. For more than two decades she has worked with multi-six and seven-figure businesses, helping entrepreneurs understand their financials, strengthen profitability, and build long-term wealth.
Through her work, Audrey has witnessed the identity shifts and leadership evolution that occur as businesses scale and the powerful role that money mindset plays in sustainable success.
Audrey's Free Gift
If looking at your numbers brings up feelings you were not expecting, you are not alone. Audrey Faust has created a seven minute guided meditation infused with bioneural beats, designed specifically for women who want to approach their financial information with curiosity instead of fear, shame, or judgment. Listen to it before you open your QuickBooks, your bank account, or your profit and loss statement. It will change the energy you bring to that moment.
🎧 Get instant access here: https://www.audreyfaustconsulting.com/meditation
Subscribe & Follow
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And until next time…
Keep manifesting, managing, and multiplying your money.
If you’re ready to go deeper, I’ve got some powerful ways to support you. Join me inside my world:
🌐 Website: https://www.audreyfaustconsulting.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifesting_cfo/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreyfaust/
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheManifestingCFO