Have you ever wondered why that “perfect” discovery call didn’t convert? Today’s episode covers sales, a topic that makes most coaches break out in a sweat. Most of us don’t know what to do with sales or how to approach selling to achieve success. I’m delighted to welcome today’s guest to share his wealth of knowledge and valuable insights. He teaches us how to shift from fear-based selling to service-based relationship building. Join us!

Jacob Hicks is a keynote speaker and coach with over a decade of experience transforming people’s lives and businesses. He has a special knack for identifying the elements that drive lasting success with systematic approaches that help build lasting engagement.

Show Highlights:

• “Fearless selling:” What it means
• Fear, rejection, and the stories in our heads
• The numbers that tell the truth about sales interactions
• The value we give when we come from a place of service
• Using Jacob’s 5 touchpoints to provide value in specific scenarios
• Systems and processes hold the key to your game plan.
• The power of a handwritten note/card
• Using a CRM to manage interactions with automation
• Examples of a drip campaign using newsletters and mini-courses
• Feeling better about rejection by changing your mindset to one of abundance
• Sell by making connections and providing value
• Consistency is essential!
• Jacob’s takeaways: “Your mindset is huge. Be consistent. Try new things and follow the 80-20 rule.”

Resources:

Connect with Jacob Hicks: Website, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Connect with Meg:

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

What if you could strengthen your communication and change the way you ask questions by switching one small word? In today’s episode, you’ll discover how replacing “why” questions with “what” and “how” can revolutionize your coaching conversations. Host Meg Rentschler explores the neuroscience and psychology behind the questions we ask, revealing that “why” questions trigger defensive responses, while “what” and “how” can activate curiosity and exploratory thinking.

Show Highlights:

• The neuroscience behind different question types—and how they trigger us
• The problem with “why” questions
• The power of “what” and “how” questions to invite us into adult-state activation
• Exploration instead of explanation 
• Solution-focused questions vs. problem-focused questions
• NLP principles that support “what” and “how” questions
• “Why” questions have their place, but be cautious not to be judgmental and critical.
• The problem with automatic “why” responses
• Transformation techniques:
• The question-translation practice
• The ego-state awareness practice
• The solution-focused reframe
• The future-pull technique
• Examples of “what” questions to help a client with clarity
• Examples of “how” questions around processes
• Examples of “when” questions that involve timing
• Practical steps to transform your questioning techniques:
• Start small.
• Practice the pause.
• Trust the process.
• Meg's challenge to you this week

Resources:

Get your free resource, The Coaches’ Power Questions Cheat Sheet.  Click here!

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

Today’s episode could be life-changing as you discover the secret to success that may have been in front of you the whole time. You can rewire your autopilot setting that controls 95% of your daily thoughts and actions. Buckle up to learn how to be fully aware, conscious, and choice-driven about how you want to show up in life. Join us!

At age 50, John Mitchell wasn’t as successful as he thought he should be. To rectify that, he turned to Think and Grow Rich, the world’s most renowned success book, read by over 150 million people. The author, Napoleon Hill, says there is a secret to success, but he only gives us half the secret. Through his careful study, John uncovered the FULL SECRET and a 12-minute daily technique to apply it. The result was a 25-fold increase in his $200,000 income! John’s methodology, based on neuroscience, is an AI-driven algorithm that personalizes the success formula for each individual. John teaches his groundbreaking system at the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, one of the top five business schools in the country. He also serves as the mental coach for UT’s 18 head athletic coaches and many others around the country. John shares his powerful system in his book, The Missing Secret of the Legendary Book Think & Grow Rich. 

Show Highlights:

• John’s story of finding financial success and becoming a teacher
• The first half of the secret to success–and John’s journey to find the other half
• The false belief about success (that John believed for 50 years!)
• “What you envision in detail, with emotion, daily, is what shows up in your life.”
• The results of John’s 12-minute daily technique:
• Immense control over your life
• Confidence
• The right actions
• Are you fear-based and reactive?
• John’s challenges in creating clarity
• The conscious mind vs. the subconscious mind
• The importance of having your emotions engaged for success
• John’s key takeaway: “The most significant thing I learned in my life is that 95% of my daily actions are unconscious.”
• Learn to work smarter, not harder!

Resources:

Connect with John Mitchell

Watch John’s 9-minute free video at www.themissingsecret.org!

LinkedIn

Connect with Meg

ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in September. Click here!

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

It is critical that we, as coaches, strive for cultural awareness in our work. One of the most important aspects of coaching is the richness of our differences and perspectives, and often, the voices that are heard the least are those that can teach us the most—if we only listen. We are exploring this important topic in today’s episode. 

Ingrid Hu Dahl is an author, speaker, and leadership coach. She has written, filmed, and directed two short films exploring identity, representation, and the mixed-race experience. Her advocacy for underrepresented voices and the importance of inclusive coaching are at the heart of her memoir, Sun Shining on Morning Snow, which focuses on leadership, coaching, and personal connection. Ingrid is a TEDx speaker and the founder of a coaching and consulting business for emerging leaders. Inspired by her mother’s passing, her work emphasized the need for coaches to create space for clients’ experiences, challenge biases, and promote curiosity in conversations while encouraging individuals to reclaim their power and live authentically. Certified by the International Coach Federation and the Center for Creative Leadership, Ingrid’s body of work is centered on connection, kindness, and inclusivity. She lives in Sausalito, CA, with her wife and their dog. 

Show Highlights:

• The book-writing journey for Ingrid
• The traumatic impetus for her next steps was the loss of her mom to cancer.
• Holding space for your unique story and experiences
• Ingrid’s path to advocacy for underrepresented voices
• Using curiosity over judgment and assumptions
• The dangers of “righteousness”
• Ingrid’s tips for coaching for inclusion: slow down, start with the basics, and listen to understand
• Operating within a social system of power and oppression
• Reclaiming your personal power
• Ingrid’s key takeaway: “You have one life to live, so choose your truth and live it fully.”

Resources:

Connect with Ingrid Hu Dahl: Website, Instagram, and Sun Shining on Morning Snow book 

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in September. Click here!

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

You’ve experienced success, and you are the person that others come to for answers. The problem is that sometimes this very success becomes a trap, stopping us from dreaming new dreams and taking on new challenges. Today’s conversation dives deep into permission. What does it mean to give ourselves permission to be a novice again and to start small when we are used to thinking big? How can we permit ourselves to step into the unknown when we are already successful problem solvers? Today’s show will be incredibly valuable for you! Join us to be inspired to break free from whatever is holding you back from your next level of success. 

Mitch Matthews is a success coach, speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Since 2015, Mitch has hosted the Dream Think Do, a podcast with the perfect title to sum up what he’s all about. He’s interviewed Olympic athletes, NY Times bestselling authors, and top business leaders, all while helping entrepreneurs and coaches dream bigger, think better, and do more. The podcast is rated #1 by the Huffington Post and is in the top 1% of all podcasts. As a speaker and elite success coach, Mitch has spent the last 20 years helping organizations like Nike, United Airlines, NASA, and Disney. His training program has helped thousands of life coaches from around the world build successful and profitable businesses they love. Most importantly, Mitch is a husband, dad, and lifelong learner living a highly caffeinated life with his family in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Show Highlights:

• The dangers of success for high achievers
• Permitting yourself to dream big again
• Being “bored out” vs. “burned out”
• The “brain’s bodyguard,” the amygdala, and how it reacts when we try to be a novice again (Take the Annual Novice Challenge!)
• Feeling small again after feeling very big
• Getting clear on your “leap number”
• Identify your tribe: Who do you know?
• Collaboration and competition: “Your competition is not another coach; it’s the couch.”
• Mitch’s #1 takeaway: “What if”?

Resources:

Connect with Mitch Matthews: Website, Dream Think Do podcast, and LinkedIn.

Discover 44 Proven Ways to Find Your First Life Coaching Clients (And Keep Them Coming) Guide

Faith & Focus: 11 Prayers for Building a Coaching Business You Love Guide

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in September. Click here!

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

Mid-level managers are sandwiched between C-suite executives and everyone else in their companies. Coaching them presents unique challenges to meet them where they are while helping them expand their lens through creative options in a very competitive coaching market. We are exploring these relevant topics and focusing on the work of mid-level managers, often referred to as the “unsung heroes” of the corporate world. Join us!

Loretta Stagnitto is a certified executive coach and president of Loretta Stagnitto Leadership Associates, an online coaching and training company specializing in leadership development for executives, mid-level leaders, and high-performing teams, along with workplace wellness and mental health first aid. LSLA provides individual and group-based leadership development based on its trademarked “I Know System” and the “Assess. Act. Achieve” methodology. With over 20 years of executive coaching experience, Loretta empowers professionals at all levels to drive their development and team growth. She offers C-suite-level insights and fosters new work approaches, enabling leaders and teams to enhance inspiration, operations, and collaboration, ultimately strengthening relationships, developing talent, and accelerating organizational change. 

Extensively experienced in healthcare, tech, finance, and biotech, Loretta has coached in diverse corporate and start-up settings. The 2020 pandemic spurred her focus on workplace anxiety and burnout, leading to expertise in related remedies. Through her non-profit, Invest in Mental Health, Loretta provides free or low-cost adult and youth mental health first aid certifications to a variety of communities. The non-profit is dedicated to breaking the stigma around mental health disorders. To help encourage and build advocacy for women’s leadership, Loretta serves as a guide for CHIEF, the nation’s largest membership-based executive coaching organization for executive women. Loretta has raised two amazing adult children with her husband in their northern California home, and her hobbies include biking, indoor rowing, Pilates, weight-training, silent walking, and sewing. 

Show Highlights:

• The biggest challenges for mid-level managers, the “unsung heroes”
• Loretta’s theory on what coaches can do for mid-level leaders
• Creative solutions for mid-level leaders (because companies are not investing in them):
• Short programs delivered in smaller bites
• A convenient, online coaching program 
• Putting cohorts together for peer group coaching and camaraderie
• The impacts of coaching within organizations around self-awareness, proactive feedback, communication, and self-advocacy
• Shifting perspectives around empowerment, awareness, and choice—to see ourselves differently and do things differently
• Assessing The Stress Factor--and how it shows up for leaders
• Positioning coaching as an investment, not remediation
• For external coaches: Position yourself for profitability with differentiation strategies such as a niche focus, collaboration, and investment.
• Loretta’s focus on burnout, anxiety, and wellness in the workplace
• The bottom line for coaches: Loretta’s advice to coaches about working harder, figuring out your clients’ problems, and being creative in developing solutions in a competitive market

Resources:

Connect with Loretta Stagnitto: Website, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August. Click here!

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

Are you a purpose-driven coach who wonders why you’re staring at an empty calendar? Are you unsure about getting those first crucial clients? If you’re caught in the frustrating cycle of needing experience to get clients and needing clients to get more experience, you are not alone. More importantly, you are closer to breaking through than you think. Join me in today’s solo episode to uncover the key to a new coach’s biggest mountain to conquer: landing those first few game-changing clients. We’re diving into this essential topic right now with practical strategies you can implement today. Your first client is waiting for YOU!

Show Highlights:

• Make a mindset shift around the “experience paradox.”
• Three permission slips to give yourself:
• Permission to be a beginner
• Permission to start before you feel “ready”
• Permission to charge for your value
• Concrete action step #1: Write down one instance when you helped someone create a solution for an issue. 
• Strategies for inviting clients into your space:
• Think of your warm market as your gold mine.
• Determine your three circles of influence. (“You cannot be a secret and a success at the same time.”)
• Build your Know-Like-Trust factor by providing value. Be clear and specific!
• Use your warm market as an opportunity to offer barter coaching.
• Concrete action step #2: Identify 10 people in your warm market who need what you offer or might know those who do. Reach out to one person today.
• Using the Beta Client Approach:
• Position yourself as someone launching a beta program for your coaching methodology. (This reframes your newness as exclusivity.)
• Take on a limited number of beta clients for a specified time frame.
• You can build your client base and clarify your offering to achieve exceptional results. 
• Concrete action step #3: Consider your ideal client and develop a simple beta program tailored to your coaching niche.
• Building credibility without experience: Where to begin:
• Leverage your training and certifications.
• Share your personal transformation story.
• Connect your professional background to coaching.
• Gather micro-testimonials from informal helping situations.
• Create consistent, valuable content. 
• Concrete action step #4: Create your own credibility stack. (Check out SCS 336, What’s Your Value Proposition?)
• Meg’s 7-day challenge: Are you up for it?

Resources:

Connect with Meg:

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com. 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

You are in for a treat as we discuss current trends in the coaching industry in today’s episode. You’ll learn strategies for stepping up and standing out in a highly competitive market. Join us to hear practical insights from today’s expert guest!

Joanna Lott is a business coach who helps qualified coaches attract clients with honesty, not hype. As the host of the Women in the Coaching Arena podcast, a top 2% globally-ranked show, she provides practical strategies to help coaches grow thriving, sustainable businesses. With a track record of successfully selling executive and career coaching services to organizations and individuals, Joanna has supported hundreds of coaches in building profitable, integrity-driven businesses through strategic marketing. She is the co-founder of the One Stop Coach Shop, which offers instant access to templates, tools, and resources specifically designed for coaches. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach holding an ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring, Joanna brings a wealth of practical experience and professional expertise to her work. 

Show Highlights:

• The return of in-person coaching, even as a hybrid model of connection, is impactful.
• Your marketing should show who you are and attract YOUR kind of people.
• Leverage opportunities (like a podcast) to stand out and bring value. 
• Joanna’s tips for standing out in a competitive coaching environment: use “bots” and tools, differentiate yourself with a catchphrase, run immersive workshops, be authentic, and be different
• “Coaching with purpose” means finding a mission or social justice issue that people want to get behind with you. (Figure out your mission by asking, “What makes me angry?”)
• Shine your light by unapologetically claiming your space!
• Joanna’s advice to young coaches who fear the haters
• Key takeaways from Joanna: “You’ll gain so much by going on a visibility mission as far as learning your own voice, building your confidence, and gaining self-esteem. There is so much to gain in the biggest personal growth journey of your life.”

Resources:

Connect with Joanna Lott:

Website, Women in the Coaching Arena podcast, The 2025 Coaches Planner, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Book mentioned in this episode: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August. Click here for more information and sign up now! 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

Today’s show focuses on values. How do we get clear on our values, and how do we best help our clients get clear on their values? Our starting point is to understand the crucial difference between needs and values. Join us to discover the transformative power of values-based coaching!

Alma Weaver Jones is an executive coach who recently rebranded her company to Soul Weaver, focusing on the positive power of coaching and synergy. As a coach, facilitator, and leadership catalyst, she has coached, inspired, and motivated thousands to build lives and careers that are energizing and fulfilling. With over 20 years of experience as a professional coach, Alma’s portfolio includes high-profile leaders, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies that recognize the value of developing their human capital as they work toward a shared vision. Alma’s varied background includes executive roles in the staffing industry and the nonprofit sector. She has been on staff at the University of Texas at Dallas since 2005, where she trains and mentors students in coaching programs and coaches leaders in the research department. 

Show Highlights:

• Alma’s impetus and inspiration to rebrand after many years
• Alma’s experience with Thomas Leonard, “the father of coaching” (founder of the ICF)
• “Everyone is being chased by a need.” (Needs are different from values. Are you running FROM something or TOWARD something?)
• Finding clarity about your values and getting your needs met (Learn to ask yourself the right questions.)
• Working from a place of values with organizations with strengths in psychology and soul fulfillment
• Alma’s best advice for creating a thriving, sustainable coaching business: Find connection, cultivate collaboration, and allow yourself time to build your “runway.”
• Considerations in weaving a tapestry of values (“What I value” and “what my values are” aren’t the same!)
• Key takeaways from Alma: “Look at how you, your clients, and your clients’ companies can find ways to live their values. It goes beyond profitability.”

Resources:

Connect with Alma Weaver Jones: Website, Email, and LinkedIn

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August. Click here for more information, and sign up now! 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT.

Do you feel stuck in the mindset of creating new lead magnets over and over again to grow your email list? There is a better way! The most effective email list-building strategies today focus on genuine value exchange. Are you ready to learn six proven strategies for building your email list beyond the traditional lead magnet? Join us to learn more!

Marci Rossi is a business strategist who helps new and growing coaches build a business that is strategic, streamlined, and set up for real growth. With a background in law and corporate business, Marci is known for her ability to cut through the noise, simplify decisions, and create smart workflows that make business feel a lot lighter. She’s the creator of The Shortcut, a 12-week done-for-you setup and coaching program that helps coaches go from overwhelmed and stuck to clear, confident, and fully up and running. Marci blends strategy with structure to help her clients move faster, focus on what really matters, and make progress they can feel. When she’s not working behind the scenes in someone’s business, she’s usually hanging out with her dogs, watching Friends reruns, or saving recipes she’ll probably never make.

Show Highlights:

• Taking a NEW path to success through your email list
• AI has changed the landscape. It takes more in today’s world.
• Components of a genuine value exchange: (Think “MAGNET.”)
• Micro-offers
• Access
• Group projects
• Nurturing content
• Events
• Things (the tangible templates, tools, and tests) 
• Never violate the trust of someone who gives you their email address. Be a good human!
• “We aren’t here to convince people to like us; we are here to serve the people who are already paying attention to us.” –Marci Rossi
• Key takeaways: AI can help, but your authenticity must come through; and we can only serve when we put ourselves out there. 

Resources:

Connect with Marci Rossi: Website, LinkedIn, and Facebook

Connect with Meg:

ENROLLING NOW FOR THE FALL MENTOR PROGRAM beginning in August 2025. Only a few spots remain! Click here for more information and sign up now! 

Explore the STaR Coach Community and see what’s available there for you!

Visit the STaR Coach Show YouTube Channel! Subscribe today! Join our live show taping on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm CT. 

Explore past episodes and other resources at www.STaRcoachshow.com.