The Endurance Coachpreneur: Business Tips for Triathlon, Running and Cycling Coaches

Just got back from two weeks in Europe, fjords in Norway, a Greek village nowhere near the tourist islands, and one group call taught from happy hour in Athens.

But that's not what this episode is about.

It's August. Your inbox might feel dead. Your athletes are quiet because they're heads down for their A races. That silence isn't a problem. It's the calendar.

Here's what matters: quiet doesn't mean nothing's happening. Athletes are already shopping, they've just been at it for months before the credit card comes out.

In this episode, I walk through four types of athletes window-shopping right now, including one who just podiumed at USA Triathlon Nationals and is already wrestling with what's next. Plus, I tell on myself with the story of the first time I tried to write my own training plan (spoiler alert: it did not go well).

If your DMs feel dry right now, or you want to get in front of athletes quietly deciding their next move, this one's for you.

Something big's opening Monday the 24th, built exactly for this window. Want the early word (plus a bonus for the first few days)? DM me "SELLING" on Instagram @coachmichellelake.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

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It just happened to a coach I work with. Her athlete didn't finish, and the conversations we had after got me thinking about something we never talk about: how the coach handles a DNF, not just the athlete.

In this episode, I get into the grief of it (yes, even my own DNS-turned-finish story at Ironman Lake Placid), what you can and can't control as a coach, and a simple debrief process to help your athlete (and yourself) move through it and find the next start line. Plus, why this isn't just a race day problem. It shows up in your business too.

Also in this episode: Selling Season is back! Fall is the next start line for coaches: it's when most athletes go looking for a new one for the year ahead. Selling Season opens Monday, August 24th. Get on my email list below or follow me @CoachMichelleLake to hear first. 

Join the list here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/joinlist/

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

I write my training plan every week before I ever step foot in the pool or on the track. So why would my business be any different?

In this episode, I'm breaking down the framework I teach inside Dream to 6 for building an actual system around your sales, not just random posts and hoping something sticks. I call it the Six C's, and I walk through all six levels of the "triangle," from the daily habits at the base to the bigger quarterly plays at the top.

I talk about:

• Why athletes hire the coach they connect with, not just the one they know exists
• The one simple ask after every conversation that builds your following without ever feeling salesy
• Why one post a week isn't enough to build the content muscle (and what actually works)
• The step almost every coach skips, and why it's costing them inquiries
• How to use longer-form content to let potential athletes really get to know you
• Where bigger group events fit into the picture, and how often to run them

This is the same intention I bring to every training plan I write. No throwing spaghetti at the wall. Just a system you run every single week.

Let's talk about your sales machine. If you're ready to stop guessing and build real intention into how you grow, book a call with me and let's map it out together.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

How many athletes did you lose last year that you could have kept? Not the ones who got hurt or pregnant or had to step away for good reasons. The ones who just quietly drifted off.

We spend so much energy on the front door, getting new athletes in, and almost none on the back door, where people are leaving and we're not even noticing.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• Why that leak is probably the most expensive thing happening in your business
• Why it's rarely about your coaching and almost always about your systems
• The exact places I want you auditing this week

If your retention is sitting under two to three years per athlete, this one's for you. Book a call with me ​HERE​: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23890670&appointmentType=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

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Two weeks ago, we talked about the worth wound. Today, I'm taking it further, and we're doing some actual math.

I want you to break down exactly how many hours a month you spend per athlete. Plan writing, calls, texts, feedback, all of it. Then divide that into what you charge.

Most of you are going to be shocked at your real hourly rate. And I mean shocked.

We'll get into why this happens (hint: you're pricing off what YOU would pay, not what the transformation is worth), the mistakes that keep coaches stuck at the same rate for years, and what actually justifies charging more.

If you've been avoiding this conversation with yourself, this episode is your nudge.

Ready to look at your own numbers? Book a call with me here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23890670&appointmentType=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

I'm heading into vacation and this idea hit me mid-teaching Content That Recruits Module 2. I had to share it now!

One of my mentors just gave our group a stat that stopped me cold: 82% of people don't have any systems around how they do their work. I'm a little obsessive about systems these days, and it's the exact thing that's saved me the most time and made me more fulfilled with my athletes and coaches.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the one system I want every coach listening to build right now: the one that protects your content, your captions, your podcasts, everything you've ever written, from disappearing into the void. I'll walk you through exactly how I've done it for years, what it's unlocked for me now that AI is in the picture, and why where you are in your content journey changes how you should be using it.

Bottom line: your words are the most valuable thing you own right now. Tune in to find out how to actually treat them that way.

My call calendar is open again starting around August 12th. If you've coached at least five athletes (doesn't need to be one-on-one or all at once), grab time with me. 

Book a call with me here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23890670&appointmentType=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

If you've ever been at the kitchen table on a Sunday night still writing training plans, second-guessing every decision, that's not a time management problem. That's the worth wound.

In this episode:

• What the worth wound is, and why so many coaches carry it
• The lie it tells you: that you need to be "more" before you can charge more or believe in yourself
• Martyr to the marketplace, and why struggling isn't proof you care
• Why confidence comes after the action, not before it
• Worth is a decision, not a milestone

Got five athlete experience and know your worth wound is showing up somewhere? Let's talk it through.

Book a call with me here → https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/afee674e/appointment/31380211/calendar/5950491?appointmentTypeIds[]=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

Selling season is coming. Most of you will spend it chasing new athletes. I want you thinking about retention instead.

I recently did the math on my own roster and found my average athlete sticks with me for years, not months, including some who've stayed through major life detours and come right back when they were ready.

In this episode, I break down what actually keeps athletes around for years instead of one race cycle:

• Why longevity planning (not jumping straight to a marathon or an Ironman) protects athletes from burnout and protects your retention
• My "symbiotic relationship" mindset: becoming as essential to an athlete as their shoes or their bike
• Why even my longest-running athletes need the basics repeated back to them
• How I actually ask "what's next" without fearing the answer
• Why a like on your post from an existing athlete matters more to me than a like from a stranger

My challenge for you this week: do the math. Look at your roster, find your average retention, and ask what's actually driving people to stay or go.

If this episode helped, drop me a review! Apple reviews and the star rating both go a long way!

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

AI is coming for a lot of industries. But is it coming for ours?

This episode is for every coach who's had a quiet worry in the back of their mind about what AI means for the future of endurance coaching. And for the coaches who are using AI to get ahead, this one's for you too.

Here's the thing. AI can write a training plan. It can analyze data. It's getting smarter.

But there's one thing it cannot do.

Be HUMAN.

In this episode, I discuss how I use AI to save time, upgrade my athlete experience and build systems that actually give me more room to coach.

This is not a doom-and-gloom episode. It's a wake-up call AND an opportunity.

Listen to find out:

• What separates coaches who will thrive in the AI era from those who won't
• What "coaching" vs. "an unsupported plan" really looks like (and why the difference matters more than ever)
• How a simple feedback system can protect your business AND reduce the need for long one-on-one calls
• The exact AI systems I'm building in my own business 

Interested in the AI systems I mentioned? DM me "DT6" on Instagram to learn more about what's coming to Dream to 6 this fall.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

I just got back from Happy Valley 70.3 with 10 athletes on the course.

And I've been thinking about what coaches can do RIGHT NOW, in mid to late June, that will pay off all the way through 2027.

It's not a funnel. It's not a new offer. It's a team race.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why picking a team race (and picking it early) might be the simplest retention move you're not making. We talk about how to choose the right one, when to announce it, how to use it to bring boomerang athletes back and the one thing that makes it a genuine business tool, not just a fun weekend.

We also get into what happens when coaches try to do too many, why you probably shouldn't race your own team race and what I learned supporting 10 athletes on course for 24 hours straight.

The community that builds around one shared race? You can't manufacture that. But you can create the conditions for it.

The Recruitment Engine Masterclass is happening June 23rd and we're opening Content That Recruits for just a few days right after. It's a mid-level, live-taught course starting in July for coaches who want to learn how to do content that actually builds your roster. No matter where you are. Learn more here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/contentthatrecruits/

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list