Welcome to the fourth edition of Fast Five for Friday, and today, we explore the wonders of slowing down, embracing nature, and finding the fun in all we do. We begin with being specific and how it can open new pathways to success, the magic of nature even during extreme weather, how doing less can lead to more, and the wonders of keeping the fun alive by gamifying even the most tedious tasks. To end, we are reminded of the power of fully committing to something and persevering through any challenges or setbacks. 

Key Points From This Episode:

How being specific gives you more leverage to move toward what you really want.

• The value of reconnecting with nature, even in the cold. 
• 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
• How gamifying everything you do helps to keep the fun alive. 
• Understanding the power of going all-in on any one thing. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

10x Is Easier Than 2x 

Turning Pro 

Stratego Classic Board Game

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

If you hold limiting financial beliefs and undervalue your worth, you'll struggle to accept fair compensation for your efforts. Joining us on this episode of the Coaching Equation is the incredible business coach and CEO of Quantum Evolution, Mariana Lacombe, to discuss how you can unlock wealth consciousness. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about Mariana’s career and what led her to coaching, how dreaming contributes to healing, her life in the business world, how it caused burnout, and so much more! Mariana goes on to share what helped her transform her life before sharing how the ‘employee mindset’ keeps you stuck and how you can navigate making a dream come true. Our guest tells us about the mindset shift she made and the practical actions she took to be a successful business owner, the way limiting financial beliefs hold you back from getting what you want, and how to assess the size of your wealth consciousness and challenge it. Finally, Mariana dives into the differences between revenue and profit and talks about how to get your business to work for you by analyzing the subconscious decisions you make. You don’t want to miss this discussion. Thanks for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A warm welcome to today’s guest, Mariana Lacombe. 
• Mariana takes us back to the moment when she became interested in coaching. 
• She tells us about her dreams and what blocks us from dreaming.
• Her experience in the business world and what made her switch to coaching. 
• The number one shift Mariana needed to make to transform her life. 
• How to make a dream come to fruition and where most people fail. 
• The ways that the ‘employee mindset’ keeps you stuck. 
• A breakdown of the mindset and practical action you need to take the leap on your dream. 
• The kinds of financial beliefs that hold us back from getting what we want. 
• How to explore your core beliefs about money and challenge them.
• The difference between revenue and profit and how to get your business to work for you.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mariana Lacombe on LinkedIn
Mariana Lacombe on Instagram
Mariana Lacombe on Facebook
Ryan Lang on LinkedIn
Brook Bishop on LinkedIn
Empire Partners
Empire Academy
The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

In this Friday's Fast Five, Ryan and Brook share five game-changing insights to sharpen your coaching business. They reveal how follow-up can be a goldmine for growth, why consistency beats intensity, and how courage, not comfort, leads to breakthroughs. With creative problem-solving, they uncover ways to find hidden opportunities and reimagine setbacks as opportunities to adapt and grow. Packed with stories and strategies, this episode delivers clarity, inspiration, and actionable steps to help you thrive. Listen now for insights you can use today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The importance of follow-up as a crucial, often-overlooked strategy for unlocking revenue.
• Why consistency, not intensity, leads to long-term success and mastery.
• Insights from Brené Brown’s quote: “You can choose courage or comfort, but not both.”
• The role of creative, outside-the-box thinking in uncovering hidden opportunities.
• Ryan’s personal story of adapting to an injury and overcoming setbacks.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Sales Follow-up Goldmine Replay

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

What does it take to build an impactful, long-lasting business? In today’s episode, we delve into the power of relationship-based growth and why it’s essential for every business owner. While we’ve touched on this topic in the past, in this episode, we are giving it the in-depth focus it deserves. During our conversation, we discuss how to transition from a transactional approach to one rooted in trust and authentic connection—all without a marketing budget. Learn the difference between building a relational business versus a transactional one, and discover how to grow your company sustainably through referrals alone. We also share real-world examples of how we built genuine relationships in our business and provide actionable referral strategies that apply to any industry. Explore the importance of consistency in nurturing genuine relationships, and learn the art of blending relational and transactional approaches for greater leads and sales. Join us to uncover the secrets to sustainable business growth and the steps to fostering meaningful, lasting connections that drive success. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why genuine business relationships are the foundation of any company. 
• The difference between a relational business and a transactional business.
• How authentic professional relationships can help get an edge on the competition.
• Brook's experience of working at Buffini and its unique marketing strategy.
• A pragmatic framework for fostering and cultivating a relational business. 
• Explore leveraging digital tools to connect with existing and potential clients.
• Learn about the power of enhancing relationships with your existing client base.
• Hear about how a referral program can relieve the continuous sales grind. 
• Long-term benefits of building professional relationships for sustainable growth.
• Recommendations to start cultivating the right relationships for your business.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Episode 14: Mastering Word of Mouth Marketing with Joe Blackburn

Joe Blackburn

Barb Betts

Brian Buffini on LinkedIn

Buffini & Company

Evabot

Tonny Robbins

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

What’s the secret to making swift, impactful decisions in life and business? In this episode of our Friday Fast Five, we explore five key insights, from the importance of quick decision-making to the transformative revelations of the Gene Keys personality assessment. We discuss the “witching hour” phenomenon, the value of focusing on inputs over outputs, and why these approaches matter for long-term success. Join us for practical, introspective tips to drive success and uncover your true purpose. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The value of moving quickly and making quick decisions in business.
• Gene Keys personality assessment and its unique insights for self-reflection.
• Why success is a result of consistent inputs, rather than immediate outputs.
• Discover the “witching hour” for creative problem-solving and unexpected clarity.
• Embracing self-care and celebrating small wins along the way.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Codie Sanchez

Gene Keys 

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

From the upcoming US election to the holiday season to extreme weather events, we are living in a truly chaotic time. And that’s before we even get into the prospect of a possible recession! With this in mind, we are using today’s episode to discuss the impact that the time of year and world events can have on your sales engagement, both for you and your prospects. We discuss how these elements can influence your prospects’ decision-making and psychology before setting out clear and intentional strategies for dealing with them. Our conversation also examines how to make sure you have the right attitude with your sales engagements so that you don’t experience a dip. We break down how to walk people through the process with empathy and competence so that you both get the results you want. To learn more about how external events can impact your business and how to master selling in chaos, be sure to tune in!
 
 
Key Points From This Episode:

• The current season of chaos, from the holidays to the upcoming election.
• Why we should care about what’s going on in the world.
• The effect of world events and time of year on your prospects’ frame of mind.
• Understanding how the state of the world can affect you as a salesperson.
• How to prepare yourself for times of chaos and approach this period with intention.
• The importance of actively engaging in empathy for your clients and yourself.
• Getting clear on the chaotic state of the world and how different outcomes will impact you.
• How to be an exceptional leader and succeed in coaching when things are challenging.
• Learning to embrace change and approach challenges as opportunities for growth.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

Welcome to the inaugural episode of our exciting new series, Friday Fast Five! Each week, we’ll bring you five quick hits from our week, things like thoughts and insights, Aha moments, memorable experiences, and interesting (or sometimes just random) tidbits we want to share with you. Join us as we dive into five highlights from our week!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to our new Friday Fast Five series.
• We explain the format of our Friday Fast Five episodes.
• The dynamic of having tons of energy trapped inside of our bodies.
• Digesting the audiobook version of Steven Pressfield’s book, Turning Pro.
• Beware: the closed-eye process.
• Creating intentional times to connect deeper.
• Crafty marketing for gluten-free sourdough bread. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Simple Kneads

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

In business, making difficult decisions is paramount to success, and that is why indecision is one of the biggest obstacles preventing business leaders from realizing their company’s full potential. So, how can we make the tough decisions that will ultimately decide our destiny? A great starting point is the grandfather sentiment, which explains how making quick decisions is often better than stalling to try and make the perfect one. That said, speed is beneficial while haste is detrimental, so we discover how to make faster decisions without putting ourselves in compromising situations with the help of the SCIPAB® framework. We also learn about how the environment and one’s physiology affect the decision-making process, why it’s perilous to procrastinate over important decisions, how to cultivate a habit of quick decision-making, and why self-growth and self-improvement are the best paths to making better decisions in all aspects of life. We end with the tough decisions that many are plagued with as the holidays approach, and the undeniable importance of aligning your decisions with your intentions and intended outcomes.   

Key Points From This Episode:

• How having to make tough decisions gets amplified during peak holiday seasons. 
• The grandfather sentiment – how a quick decision is better than a perfect one.  
• How to decipher between helpful speed and blind haste when making quick decisions. 
• Why it’s better to make tough decisions from the heart. 
• SCIPAB® - a framework for making difficult decisions. 
• How environment and physiology affect one’s decision-making.    
• The biggest and hardest decisions that Brook has had to make in business and life.  
• Exploring the dangers of procrastinating over important decisions. 
• How to cultivate a habit of quick decision-making; focusing on the little things. 
• Why and how personal growth improves one’s decision-making. 
• The decisions that many struggle with in-and-around the holidays. 
• How to be aligned with your intentions and outcomes, and why this matters. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Big Fish 

SCIPAB® 

Tony Robbins

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

Business planning can feel extremely overwhelming for any entrepreneur, but if you have a roadmap to success, it makes it feel a little easier to achieve. Today on The Coaching Equation, we are joined by the incredible faith-driven business coach and author of Ultimate Breakthrough Planning, Mike Ferrell, to discuss the importance of business planning and how to get on top of it. Tuning in, you’ll hear about Mike’s non-traditional career, why he prioritizes his curiosity, his books, how the financial crisis of 2008 changed everything for him, and how he came out of his darkest times. We delve into what inspired him to create his five Monk principles and a breakdown of each of them before Mike explains how they can be the key to business planning. We even discuss why creating a foundation and business planning are imperative to your business’s long-term success. Finally, Mike shares some tips for simplifying business planning into manageable, bite-sized steps. To hear all this and even be reminded to celebrate your successes, be sure to press play now! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• A warm welcome to today’s guest, Mike Ferrell. 
• Mike tells us about his professional golf career. 
• Where Mike’s entrepreneurship journey began. 
• The importance of maintaining curiosity as a coach. 
• How to maintain or recapture your curiosity. 
• Mike’s first book and the financial crisis of 2008. 
• The greatest gift Mike was given during his hardest time. 
• What informed Mike’s decision to dig himself out of this hole. 
• The five Monk principles he created from The Rule of Benedict.
• One: virtuous conversation – living positively. 
• Two: community – why community is the foundation of culture.
• Three: stability – how an organization operates. 
• Four: excellence – innovation and how to create positive change. 
• Five: profound hospitality – internal and external. 
• The importance of planning and building a foundation for your business.  
• How to simplify business planning so it becomes approachable. 
• Why you need to celebrate your success. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mike Ferrell

Mike Ferrell on LinkedIn

Ultimate Breakthrough Planning

The Sweet Spot

The Rule of Benedict

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

You’ll want to come back to this episode again and again because it’s a game-changer! In all of our experience, one of the key biggest problems that we see is an inability to establish trust with a prospect. During this episode, Brook and Ryan set the record straight and talk about how to establish trust before, during, and after your sales engagement, whether your prospect decides to buy on the call or not. Learn how to create consistency between marketing messaging and direct engagement with clients, position yourself as a true trusted advisor, and build trust one step at a time. We explore the importance of team communication, how to ask meaningful questions, and grow to understand the pain, the dream, and the gap for your client. You’ll also hear us unpack what it means to ask deepening questions, why it is so critical to stay true to the experience you promise, and why you should value when clients say ‘not now’ rather than get discouraged by it. This episode offers listeners a linear path to building massive amounts of trust. Get ready to sharpen your sales sword today! Thanks for listening. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• The challenge of establishing trust with a prospect during sales engagements. 
• Effectively bridging marketing messaging with sales conversations. 
• What it truly means to position yourself as a trusted advisor. 
• Creating trust through sharing personalized client results and testimonials. 
• Why it is so valuable to build trust one step at a time.
• Communicating outcomes and expectations from the first step. 
• Establishing real trust once you are in a sales call. 
• The importance of building a strong dynamic of team communication. 
• Building rapport through meaningful questions and understanding the client’s needs.
• How to grow your understanding of the pain, the dream, and the gap for your client. 
• What it means to ask deepening questions in order to allow people to elaborate.
• Staying true to the experience you promise. 
• Understanding the value of a response that says ‘not now’ rather than ‘yes’.
• Why it is important not to allow emotions to lead in the follow-up process.
• The correlation between buying behavior and trust. 
• How to implement the advice laid out in this conversation. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes