The Path to Mastery

Time to revisit where it all started: Rory Vaden's take on personal branding is a lesson that never gets old.

Welcome to the first episode of The Coaching Equation, a show helping you take your coaching business to the next level. In this episode, we sit down with Rory Vaden, author of Take the Stairs and Co-Founder of Brand Builders Group, to unpack why you need to have a personal brand in today’s market, how to start building a personal brand, and what a personal brand is not. Rory is a renowned New York Times bestselling author, respected entrepreneur, and Hall of Fame speaker dedicated to empowering small business owners to amplify their reputation and revenue. In our conversation, we discuss the role of faith and trust in achieving your true potential, what it means to take inspired action, and why pursuing your goals with full force is vital. We explore why God does not give you everything you want and the value of failure in achieving your goals. Discover why you should save the best for first, why trust must happen before a transaction, and the fundamental pillars of creating content. Gain insights into the business of speaking, fostering trust with your clients, leveraging your greatness to make a difference, and more! We also delve into topics Rory has never discussed before, so this is an interview you don’t want to miss! Tune in to discover the secret sauce for creating a personal brand with Rory Vaden!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Background about Rory, his roots in sales, and how Brand Builders Group was born.
• Hear the real reason why Rory and AJ sold their previous business.
• How he navigated the emotional upheaval after selling the business.
• Explore reconciling your hopes and dreams with your failures.
• Finding a balance between working too little and working too much.
• He shares his perspective on faith and the perspective it provides. 
• Discover what a personal brand is and what it is not.
• Why cultivating trust should come before the transaction.
• Unpack Rory’s approach to content: the Modular Content Method.
• Making a difference in the world through your personal brand.
• The best piece of personal branding advice that Rory has ever been given.
• Common misconceptions about the business of speaking.
• Final words of advice Rory has for listeners.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Rory Vaden
Rory Vaden on LinkedIn
Rory Vaden on X

Take the Stairs

Brand Builders Group

Brand Builders Group Free Call

The Influential Personal Brand Podcast

The Influential Personal Brand Podcast on Stitcher

The Influential Personal Brand Podcast on Apple

AJ Vaden on LinkedIn

AJ Vaden on X

Lewis Howes

School of Greatness Podcast

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

Ready to kick off your holiday weekend with a burst of inspiration? In this special Thanksgiving edition of Fast Five for Friday, Ryan and Brooke reflect on five essential lessons that power their coaching journey. From the value of a top-tier team to shifting your perspective on sales calls, they share how gratitude fuels growth and progress. Plus, they dive into how endings can unlock new opportunities and why the unwavering support of family makes it all possible. It’s a perfect mix of heart, hustle, and strategy. Tune in now for your dose of clarity and inspiration!

Key Points From This Episode:

• What we’re thankful for this holiday season.
• The gratitude we feel for our all-star team every single day.
• Ryan’s gripping story that illustrates why we’re thankful for sales calls.
• Why we’re so glad to be working with heart-centered clients.
• Our appreciation for the opening up of opportunities.
• Why we couldn’t do this without our families.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) can transform your business, but how do you avoid consequential pitfalls and maximize success? In this episode, Ryan Lang and Brooke Bishop share invaluable insights from 18 months of running a VA staffing business. They cover the top 10 mistakes business owners make, like failing to onboard effectively, setting unrealistic expectations, or treating VAs as disposable instead of integral team members. Learn why clear communication, consistent check-ins, and focusing on specialized tasks are essential for success. They also explore the difference between VAs and executive assistants, how culture impacts performance, and why trying to hire a “Swiss Army knife” is a recipe for disaster. Packed with real-world examples and expert tips, this episode is your essential guide to leveraging VAs effectively. Don’t miss this opportunity to revolutionize your approach. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s topic: Top ten lessons from 18 months of hiring and managing VAs.
• One: Why you need to treat VAs as integral team members, not low-cost, disposable workers.
• Two: The importance of stepping into leadership and preparing a clear list of tasks and goals.
• Three: How effective onboarding ensures success.
• Four: The importance of implementing a good communication strategy.
• Five: Why having consistent weekly check-ins matter.
• Six: The dangers of micromanagement and how to empower VAs.
• Seven: How to help VAs thrive by creating a positive work culture.
• Eight: Knowing when you need a virtual assistant vs. an executive assistant (EA).
• Nine: Setting clear expectations and how this helps prevent complications.
• Ten: How to avoid the “Swiss Army knife” trap for better results.
• The many benefits you can expect to see from applying these lessons!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Episode 16: Building a Profitable Coaching Business

Ryan Lang on LinkedIn

Brook Bishop on LinkedIn

Empire Partners

Empire Academy

The Coaching Equation Podcast on iTunes

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