Lindsay Dotzlaf

[Live Masterclass April 26th] Five Strategies for Better Coaching Today

Mastering Coaching Skills with Lindsay Dotzlaf | How The Coach Lab Makes You a Better Coach with My Clients: Lisa, Lynda, and Lynn

Ep #178: How The Coach Lab Makes You a Better Coach with My Clients: Lisa, Lynda, and Lynn

To celebrate the anniversary of The Coach Lab, I’m back with another three amazing clients who are here to share their wisdom and stories from inside the program. These coaches beautifully represent the range of coaches we have inside The Coach Lab, and the kind of value that’s available to anyone who wants to be a part of it.

Lisa Stryker is a life coach for leaders. Lynn Schreiner is a self-described life coach, entrepreneur, mom, grandmother, and creative who helps women with their thoughts. Lynda McDonell is a financial business coach who helps women business owners set up businesses that pay them well.

Tune in this week to discover what goes on inside The Coach Lab, and learn how being in a community like this empowers you to show up as the coach you aspire to be. My clients are sharing what their coaching looked like before they joined this community, and how The Coach Lab has given them the confidence and skills they need to make a real difference in the lives of their clients.

If you want to hone in on your personal coaching style and what makes you unique, The Coach Lab is for you! Applications are open, so come and join us! If you’re listening in March 2024, there’s a special bonus waiting for you when you join.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

  • How The Coach Lab has helped Lisa Stryker stop people pleasing her clients.
  • The way we work in The Coach Lab on having more valuable conversations with clients.
  • How the subtle shifts you make to your coaching in The Coach Lab help you create results for your clients.
  • Why my clients feel secure and supported within The Coach Lab community.
  • How The Coach Lab helped Lynn in deciding how she wants to show up as a coach for her clients.
  • The work we do in The Coach Lab to help you understand your thoughts, as well as your clients’ thoughts.
  • How being in The Coach Lab helps Lynda McDonell create more money for her clients.

Listen to the Full Episode:

Featured on the Show:

Full Episode Transcript:

Hey, this is Lindsay Dotzlaf and you are listening to Mastering Coaching Skills episode 178.

To really compete in the coaching industry, you have to be great at coaching. That’s why every week, I will be answering your questions, sharing my stories, and offering tips and advice so you can be the best at what you do. Let’s get to work.

Hey coach, welcome to the podcast. I’m so happy you’re here today. Today we’re going to do something very similar to what we did a couple weeks ago, which is today I have an episode for you where I am interviewing three of my clients from The Coach Lab, which is my lifetime access foundational coaching skills offer. And I’m so excited for you to hear these.

If you listened two weeks ago, so to episode 176, I did a similar thing and I had so much feedback from some of you about how much you loved these episodes, about just the takeaways that you had and the learning that you did just from listening. And that you were really just intrigued, for those of you that aren’t in The Coach Lab, that you were really intrigued to hear the different types of coaches that are on the inside, the length of time they’ve been coaching and that some of them are brand new coaches, some of them aren’t. Some of them have been in my world and in the coaching space for a while. And these are just really, really fun. So hopefully you feel the same way about these.

If you haven’t listened to the other one, it doesn’t matter. If they’re not in any order, you can listen here first. And if you love it, go back and listen to the other one. But today I’m sharing three more short interviews with three of my clients from inside The Coach Lab and they’re going to share with you just some things that they’ve learned inside, but not just in a way that’s just like, yay, Coach Lab. Although of course, it’s amazing. We’re having so much fun in there, especially this month, since we’re celebrating the two-year anniversary.

But they’re sharing something tangible that you’ll actually be able to take away just by listening to this episode. So can’t wait to hear what your biggest takeaways are. Can’t wait to hear what you love about it. And I’ll see you on the other side. Enjoy.

Lindsay: Hello. I am so happy to have you here. I would love it if you could just briefly introduce yourself, tell everyone who you are and what you do.

Lisa: Hi, I’m Lisa Stryker and I am a life coach for leaders.

Lindsay: Love it. Okay, I’m so happy that you’re here today. Just kind of a breakdown of what we did. You filled in a form to tell me your experience in The Coach Lab and to talk about something specific. And those of you that are just listening, you don’t know this, but we talked about a cat might be joining at some point and he, he or she?

Lisa: He, yes.

Lindsay: He has currently decided to grace us with his presence. Okay, so you filled out a form. You said you wanted to come on and talk about The Coach Lab. You are, I loved that you did that, some people that I’ve been interviewing so far, they have been very open about like, I don’t come to a lot of the calls. I listen to every replay or just talking specifically about like, this is how I use the space.

I know, just because I see you, that you do come to most of the weekly calls. And I love that. So thank you. I love seeing your face. I always get excited when you’re there.

Lisa: I am so happy to be there. I wish I could make more calls. I wish I could be there every week because it just makes my life better and it makes my clients’ lives better too.

Lindsay: So one thing that you said in your form, which I think is great, because you’re the only one that touched on this specific thing, and I’m trying to be sure that we kind of cover all different things. One thing that you said that it has helped you, The Coach Lab has really helped you with is just knowing when you’re people-pleasing your clients or just steering away from what you think could be uncomfortable situations or coaching or conversations. Do you want to talk a little bit about that? Is that okay?

Lisa: Sure. Yeah, let’s talk about it. Yeah, so I come from a long history of being conditioned to people-please, and it’s one of the things that brought me to coaching. And so because of that, I tend to bring in people who are like that too. So I’m really, really in tune to it.

And I could tell when I was in coaching sessions, I could kind of feel that I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be, but there were some times where I couldn’t really put my finger on it. Like, what’s missing here? Why am I not really connecting with what my client needs or what I feel I can give to them?

And people pleasing is just one example of how being in The Coach Lab helped me elevate my self-awareness around that. I was like, oh, that’s what’s happening. Again, so much compassion for myself and it’s a growth process, right? We know this in coaching, but yeah, that’s been so, so helpful for me.

And I think what’s been so interesting is we have this umbrella term, people pleasing, but it comes in so very many flavors.

Lindsay: It does.

Lisa: Being able to not just be coached, but to hear other people get coached has really helped me see all the ways that I might be backing out of discomfort and as a consequence, not helping my clients as much as I can.

Lindsay: Can you pinpoint looking back, like I know you said in the moment you didn’t have as much awareness around it and then being in The Coach Lab helped you create the awareness. But when you look back, can you have more awareness or can you explain specifically for someone listening that’s like, oh, what was happening in your sessions or how was it showing up in your sessions?

Lisa: Yeah, I can probably come up with a couple of examples. One that comes to mind right away is, you know how, I mean, when I’m getting coached, when I’m the one being coached, I can feel myself not wanting to be wrong. I’ll discover, the coach will help me discover a belief that’s holding me back. And then my ego is like, I don’t want to let go of that.

And that is a great example of where I would sense that a client was getting really, I mean, I don’t want to say really uncomfortable, but I could sense their discomfort. I kind of knew what was happening. And because of the coaching I’ve gotten from you and the things I’ve learned in Coach Lab, and of course, experience, I’ve gotten better at letting them come to it themselves, but also staying in my leadership energy where I’m helping them move the needle. Does that make sense?

Lindsay: Absolutely, yes. What would you say, so now thinking about your sessions, now that you’re more aware of it, how when you say you help them move the needle, what does that look like for you, like in your sessions?

Lisa: Well, one thing that’s so interesting to me is I am so much better because I have gotten much more comfortable with leaning back, I’ll say, into that coach energy. I am much better at finding a place where I have consent to keep going. Like instead of, I think I got in this place of either I make them really uncomfortable, which I hated, or I have to let it go. There’s like so much middle ground.

And I think that’s the, it’s fun to actually say it because that’s exactly what it is, that it has opened up so much more possibility in ways that, like you often say, just crack the door open and then just keep opening that door with them.

Lindsay: Yes. I really, really, really appreciate that you’re, first, willing to talk about this. Second, just that you’re bringing it up because it’s something that actually comes up in The Coach Lab quite often when we’re coaching in the weekly sessions in lots of different forms.

But what I’ve noticed, and I think this is what you’re touching on here, is that a lot of coaches have this thought, especially if they’ve learned to coach somewhere else. And not necessarily that someone is teaching this specific thing, but they’re for some reason walking away with, okay, I have two choices. I can either not go there and avoid it altogether.

Or the opposite of that is I have to, and people use these terms, right? We’ve heard these, like I have to risk the relationship, or it has to be really tough coaching, or it has to, you know, like I really have to push them and get them to open up.

And I’m just a firm believer in like, that’s not actually true. Coaching doesn’t have to feel terrible for your clients. There’s so much between, like in the middle of those. And it kind of sounds like that’s what you’re saying.

Lisa: Yeah, that’s exactly it. And honestly, the more experience I get on the day-to-day, I think it’s more effective overall. It could be maybe because of the type of clients I attract or who I am, but letting them kind of step into it instead of, you know, like it kind of goes along with all the cultural things that I don’t want to stand for anymore, which is you have to work hard and hustle and do things that feel so hard. Like what if it’s not like that at all? And what if you can just kind of ease yourself into it? And that just feels better to me.

Lindsay: I love it. Would you say it is, and I don’t know if you’ve done long-term enough studies to know this or not, but I’m curious if you think it’s affecting your clients’ results when you are kind of showing up differently, coaching them, just those little tiny tweaks in your coaching.

Lisa: 100%, I can say that’s true. I guess I have anecdotal evidence, but I’m just going to say with great certainty, I can feel the difference. I mean, that’s really real. The human connection that happens and you can see it on their face that there’s more trust, there’s more openness, more curiosity, because I think they just feel safer exploring what’s happening for them because I’m not all in my head worried about whether, you know, how uncomfortable they are.

Of course there’s discomfort. You can’t avoid that completely. That’s the discomfort of change that we’re all so well acquainted with. But I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made in that area. And you know what, Lindsay? The best part about all this is it’s not like this big, huge shift. It’s more like going from good to great. That nuance is what you find when you really just allow yourself to get curious about yourself as a coach and where your opportunities are.

Lindsay: I love that you said that because that’s one thing I’ve learned doing these short interviews with people, is how often it’s not like, oh, there was this huge thing that I realized I was doing it totally wrong before. I learned this very specific tool or very specific skill and now I apply it. It’s more of like, oh, just this subtle shift changed so much about my coaching.

Lisa: Yeah. Yeah. I don’t think I even realized it till just now, but I want to reiterate that for anyone who’s listening, because I find that so encouraging as a professional and for our clients too. It’s like, you don’t have to change everything in one day or even in a year. You could just make these small incremental shifts and it can make a big difference because of the ripple effect.

Lindsay: And I love that you are able to notice it. So what’s interesting, what I hear you say is that you were kind of people pleasing your clients. But it sounds like they were doing that then too on the other side when you’re thinking, which I notice this a lot when coaches bring certain things to the weekly calls like, well, this is how I’m showing up. And then it’s kind of like the client matches that energy a little bit.

And it’s like, well, okay, if you’re thinking, when you’re in your head thinking, I have to get this totally right. It has to be like, there’s only one option here and I have to show them whatever, show them whatever it is. And then the client can sometimes show up in that energy of like, I have to get it right. If she’s putting pressure on herself, then clearly I must as well. And it can create a very weird kind of tension, I think, in coaching sessions.

Lisa: Oh my gosh, you totally nailed it. I’m not even a bit surprised about that, but yes. Yes, because as I’m listening to you and thinking about this conversation, I’m realizing that when that people pleasing comes into play, it’s a really unhelpful dynamic because we’re both not being real, right? And so it blocks the progress that everyone is seeking. So yes.

Lindsay: It reminds me of when you’re in an argument with your partner, your husband, your spouse, whoever, and it becomes very clear, at least for me, especially as a coach and having a lot of self-awareness, it becomes very clear like, oh, I just want to be right here. And he just wants to be right. So we’re not actually moving the needle at all. We’re just arguing about who’s going to be right.

Lisa: Yes. And all of this, this kind of big picture concept is what allows us, meaning the coach and the client, to just play in the sandbox. Like what if there’s no right answer? And I’m realizing too, that this makes it all much more relaxed, which of course benefits everyone in the trust relationship and the safety of the container. Yeah, it’s a beautiful thing.

Lindsay: I love that. One thing I always say is coaching sometimes feels heavy just because of what it is, because maybe something’s coming up. A topic’s coming up that you’re like, ugh. Like it just weighs on the client, but it shouldn’t feel heavy because the coach is creating that scenario, which are just two different things, right? Like it’s not always going to feel like rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes coaching on the client’s end can be uncomfortable, but as coaches I think we can do our best to not create that situation on purpose.

Lisa: Yeah. I mean, isn’t that the essence of truly holding space, is just allowing them to be in your presence?

Lindsay: Well, thank you for submitting this specific topic, because I think this comes up for so many coaches and they honestly are scared to either bring it up or talk about it, or they think it’s not solvable. Like, oh, this is just me. This is just how I coach, or this is just how my clients are, maybe it’s the wrong clients. Like they try to solve it in just different ways. And I love the idea of it’s like, no, it’s actually really solvable. It’s just a tiny little shift in your coaching.

Lisa: Yeah, it really is. And it’s okay to talk about it. And I just want to make a little plug for Coach Lab because it’s one of the safest communities I’ve ever been a part of. So being able to come into that group and just ask what I need to ask, and even if I feel like I’m going to cry sometimes, which I do, I know that I won’t be judged. And it’s the place to unpack all of this stuff that when you’re a coach, you’re by yourself a lot. And there’s no one in my office to bounce this stuff off of, you know, in a client session. So it’s nice to know I have a place to come with that.

Lindsay: Well, my next question was going to be if someone’s listening and they’re curious about joining The Coach Lab, what would you say? Do you have anything else that you would add to that?

Lisa: Yeah, I actually do. And that’s how I came to The Coach Lab initially was, especially if you go out on your own, you’re very focused on business development, finding clients, that’s what everybody’s talking about all the time. And I very intentionally wanted to stay in integrity with my drive to be the best coach I could be.

And so being a part of Coach Lab really helps me fulfill that because it keeps me focused. It gives me resources. And I can go in there on my own and do some of the materials that are in the portal. And then I can always count on being able to at least listen to the weekly call if I can’t make it live.

Lindsay: Thank you so much for sharing that. And I appreciate you so much. I appreciate you for taking time out of your day to be here. If anyone wants to find you, they want to follow you, see what you’re up to, where would they do that?

Lisa: Yeah, just look for Lisa Stryker. I’m everywhere.

Lindsay: I love that thought. I’m everywhere. All you have to do is look for me.

Lisa: I’m most active on LinkedIn, but I’m also on Instagram and Facebook. And I’m just getting ready to finally launch a website at lisastryker.com. So look for me there too.

Lindsay: I love that. And we will link all that in the show notes so that they can find you. But it’s Stryker with a Y, right?

Lisa: That’s right.

Lindsay: Yeah. Okay, is there anything else you would love to add before we –

Lisa: Truthfully, Lindsay, I’d love to spend the rest of the afternoon with you, but I know you have to go.

Lindsay: Maybe we can do that, just not on the podcast.

Lisa: But thank you so much for having me, really.

Lindsay: Of course.

Lisa: I’m so grateful for you.

Lindsay: Well, I’m so grateful for you as I am for all my clients. But I really appreciate it, like it means so much to me that people took time out of their days to just come talk about something that they learned and share it with the listeners. So thank you.

Lisa: My pleasure.

Lindsay: Hello. I am so happy to have you here today. If you could briefly just introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what you do.

Lynn: Hi, Lindsay. I’m happy to be here. Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Lynn Schreiner, and I am a life coach/entrepreneur/mom, grandmother, creative person, cat owner, you name it. I have many different titles.

Lindsay: All the roles.

Lynn: All the roles, yep.

Lindsay: Okay, so something – Well we’ll just dive right in since you just brought that up right away. Something that stood out for me when I was reading through the form you sent in is that you have been certified as a coach actually longer than I’ve been a coach. What are your thoughts on that?

Lynn: I’m sorry.

Lindsay: No, I thought that was so funny. Almost about the same time. I’ve been a coach, I think maybe about nine years now. But you’ve been certified for 10 years.

Lisa: Maybe even longer, to be honest with you. My coach journey actually started in my real estate business when I was invited to a book study on a book by Bob Proctor called You Were Born Rich. And it was all about your mind and conscious and subconscious thinking.

And during that book study, there was a coach that came into the office to run it. And during that, I realized that my mind was in my control. Up until that point, I know it sounds crazy, but I didn’t realize that.

Lindsay: I don’t think that sounds crazy at all. That’s the experience I had as well.

Lynn: Yeah, nobody ever taught me how to think.

Lindsay: Yes, I totally get that.

Lynn: Do you remember the Coca-Cola song, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,” I always think I’d like to teach the world to think in perfect harmony.

So I ended up, from that book study, asking the coach who was leading it, how did he get to do that for his job? Because it was such important information that he was sharing. So I ended up signing up and going through a training with Bob Proctor. It’s now called the Proctor Gallagher Institute, but back then when Bob was still alive I took the course, but I didn’t do anything with it other than learn from it.

Then I went to the Coach Training Alliance. And then from there, I went to the Professional Christian Coaching Institute because it was different than real estate. So I needed, in my mind, to have certifications and have lots of them.

But what happened along the way is I kind of lost myself in trying to figure out how I was supposed to show up as a coach if I was going to be a coach. And I was trying to follow all the instructions from all of these people. And as you know, you know me, I like to talk and coaching is the opposite of that. It’s asking questions and being quiet. So I kept thinking I’m doing it wrong.

And I just, for 10 years, have continued showing up as a realtor. But the desire of my heart was to coach people and teach them how thinking works and then coach them through being able to choose their thoughts. So that’s why choosecoaching.com. So I’m ready. I’m ready. I’m going out there in the world.

Lindsay: I love this so much. And just for everybody listening, I did clear this with you before we started to make sure it was okay with you if I brought this up because I just think it’s really important for some people to hear this message.

Because I know there are other people, other coaches in your shoes where they’ve been certified for a while or they learned to coach a long time ago and either purposefully chose not to do anything with it right away. Like maybe they just learned for their own knowledge of what coaching is. Or maybe thought they would and they’ve been putting it off and now they kind of have thoughts that are like, well, I can’t possibly like now it’s been so long, what will people think? Or whatever their thoughts are.

Tell me what made you – So when you saw, I don’t even know where you saw it, but when you saw information about The Coach Lab, what made you think like, oh, this is for me?

Lynn: I am an entrepreneur and I work from home. So I’m home except for my 19 year old cat who may make an appearance during this, we’ll see, I don’t have anybody to talk to. I don’t have colleagues in the coaching world. And honestly, I wish I could tell you how I found The Coach Lab or where I started. I don’t remember, but I am glad I did.

And it was the first group that I joined that had a community of like-minded people that I quickly realized were willing to be transparent like I was and just normalize things. I’d spent a decade trying to gather information on the internet about how I should show up as a coach. And it just left me in a complete state of confusion and suffering.

And when I got into The Coach Lab, it freed me. You, Lindsay, I’m so grateful to you, you showed up like I would choose to show up, just normal. Not performing or perfect or anything. And that’s how I’ve always shown up in my other two careers. So it just helped me accept myself.

And then watching other people and watching the struggles that they’re going through and realizing those same struggles are things that I’ve dealt with, I just felt like I’m in the right place in The Coach Lab. So, yeah.

Lindsay: I love that, that’s so sweet. And I really am, I mean, there’s so many things you just said that it’s like, oh yeah, this is exactly why I created this space. I love that you pointed out that you have several, like your background is in several different coach trainings, several different certifications or whatever they’re all called, trainings of some sort. Because I think that sometimes we forget how kind of wide and big the coaching industry is.

And really, truly in The Coach Lab, there are so many coaches from all over the industry with so many different trainings. And I really tried to make it a space that’s like, you’re all doing it right. Now just come in here and get some guidance on what you’re doing. Let’s figure out which parts are for you, which parts aren’t. Like how do we make it yours? How do we make it kind of not just adding, adding, adding more tools, which I think some of the spaces –

We have tools, but it’s not here are 50 more tools to just add to your tool belt. Has that been your experience?

Lynn: 100%, more is not better. And it’s interesting because I got, you know how Facebook is, they put something in front of your eyes and you’re like, oh, that’s good, I’ll sign up for one more thing.

And I just did it again. And it attracted me because it’s women of the Christian faith, which is the same as my background. And I signed up for it. And then this morning I was watching one of the replays from yesterday and I was like, I’m doing it again. I don’t need anything else. I’m already complete. I already have what I need. I don’t need more.

And most of the time when I, you probably realize this, because you see my face on the, well you see my picture on the screen when I log in every Thursday. It’s in my planner, I plan to be there every Thursday as often as I can. And most of the time I’m just listening. I’m just listening and watching what others are saying and doing. And I learn just from doing that.

And you said, you just said it a minute ago, making it mine. You said making it yours. Making it mine and my style and how I choose to show up. And you and the other people have helped me make some decisions on what my personal coaching business looks like. And it doesn’t have to look the same as anybody else’s. So that’s been really freeing for me.

Lindsay: I love that. And something actually that you said that we haven’t touched on in any of these little short interviews that I’m doing. You said you have, like one of the trainings or certifications you have is faith-based, something Christian coaching.

Lynn: The Professional Christian Coaching Institute is one of my coach trainings.

Lindsay: And do you include those – How do I want to say it? Do you include faith-based type tools or coaching in what you do? Like when you work with your clients?

Lynn: No, usually what I’ll say to them is, listen, faith is a part of my life and I trust God completely. I’m not somebody who – I didn’t find my faith until I was 38 years old. I’m now almost 62. And just I need to be able to, because it’s part of my life, you know, I say, God, I don’t say universe, call it what you want. I say, God, call God, God, you know what I mean?

But it’s not, and again this was something that I’ve also struggled with, do I title myself as a Christian coach? I’ve struggled with do I want to specifically say I’m only a coach for Christian people? Because I’ve coached a lot of people that aren’t Christian and I’m okay with that too.

I don’t want to divide people because of a background of what my faith is. But I also equally want to be able to show up as myself, and that is a part of my life. So my coaching clients just need to be okay with me expressing myself in that way.

Lindsay: Yeah, I love that. One reason I wanted to bring it up, because I get this question every once in a while, because inside The Coach Lab, like nothing about what I teach is faith-based or I don’t really talk about that with the tools, with any of my teachings. But sometimes I’ll get this question of like, if I want to include this in my coaching, is this still a good place for me?

I’m curious what your thoughts are on that from someone who has a strong base in that. And you can give an honest answer. I’m kind of putting you on the spot.

Lynn: No, no, totally fine. I’m okay with the question. I think that we have to show up as ourselves. And if that means, for instance, I might say to somebody when I’m talking about their mind, I’ll say, the Bible says we need to continually be renewing our mind. And this is what that means to me.

That’s how it works its way into my business. I don’t get into deep conversations about Christianity or faith or anything like that. I just show up as myself. And I don’t do it in a way that would turn people off, I don’t think.

Lindsay: Oh, for sure. I mean, I think that that’s something that I just teach in general, is when something like that is really big or really important in your life, and I could give so many other examples, especially when it comes to specific types of spirituality or religion. To me, it’s like, of course that’s part of you. It’s just what you’re going to, on occasion, talk about. It’s probably examples that you’re going to use.

And people may or may not agree with you. But all the people that are going to hire you or come into your world either love you because you talk about it, or it just is something that they don’t feel strongly about one way or the other. And they don’t mind that you do, right? They love that about you.

Lynn: Exactly. And I just, I’m planning to show up in my coaching business the exact way I’ve shown up for 20 plus years in my real estate business, and prior to that when I owned my nail salons.

Lindsay: You’re just like an entrepreneur at heart.

Lynn: Yeah. Oh yeah, since I was 24. I’ve worked for myself since I was 24. I stumbled into entrepreneurship and I didn’t even know what the word was when I did it. So I just, yeah.

Lindsay: That’s so great. I relate very much to that. I can feel that energy in people. I’m just like, yeah, I don’t know. All I know is I don’t want to work for someone else. I’m going to work for myself and I’m going to figure it out.

Lynn: Freedom is one of the things that I value the most. The freedom to live my life in a way that I want to live it and enjoy it. And yeah, so no, the nine to five thing wasn’t my gig. I thank my nail tech who told me that I should get my nail license and go work for her when I was 24 years old, because that’s what took me out of corporate America and the boredom of a cubicle into entrepreneurship.

Lindsay: I love that. You’ve been on that journey ever since.

Lynn: Yeah. And it’s funny because when I’m doing the coaching, I literally go in my thoughts and I think to myself, okay, what did it feel like when I started into real estate? When I began as a real estate agent, I was calling myself a nail tech at that time. And I was reinventing myself, going to the next thing in my life, which was the real estate industry. And how did I want to show up as a realtor?

And I did the same thing. I looked outside of myself of what other realtors looked like, to try to figure out how to do this profession called real estate. And it wasn’t until I settled in, probably like a year into it, settled into my own confidence in it and my own way of doing it, that it all started to blossom and work.

So I’m like, okay, Lynn, you’re at the beginning, not really at the beginning, because I have been coaching, I’m just in the beginning of talking about it publicly.

Lindsay: Yeah, I remember you saying when you joined The Coach Lab or one of the first times I coached you, I feel like it was in – This is actually coming back to me in a memory. Maybe it was in a training I was doing or something. It was before you had technically joined, I think. And I coached you maybe in Coach Week or something along those lines.

And I just remember you saying like, I’m ready to just do it now. I’ve been a coach for a while and I’m ready to just flip that switch and be like, okay, let’s go. Like, here we go.

Lynn: I was still dealing with my dog that died a year and a half ago. So it was almost two years ago that I joined The Coach Lab.

Lindsay: Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. Yep, that feels right. I’m sorry about your dog, by the way. I do remember –

Lynn: Oh, thank you. She had a great life and she lived to be 16 and a half.

Lindsay: I remember seeing her on camera. I remember coaching you.

Okay, so let’s just end this with one thing that you said in your form is that you said one of the things that stood out to you or that you’ve learned being in The Coach Lab is learning that not every client has to be, like doesn’t have to agree with your opinion of what’s the best version of this.

We call it in The Coach Lab, because I coached someone on it. We call it like the third tree from the left or whatever, where it’s like not everybody wants to be the lead role. Like sometimes it’s okay to coach someone. And even if you know there’s more or you know that there’s more progress they can make if they want it.

Tell me what that has changed for you and your coaching or like the way you think about coaching or show up for your clients.

Lynn: Okay. That absolutely by far is one of my two golden nuggets from The Coach Lab when Travia said, you know, when you were having it and I was just watching the two of you coach. I don’t know whether you said it or she said it, but in my mind I was thinking coaching was about big goals. And then all of a sudden you made it okay for somebody to say maybe their goal is just to be the third tree from the right in the school play.

And I was like, wow, that’s a good thought. Goals don’t have to be these giant things. Coaching can be on small little things because small little things are important to the person who’s being coached, can be important to the person being coached.

Lindsay: Yeah, absolutely. And when we put that thought on top of it, right, of like, oh, but there’s so much more, like, don’t you want that? I think it really affects the way we show up for coaching the client and really putting a lot, sometimes even like pressure on moving faster or having bigger goals when really maybe they know best for themselves that like, no, this right here is what I want to be working on. This is the first goal.

Lynn: Yeah, because that little thing, if they can accomplish that thing that they want, then they have the confidence to go to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. And before you know it, it’s 10 years later and life is better.

Lindsay: Yeah.

Lynn: Maybe not 10 years, but yeah.

Lindsay: Okay, what was the other, do you want to share the other nugget that you had? You said you had two.

Lynn: My favorite, Deb Malkin.

Lindsay: Yes. Who is a, I’ll just like in case anybody’s listening and they’re like, what does this mean? She is a coach. She sometimes contract coaches inside The Coach Lab. So she guest coaches when I can’t be there or whatever. She’s incredible.

Lynn: And she has pink hair and pink is my favorite color. So immediately when I saw her in The Coach Lab, I was like, oh, I like her. She made this comment, and she was just being herself and she said – Is it okay if I swear?

She said, sometimes my brain is just a shitty translator. And I laughed out loud when she said that, because to me, what that meant, because I coach on thinking and your thoughts and the self stories and stuff, was you catch yourself with your brain running wild and you want to tame your brain. That’s a great way to remind yourself that the wires are just getting crossed. The signals are just poor, whatever it is.

But I’ve literally taught this to so many of my coaching clients. Like, sometimes your brain is just a shitty translator and it’s giving you bad information. Don’t listen to it. Don’t listen to that translation.

Lindsay: I love that. And I love that you wrote that in because I have not seen, I clearly must have not watched that coaching, so I don’t even have context for it. But I think that that is such a good way to kind of take some of the heaviness or pressure off of something that could feel really big of like, wait, let’s just consider maybe there’s just a bad translation here. Let’s consider that first.

Lynn: Your lines too, of what if this isn’t a problem? What if nothing has gone wrong? I’ve learned so many great questions just being in The Coach Lab and also watching other people on their journeys. I feel like if you put us all together in a room, they know me but we don’t really know each other. But I feel like it’s like when you have your Zoom friends and the people in a community that instantly you’d recognize them or know their voice.

Lindsay: Yes.

Lynn: Yeah, it’s great.

Lindsay: You have a handful of those from The Coach Lab. It would be so fun to just have all of you in a room together to talk to you.

Lynn: I think you should make it happen.

Lindsay: Maybe, that sounds pretty fun. We’re planting the seed today. Let’s do it someday. That would be amazing.

Lynn: Let’s do it. I love it when you say that.

Lindsay: Yeah, let’s do it. Thank you so, so much for being here today.

Lynn: My pleasure. The cat didn’t bother us.

Lindsay: I know, she was like, she knew.

Lynn: I hope he’s alive. No, I’m just kidding.

Lindsay: Okay, if anybody wants to find you and check out what you’re doing, where would they find you? Tell us all the things.

Lynn: They can go directly to my website. Very simple, choosecoaching.com.

Lindsay: That’s a great one. That’s easy.

Lynn: Thank you. It was a premium domain name, it cost me a lot of money. The minute the word choose came to me, I was like, yes, that’s it. That’s it because we have to choose our thoughts.

Lindsay: Yeah, it can mean so many things. You also choose to have a coach or choose to hire a coach.

Lynn: Exactly. I’m so glad you got that.

Lindsay: Oh, it’s great.

Lynn: When I decided to do it, I had to make the choice to pay all the money for the premium domain name and buy it from somebody else. But it really resonated with me and yeah, we have to choose to have a coach. That’s a choice.

Lindsay: I think it’s usable in so many different contexts, which I love because sometimes when people tell me that and it’s a super tricky domain and they’re like, should I pay all this money for it? I’m like, I don’t know. I mean, it’s up to you. But is anyone ever going to search for that or know what it means? But for this one, it just feels like there are so many options for it.

Lynn: Yeah, it’s like a double-minded, not double-minded, but yeah.

Lindsay: Yeah. All right. Well, thank you, thank you so much. Thank you for being here and I’ll see you soon.

Lindsay: Hello, hello. I am so happy to have you here today. First, before we dive in, tell everyone who you are and what you do.

Lynda: Hello. Well, thank you for having me here, by the way. I am Lynda McDonell. So I am a financial business coach. So my focus is helping women business owners set up their business and its finances, primarily so that it pays them well. Because we always start up these businesses and we have these great ideas, but then when it comes time to actually paying ourselves and taking money out of it, we freeze up.

So that is my big focus, is that side of it. I do bookkeeping and all of that kind of fun technical stuff. But the real focus for me is about coming into ourselves as business owners when it comes to our money.

Lindsay: Okay, I love this. So I actually read it on your – We had people fill out forms and we know we’re here to talk about The Coach Lab, but I’m really curious, first, about your niche. That cleared it up a lot because I wondered when I first read it, I was like, oh, what exactly does that mean? Like, what do you do? So that cleared it up.

And you said something on your form that caught my eye that was something like, we all start businesses knowing we need money to run a business, but also just kind of like, things get in the way of believing we can make money or thinking we should make money. And I’m just curious, because I hear so many people say this – Oh, I know what it was. You said, but we’re not running charities.

Lynda: Oh, yes. Yes.

Lindsay: This is something I say sometimes because I’m like, I mean, it is an option. You can run a charity. As a coach that could be part of your business. But I don’t think that’s what you’re doing. And so I’m curious. I don’t even know what my question is, but that just stood out to me. I loved that you said it.

And I’m curious, what’s your message about money to women or entrepreneurs running businesses? How do you talk? What would you say to someone who’s like, but I just have a hard time charging for my services? Or I have a hard time thinking about making money in my business. It’s not the first thing that I want to think about, about my business.

Lynda: Yeah, I think, well, it’s particularly as women, I mean I know men deal with this too, so this is not just a women-focused thing, but I see it a lot more with women is that we are very uncomfortable around that subject about money. And we’re conflicted with serving and asking for money. And we constantly struggle with that.

We have all this expertise. We want to help people. But then we feel that there is some greed or we look bad if we’re asking for money for this amazing expertise that we are all bringing to the table. But you’ve probably heard the term, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

And that’s really what it’s about, is that when you know that you’re taken care of, that your bills are taken care of, or even the simple fact, and I know that you’ve talked about this before when you’ve talked about money in, I don’t know, maybe it was another podcast, is that when you take in money, you also have the ability to give more. Like, give more to others.

It’s not just about consumption for yourself, it can be to give. And so when that side of yourself is taken care of, then you’re often so much better equipped to be that better business owner, to serve your customers in the most authentic and whole way. And for some reason, a lot of us feel, and we all have different reasons behind it, but a lot of us feel very conflicted.

And that’s why part of what I talk about so often is to make it more acceptable that we can have these businesses that pay us, it is okay. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We can use that feminine energy that we all have and be okay with talking about money, talking about finances, accepting money, being well paid, that there’s nothing wrong with that.

Lindsay: Yes. So, so good. I’ve actually talked about this a couple of times recently. I don’t even know, I think it was maybe on the podcast, maybe somewhere else, but where I think sometimes what I see happen to a lot of coaches is they become coaches, they get this kind of glimmer in their eye of like, I’m going to be an entrepreneur and run my own business and maybe have that first goal of like making $100,000 or whatever it is.

And I think, and I’m curious if you see this with your clients, if there’s a little bit of not understanding really what that amount of money means and how much it costs to run a business. Because to me, I’ve just seen people have a letdown of like, oh, I thought it was going to be so different when I got here. But it turns out I really need to make more than this to run my business the way I want to.

Lynda: Oh my gosh, yes. I mean, there is a huge difference between selling six figures, like selling six figures, having a profit of six figures, and paying yourself six figures. Like in terms of having six figures in your bank account that you can spend. Those are three very different things.

Lindsay: Yes.

Lynda: And that’s all part of it, is that there’s a lot of talk about this like magic, sexy number of sales. And I’m more like, well, that’s sexy. But what’s sexy to me is the other stuff where you actually are able to impact your life, others lives, whatever you choose it to be.

And that’s the stuff that I like to focus on, because that’s where you get that rude awakening if you’re not watching it where you think that you have to just keep, and again it’s a money mindset thing where we think we have to spend more to make more, spend more to make more. And you have people making multi six figures. Like I’ve had clients who are making five or $600,000 and make nothing.

And there’s so much coming up for them, like I don’t understand, because they just keep pouring more back into their business. But then again, it’s going back to that empty cup, then they get just so much resentment and frustration builds up.

And when we’re well paid, we don’t have as much of that. We feel like we’re getting paid what we deserve, that we’re entitled and we can do whatever we want with that, whatever feels right to us.

Lindsay: Okay, well, that was kind of a side note, but I just was reading your form and I was like, oh, I have to talk about this. I feel like it could be a whole episode.

Lynda: It could be.

Lindsay: I do have a bookkeeper and that has probably been, she’s the very first person I hired, like a regular contractor that I hired in my business, because I knew I needed help with money. And it’s the best money I’ve ever spent.

So if anyone’s listening, because I know a lot of coaches that are constantly looking for this type of support. And I will promote it and say it is a very good way to spend money because it’s probably the number one way that I have –

I don’t want to say made money because I had to learn the skills of selling coaching and being an amazing coach and all of that. But it’s probably, I don’t think we think of it as like, this is where the biggest return comes from. But it feels like that in my business. Like I spend money on a bookkeeper, and I probably make so much more, or at least manage it better because I have her.

Lynda: Yeah, I’m so glad that you said that because there is a difference between getting a bookkeeper and having a good bookkeeper. And it sounds like you have a good bookkeeper. Because the one thing I don’t want anyone to think of is that just because you have a bookkeeper doesn’t mean you outsource all of the decision making and the knowledge around money.

They’re a huge part of your support team that give you the information that you need to make your CEO-level decisions. And so I’m so glad that you said that. It’s like they’re just such a great partner.

Lindsay: What I love about her is that she’s also a coach, which I feel like you probably have the same skills as well, and I think that makes a huge difference between someone who can just tell you how to manage your money and where to put it and “how much” you should be investing in certain things. Versus someone who’s also a coach who can really just help you question like, okay, well, here’s how you’re thinking about it. Is this the way you want to make this decision? Is this where you want your money to go? I think that makes a big difference.

Lynda: Absolutely. Sure, there are some shoulds in money, especially when it comes to taxes and things like that, 100%. But there’s so much else that is not about a should. It’s about what feels right, where you want to go. Not everybody wants to go to a certain place. We all have to keep all those things in mind. So it’s not all black and white.

Lindsay: Yes. All right, well I love it. I love the work you’re doing. I love your niche. All of it is so great.

So this actually is a great lead-in to kind of what you said when you turned in your form for why you wanted to do this today, is differentiating between teaching and coaching. And I’m sure with your niche, that is probably something that comes up a lot.

I’m curious for you, if you think back to maybe before you joined The Coach Lab or before you kind of really started thinking about like, okay, what’s the difference and when do I want to do which one? What did it look like before? Can you paint a picture of a time or circumstances that would confuse you or things that would come up in your coaching that you’re like, do I teach or do I not? Or what do I do here?

Lynda: Absolutely. So just to do a little bit of background, my background is very financially heavy. Like I have a CPA background, I worked with money in corporations. So it’s something that is, like there’s a lot of technical expertise. And I say that because there are many coaches that come from a corporate background or some sort of background where they have a lot of strong technical expertise in something.

And so when I first started, I found that I was more just telling, you know, here’s all the things that you should do. And just like, I got really excited about all the things that I knew. And then I –

Lindsay: As we do sometimes.

Lynda: As we do. And then I discovered coaching and I got certified, I went through that whole thing. And then I almost switched the other way, because then I started to think, oh my gosh, maybe I can’t talk about this technical expertise. Maybe I do have to lean into solely about the thoughts and what’s going on with them.

And I almost had this identity crisis of what can I talk about? What should I be talking about? And I found I was just in this struggle of I love what coaching has added to this knowledge that I have, but I just almost couldn’t put the pieces together as to how that would work for the business that I wanted to create that I loved.

And so that’s where it really helped coming into the lab where these conversations, and maybe they weren’t always mine. Like I know we talked about in the beginning before we started recording that I wasn’t always the person who would show up to get coached. But I’m a lurker, I was an observer. That’s just more of my personality, I love to observe and take it in.

And I would see others going through these types of things. And what you’re so great at is just saying, you know, figure out what works for you. It’s okay, you don’t have to be this pure, I coach on thoughts coach, you can find this balance for you. And so it really gave me the permission and the grace to find the balance for myself.

And that’s where I’m at now, is that although I can help with all this technical expertise, I’m able to add coaching when I need it, and bring it in when I want. Because sometimes I find, especially in the niche that I’m in, but I think in a lot of niches, not just mine, that people will come in and they do just want you to tell them what to do.

And sometimes I might just start with that. But I might just be like, okay, it’s like, I’m going to give you like one or two things. But part of that is really the one thing that I wanted to bring up is that it’s so important as a coach, to build that trust. And sometimes just giving them a couple of actions and a couple of strategies helps to build that level of trust. And then when they realize that you’ve got them, then you can bring in the coaching piece and really understand maybe why they’re struggling with this certain action that you might have given them.

Like we sometimes think that our client knows exactly what they’re looking for.

Lindsay: Right. It’s not always true.

Lynda: And it’s not always true. They don’t and we’re on a path of discovery with them. And so I think that just being in this space really helps keep me centered on those types of principles, that it’s easy kind of to go one way or go the other way. But it’s like, okay, I can just do it the way I want to do it that really serves my clients the best, but also that makes me special and me individual as a coach compared to anyone else.

Lindsay: Yeah, and especially with the niche you have, it makes me really sad to think about you leaving all that expertise on the table, right? Without bringing it to your clients and without – Because to me, that’s what makes coaching so special is that everybody is coming with different expertise.

And when you have all of that background and all of that knowledge, it would be a shame to not use any of it when that’s what you’re helping your clients with, right? To kind of hold yourself back and say like, oh no, I can only question their thoughts. I can only question, you know, what’s coming up for you now, or however you would ask it. But yeah, I love that.

Lynda: Yeah.

Lindsay: So how long have you been a coach?

Lynda: I started coaching in 2021. So I guess it’s been three years now. So yes, and my business has evolved in the three years that I’ve been doing it as I keep trying new things. Maybe some things work, maybe some things don’t. And the more I do it, the more I find my own identity. Because the one thing I do, like I coach my clients on this, but it’s a mantra that I live by is that I’m building the business I love.

And in order to have the business that I love, I have to be operating within my full authenticity, exactly where I want to be, doing it the way that I know I’m serving my clients best, but also taking care of myself. And that’s kind of where I’ve landed.

And sometimes that definition has changed over the years, but I think that’s okay because we’re constantly evolving. And the things I was worried about two or three years ago are not necessarily what I’m worried about now, but that’s okay. And sometimes I go right back to it, it just depends. It just depends.

Lindsay: Yeah. When you think about the evolution of your business and where you started and where you are now, like, have you settled more into when do I teach? When do I coach? When do I show up this way? When do I show up this way?

Lynda: Very much so. Very much so. I think when I first started, I felt like I needed to have almost like a curriculum. And that I had to have a plan for each session. Like I had to get clients from A to B, and these were the steps and this is what I had to do.

And the more I coached and the more clients that I took on, I realized that they may think that’s what they want, but sometimes it’s okay to go off path. And some are more, they do want more technical knowledge, but it’s okay to stop and say, okay, we’re going to pause here and we’re going to address this because this is what’s preventing you from moving forward. So let’s spend some time on that.

And I found I’ve learned to give myself that grace, that it’s a journey and it’s not always about getting caught in that curriculum, or that procedure, or that this is the way that I coach. I have things that, you know, I’ll call them best practices that work really well. Like, hey, if this is what you want to accomplish, you’ve got to be doing these kinds of things. But even that, some can jump to that a lot quicker and some need more of a baby step approach.

And I think as a coach, if someone’s going to hire a coach, that’s what we need to give to them. It’s okay to meet them where they’re at.

Lindsay: Yes.

Lynda: Yeah.

Lindsay: Yeah, I love that you say that.

Okay, so I’m curious, I’m going to kind of put you on the spot and see if you have an answer for this. If someone’s listening and they’re like, yeah, but when do you know? How do you know when to lean into like, I could teach my client this thing versus coaching? Like, can you think of an answer for that? Do you have an answer in your coaching sessions?

Like, how do you know if you point someone towards, I think you said you have a membership, right? So you maybe have resources for clients. But how do you know if you point more towards something like, oh, let’s look at this strategy. Let’s look at this plan that we’re going to create, versus let’s do some coaching on this.

Lynda: I think a lot of it is the power of asking questions, which is what coaching is. I mean I have had, I can think of a client recently that came to me and she was also a coach, she had a newer business. She was trying to make a decision about a conference that she wanted to attend. And she’s like, well, I’m not sure if I should be spending money on this conference.

And then I started asking questions. And then like, she had some money in her business. And I said to her, I said, well, what were you going to use that money for? And her face was, she was just so caught off guard by that question because she was more caught in making the decision. But she hadn’t really thought about the fact that she was a business owner and that she was just holding onto this money because she had earned it and that she was afraid to spend it.

Sometimes I find that it’s those questions that us coaches have learned to ask that uncover those types of answers. And that the more we just ask and get curious, then we start to see is this really just them wanting the knowledge and they just need a little bit more knowledge on something or maybe I need to explain it a little differently or explain it better? Or is there really something that’s preventing them from undertaking this process or procedure that I’m trying to explain to them?

Lindsay: Yes. So what I hear you saying is asking great questions, listening, and then just kind of trusting yourself as the coach to say like, okay, well, let’s explore over here, or let’s go this direction. And maybe trusting yourself to pivot if you go the wrong way. We’re going to say wrong in quotes. Like maybe you find, oh, she did have a plan, maybe it is the thoughts getting in the way, or whatever, the other way around.

Lynda: Yeah. Yeah, it happens a lot that sometimes we may think, oh, right. And that’s where you get into that danger zone of maybe having a lot of that knowledge. You think you know their answer and then you come to realize, no, I actually don’t. I need to just step back and listen. I can’t assume what they know, they need to tell me. And I need to be more curious and let – Like I’m kind of the guide.

I love the analogy that you’ve given before about how you’re a passenger. They’re the driver, you’re the passenger, watching a movie or together at the drive-in. And we’re just talking as opposed to I’m telling them, turn right, turn left, go faster, go slower. Yeah, yeah. So it is a bit of a dance. It is a bit of a dance. It is a bit of a balance, but I think that’s the beauty of it. And that’s what makes it fun and that’s also what makes it so powerful for a client.

Lindsay: Yes, completely agree. So one thing that I love, we were chatting a minute before we started recording and you kind of said, we touched on this a second ago, but you said – Or when we got on I said, oh, I don’t know, have I coached you before? I don’t remember. I mean, I know I haven’t seen you in a while, but you look so familiar. And you said, maybe like a long time ago in The Coach Lab.

And then you told me that you always listen to the replays on your treadmill or while you’re doing other things, while you’re showering, one of my favorite ways to listen to podcasts or listen to recordings. And I’m curious, what’s the value in that for you? Can we speak to that for a second? Because I think some people think if I can’t be there live on the calls, then it’s not for me. But you said that’s your preference. That’s what you usually do.

Lynda: It is.

Lindsay: So tell me about that. Why is it your preference? And what do you take away from it?

Lynda: Because I find that when you listen to others being coached, they may not be at the exact same place dealing with the exact same issue I am at that moment, but they’re either ahead of you, or they might be a little behind you. But if they’re behind you, it just maybe might solidify a way that you’ve chosen to go or just bring up something that you might have thought that you had answered, but maybe you might, okay, yeah, there’s that too.

And it just makes you think and keeps you just focused on my own practice. Even though I’m listening to other people, I’m still developing my own practice as a coach. So as I hear other people get coached, I’m always reflecting on what does that mean for me? What am I taking away from it?

And I mean, some maybe just don’t apply. And that’s okay. But I mean, that’s what I find, is just the way I think and the way I process, like I’ve learned that, that I am a huge thinker. I am an observer. I do so well when I have time to – Like I’m an introvert at heart, even though I can talk to people and do all that, I really just love that quiet time and the reflection time. And that’s when I really make the most shifts.

So for me, I find that’s why listening to something like a podcast on my own time, usually when I’m doing something, like for me being on the treadmill or going for a walk, those are the things that make my brain light up in terms of my openness for taking that in. But it just tends to work really well for me.

Lindsay: I’m so glad that you said that because I have the same experience. I love listening to other people getting coached, even when it’s something that I’m like, oh, I don’t really relate to that right now. Even then, sometimes it’s like, oh, I remember when I used to have that. Sometimes it just allows me to see like, oh, I’ve grown so much. Like I used to have that thing and I don’t anymore. But it also, I think we just interact with it differently.

Like for me, when I hear someone getting coached on something that I’m like, oh, this is really powerful for me, I’m not in my head thinking, these people on the call are watching me and I’m getting coached, right? Like when you’re actually the one getting coached, there are other things happening. But when you’re just watching or listening, at least for me, it just allows me to absorb it in a totally different way. They’re both so valuable, but there’s something really valuable about that. So I’m just really glad that you mentioned it.

Lynda: Yeah, sure.

Lindsay: Okay, so if anyone’s listening and they are thinking about joining The Coach Lab, they’re on the fence, they’re not sure, what would you tell them? What’s one thing you would tell them?

Lynda: I would tell them that – Well, that’s the beauty of The Coach Lab and the way you’ve structured it, is that you meet people where they’re at. So if somebody really, because I know there are coaches that do frequently come on to be coached live and that’s great. They can get that from the lab. But then there’s people like me that don’t come live, but that might watch one of your modules from time to time or might listen to the podcast and you can meet me where I’m at there.

And I mean, I have been in since the beginning, so I think it’s around two years now.

Lindsay: Yep. That’s why we’re doing these interviews, because it’ll be like exactly two years when these come out.

Lynda: So awesome. So awesome. I’m so excited for you. That’s so great. But that’s it, it’s like it doesn’t matter where you are. Like I was a much newer coach a couple of years ago and I’m still, like now I guess I might say a veteran, but there’s still things that I can garner from it and get out of it.

So it really flexes with you, which I think is a great reason why someone should consider joining, is that it doesn’t matter, don’t put in your head, oh, I’m just here or, oh, I’m here, that’s not right for me. You can meet them wherever they’re at.

Lindsay: You said maybe it’s before we started recording, but maybe you said you have a membership. Is that true?

Lynda: I do. I do, yeah.

Lindsay: Have you had that since you joined The Coach Lab or is that something that –

Lynda: I’ve had it for a year. Yeah, I’ve had it for just a year now.

Lindsay: Okay. What’s it called? What do you do inside?

Lynda: So that’s one part of my business. So it’s called the Prosper Collective. And I like to consider it as if someone needs money and a business bestie. So it’s a membership where we come in, we talk about what’s going on in their business from a financial perspective. I help them work through the monthly and quarterly how to manage their business so that they’re successful financially because sometimes we just don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing when.

Lindsay: For sure, yeah.

Lynda: We talk through that. And some of them are doing their own bookkeeping, so I teach them how to do that if they want to do that. Some have bookkeepers, it all depends where they’re at. But it’s really about just guiding them through thinking about that side of their business. I mean, most of us didn’t go to school for that side and no one taught us. It’s not something they teach in high school. So it is that mentorship that I provide to them.

So I do have that side of that membership, which is cool. And it’s similar because they can listen, they can show up live or they can catch the replays, which is great.

Lindsay: And did you take some notes like from The Coach Lab and apply them when you were creating your own space of like what you like, what you don’t like?

Lynda: I did. I did. I absolutely did. Yeah, exactly. Like there’s some modules in there, there’s some live and yeah, it’s structured – There are some things that are structured a little differently, but I think that’s the beauty is we take what we want and we leave what we don’t when we develop because we’re building our own businesses, which is really cool.

Lindsay: Yes. Okay, before we go I have news for you. This might blow your mind because it blew my mind. So my daughter is going to be a freshman in high school next year. And so we had to go to – She’s in eighth grade, so we had to go to the meeting for her schedule. They are now required to take a financial literacy class. It’s like a requirement.

I know. I was like, what? My mind was blown because I talk to so many different coaches and coaches in your kind of space and money coaches and whatever. And it’s like, we are never taught any of these things. Now, do I think it’s going to clear up all the things? No, but I mean, I’m hoping that at least it’s like a high level kind of, here’s kind of how you manage money. Personal finance.

Lynda: That’s so great.

Lindsay: I know, I was so surprised.

Lynda: You’re lucky because I believe it’s only 12 states that are doing this. So you’re in one.

Lindsay: Okay, I had no idea. I learned on the spot. Like just I feel like my jaw dropped open. Like, wait, what?

Lynda: I know, but it’s great because it’ll start the conversations. I mean, hopefully, you know, and that’s what’s going to change things. It’s not, unfortunately this can’t happen overnight, but these are just conversations. And we, a lot of times we have been leaving it to parents, but parents didn’t have that kind of knowledge.

So it’s just been generational that we keep passing down these feelings about money, this knowledge about money. And so at least if there’s this place where we can learn it and then hopefully develop that knowledge or know where to get more, that’s part of it is just where to go next, where prior to this, there’s been nothing. So I’m excited about it. I’m excited you’re in one of the lucky 12 states.

Lindsay: Yes, I am too. I mean, I’m in Indiana, I don’t feel like we’re usually the first to adopt anything, but apparently it’s a thing that’s happening. I love it. Who knows how useful it’ll be, but it’ll be better than what I got. I do know that for sure.

Lynda: That’s so great. Oh my gosh. I know. I know. It’s great. It’s great. Hey, we’ll take what we can get.

Lindsay: That’s right. Oh, absolutely. Yes. Well it was a delight having you here today. We’ll have to come back to this sometime because I really love hearing about what you do and how you work with your clients.

Can you tell us, for anybody listening who wants to connect with you, can you tell us where they would find you? Point them anywhere that they might come interact with you.

Lynda: Sure. Thank you. So my business is called Pique Prosperity. So P-I-Q-U-E Prosperity. So that’s my website, piqueprosperity.com, but I also hang out on Instagram and Facebook. That’s my handle there as well, so you can come find me there and we can just chat about what’s going on in your business, what you need. If you’re feeling like you just never have enough money to pay yourself. If you need bookkeeping, if you need that mentorship, I will just meet you where you’re at and we’ll just have a chat.

Lindsay: I love it. And we will link all of that in the show notes. So if they’re, you know, driving, showering, on the treadmill, they don’t have to pull over right now. But when they get where they’re going, they can find your links. We will link all of that for you. And thank you so much for doing this today.

Lynda: Oh, thank you for having me and happy anniversary.

Lindsay: Oh, thank you. Yes. I can’t believe it, it feels so fast, you know? Like, are we sure it’s not like six months is almost what it feels like. No, two years. It’s been so fun.

Lynda: Celebrate for sure.

Lindsay: Thank you.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Mastering Coaching Skills. If you want to learn more about my work, come visit me at lindsaydotzlafcoaching.com. That’s Lindsay with an A, D-O-T-Z-L-A-F.com. See you next week.

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Hi I’m Lindsay!

I am a master certified coach, with certifications through the Institute for Equity-Centered Coaching and The Life Coach School.

I turn your good coaching into a confidently great coaching experience and let your brilliance shine.

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