Coaching and Thriving

Author, speaker, and founder of No Matter What Adventures, Sterling Hawkins joins Coach Carrie to share the story behind his book and his movement "No Matter What".  As a shy kid who grew up in his family’s grocery store, he co-founded a software company that grew into a Silicon Valley unicorn. When it collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis, so did his sense of identity. Sterling shares how “no matter what” began as a personal mantra to get out of bed, call creditors, and keep moving, and how it grew into a practice of hunting discomfort to unlock real growth.  Content note: This episode includes a brief, honest mention of suicidal thoughts during Sterling’s lowest point. If you’re struggling, in the U.S. you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.In this episode  Carrie ties Sterling’s insights to the work coaches do every day, including self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and helping clients move from “I can’t” to “what if?”Growth isn’t automatic. Going through something hard doesn’t guarantee growth. It takes willingness and courage to wade through the process, with breakdowns before breakthroughs.Don’t go it alone. Sterling was too embarrassed to accept help after his company collapsed, which made a hard time harder. Support is part of growth.“No matter what” - Commit before the self-doubt can stop you. Words like I’ll try, I might, I wish, I hope don’t move the needle. A true commitment gets you out of your head and into your heart.Pike syndrome. A pike that repeatedly hits a glass wall in a tank stops trying to eat, even after the wall is removed. Just because something was true then doesn’t mean it’s true now.Rites of Passage as a bridge. Rites of passage once helped people shift their identity. Sterling describes three stages some cultures use to step into their new identify: leave your community, lose something, and return changed. Discomfort is a muscle. Meeting discomfort anywhere builds your capacity to face it everywhere.A small “no matter what” practiceYou don’t have to start big. Each morning, choose one thing you will do no matter what, such as calling a friend, having the conversation you’ve been avoiding, or going to the gym. Then do it. Each time you follow through, you build belief in yourself.Timestamps00:00 – Welcome and introduction00:30 – Sterling’s story: the grocery store, the startup, and the collapse07:09 – Why growth doesn’t happen automatically09:37 – How “no matter what” was born13:26 – Making a commitment before self-doubt can stop you15:40 – Pike syndrome18:35 – Possibility thinking and the coaching connection18:47 – Rites of passage and imposter syndrome24:48 – Breakdown before breakthrough, and Antoine’s story30:02 – The science of discomfort33:22 – A “no matter what” response for coachesConnect with Sterling HawkinsWebsite: sterlinghawkins.comRetreats: nomatterwhatadventures.comSocial: @SterlingHawkins on all channelsThis podcast does not receive compensation for any of the books, retreats or services related to Sterling Hawkins. Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Many coaches love the work but dread the word "marketing."   Carrie talks with life coach Mary Dreliszak, founder of Comeback Life Coaching, about how she got started and how she continues to share her message through real conversations, community and ongoing growth.In this episode:How Mary's storytelling background (a cable show, a blog and newspaper freelancing) led her to coachingGetting your coaching business started:  Mary shares her inspiration for The Think Pink Power Hour, her group coaching sessions held in different local venues, and how she got started, initial steps and where it is todayHow she promoted her sessions with news releases, Facebook and Canva and finding locations to host eventsA reframe for marketing: being there for someone, not sellingHer book Drawing on Faith: How to Make an Emotional Comeback and Reclaim Your Joy, and how it evolved with her coaching certificationUsing social media to connect with others and build your brandGrowing and sharing your story with others via Podcast, Her Comeback Story, One small step to take this week: have a real conversation where you stay curious about the other personTakeaway: You don't need a full plan. Stay open, be yourself and take one step at a time.Connect with Mary: comebacklifecoaching.comCoaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

What if building a successful coaching practice isn’t about how quickly you grow, but about finding a way to make coaching fit into your life?In this episode, Coach Carrie talks with Coach Training Alliance graduate Tomorrow James, who came to coaching from a career in human resources and career leadership. Tomorrow shares how she found her first paying clients through connection and conversation, how practice coaching built her confidence to say “I’m a coach” out loud, and why her motto “life be lifing” gives her permission to grow at her own pace.In this episode, we talk about:Why a “helper” and problem-solver was drawn to coaching, and the moment her husband said, “That’s what you do”The shift from solving people’s problems to partnering with them through powerful questionsHow practice sessions and a weekly coaching buddy helped her grow comfortable and confidentLanding her first clients by reaching out to LinkedIn contacts and former colleaguesWhat “life be lifing” means for a coach who is her own bossWhy a smaller, intentionally maintained practice can still be a successHer “learning to drive” analogy for adding clients only when you’re readyKey takeaways:Keep coaching, even if it’s only practice coaching. It builds the confidence to own the title.Coaching can coexist with other priorities. There isn’t one cookie-cutter way to build a practice.Effort and results are connected, but every coach grows at a different pace.Start with one client if that feels right, and let your authenticity lead the way.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and introduction01:35 What drew Tomorrow to coaching03:02 From HR problem-solver to coaching partner06:08 Finding her first paying clients07:42 Getting comfortable saying “I’m a coach”11:19 What “life be lifing” means14:17 Staying connected to coaching when life gets busy16:55 What you put in is what you get out19:53 Small steps and the driving analogy21:31 Advice for new coaches juggling a lotCoaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Episode SummaryWhat if finding your first paying clients has less to do with marketing and more to do with building relationships? Carrie talks with Coach Training Alliance faculty member and mentor coach Cody Williams about how he landed his first three paying clients, why courage matters more than confidence when you’re starting out, and how shifting from selling yourself to serving others changes the way you build a coaching business.Key Takeaways You Can Put Into Practice1. Start with the relationships you already have. Cody’s first three clients came from people who already knew, liked, and trusted him. Look at your existing network for people who fit your niche.2. Ask directly, even if you’re nervous. Cody was nervous to ask a longtime friend to consider him as a coach. He asked transparently and checked that the request felt reasonable to the friend. That client is still working with him years later. Try this: “From the way you’ve experienced me, is it reasonable for me to ask whether you’d try coaching with me?”3. Be open that you’re new. You don’t need to pretend you’ve been coaching your whole life. Share your why: what excites you about coaching and who you want to help.4. Build your “reach list.” Cody says about 95% of your paying clients will come from this list. A person qualifies when:You believe they could be an ideal client.They’re aware of you and your coaching business.You have their email address, so you can nurture their interest.Cody’s challenge: how many people are on your reach list right now? Growing that number is the most direct way to get more clients.5. Follow up with “relentless consistency.” People get interested before they commit. No reply usually doesn’t mean no. Think of the brand emails you delete but never unsubscribe from. You want to be the one they remember when the time is right. Cody’s example is Tractor Supply, which emails him two to three times a week while he buys from them about once a year.6. Make your client the hero of the story. Cody recommends Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. Learn your ideal client’s top challenges and the opportunities they aren’t yet ready to seize, then build your messaging and services around them. Marketing becomes service instead of self-promotion.7. Don’t let “busy work” delay outreach. Endless website tweaks and fee research can be a polished way to procrastinate. They matter, but they won’t bring in clients on their own.8. Get clear on your niche. If you do one thing tomorrow, define who you want to serve and what challenges you help them with. Your niche may shift as you gain experience, and that’s normalResources MentionedCody’s website: mycodywilliams.com (please double-check the URL, since I’m working from the audio transcription)Book: It’s About Time: 21 Days to Reclaim Your Time, Energy, and Self by Cody Williams: Paperback | KindleBook: Building a StoryBrand by Donald MillerCoach Training Alliance does not receive compensation for any of the links or referrals mentioned in this podcast.About Cody WilliamsCody is a Coach Training Alliance faculty member and mentor coach. For nearly seven years he has worked with aspiring professional coaches to move their business dream from vision to profitable reality. He’s also the author of It’s About Time, a 21-day guide to reclaiming your time, energy, and self from what he calls the “time scarcity complex.”Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Coaching and Thriving is a new podcast from Coach Training Alliance for anyone committed to growing one conversation at a time. Whether you’re new to coaching or years into your practice, it’s a space to slow down, gain fresh perspective, and remember why you became a coach. Hosted by Carrie Martello (Coach Carrie), a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience, the show blends coaching mastery, professional identity, business development, and community. Each episode features conversations with people who have shaped the profession and leaves you with at least one idea to take into your next coaching conversation. Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Episode DescriptionWhat if becoming a coach isn’t about becoming someone new, but recognizing what you already bring with you?Carrie sits down with Coach Training Alliance graduate Julian Maliszewski: professional paintball and lacrosse player, entrepreneur, and founder of Paintball for Purpose. Julian started as a teacher and spent years coaching athletes before a chance airport conversation with a former therapist pointed him toward professional coaching.They talk about what felt familiar in coach training and what he had to unlearn. Julian covers learning the structure of a session and going deeper with his questions, and how acknowledging a win but asking “what’s next?” differs from cheerleading. He also explains how he now brings that curiosity to his athletes, and why he works to be the same coach on and off the field.Key TakeawaysYou can stay yourself. Julian was drawn to coaching because he could keep his own style, with a conversation structure to work within.Acknowledge, then move forward. Celebrate the win briefly, then ask what’s next. This differs from the cheerleader role of a team coach.Better questions open doors. Clients often just need space to be heard, and a good question lets them decide whether to open a door they’ve kept closed.Listen for the repeated word. Shifts in tone and phrases a client keeps returning to can point to what matters.Embodiment goes beyond the session. Julian applies coaching presence everywhere, including when he gets cut off in traffic.Not every coach fits every client. That’s normal and not personal.Build your support team. Julian outsourced his financial setup so he could focus on coaching, and he is blending his own practice with work for a coaching platform.Coaching changes how you lead athletes. Instead of “you’re wrong, do it this way,” he asks players what they’re thinking, then sends them back to the field.Chapters00:00Introduction and welcome02:05Julian’s path from teaching to lacrosse and paintball coaching, and the airport conversation that led him to coaching05:08What felt familiar at the CTA coaching demo, and why he calls himself a “personal development coach”07:32What coach training changed: session structure, moving past cheerleading, and deeper questions09:16Opening doors for clients, listening for tone and repeated words11:56Embodying the coach in and out of session15:11Letting your path unfold while building a business: frameworks, outsourcing, and combining a private practice with platform work18:05How coaching changed his approach with high-level paintball and lacrosse athletes22:49Advice for anyone wondering how coaching fits their lifeAbout the GuestJulian Maliszewski is a Coach Training Alliance graduate, professional paintball and lacrosse player, entrepreneur, and founder of Paintball for Purpose. He coaches through his company, T2F Coaching, and can be reached by DM on TikTok, Instagram (@t2fcoaching), and Facebook. Linked in: linkedin.com/in/julianthewhale Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Ron Turner has spent more than 30 years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He's fought professionally, opened seven gyms and trained UFC fighters. Now he's a certified coach. Coach Carrie talks with Ron about going from the one with all the answers to the one who asks the questions. They also cover why strength is mostly mental, and why your unusual life story may be exactly what a future client needs.Show notesWhat does a professional fighter know about coaching? More than you'd think.In this episode of Coaching and Thriving, Coach Carrie Martello talks with Ron Turner. Ron is a martial artist, gym owner, fight coach and graduate of Coach Training Alliance. His martial arts life started when he saw The Karate Kid at a drive-in theater. It turned into a lifelong love of jiu-jitsu and a professional fighting career, and a mentor stepped in when Ron needed a father figure. Years later, with his body wearing down but his passion for helping people stronger than ever, Ron found professional coaching.Ron is candid about his biggest hurdle as a new coach: letting go of giving the answers. He shares how asking instead of telling builds his clients' confidence, and why "I don't know" is the start of a good coaching conversation. He also has a message for anyone who doubts they have the "right" background to become a coach.In this episode:How a mentor in the gym shaped Ron's view of coaching and communityWhy fighting, public speaking and big life decisions are about 90% mentalGoing from instructor mode ("I have the answers") to coaching mode ("you have the answers")How small wins build momentum and self-trustRon's favorite coaching question: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"Why your life experience is an asset, whatever your storyWords of Wisdom in this episode"Losing and defeat is the easiest thing… that answer is always there. Winning is hard.""It is not my life. It is their life, their journey.""There's a coach for everybody. There's someone out there that needs your story.""You're not your job. Your career does not define you."Connect with Ron Turner:Website: ironstandardcoaching.comInstagram: @ironstandardcoaching and @dirtyronturnerCoaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Here's an uncomfortable idea for anyone who coaches: when you offer advice, you usually make your client more entrenched in what they already believed.Dr. David Krueger calls it the boomerang effect. Share a belief, and the other person immediately measures it against their own. Agree, and they confirm. Disagree, and they refute. Either way they end up more firmly where they started — and the coaching conversation has done the opposite of its job.In this episode of Coaching and Thriving, Dr. Dave and I get into what's happening beneath the surface of a conversation that actually changes something. He spent 25 years as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst before coming to coaching, he was one of my very first mentors at Coach Training Alliance back in 2011, and we now serve together on the faculty.He shares the most elegant piece of supervision he ever received. He'd offered an executive client an interpretation he was sure would help. After a long pause, she said: "First you've got to be with me before I can go someplace new with you."In this conversation:The boomerang effect — why information, facts, and advice don't change mindsWhy the client has to stay the point of reference, and what it signals when we step in with a suggestionThe map: where the client is, where they want to go, and how those two coordinates let you tell progress from detourThe circle exercise Dr. Dave teaches — how a coach gets inside it before going anywhere newHow the first few words of a conversation boot up connection or defensiveness, and set the tone for everything afterWhy insight alone fades, and what it takes to move a change into someone's operating system — the 90 to 95 percent that runs without decidingChange as identity, not decision: "at two o'clock, I'm working out" rather than choosing again every dayWhy motivation isn't required — you need a plan and you need to stick to itThe habits that most often get in the way for new coachesHe closes with two quotes worth writing down, including one from his grandmother: if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.About the guest: Dr. David Krueger is an executive coach, author, and faculty member at Coach Training Alliance. He practiced for 25 years as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst before moving into coaching, and his work focuses on the science of human behavior, decision-making, and lasting change.Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

Why coaching is less about asking the right questions and more about how you make someone feel.  Most coaches start out the way Dr. Laura Belsten did — trying to ask the perfect question, apply the right model, get it right from day one. Nearly thirty years later, her answer is simpler and harder: stop performing, and start being.In our launch episode of Coaching and Thriving, I sit down with Dr. Laura Belsten — MCC coach, founder and CEO of the Center for Thriving Leaders, and one of the voices that shaped how I think about this work. We talk about what actually happens inside a client when they finally feel heard, and why that moment isn't a soft skill at all — it's a biological need.Laura names something most of us have felt but never had language for: internal vigilance. That low hum of Am I making sense? Will this be judged? that keeps a client in a defensive crouch. When it stands down, people stop performing and start exploring. That's where growth lives — and it's the coach's job to make that safe.In this conversation:What thriving actually means — connection, growth, self-compassion, purpose, resilience, and choiceWhy resilience can be built before you need it, and how to startInternal vigilance: what it costs your clients, and how acceptance dissolves itCuriosity as the engine, empathy as the fuel, self-awareness as the steering wheelWhy you can't lead a client somewhere you haven't been yourselfCoaching as "helping others think" — and as a mini vacation in the middle of a work weekPositive psychology vs. toxic positivity, and the gratitude practice Laura has kept for yearsHelping clients build their own internal navigation system instead of driving the car for themIf you're a coach who has ever gone blank mid-session, or wondered whether your own inner work is keeping pace with your practice, this one's for you.About the guest: Dr. Laura Belsten is an MCC — the highest credential awarded by the International Coaching Federation — and the founder and CEO of the Center for Thriving Leaders. For more than 25 years she has helped leaders, executives, and organizations grow through coaching, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology. Her free Wheel of Thriving assessment is available on her website. Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube 

"Am I doing this right?" is the question almost every new coach carries — and Laurie Cameron has a better answer than most: you are right enough for right now.In this episode of Coaching and Thriving, I'm joined by Laurie Cameron — Laurie describes coach development as a spiral: doubt, then clarity, then more doubt as the next thing you don't yet know comes into view. The doubt isn't a signal you're on the wrong path. It's evidence you're still climbing. Normalizing that cycle, she says, is what lets new coaches stick with it.We also talk about the moment that changed everything for her — when the coach she considered her idol called and asked her for coaching, and she realized she had to be herself, with the skills she had that day.In this conversation:How Laurie found coaching after asking herself what she'd do if she could get paid for anything ("I want to get paid to talk to people")The doubt-to-clarity spiral, and why it never ends — for beginners or 28-year veteransWhy the business and marketing side is the real challenge most new coaches don't expect"Right enough for right now" — permission to start before you feel readyHow confidence actually gets built: showing up, doing your best with what you know, learning, repeatingWhy coaching mastery is a continuum, not a destination — "there is no there"Having a plan, and leaving room for "divine editing"When entrepreneurship isn't the right fit — and why that isn't failureLaurie's why, the ripple effect, and the reason she has never had a Plan BIf you're mid-program and wondering whether the doubt means you should stop, this episode is the one to send yourself.About the guest: Laurie Cameron is a professional coach, trainer, mentor, and speaker, and the founder of Wake Up Enterprises. Over 28 years she has trained and mentored more than 1,500 coaches worldwide. Since 2018 she has focused on teaching coaching skills to leaders and managers who want to coach their teams, and she serves on the faculty at Coach Training Alliance.Coaching and Thriving is produced by Coach Training Alliance. Explore our free becoming a coach workshop, or visit www.coachtrainingalliance.com to learn about our ICF-accredited Certified Coach Program for anyone new to coaching as well as ongoing training for established coaches.  HumanGrowthCapital, LLCAbout the Host "Coach Carrie" (Carrie Martello) is a certified mentor coach and E-RYT with more than twenty years of experience in self-development, teaching, and entrepreneurship. She has trained coaching students around the world, and now hosts Coaching and Thriving with one goal: that every listener walks away with renewed confidence, fresh perspective, and a deeper connection to the coaching community.Follow us: Facebook · Instagram · LinkedIn · YouTube