Episode #957: Beware The Stories You Tell Yourself!

In this episode of Natural Born Coaches, Marc talks about the dangers of telling yourself negative and limiting stories - and gives his advice for how to identify and change the habit so you can get better results!  What You'll Hear In This Episode: The danger of accepting defeat before you begin - How one coach wrote off 2026 entirely after losing a single client, and why that's a self-sabotaging mindset. Words create reality - Zig Ziglar's "alarm clock" vs. "opportunity clock" concept and why the language you use matters more than you think. "I'll give it a try" is a red flag - Why weak, tentative language like "we'll see how it goes" virtually guarantees failure before you start. The rubber band technique - A method to break negative self-talk patterns by physically snapping yourself out of it. Behind the camera to in front of it - How Marc's brother Matt transformed his "I'm a behind-the-scenes guy" story and launched a podcast in just 6 days! Sales myths destroyed - Why "nobody buys in _____/month" is a self-fulfilling prophecy that costs coaches thousands in lost revenue …

Kirsten Graham, co-founder of Six Figure Business Coaching, talks about the importance of understanding your business numbers and preparing for tax season, and shares an affordable way to keep your books in good shape! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       Why most entrepreneurs hate bookkeeping, and why you shouldn't force yourself to do work that drains your energy when you could focus on serving clients and growing your business.  -       The $6/hour solution for professional bookkeeping: How to hire QuickBooks-certified bookkeepers with accounting degrees and minimum 3 years of experience at a fraction of typical costs.  -       How to safely give bookkeeping VAs access to financial software without exposing your full bank account numbers or compromising security.  -       Win-win-win philosophy: How outsourcing creates positive impact for your business, supports hardworking professionals overseas, and builds long-term relationships based on trust.  -       When to outsource vs. DIY your bookkeeping: If your time is worth more than $6/hour, you're wasting money and energy doing tasks you hate instead of focusing on revenue-generating activities.

In this episode of Natural Born Coaches, Marc interviews Stefan Ciancio, co-founder of WebinarKit, to discuss AI-powered webinars and their impact on online businesses. They talk about  the evolution of webinar marketing, including the use of AI for narrating and building webinars, and the importance of building trust with audiences through multiple touchpoints!

This episode of Natural Born Coaches focuses on group coaching programs, with David Barnett sharing how to optimize yours, with lots of real world advice and examples!       What You'll Hear In This Episode: -Why David requires his clients to complete his online training before joining his group coaching program, which helps level the playing field and save time and energy. -How to establish different membership tiers for your program, and what they should have … -David's experience with individuals who have been lured into expensive courses promising quick wealth through business acquisitions, only to realize the challenges involved. -The allure and pitfalls of online business courses promising quick success with minimal investment. -The challenges of content piracy, with David sharing a story about his course materials being illegally distributed at significantly reduced prices, without his permission and how he handled that.

In this episode of Natural Born Coaches, Marc talks about the importance of playing the long game and practicing patience in the online coaching space! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       How easy it is to fall into unrealistic expectations online, with an example from one of Marc's clients. -       Changes that Marc made with his coaching programs to attract long-term thinkers and discourage "get-rich-quick" types (plus to get better results for those he works with!) -       The importance of rewarding yourself for milestones that you hit … -       How to use small, everyday events to practice and improve your patience. -       A special holiday offer that Marc is running until December 31st!  

Lewis Vandervalk stops by the podcast to share his expertise around SEO strategy for coaches! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -Why answering client questions remains the core principle of search engine optimization, regardless of whether people find you through Google, ChatGPT, or other AI platforms. -The truth about backlinks and SEO gaming: why purchasing cheap backlinks can destroy your search rankings overnight and what Google updates mean for long-term website visibility. -How to repurpose one piece of content across blogs, podcasts, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to maximize your SEO impact. -Lewis answers the question: "Should you display pricing on your website?" -Why ugly websites with clear calls-to-action often outperform beautifully designed sites that confuse visitors. -The email-to-blog content hack: why every email you send to your list should also be published as a blog post to keep your website active and improve search rankings.

Todd Hartley is the founder of WireBuzz and the author of "Accelerating Yes!", and in this episode he shares the lessons about lead generation that he's learned from many successful years in online business, including working with Tony Robbins! What You'll Hear In This Episode: - How to built a predictable lead generation system in just 3 steps … - The $50M to $150M revenue jump in just 60 days (including a real case study of how Wirebuzz identified low-hanging fruit and tripled a company's revenue in just two months) - Why your coaching offer isn't converting (and how to fix it). - The $5,000 to $50,000 offer exercise - a simple framework to dramatically increase the perceived value of your coaching packages without necessarily adding more work. - From rejection to landing on Tony Robbins' stage: the 4-year persistence story, and how multiple rejections led to speaking opportunities and $200M in client success stories! - Why coaching isn't dying (despite what the naysayers say!) Todd addresses the "coaching is dead" narrative and explains why irresistible offers still convert in 2025 …

Change can be scary, but in this special episode of Natural Born Coaches you'll learn about the importance of embracing it in your coaching business! Marc shares the business transformations he's doing entering 2026, and you'll walk away with actionable steps you can take to improve your results as well! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       Marc discusses his business changes approaching 2026 and emphasizes the importance of challenging long-standing practices, even if they have been done for years. -       3 big changes that Marc is doing heading into the new year, and what you can learn from those moves.  -       Why you shouldn't wait for arbitrary dates to make the changes you know you need to make.  -       How to push past any hesitance to "slay sacred cows"!  -       The big calendar/scheduling change that Marc made that completely changed his business …  -       What Marc eliminated after almost a decade of doing it, and what you can learn from that.  -       Homework that will have a profound effect on your results in the new year!

Lots of coaches struggle with imposter syndrome … are you one of them? If so, check out this interview with Miriam Segal where she shares how you can get past it!  What You'll Hear In This Episode: - What imposter syndrome really is … - Why the fear of success is as strong as the fear of failure!  - The challenges of following up a major success (with historical examples, like J.D. Salinger) - Why bronze medal winners are often happier than those who won a silver medal!  - Stories about Kevin Bacon and Marilyn Monroe, and how changing your demeanor can significantly impact others' perceptions. - Authenticity and how people can redefine themselves through changes in appearance and behavior. 

The previous episode of Natural Born Coaches showed how to turn your podcast guests into clients, and in this interview Henry Lopez (host of "The How of Business") shares how to convert listeners into clients!   What You'll Hear In This Episode: -The best strategy to use when launching your podcast. -The importance of building a dedicated audience rather than focusing only on large numbers! -Guest selection methods and managing your show inquiries. -How to turn booking rejections into revenue … -The value of having engaging conversations and the need to select guests who align with your show's themes and audience interests.