Episode #970: Bryce Hoffman: Using the Red Team Strategy to Stress-Test Your Coaching Business

In nearly a thousand episodes of Natural Born Coaches, a topic like this has never been tackled! Today, Marc is joined by Bryce Hoffman, the founder of Red Team Thinking and a former business journalist who has spent decades looking inside the world's most successful organizations, as he dives into the concept of Red Teaming, a methodology originally developed by military and intelligence agencies to stress-test strategies and navigate extreme uncertainty. In a world that feels increasingly volatile, complex, and disrupted by AI, the old way of doing things isn't just a choice; it's a liability. Bryce breaks down how coaches can use these tools to help leaders challenge their own assumptions, identify unseen threats, and surface missed opportunities that others are walking right past, plus much more. Bryce is hosting a Red Team Coaching Bootcamp next Monday, April 27th at 12 PM EST. Listeners will learn foundational tools like Think-Write-Share and the Six Strategic Questions to help clients navigate complexity with clarity, and you can claim your spots now at https://www.naturalborncoaches.com/redteamcoaching!  What You'll Hear In This Episode: Defining the concept of red teaming within a business context and how deliberate challenge can actually strengthen an organization's strategy. A look at the massive shifts in the coaching industry over the last few years and the disruptive impact of a "VUCA world". How coaches can help leaders establish their unique value and build cognitive resilience in a market flooded with low-cost alternatives. The one critical limitation of AI and why this is important for coaches to understand. Practical steps for applying red team thinking to your own coaching business by focusing on the three Cs: Clarity, Capability, and Culture. A sneak peek at the upcoming Red Team Coaching Bootcamp and the two foundational tools that mine the hidden wisdom already existing within an organization. LINKS:  Register for Bryce's Red Team Bootcamp (Happening Next Monday, April 27th, 2026)!  Bryce's Website, Podcast & Book  Red Team Thinking's Website Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? This podcast is proudly sponsored, edited and produced by PodAssist. Visit their website below for more info!  http://www.podassist.com Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com   If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

Marc has been putting pen to paper for over 20 years, and it isn't just for "keeping a diary." In this solo episode, he breaks it all down and reveals his personal journaling process and what has sparked some of his biggest business breakthroughs. It's time to clear the mental clutter and actually track your daily wins! If you want to see how much you've really grown since starting your coaching business, grab a pen, open your journal and just get started. What You'll Hear In This Episode: The power of putting pen to paper and why Marc follows the Robin Sharma philosophy of journaling. Tips for free-flow idea generation and the business breakthroughs you can achieve by doing this. A look at why Marc transitioned from standard gratitude lists to recording daily wins to better track professional momentum. Some of the ways in which journaling reveals patterns in bad habits and provides clarity for tough business choices. Why revisiting old journals is the only way to see how far you've actually travelled. A reminder that your journal is for your eyes only and something to keep in mind that will give you total mental freedom in your journaling process. LINKS:  Moleskine Journals Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? This podcast is proudly sponsored, edited and produced by PodAssist. Visit their website below for more info!  http://www.podassist.com Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

You've probably noticed that the digital landscape is flooded with AI-generated content right now, leaving a massive gap for coaches who can provide real-world expertise and a unique point of view. A coaching book can easily get lost in a sea of sameness without a distinct human element, and special guest Sean Mabry is here to show how building a psychological moat around your brand can set you apart from the rest!  If you've been waiting for the "perfect" moment to start the book writing process, this episode will stop that half-finished manuscript from gathering dust. Sean gives a clear path to finally get those words out of your head and onto the page so you can finish your first draft quickly!  Register for the Live Workshop If you want to stop overthinking and finally get your book done, join Sean for his upcoming live workshop: How to Write Your Complete First Draft in 90 Days. The details are below - see you there!  When: Wednesday, April 15th at 2:00 PM ET Where: https://www.naturalborncoaches.com/book What You'll Hear In This Episode: The crisis in the landscape caused by AI and why there is a growing hunger for reality and human battle scars in the book world. How to build a psychological moat around your expertise by capturing a unique point of view that a machine cannot replicate. What Sean means when he says the specific is the universal and the magic that happens when you begin leaning into your most unique, personal details. The importance of writing Book Number One to establish yourself as a character in the reader's mind before diving into lean, tactical advice. Why Sean views a book outline as a living document and how to use the jigsaw puzzle strategy to prevent getting stuck. The Benefit + Mechanism formula for titling a book and the way to use a subtitle to transition from grabbing attention to building deep interest. How the plotter vs. pantser debate applies to coaches and why pattern recognition is the secret to a faster writing process. A preview of Sean's upcoming live workshop on April 15th, detailing his strategic roadmap for completing a full first draft in just 90 days. LINKS Register for Sean's Upcoming Live Workshop, How to Write Your Complete First Draft in 90 Days (Happening Wednesday, April 15th at 2:00 PM ET)  Connect with Sean on LinkedIn & Instagram The Smashing Machine (Movie) The Book of Sheen: A Memoir by Charlie Sheen Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Larry Winget Books & Latest Episode on Natural Born Coaches Limitless (Movie) Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? This podcast is proudly sponsored, edited and produced by PodAssist. Visit their website below for more info!  http://www.podassist.com Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

What if the very tools designed to save you time are actually costing you your authority? In a world where answer engines are rapidly replacing traditional search, how do you ensure your human voice doesn't get lost in the machine-generated noise? In this episode, leadership mindset and business strategist Beverly JoLynn joins Marc to discuss the critical balance of staying human in the age of AI. From her early days as an early adopter of automation to her current mission of protecting the human presence advantage, Beverly shares how coaches can use AI as a high-powered research and accountability partner without surrendering their unique personality or creative sovereignty, and so much more. What You'll Hear In This Episode: The evolution from SEO to AEO and why coaches need to focus on optimizing for answer engines right now. The hidden dangers of passing your authority and creative sovereignty over to a machine instead of using it as a directed tool. Beverly's advice on how to preserve your unique human personality in an era of AI-generated content. Key high-value AI tasks for coaches, including analyzing meeting transcripts to identify personal growth areas and more. What Beverly's "BAM List" entails and how she uses AI as a digital accountability partner. The critical importance of staying active with problem-solving and creativity to prevent the loss of critical neural pathways. What the "Red Team" strategy for business planning looks like and how coaches can use specific AI prompts to implement it. A look at The Human Presence Advantage and something Beverly is doing to cut through the digital noise and foster deeper human connection. LINKS Beverly's Website Her Facebook & LinkedIn  ChatGPT Made Him Delusional (Psychology Today)  ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study (Time)   Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? This podcast is proudly sponsored, edited and produced by PodAssist. Visit their website below for more info!  http://www.podassist.com Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

Ever felt like you're waiting for the "perfect" moment to launch your podcast, only to watch months (or years) slip by? Today, Matt Mawhinney of PodAssist steps out from behind the scenes to reveal how he launched his own show in less than a week, and gives his expert podcast tips and strategies from over a decade in the podcast trenches. If you're tired of the imposter syndrome and the "podfade" trap, Matt is breaking down the exact sustainable systems he uses to build authority, ditch the need for a million-dollar studio, and finally get your message out to the world. It's time to stop performing for others…start walking the walk! What You'll Hear In This Episode: How Matt went from "never in a million years" wanting to host a show to having his podcast live on all platforms in less than a week. Why waiting for the "perfect" setup, or re-listening to your own episodes, is the fastest way to kill your podcasting momentum. The staggering statistics on how many podcasts quit within the first 8 episodes and how Matt's sustainable approach keeps shows running for the long haul. Why he chose the solo format for his own podcast to establish authority, and why he warns against listening too much to the opinions of others. The key reasons Matt advises against recording 20 episodes before even launching, and how to avoid punching yourself out in "Round One." A reminder that you don't need a professional-grade studio to sound great, and the tremendous opportunity that exists for experts to launch podcasts right now. How joining the right community, and specifically the Coaching Jungle VIP was the catalyst that shifted Matt from a behind-the-scenes expert to public-facing creator. Why sharing the episodes you appear on isn't just "nice to do" - it's an essential part of podcasting etiquette that helps both the host and the guest.   LINKS Matt's Podcast, Podcast Permission Slip  03: Flying Solo: Busting One of the Biggest Podcast Myths 06: The Name Game: How to Name Your Podcast (Without Overthinking It) Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? This podcast is proudly sponsored, edited and produced by PodAssist. Visit their website below for more info!  http://www.podassist.com Understanding Your Voice: Insights with Neil Degrasse Tyson   Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com   If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

Ever felt like a chicken with its head cut off, jumping from one task to another? Today, Marc is sharing a productivity hack that has been a game-changer for his business over the years: batching.  If you're ready to stop being reactive and start working with intention, he's breaking down the exact systems he uses to protect his headspace and finally get the right things done! What You'll Hear In This Episode: The "23-minute Rule" and why task-switching is killing your productivity. The specific system Marc used to record over 350 podcast episodes in a single year! How he protects his Mondays and Fridays to ensure his content never feels shoehorned in. Marc's end-of-day strategy for handling emails and messages without getting knocked off course. A tool he uses to brick his phone and keep pesky apps from sucking away his attention. The low-tech blue box alternative to using your phone as a timer. Homework for you, and Marc's ruthless audit to help you see what you should stop doing entirely. LINKS BRICK  Need help launching a podcast or editing your current show? Visit PodAssist for more info!  http://www.podassist.com    Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com   If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com  

Ross Alcorn is the founder of Itinerary Boss and helps business owners optimize their everyday spending to earn points and miles that translate into luxury travel for free. He's built a successful coaching business in a unique niche and shares his approach in this episode!  What You'll Hear In This Episode:  -       How Ross' love of travel started young, organizing group trips to Europe and snowboarding destinations for friends in his 20s, learning the logistics and credit card points game along the way.  -       How Ross learned the ins and outs of hotel loyalty programs and airline miles firsthand, which became the foundation of his expertise.  -       Ross breaks down the competition in his space: travel agents and concierge booking services, while he focuses on the higher-level strategy of optimizing business spend to maximize points, cash flow, and even tax deductions.  -       The strategy that Ross used to build his business quickly: leveraging his sales background, hiring a VA early, launching a podcast (called "Points, Cards and Travel"), and investing in coaching - which he credits as the biggest accelerator of his growth.  -       What his biggest mistake was, and how he fixed it …  -       Ross' thoughts about AI vs coaching!  LINKS  The 5-Step Roadmap to Your Next Free 5-Star Luxury Vacation http://itineraryboss.kit.com/the-5-step-roadmap-to-your-next-free-5-star-luxury-vacation-the-1-card-that-gets-you-there Points, Cards and Travel Podcast  http://open.spotify.com/show/1mmMJ6z3JdEOUJKUjLh8bD?si=db17ffbb2c5246d6&nd=1&dlsi=29f4de1f73d54514 Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com      

In this episode of Natural Born Coaches, Marc interviews Ian Gatzky, the founder of Implement AI, to discuss how AI helps coaches improve client engagement and completion rates in their programs.   What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       The brutal truth about course completion: Only 4% of people who purchase an online course actually finish it … a staggering problem that affects client results, testimonials, and your business growth. -       What companion GPTs actually are: Custom AI models trained on your coaching content that guide clients through doing the work in your programs … -       Real business impact: How one of Ian's clients condensed her 12-week program down to 8 weeks using companion GPTs, allowing her to run 6 cohorts per year instead of 4 - adding $60K in annual revenue. -       What AI should NOT be doing: Ian draws a clear line - don't give AI decision-making power for things like pricing, discounts, or critical business decisions. That's not what these tools are for. -       The ripple effect of completion: Higher completion rates lead to better testimonials, happier clients, repeat business, referrals, and customers who are more likely to buy your next program. -       Why coaches need this: Every coach Ian's worked with got into coaching to help people - but you can't help people if they don't do the work. Companion GPTs bridge that execution gap! LINKS Register for Ian's live workshop on Wednesday, March 11th at 2 pm EST: http://www.naturalborncoaches.com/dothework   Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com   If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com  

In this episode of Natural Born Coaches, Marc discusses strategies for growing email lists in 2026 … ones that don't cost a penny! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       Why email lists trump social media … -       An important tip if you're participating in online summits! -       How to turn your community into paying clients. -       An underutilized tactic to get unexpected people into your world … -       The alternative to producing AI slop and boring content! LINKS Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com    If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com   If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com

In this episode of the podcast, Marc shows how to push past resistance to increase your coaching fees and teaches a simple exercise to make it easier to sell your offers at higher amounts! What You'll Hear In This Episode: -       The undercharging epidemic: Why the majority of coaches are charging too little … -       Coaches and money guilt: How some coaches shame others for wanting to earn well, and treat profitable pricing as "greedy" -       The real value of coaching: From saving marriages to extending lives through health coaching, you're not selling air! -       Finding your pricing ceiling: Charge as much as you can until it feels off, but don't let fear set the limit too early -       Only sell what you love (it's easier that way!) -       The big psychological shift that happens when someone actually pays you more … LINKS Book a no-obligation 1:1 strategy call with Marc for your coaching business: http://www.chatwithmarcm.com   If you'd like more coaching clients without sending cold messages or spending money on ads, the Natural Born Coach Program is for you. Get the details here! http://www.nbcprogram.com Join The Coaching Jungle Facebook Group! http://www.thecoachingjungle.com   Become a Coaching Jungle VIP member which includes special posting perks in the group to reach almost 30,000 potential clients! http://www.myjunglevip.com   Grow your business with The Coaching Jungle Mastermind! http://www.coachingjunglemastermind.com   If you have a product or service that helps coaches, and you'd like to get it in front of 100,000 of them: http://www.jvwithmarc.com