Send us Fan Mail

Everyone wants to be influential. Almost no one stops to ask what their influence is teaching the people around them. Mark and Teresa unpack a coaching truth that can change how you lead: the questions you ask can be just as directive as the advice you give, and sometimes they’re even more dangerous because they feel “neutral” while quietly steering someone into a limiting belief.

They walk through a real coaching scenario where “I’m overwhelmed” instantly turns into time management talk, journals, and time blocking. The problem is not the tools, it’s the assumption. When your questions presuppose the diagnosis, you accidentally give power to circumstances and to a client’s current perspective, which can take away ownership and create dependence. Instead, they explain how to coach for agency by focusing on what people can control: how they think, how they talk, and how they act.

From there, the conversation gets practical with coaching standards they teach inside their coaching certification and leadership training: clean thinking, holding space, and using a framework like their Growth Model as an awareness tool rather than a script. You’ll also hear the two questions they come back to constantly “What do you mean by that?” and “Tell me about the last time this happened” plus a simple challenge to use silence so the other person can find the insight themselves.

If you want to lead better conversations at work and at home, listen through to the end, then try their “last time” question in your very next conversation. Subscribe, share this with a leader who defaults to fixing, and leave a review so more people find the Modern Leadership Coaching Podcast.

Want to go deeper on what we talked about today?

We put together a short video on how to lead high-stakes conversations without winging it.

Watch it here: https://www.modernleadership.us/mastery

Send us Fan Mail

Your client can feel it the moment a session turns into a friendly chat. Marc and Teresa unpack the uncomfortable truth a lot of coaches avoid: improvising might sound intuitive, but it rarely produces consistent client transformation. We talk about the gap between a “good conversation” and a coaching session built for measurable change, and why clients stop re-upping when the work has no clear direction.

We also dig into coaching vs mentoring. If you’ve had success in fitness, leadership, or business, it’s easy to slip into advice-giving and assume your client’s problem matches yours. Real coaching requires a repeatable coaching framework that helps someone find the root issue, name what they actually want, and navigate the whirlwind of distractions and self-sabotage. We share how we use simple pre-call questions to prepare both coach and client, keep sessions aligned to stated goals, and decide whether the real block is an adaptive challenge or a technical challenge.

Then we get practical about skill-building: talent isn’t the point, reps and feedback are. We explain why great conversationalists sometimes struggle as coaches, how staying in a learning environment protects your confidence, and why getting coached yourself makes you better at guiding others. If you want one actionable step to stop winging it, we give it to you: record a session, listen back, and ask for feedback on what you did well and one thing to do differently.

If you got value from this, subscribe so you don’t miss the next one, share it with a coach who’s ready to level up, and leave a review telling us what part of your coaching you want to improve next.

If you want to stop winging sessions and learn to coach at the root level, apply for the next cohort of High Impact Mastery Academy at modernleadership.us/academy and, if this helped, subscribe, share it with a coach friend, and leave a review.

Want to go deeper on what we talked about today?

We put together a short video on how to lead high-stakes conversations without winging it.

Watch it here: https://www.modernleadership.us/mastery

Send us Fan Mail

Undercharging can look like generosity, but it often becomes a slow leak that drains your confidence, your business, and even your client results. We get real about the internal stories that push well-intentioned coaches to discount their coaching services, then wonder why they feel stuck, frustrated, or secretly resentful. If you’ve ever thought, “Who am I to charge that?” this conversation gives you language for what’s happening and a path forward that doesn’t rely on hype or gimmicks.

We break down the belief loop behind pricing fear: the thought that hits automatically, the feelings it creates, and the actions that follow, like lowering rates, avoiding sales conversations, or not even telling people you coach. Then we zoom out to the uncomfortable truth most people miss: when clients don’t have skin in the game, they often take less action. That lack of commitment can lead to weaker outcomes, which feeds more doubt and sends coaches searching for tactics like new offers, better messaging, or AI shortcuts instead of addressing the root belief system.

We also talk practical strategy for new coaches, including a structured six-week “free” container designed to build reps, create testimonials, and transition into paid work without making free sessions your default. Finally, we separate worth from value: your worth is inherent, while the market pays for the value you can deliver through skill, transformation, and a clear roadmap. If you want to stop winging sessions and learn to coach at the root level, apply for the next cohort of High Impact Mastery Academy at modernleadership.us/academy and, if this helped, subscribe, share it with a coach friend, and leave a review.

Want to go deeper on what we talked about today?

We put together a short video on how to lead high-stakes conversations without winging it.

Watch it here: https://www.modernleadership.us/mastery