When life partners become business partners, tension can quickly intensify—or multiply everything that matters. With the right tools and mindsets, that partnership can become extraordinary. In this episode, Kerby Skurat and Cristina Edelstein share how Strategic Coach® has helped them build a thriving business and a strong marriage at the same time.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• How life partners Dan Sullivan and Babs Smith co-run Strategic Coach.
• What Strategic Coach has helped Cristina and Kerby achieve with their business.
• How Cristina and Kerby grew their real estate business into a $10‑million‑a‑year company.
• Cristina and Kerby’s core values.
• What led Kerby to the decision to shut down a $16-million company.
• Why both members of an entrepreneurial couple should attend Strategic Coach workshops.

Show Notes:

Many entrepreneurial couples end up with an almost adversarial business relationship that spills into their personal life.

Unique Ability® gives each partner a clear lane, so “best with best” teamwork becomes possible instead of competitive.

Entrepreneurism usually shows up early in life and quickly becomes a lifelong way of operating.

Choosing the entrepreneurial path means you’ve opted out of the job market and into creating your own game.

Strategic Coach provides the structure, tools, and community that support this unique way of life.

There’s an art to staying in your lane, especially when both partners are strong‑willed and driven.

Every individual has a distinct way of creating results, and honoring those differences turns conflict into collaboration.

Real data, real statistics, and real projections give you the confidence to make clear decisions and smart adjustments.

A business can be big and profitable and still be the wrong one for you.

Shutting down a good company can be the smartest move if it frees you up for great opportunities.

Time away from your team, in a room with other entrepreneurs, often leads to the biggest strategic decisions.

Hearing other entrepreneurs’ success stories can inspire you to take action on your own goals.

Strategic Coach workshops create a thinking space where you can focus on what could be, not just what is.

Getting help at deeper personal levels, like marriage counseling, can dramatically improve your business teamwork.

Strategic Coach tools work just as well at home as they do in the office.

In a team of any size, the speed of the leader determines the speed of the pack.

When both partners are in the same coaching environment, it’s far easier to stay aligned on vision and decisions.

Resources:

Unique Ability®

Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage

Everything Is Created Backward by Dan Sullivan

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller

EOS® Worldwide

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

How To Sell Transformation Using This One Question

Do You Know What’s Keeping Your Clients Awake At 3 A.M.?

Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan

As a six-year-old exploring the woods alone, Dan Sullivan discovered that freedom plus responsibility creates confidence, creativity, and self-trust. In this episode, he connects that childhood experience to the way entrepreneurs grow today—by choosing freedom over fear, embracing intelligent risk, and creating environments where exploration and imagination can thrive.

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Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• The kind of childhood freedom Dan was given to explore on his own.
• How that early freedom directly connects to how he created and continually expands The Strategic Coach® Program.
• Why it might seem like the world is more dangerous for children than it used to be.

Show Notes:

Giving a child room to explore something a bit risky teaches them to take responsibility for their own safety and choices.

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When parents are ruled by fear, they overprotect their children and tightly organize every activity, unintentionally blocking growth.

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Constant surveillance and control erode a child’s sense of freedom and make independent decision-making feel dangerous instead of natural.

Being trusted to “go into the woods” on your own is an early version of entrepreneurial freedom: you decide, you act, and you own the consequences.

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Making up your own fun in unsupervised environments trains the same imagination entrepreneurs later use to invent offerings, markets, and business models.

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Today’s world isn’t objectively more dangerous than it was 75 years ago, but 24/7 media makes rare tragedies feel constant and personal.

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Dan’s parents made a conscious decision to tolerate risk in exchange for developing a strong, independent, and confident mind.

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That parental mindset mirrors great entrepreneurial leadership: you protect against true catastrophe but don’t smother initiative with control.

Overprotective environments create compliant rule followers, while freedom with responsibility creates self-managing value creators.

In this episode, Dan Sullivan shares how one powerful question can transform any sales conversation. Instead of pitching, you invite prospects to imagine their bigger future and talk themselves into working with you. Learn how The R-Factor Question® builds instant trust, filters out wrong-fit clients, and makes every sales call about them, not you.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to use one question to turn any sales conversation into a deep, future-focused discussion.
• Which types of businesses and professions can most effectively use The R-Factor Question.
• What it means—and what to do next—when someone refuses to answer The R-Factor Question.

Show Notes:

A great sales conversation starts long before you speak, with a trusted referral that pre-sells your credibility and lowers resistance.

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The R-Factor Question instantly signals that the conversation is going to be about the prospect’s future, not your offer or your agenda.

When you ask someone to imagine their life three years from now and describe what progress would make them happy, you shift them into possibility thinking.

The person who does most of the talking in a sales conversation is the one doing the buying, so let your prospect talk themselves into their future.

Silence after you ask the question is your best tool because it proves the question has landed and gives the prospect space to think deeply.

When a prospect openly shares their dangers, opportunities, and strengths in response, they’re demonstrating real trust and a desire for a relationship with you.

If someone refuses to answer The R-Factor Question, they’re telling you they don’t trust you, and the most productive move is to graciously end the conversation.

The first thing anyone truly buys in the marketplace is a relationship, long before they decide on a product, service, or program.

People don’t actually want your answers; they want better questions that help them discover their own best answers and next steps.

Asking questions you genuinely don’t know the answer to keeps you curious, keeps them engaged, and reveals what they really want to transform.

By focusing on their three-year future, you immediately differentiate yourself from every salesperson who is focused on this quarter’s sale.

A prospect who shares painful parts of their past or their failures with you is demonstrating deep trust, which is the foundation for any meaningful transformational work.

Knowing early that someone is not a fit protects your time, energy, and team so you can focus on clients who genuinely want your help.

Resources:

How To Improve Business By Asking Good Questions

Many entrepreneurs are technically “in business” but still trapped working for a relentless, 24/7 boss: themselves. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Jessica Christy unpack what it takes to build a true entrepreneurial company instead. Hear how a painful team exodus became Jessica’s biggest growth catalyst and how clear core values, better leadership, and greater control over your life create a company you never want to retire from.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Jessica’s original “entrepreneurial moment” while she was still working for someone else.
• How her medical aesthetics company, Beauty Culture, helps clients far beyond surface-level appearance.
• What makes her company stand out in a crowded, diluted industry.
• How to build the confidence to step into big, scary opportunities.
• What Jessica has gained since joining Strategic Coach®.

Show Notes:

Most entrepreneurs aren’t running true companies yet; they’ve simply created a demanding job where they work for themselves.

When you’re self‑employed, your “boss” follows you everywhere—24 hours a day, 365 days a year—and is often tougher than any previous employer.

Being your own boss doesn’t automatically make you a good boss, especially for your team or for your future self.

The Four Freedoms at the heart of entrepreneurial motivation are freedom of time, money, relationship, and purpose, and true entrepreneurial companies are built to expand all four.

If you’ve designed a life and business you truly love, the desire to retire largely disappears because work is an expression of your purpose.

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When entrepreneurs get together, the most valuable conversations are about how they transformed failures and crises into breakthroughs, not just about their wins.

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The more you learn as an entrepreneur, the more aware you become of how much you don’t know, which keeps you curious, humble, and growth oriented.

People rarely leave “bad jobs” so much as they leave a lack of leadership; team members crave clear vision, accountability, and support from their boss.

Strong core values act as the navigating compass for your entire company, guiding who you hire, fire, promote, and partner with.

Resources:

The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

Unique Ability®

If you’re good or great at everything you do, it can be hard to focus on the one thing you really should be doing. In this episode, Lior Weinstein shares how he learned to identify and strengthen what’s most important to him in both his business life and his personal life.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Lior’s entrepreneurism showed up when he was still in grade school.
• The mindsets Lior gained from growing up in Israel.
• What drew Lior to move from Israel to the U.S.
• Why having a child led to Lior struggling as an entrepreneur.
• The particular freedom that Lior is always working to expand.
• What happens when entrepreneurs have space, and what happens when they don’t.

Show Notes:

You’re born with a Unique Ability®—the activity you’re energetically drawn toward and can’t get enough of doing.

Being good—or even exceptional—at something doesn’t automatically make it emotionally fulfilling.

If you’re a non-entrepreneur, someone else owns your time and controls your activity.

There’s a common misconception that entrepreneurs are motivated only by money.

The “Four Freedoms” that entrepreneurs seek are freedom of time, money, relationship, and purpose.

Struggling as a parent isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a sign that you care deeply.

What looks like quitting from the outside may simply be the decision to choose a different path.

If you’re reflecting on a bad decision, that means you survived it.

Entrepreneurs often underestimate the value of their own intuition.

If you have the money to solve the problem, you don’t have the problem.

Resources:

Unique Ability

“The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs”

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

When your business success turns into a personal trap, what’s the way out? In this episode, market research entrepreneur Colson Steber shares how committing to a bigger future, installing the right structure, and transforming his leadership turned an overworked owner into a focused, confident entrepreneur with a thriving, growth-focused team.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• What made Colson realize he’s always been an entrepreneur.
• How Colson was stuck in a loop early in his career.
• How Colson got into a positive, healthy routine.
• What an entrepreneur gains from joining the Strategic Coach® community.

Show Notes:

Every successful entrepreneur creates a powerful story about who they are and the future they’re committed to.

Real entrepreneurial growth starts when you commit to a bigger result long before you have the capability to achieve it.

Courage is the bridge between commitment and capability, and it often lasts longer and feels harder than you expect.

If you insist on being the central problem solver for everything, your successful company quickly becomes a trap.

Installing a proven operating system like EOS® gives your company structure so you can stop doing everything yourself.

The right structure turns a grinding, 70-hour-a-week survival business into a Self-Managing Company® that supports your life.

Your Unique Ability® gains value as you narrow your focus and design the rest of the company around supporting it.

Intense preparation and consistent routines let you show up exactly right in the rare moments where you create 50 percent of the value.

Culture becomes an asset when your team members are gaining confidence, growing their skills, and actually enjoying their work.

Healthy exits—where people move on to bigger futures with your support—are a sign your company is set up for freedom, not dependence.

Entrepreneurial timelines are always aggressive, but beating the market still counts as winning even when it feels “too slow.”

Every entrepreneur’s story is unique.

Strategic Coach gets you thinking about the right things at the right time.

Resources:

The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan

EOS®

The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan

What Free Days™ Are And How To Know When You Need Them

Unique Ability®

Ever wonder what sets thriving businesses apart? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Kelly Knight share how strong company systems and personal growth go hand in hand for entrepreneurs. Learn why finding the right people, embracing risks, and focusing on core values lets you solve almost any problem—and why successful companies and individuals both need solid operating systems to keep growing.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Where Strategic Coach® and EOS® complement each other rather than overlap.
• How Kelly built on EOS’s Strategic Coach legacy.
• Why EOS is personally meaningful to Kelly.
• How top entrepreneurs turn mistakes into momentum.
• What Kelly sees as the number one issue facing entrepreneurs today.
• Keys to keeping your company laser-focused.
• How EOS Worldwide faced (and survived) a pivotal crisis.
• The game-changing impact of Kelly’s Strategic Coach experience.

Show Notes:

An entrepreneur needs two key operating systems—one for running the company and one for running their own life and personal growth.

Your passion is often the secret ingredient for long-term success because it’s what sets you apart—and keeps you moving.​

Growth comes from leaning into risks and staying open to new possibilities.​

You can’t win every time, but you’ll learn more from setbacks than from any formal education.​

Don’t waste time worrying about what might go wrong in the future; stay focused on what you can control now.​

Turning losses into recoveries energizes your team and inspires loyalty.​

Rapid growth always brings new challenges; expect change and meet it head on.​

Finding your people—the team that truly shares your values—is an ongoing process worth obsessing over.​

When you put the right people in the right seats, everything else in your company starts to click.

Resources:

Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan

Unique Ability®

Kolbe A™ Index

EOS®

EOS One®

More about Kelly Knight

When entrepreneurs retire from their businesses, it doesn’t always result in the freedom they imagined. In this episode, Tricia Wingerter shares why structure, teamwork, and purpose matter just as much after retirement—and how discovering your Unique Ability® and staying in contribution aren’t just good for business, but for your mind, energy, and happiness too.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why Tricia didn’t see herself as an entrepreneur until joining Strategic Coach®.
• How Tricia unlocked the skills and confidence needed to hire the right people.
• What entrepreneurs might unintentionally give up when they step away from meaningful work.
• How a family illness inspired Tricia to purchase her Visiting Angels home care agency.

Show Notes:

The Strategic Coach® Program allows already ambitious people to become more ambitious.

Choosing work you love and do best keeps your brain sharp, engaged, and full of energy.

Spot someone doing outstanding work? Acknowledging and celebrating it is a sign of real leadership.

Retirement doesn’t have a set age or template—your path is your own.

All of your problems, discouragements, and heartaches are great opportunities in disguise.

When entrepreneurs stop growing and contributing, boredom sets in fast.

Retirement often feels very different, and sometimes much emptier, than most entrepreneurs expect.

Too much unstructured time can leave even the busiest people restless or blue.

Discovering and honoring your Unique Ability® validates what you do best and brings energy back to your work.

There’s no rulebook for when or how to step back—keep growing as long as you want to grow.

Structure, teamwork, and deadlines give meaning and momentum to day-to-day life, even after “retirement.”

Staying focused in your Unique Ability isn’t just good for your business, it keeps your mind fresh and your purpose strong.

Fulfillment comes from contribution, not withdrawal. When you feel lost or bored, helping others and pursuing your mission can reignite your spark.

Valuing your strengths, asking others for help, and building a team you trust makes leadership a richer, more collaborative adventure.

There’s no one way for entrepreneurs to age; finding purpose every day is the true marker of success.

Resources:

Unique Ability®

How To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The Benefits

EOS®

My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy