Shownotes
In this re-broadcast episode, we're joined by Christine Kaplan, Lydia Bai, and Michelle Evans to explore how coaching programs enhance clarity and confidence. Learn from their experiences and discover how to develop a structured, compelling program to elevate your coaching business. Tune in for an insightful conversation on transforming your approach and be sure go to MollyClaire.com for the discount on Create Your Killer Program, launching in March.
Key Points
00:00 Creating an impactful program with step-by-step guidance.
02:56 Introduction to Michelle Evans
04:39 Facing imposter syndrome as a coach.
05:30 Introduction to Christine Kaplan
06:17 Finding balance between business and family life.
09:59 Introduction to Lydia Bai
11:11 Create Your Killer Program helped structure thoughts and provided support.
19:48 Managing the challenges of creating a program and website, with accountability and support.
23:16 Clearly defining offer and understanding the back-end of how to create that for your client.
24:50 Clear communication sparks curiosity and engages conversation.
28:09 Distinguishing therapy from coaching.
29:16 Defining your program bullet points and discussing the benefit they provide to building a program and client results.
38:32 Wrap up and resources.
Connect and Resources
Create A Killer Program
This interactive, workshop-style, 6 week Masterclass is what the coaches in this episode did. It teaches you:
- How the right program can fuel your marketing and sales efforts
- 3 key ingredients to effective coaching programs
- How to build a program that will set you apart as an expert
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE EVANS, CHRISTINE KAPLAN AND LYDIA BAI
Michelle Evans
Michelle is a certified life coach who coaches LDS missionary moms. After sending off a missionary in 2016 and having no idea what was happening in her body with her nervous system, Michelle found coaching. This was pivotal in Michelle’s decision to help other moms struggling with supporting themselves, and their missionary, when unexpected things happen while their missionary is serving.
michellesevans.com | Instagram | Tiktok
Christine Kaplan
Christine is an ADHD Life Coach who helps Female Entrepreneurs manage their time and their mind so they can have successful careers and enjoy their family.
She was a therapist for over 20 years, and is now a Certified Life and ADHD Life Coach who has worked with hundreds of Teens and Adults to learn how to leverage their ADHD to gain focus, calm their anxiety and achieve their life goals.
christinekaplancoaching.com | Instagram | Facebook
Lydia Bai
Lydia is a former Stanford volleyball athlete, recovering investment banker and now-life coach who helps women in tech get the raise and the recognition they deserve.
CONNECT WITH MOLLY CLAIRE
Master Coach Training 2024 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
Masterful Coach Foundations + The 10K Accelerator Method: Designed for mission-centered Life Coaches who are ready to build a profitable and purposeful business? mollyclaire.com/foundations.
Have a question or thoughts about the podcast? Don’t hesitate to contact Molly at:
Molly’s book: The Happy Mom Mindset: mollyclaire.com/book
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Transcripts
Intro: Welcome to The Masterful Coach podcast with Molly Claire. If you're a coach who's ready to impact more lives, make more money and create a life you love, you're in exactly the right place. Get the support you deserve as a female entrepreneur. Master your coaching skills, grow your ideal business, and honor your priorities in your personal life.
Are you in? Let's get started with your host, best selling author and master life and business coach, Molly Claire.
Molly Claire: Hey, coach. We all know that, setting your price, defining your program, checking off all those little boxes when you first get started can be daunting. And in fact, I've been surprised at how many coaches say they don't even really have a program or they don't feel solid in the results that they are offering.
Today's episode is a rebroadcast of an interview conducted back in the fall. This aired in December and I'm sharing with you these three coaches who share their experience of defining their program, and really articulating who they work with and how that has impacted their confidence. You're going to love this episode.
And by the way, part of the reason I'm sharing this with you right now is that the doors to Create Your Killer program are finally open again. This is our first open enrollment of the new year. We are starting the beginning of March and you don't want to miss it. This is the last time I am offering such a deep discount at the webinar rate.
So now is the time if you would love to have a clear program and a compelling offer and you would love a little step by step guidance so there is no more guessing and you can actually check this off your list. This is the time.
All right, coaches, enjoy these phenomenal women as they share their experience in building their business.
All right, coaches, this is so fun to have Christine and Michelle and Lydia here, three of my clients who worked on defining incredible programs. I'm so excited about all of your niches and I'm excited to share with all of you listeners, what these women are specializing in and how their programs have been built. So welcome all of you amazing women.
Michelle Evans: Thank you. This is so fun.
Molly Claire: Yeah. It's so good to have you here. So I'm just going to go around and ask each of you to share with my listeners who you help, right? Who is your niche, the population you're helping? And how you've come to clarify that, as you've worked through Create a Killer Program. So Michelle, tell us. Who are you helping?
Michelle Evans: So I help members of the LDS faith, the moms, who have sent off missionaries or sending out missionaries getting ready to, and this is really, this program helped me clarify it. Because it helped me have the language around it so that I knew how to talk about it in a way that was very organic and very holistic, where people would be able to relate and not so coachy.
I mean, one of the things that I totally learned was not to use the word tools.
Molly Claire: Isn't it funny? Because it's this language we use all the time, right? And then just regular people out there, they don't talk that way.
Michelle Evans: Yeah, because they don't know that they need tools. They have no idea. And so, just getting back to where, "What would have spoken to me before I had coaching, before I had some tools?" That helped. And so that I was speaking to my client where they are today.
Molly Claire: Yes, yes. And that's a big challenge, right? It's like, we know we want to help this person and we see the progress and then we start speaking to our ideal client the way we would speak to them at the end of their journey, where they already have it figured out, right? So we want to back up. Yeah, I love it.
And I remember when we started, you were kind of, as most people, having some sense of, "Is this, I don't know that I'll say this exactly right."
So you can kind of step in with how you would describe it, but is this the problem I should solve? Am I qualified? Are people, more I would say, are people going to trust me to be the one to help them with this? Yeah.
Michelle Evans: Yeah. It's kind of imposter syndrome, right? Where any time we step into something new, it's like, "Am I enough? Do I have what it takes to help these people?" And then like through your program that helped me clarify that and also come to the realization that like, these people are having so much suffering and I wanted to help them immediately.
Molly Claire: Yeah. Yes. That's right. Because it's like, that's what people want. They want help. And we can find so many reasons why we might not be good enough. Or all these things that we believe that these potential clients will be criticizing us about. "They're going to think this about me and this and this."
They're not thinking any of that. They're just thinking, "Can I get relief from this?" Yeah. I love it. Love it.
All right, Christine, tell us about who you help.
Christine Kaplan: I help women entrepreneurs with ADHD. And getting to that point was a big pivotal moment, I think, in Create Your Killer Program. Because I was a therapist for 20 years and I love to help teenagers with ADHD. I also work a lot with the moms because of the conversations we have outside of coaching the teens. And I knew I wanted to help them, the moms, because they also struggled at home. They also probably had ADHD.
And so, when you helped me narrow down my target audience, you kept asking those questions, like, "And what about this? No, not that. Yes, this. What about this? No, not that this."
And it just kept narrowing down to this place that just sung to my heart. It's like, yeah, these people, these women. Entrepreneurs who are trying to balance their families and their business.
And, you know, I remember getting to that point where I was trying to decide for myself personally, do I give up my business so that I can really focus on my family? And having that moment where it was like, "No".
It's almost like having another child. Nurturing the business at the same time you can nurture your family. And I think you really helped me clarify what that was and narrow down my messaging. Narrow down, really connecting with those people, because I was that. You know, through coaching found so many different ways of managing my business. And then also my family.
Molly Claire: I think one of the biggest challenges is when we see those two parts of our life in competition with each other, right? Instead of in cooperation, as all part of the big picture of us and who we are and what we create in the world and all of that. Yeah.
Christine Kaplan: Yeah.
Molly Claire: And what I want to highlight about Christine, for those of you listening. So Christine, of course, you were a therapist. You've worked with teens on ADHD. There've been a lot of things to get to this point. Correct me if I'm misspeaking in this, but my guess is that it's not like you should have started out with this niche of helping female entrepreneurs with ADHD. But where you've been has been where you've needed to be. And now it just happens to be the time that you pivot to this new place.
Christine Kaplan: Yeah. And at the same time, I love my teens so much. Never going to give them up.
Molly Claire: One of her teens is one of my teens that she's helping. So I'm glad she loves her teens. I love it. And I think that something that Christina and I have talked about, and those of you listening that happen to have ADHD and building a business, it's like, I know for me, I can say as I have understood my own ADHD brain over time, and I have come to appreciate it. And instead of believing the way that I do things is wrong or should be fixed, actually embracing it. I've been able to create so much more and to be so much more effective by making friends with the way I do things r,ather than trying to kick my own brain out of the picture.
Christine Kaplan: Yeah, exactly. And I think that's one of the challenges of ADHD, is that negative brain is so active. And so we can quiet that and look at what we do so well. Get what we're good at. We're good at creativity. We're good at ideas. We're good at sharing. We're good at empathizing. And those are all incredible attributes of a business owner.
Molly Claire: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to come to Lydia in just a second. But I have to find this quote, that I saw something the other day that was something to the effect of, "The ADHD brain is incredible at doing so many things." Or something like that. And then it said, "Except normal people things." And it made me laugh, right?
Because it's like, one of my kids is just brilliant and creative and does so many things, but I mean, the dishes, a sink of dishes, it's going to take three hours because, you know, so anyway, I think that's- It made me laugh. So
Christine Kaplan: Yeah, that's a great one.
Molly Claire: Love it. All right. Lydia, tell us about who you help.
Lydia Bai: Yeah, so I help women in tech get the raise and the recognition they deserve. And I actually narrowed down to this niche kind of towards the end of the program. There were just like, many iterations. And I think one of the important things that, Molly, that you kept reminding everyone during the program was that it's important to keep moving forward. And like, even if you're ever like stuck somewhere, the point is just to keep going. Because as you continue to do the work and kind of work on other things, like your offer, or your program details, then, like, it will get clear as you go, which was so helpful for me.
And I think that on my own, when I was trying to figure out my niche, it was just like mountains and mountains of notes. And I was even giving myself creative writing prompts. Like, if I was my ideal client, how would I write a journal entry? Like it was just so much stuff. And I think this program was just super helpful in providing the structure to narrow everything down. Kind of exactly what Christine was saying. And we would do like videos, guides, then group calls. And I think just the guides were extremely helpful because they kind of put all your thoughts on paper, and then you could bring it into the group call and then just get so much help on.
Molly Claire: Yeah. So I love that you brought that up, that the more of the clarity came toward the end. Because, just for those of you listening that haven't done the program, the way it's set up is it's very step by step, right? It's like, this is step one. We do this first. We come to the call. We work through it. This is step two. So it's these bite sized pieces, one step after another, and it's very simple.
And where we can get into trouble. And this goes for all of you, as you're moving forward in steps in your business, right? Where we can get into trouble is when we get stuck on one of those steps. And we believe it has to be perfect before we can move on. And something that I loved about, well, I love about the program in general, because it is six weeks. It's really, get in and get it done.
But I love the energy as I'm looking at all of your faces here and just remembering those groups. It's almost a culture of 'let's keep moving forward. It's okay. The clarity will come. We'll figure it out.'
And it just, it was so fun to watch all of you just keep moving forward and trust that it would. So yeah, I love that you shared that.
Lydia Bai: Yeah, well, and another thing I'll say that was so great is like, we'll get these guides, like a core messaging statement guide, or the front and back end worksheet - which I'm sure we'll talk about more later - but you can keep using these guides. Like, at any time, it's not just the beginning of your program, because it just helps to keep clarifying what you want to offer.
Molly Claire: And I'm so glad that you brought that up. Because one of the things, and right now, as this is airing, enrollment for the program is open and there's also a joint offer with copywriter, Kris Jones. And one thing that she and I have both talked about is that when I think some coaches hesitate to create a program because they're like, "Well, I don't know if this is my final niche. Do I really want to do this?"
And so it's like the niche indecision like spills over into program creation and then they end up frozen. Or same thing with writing out a sales page or hiring help for that. And I think the beauty in coaches committing to, "I'm going to build a program. I'm going to build the structure. I'm going to do it." Is that, yes, you have a program and you understand and learn how to simply create a program, right?
So one of the last things we do, the very last training in the program is about adapt and tweak. And so it's showing you how you can take what you've created and move it over to an entirely different niche. Or, you know, tweak it slightly.
And so I think there's a lot of value in knowing that when you're signing up for help or a service, that it's something that can serve you now and something that can serve you long term, as things change and evolve. Yeah. Love that you brought that up.
And I know, Lydia, you and I had a lot of fun talking about your niche and just how difficult it is for women to speak up at work.
Lydia Bai: Totally. Yeah. And it even almost translated to me even defining this niche. Like I was almost unwilling to say that women, I don't know, just, women in tech need help. But then it was almost like coaching, but guides and realizing that like, "Oh, I can say that I help women. I can speak up and really offer help for people that I really care about."
Molly Claire: Yes. Oh, I love it. I love it. Love it. Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about the front end and back end. So Michelle, you kind of alluded to this a little bit when you were talking about understanding the words to use, right? So essentially, those of you listening, something that I talk a lot about is the difference between the front end and the back end of your program.
So the back end of your program is how you clarify exactly what you're going to teach, the concepts that you speak to, how you actually run your program with your clients. And a lot of the backend stuff is kind of the coach speak stuff, right? It would be certain tools that we teach, or strategies, or worksheets, or whatever. No one's really excited to pay you for worksheets and tools. They want to pay you for help and actually moving through it.
So we differentiate between the back end. What are you doing on the back end and the front end? Which is, how do you speak to and present this? And so Michelle, I know you brought this up. Tell us a little bit more about how that's helped you or how you're implementing it even now going forward with your messaging.
Michelle Evans: Yeah. So, it's been so helpful to be able to have that clarifying piece and know the difference. Because now when I speak to my clients or my ideal clients, I talk about where they're at. And like, they're experiencing these big emotions because they've just sent a missionary off, or they're getting an email from their missionary who's homesick and they want advice. How do I give them advice? Because they don't know what else there is.
So it's like, my front end would be something like, 'how to help your missionary navigate a difficult companion'. And then on the back end, we talk about nervous system. We talk about how to take care of yourself and then how to ask questions and have your missionary get clear for themselves. But if I said that in the front end and like, "I'm going to help you with your nervous system and how to help your missionary ask questions", they're going to be like, "That's not what I need."
Molly Claire: Yeah, thank you. I will pass. Yeah.
Michelle Evans: They can't see what they don't know.
Molly Claire: Yes, it's such a good example. And it's funny, right? We can laugh about it because we can see it so clearly. But what I want to say to all of you, if you struggle with this, you are very normal. I mean, all of you would probably agree with this. It's like, the time we spend on sifting through the front end and back end is a good part of the work we do, right?
It's kind of the most work is sifting through that. So it takes a little time and that's okay. It's normal because it's challenging to do and it's challenging to do on your own.
Michelle Evans: Yeah. And I think that one thing with this program that was so beneficial was I would put my ideas and you would give me feedback. And we went through so many iterations until it was like, "Oh", and it's like this light bulb came on and I was like, okay, now I can see it.
Molly Claire: Yes. And it's just like that moment when it just lands, right? It's like, this is the thing. And I think that one of the keys to successfully navigating that is knowing there will be a lot of iterations of it, right? We put something out, nothing's wrong or bad. We're just helping your brain make sense of what you know, versus what your client knows and sees and thinks.
And I think where we get into trouble is when that all gets mixed together. And that's why I think there's so much power in the exercise of front end back end. Because it's like, "Okay, I get to just say what I know on the back end". Which is that they need help, "I'm helping with the nervous system. I'm helping with this." We just get to say it, and then it's like we go through that translation process, so it's normal that it's challenging, but when it lands. It's a good feeling. Yeah,
Michelle Evans: Yeah. And just to add one other thing, when Molly gave feedback in the program, it was so gentle. And so like, "Oh, you're almost there". It was so encouraging. And so it never felt like I was this huge failure as a person.Very dramatic, right? It felt very gentle and we moved through the process. And then when you got to the end, it was like, "Yes,"
Molly Claire: This is it. This is it. Yes. And I love that moment as much as you all do when you post it. It's like, "Ah, this is it." So, love it.
All right. Christine, how about you? That process of front end and back end, how have you seen that to help you?
Christine Kaplan: Kind of piggybacking on Michelle. First of all, I have to say, I could not have done it on my own. You know, I have done a lot of curriculum planning in my years as a therapist program manager. Just what I do all day every day for teenagers and adults. I can plan my curriculum all day, every day. I love doing that, but how to say it to a potential client who is in pain and backing that whole process up, you get to the point where you almost can't see it yourself.
And so as somebody with ADHD, I don't like to do what's hard. I'm like, "No, no, no. I'll just put some words on a website and I'll, you know, put it on Instagram and it'll work." Because that's just how my brain works. And you were so kind and gentle and saying, "What is frustrating to them? And what does that look like? What does it look like in their home?" And it kind of took me back.
And then also having the group to say, "No, no, no, here, this is what's going on in my house too". Having the group to work with, having your gentle guidance. And also you had that ability to help us stay accountable and so it was like, "You will show up next week and you'll keep doing this and you'll keep-"
I mean, I must have 50 pages in my notebook of trying to get that messaging right. And when, you know, have somebody who helps me with the website part, we kind of put it together. And when she sent me the draft the other day, I almost cried because it's so good. Oh my gosh. This sounds like the people I want to help. This sounds so real. This sounds like it will help get to that feeling point in people. And the messaging is so clear and there's no way I could have done without the program. So, yeah.
Molly Claire: I mean, this is the work that I do with all of you, right? And I can see it very clearly. But when it comes to me, I absolutely have to have someone help me with it because I just, I can't see it on my own. I think it's so normal. Yeah.
You know, and speaking about the copy on your site and everything, it's modeled after my Create Your Killer Program page, right? Which is the story brand writing, which is Kris Jones, who's going to be offering some services in this next round. It's like, there's something so powerful about you, as a coach, being clear about what you're delivering and how you're helping and having it be so crystal clear to your clients.
So there, so like Christine, like you mentioned, when they feel that, they feel like, "This person knows me and understands me." And I think that when you can have your offer and your message to be that clear, not only does it, you know, "sell them" before even getting on the call with you, but it connects with them. I think it kind of opens up this space of hope that there is help because this person understands me.
Christine Kaplan: Right. Yeah. After reading it, I wanted to hire myself. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, it sounds like it could help me."
Molly Claire: That's when you know, right? That's when you know your page is good. When you think, "I would sign up for this." Yeah. I love it. So good.
Lydia, how about you, just with the front end and back end? I know I remember some fun conversations with us around that.
Lydia Bai: Yeah. Oh, totally. Yeah. And I think What Michelle and Christine said I totally agree with everything. And something I would like to add is that I think we spend so much time in the back end and we don't necessarily are able to clearly define what we offer to the client. And I think how that helped me actually, as a coach, is that once I defined the front end of like, this is how I help my clients and then figuring out the back end, like, "How do I teach my clients this? What is the structure?" It actually just made me believe more that, "Oh my gosh, I can actually help my clients." Like it's so cohesive and connected. And I'd never done that exercise before.
So it was like, okay, so the first thing I offer is, you know, how to help you to stop believing the narrative of your inadequacy. And in the back end, I was like, "Oh, this is just thought work. Oh, this is just, you know, asking questions about, why do you believe that?" And then it just made me realize that, "Whoa, I can actually do this."
And so that was kind of how it helped me personally. And that was actually super surprising that, you know, exactly what you were saying, you're a better coach when you're crystal clear that you can help people. And that's exactly what that helped me do.
Molly Claire: I love that. And I think it's true. It's very common that when you all get to the point where you're excited about your program, you feel confident in, "This is what I teach. This is how I say it." It's almost like it goes from - and I'd love to hear any comments that you all have on this that might more clearly articulate how you feel about it - but what I've seen in my clients is that it's almost like it goes from, "Well, I'm selling like my time and my services and it's kind of vague and I feel kind of uneasy or uncomfortable about charging."
And then oftentimes it moves to, "No. I know what I'm offering. I do have a plan." And it just brings this sense of confidence and certainty and willingness to be clear on what you charge for your coaching. So I know that I've seen that. Any thoughts from any of you on that? Yeah, Michelle.
Michelle Evans: So I think that the reason it does that is because before, you're just kind of like, "I can help you with this", like, very vague. And people just don't know that thought work is a thing or nervous system work is a thing.
Molly Claire: Yes.
Michelle Evans: It doesn't even invoke curiosity. But then, when you have something very clear and you're talking about it with some clarity around it, then when you're just having a regular conversation and people ask you what you do and you can say, "This is how I help."
And they're like, "Oh, like, now tell me more about that."
As before, like you're like, "I'm a life coach." And you're like, "Oh, that's, that's nice."
Molly Claire: Right. And then you start sharing all these random things about what you do and they make no sense to the person in front of you. Yeah. Right. Right.
Michelle Evans: Yeah. It's just very cohesive, like Lydia said. And so then you up level the way that you're speaking about what you are offering, because you know what you offer now. Instead of just having mountains of notes about what you think you do. Yeah.
Molly Claire: Yes. Yes. And I think also there's a lot of value in just the resources that you create for your clients, right? That you can have a session and a video that you have or something or a worksheet is helpful and you give that to them in between sessions. And this is when it becomes more of a coaching program, right? Where it is a period of time that you are supporting them in various ways, versus just trading time for money. I think it's a huge difference.
And I remember the first time that it became clear to me that it did have this impact on all of you. You know, I start working through the program, and I had one client that I was working with, who, when we we put together what her program was going to be and she felt good about it, the price that she was going to put on her program was more than double what she had been charging before for sessions, and it felt good and clear to her. It didn't feel like, "Oh, I can really go for a big money grab now." It was like, "No, I mean, this is a premium coaching program and it needs a premium price."
And I was like, that was the moment that I realized how powerful it was in that way. Yeah, Christine or Lydia, anything, anything that you've experienced with that? Yeah, Christine.
Christine Kaplan: Yeah. And I think that is the distinction between like therapy and coaching. And that's what I tell a lot of my teenagers and moms. I think going through your program and making sure that, because we do work on a lot of things, but making sure we cover these five components and these five steps, no matter what.
Coaching is also so much more forward directed. And When you were saying like, "Make sure you have your program structure, and you are so confident. This is what you're going to offer every single person are these components." And so you can confidently know that every single session is going to be so powerful and, you know, they also can connect in the, in between times.
And again, yeah, your program helped really uplevel my confidence in that every single client gets this no matter what. And that was really, really helpful.
Molly Claire: Yeah, I love it. Okay. One other thing I wanted to ask. We've kind of already talked about this, so you may have something to add. Maybe not. And then I would love to hear any, you know, final thoughts any of you have that you want to share.
But, curious as to how defining your program bullet points specifically, right? Meaning, these are the things I actually do. I know Michelle was just speaking to this. How has that been helpful to you? Compelling you to speak up more, maybe. Moving you to launch. I, in fact, I'm going to just highlight. I remember, Michelle, you just went for it and did a beta group right when we started the program. And it was so amazing.
And I'm only assuming that part of it had to do with that, but I would love to hear from you all on how those bullet points, and having that support in this container of having that defined, has helped you.
Christine Kaplan: Part of how that helped also is I really want to serve a large community, and also my local community. And so having gone through the program and my confidence was so much higher, I actually went to a local chamber of commerce meeting and there were like 50 people and you have to give your one minute spiel on what you offer.
And knowing that I had those bullet point in the back of my head, I have that as my structure and framework, I could confidently in one minute say, this is what I do. And you know, my talking about Lydia, speaking up and chest was open and my face was bright. Like, "This is what I do. And I feel so confident." So that was helpful.
And again, it's that going back and forth, like, this is what I say. Because I know that my bullet points on my back end are so strong.
Molly Claire: Yeah, it's like, as you were saying bullet points and just as you were talking, I was thinking about how those bullet points are packed, right? They're impactful. It's easy for our attention to be drawn to bullet points. We like to read bullet points and when those bullet points can be just spot on and impactful, it's everything.
Yeah. Love that. Yeah, Lydia.
Lydia Bai: Yeah, exactly. And like, after we had finalized my bullet points, I printed them out. I have them everywhere just because I'm so proud of them. And how my bullet points, how defining them has been helpful for me is that now I don't even think about like, "What do I offer people as a coach?" I didn't realize how much that took in the back of my mind of the wondering and the, "Oh, how do I help people?"
Because now it's just like, "Oh, I know what it is. I had these bullet points." And so now I can actually spend my time on actively getting clients, figuring out how to make the most of my time doing that, and then really focusing on consults, and then how to coach my current clients. Because there's so much security and knowing that my offer is done and my program is there.
And the second thing is that defining my bullet points, and then also after we define the bullet points, we also do spend a few weeks like, you know, flushing out your program week by week and things like that and things you would need. Like, you know, if you want to do videos or if you want to do guides. But actually going into creating my program also helped me.
It brought something up that I didn't realize I was dealing with, which was, I had wanted to plan out each session to the T. Like, "I have to cover this topic. I have to- like the client needs to learn this." And then I realized, while I was putting clients through this program, real time, that each session is really more of an art and it's not really a science. It's, yeah. Sometimes you're insecure about being a coach.
So you feel like you need to make sure the client understands certain things, but then it just really just helped me kind of go back and forth and realizing that I can prepare. But also the client is what drives the session.
Molly Claire: Yes.
Lydia Bai: And then, sorry, one last thing is that creating my program and my bullet points has also helped me to track more efficiently where my client is. Because sometimes there'll be a break for the holiday or I'll have other clients. And then when this client session comes up, I'm like, "Wait, what are we talking about today?" And all I have to do is see what number session we're on my client outline, like my program outline, and then some session notes. And I'm off to the races. It saved me so much time creating this ahead of time that it's worth so much more than what I initially thought it was.
Molly Claire: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love all of that. And just thinking about, it's really true - going back to what you said a few minutes ago - that we don't realize how much space is being occupied in our brain with just doubt and uncertainty around something so simple as the program. It's like - and this is something I say in my marketing for this because it's true - it is one of those things, because there are a lot of things that are, you can't check off the box so easily when running a business, right?
Creating a clear program and offer is one of those things that you can check off actually pretty easily, right? Like in this program, we were working together for six weeks. It's step by step. I don't think anyone in the program felt overwhelmed at all at any point. And so it's one of those things that you can check off. And it is surprising at how much space it frees up in your brain and your energy, right? Yes, it's so true.
And one of the other important things that you brought up, Lydia, is the idea of structure and flexibility, which is one of the principles that we work on in Create Your Killer Program is we look at this as if everything is completely structured. And then the way it actually plays out is much more open than that. And I bring this up because I think this is oftentimes the conflict that coaches have with having a program, especially a lot of coaches that feel like their coaching style is much more almost therapy style. Where it's someone coming and just talking through what's coming up. And so it's like, where does this fit? Do we have a really structured program or is coaching more free form?
And my answer to that is yes to both. So we treat it as if we're creating so much structure. And then in the program, I help you to understand how that structure brings something tangible. It brings a good offer. It grounds you. And also there is so much room to individualize everything to your clients. Yeah. Love it. Michelle, how about you?
Michelle Evans: Okay. So I did a program before yours. And when I signed up for it, I didn't, I thought this is kind of what it was doing.
Molly Claire: Oh,
Michelle Evans: So what happened was I ended up running ads. Cause that was the big thing was like, "Get these ads up, get going with your ads." And then I had somebody call, like, get on a consult and they're like, "Well, send me your program." And I had nothing.
And that's when I realized I was like, "Oh, I did this backwards." Like having the program clarifying the bullets, like everything that's going to happen in that program, then run the ads if you want to run ads, but not in reverse. And I kept looking for a roadmap, like how do, like, how do I navigate this? I've never done it before. I never knew how to start like a business like this. So how do I do it?
And so now in my mind, I'm like, "Okay, so you get a lot of practice coaching, you do all the things. The next step is create a program and you can always pivot. You don't have to be married to it."
Molly Claire: That's right. That's right.
Michelle Evans: But you have clear bullet points of what you're delivering. And so, yeah, that was like so huge. And then run ads or do whatever you want to do with marketing, but don't market to nothing.
Molly Claire: And what I find is, as you bring that up, I think that two main things. One is your marketing can only be extremely watered down, because you're not really clear enough to actually say something, right? It's really kind of a waste of time and money and energy and such.
And the other thing that I will say, that I'm just a huge believer in, is that as each of you clarify this program, it does really bolster your confidence. And then I think that you're more willing to get out on podcasts, get in front of more people, run those ads, and speak more boldly. Because you know you have something specific to offer. And you know your clients are going to understand what it is you're offering, which is such a big deal. Yeah.
This has been so great. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your successes. And I want to go, and I'll just go to each of you, and would love to any last thoughts that you want to share. And definitely where people can find you because I know that the services you offer are so needed. So Christine.
Christine Kaplan: Thank you, Molly. This has been so much fun. And people can find me at ChristineKaplanCoaching. com also on Instagram, Christine Kaplan Coaching. And that's Kaplan with a K.
And also I just wanted to say that I am running groups starting in January for women with ADHD, and I'm so excited it's going to be wonderful and I already have some people set up and ready to go. We're going to have fun, learn how wonderful ADHD is, and also learn how to manage your time and your mind so that you can enjoy your life.
Molly Claire: Yes. And in a way that works for you with your ADHD brain, right? We're not trying to- yes. I love it. Love it. So good. And I love the clarity that's coming. It's so fun to see this all play out after working through the program.
Christine Kaplan: it's been wonderful. Thank you, Molly.
Molly Claire: Yeah. All right. Lydia, how about you?
Lydia Bai: Yeah. And one last thing I wanted to share was from what Michelle was saying about running ads, that kind of topic we were just talking about is that, yeah, I don't know. With the gentle guidance of Molly, I realized that it's okay to say something that will really spark the interest of the people you're trying to help. Somehow I needed permission to do that. But it's like, it's okay. You can say, "Hey ladies, do you feel uncomfortable sometimes in meeting rooms full of men? Like, I totally understand." And I didn't realize that it can just be as simple as that.
And like what Christine was saying, find something that sings to your heart and that you're really proud of. I think it just feels so good.
And then how people can find me is I have a website. It's just Lydiabai. com. And I help women in tech get the raises and the recognition that they deserve. And right now I am just offering, I'm launching my program. It's a 12 week, one on one intensive to help women do that. And you can also find me on LinkedIn with that same name.
Molly Claire: So amazing. And by the way, you all of you listening, this is all in the show notes as well. So no worries, Michelle. How about you?
Michelle Evans: So the last thing that I want to add is that what I really appreciated about this program is it was very simple. And it wasn't like 25,000 modules and 50,000 worksheets.
Molly Claire: Right.
Michelle Evans: And I didn't get lost because I have a tendency to get lost. If there is too much information, it was very simple, very direct. And so it, it helped me stay focused and to get the work done. So it's very, very, very comprehensive and understandable. So it was really good. I wanted to add that and make sure that people knew that and that more is not better.
Molly Claire: Oh my gosh. Right. It's like, that's what I would always say, right? The trainings are short. It's just, this is it. We're just doing these steps. We're not doing anything else. And , Eureka! It works.
Michelle Evans: It does. And I think that that is so huge. And it also helps you when you're creating your program. That's right. Keep simple.
Molly Claire: That's exactly right. And that's one of my biggest hopes with this program is, again, not only is it helping you to develop your program, it teaches you how to develop programs so that you can continue to create and do anything you want. And that you will take sort of the framework and the example as how you can be effective as well. It's just, it's all the layers. So I love that. Love that. Yeah. So how did they find you, Michelle?
Michelle Evans: They can find me on Instagram. I am at Michelle_Evans.Life and it's the same handle on TikTok. So I'm on both those platforms and I do have a Facebook page. It's Michelle S Evans coaching, but mainly where I'm hanging out is Instagram and TikTok.
Molly Claire: Awesome. Awesome. Love it. Well, thank you so much, all of you, for being here. This has been great.
Those of you listening, of course. Follow these women, learn more about them. They do incredible work. And, if you have been putting off creating your program or clarifying it, and if it really appeals to you to have a simple step by step process, that's short and effective, please go to mollyclaire.com right now. We are enrolling for Create Your Killer Program. And there is a really cool dual offer with Kris Jones as well, as you've been hearing about. So, thank you so much.
And I'll talk with all of you next week.
Outro: Thanks for listening to the masterful coach podcast. Are you ready to build your amazing business with Molly as your coach? Check out www.MollyClaire.com to find out about Masterful Coach Foundations and the 10K Accelerator method. It's the ultimate support for you as a coach building your ideal life and business.