If you’re a newer coach, it’s easy to get stuck in what I call pre-launch limbo — spending months (or years) working on things that feel productive but don’t actually get you paying clients. I call this Shiny Object Paralysis: the pull toward fun, pretty, or “safe” tasks that eat up your time, money, and energy while you avoid the real work that will actually get your business off the ground.

In this episode of The Coaching Edge, I’m breaking it down into two clear lists:

• 10 things you actually need to launch your coaching business
• 10 things you don’t (even if you’ve been told otherwise)

We’ll cover what’s essential to protect yourself legally, start attracting clients, and feel confident in your skills — including why knowing your scope as a coach is just as important as having a booking link or a payment processor. And we’ll bust some of the most common myths keeping new coaches stuck (hint: you don’t need a $5K logo, a massive Instagram following, or a perfectly dialed niche...

If you’ve ever hit mid-December and realized you have no holiday offer, no seasonal content, and no energy left to create either… this episode is your friendly nudge to change that cycle this year.

I used to leave my holiday content and offers until the last minute — and I’d spend my holidays half-present with my family, half-panicking about Canva graphics, revenue goals, and the fact that my clients hadn’t heard from me in weeks.

Now, I plan my holiday campaigns in October, and I’m sharing exactly how you can do the same. You’ll learn:

• Why late October and early November are prime buying windows for most coaching niches (and why December is tougher for self-investment offers)
• How to organize your seasonal marketing so you can truly take time off
• 10 things to consider when creating holiday content that connects and converts
• 10 creative holiday-specific offers — with examples for life, business, and wellness coaches — so you can adapt them to your own niche
• How to leverage “gif
...

The coaching industry isn’t in freefall, but let’s be honest — the buying climate has changed.

People are taking longer to make decisions. Trust is harder to earn. And clients need more reassurance than ever before before committing their time, money, and energy to solving the problem you help with.

If you’ve been feeling this shift in your business, you’re not imagining it — and you’re not alone. The good news? Coaches who adapt now will be miles ahead in the months to come.

In this “State of the Union” episode, I’m sharing:

• The truth about the current trust + economic “recession” in the coaching industry
• Why I’ve doubled my free content this year (and what it’s already done for my business)
• How my new low-ticket Coaching Edge Workshop Series is meeting clients exactly where they are
• The 3 critical marketing shifts every coach needs to make right now
• 10 specific, actionable ideas you can implement immediately to keep growing in this climate

You’ll leave this episode with ...

What if you could create one coaching program that becomes the cornerstone of your business — the thing you’re known for, that clients immediately recognize, and that keeps generating revenue year after year?

That’s exactly what happened for me when I built the Business Building Bootcamp (BBB) — my flagship, one-year business-building program for coaches. In this episode of the Coaching Edge Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on how and why I created it, the lessons I learned along the way, and how you can tell if you’re ready to design your own signature course.

I’ll take you back to year 10 of my coaching career, when my practice was already full and I was focused on burnout, alcohol, and life transitions for professional women. Out of the blue, coaches from my latest certification class started coming to me for help building their businesses. Their training had promised business-building support, but the reality fell short — and they saw me as someone who was actually doing it ...

If you’ve ever wondered whether podcast guesting could actually move the needle in your business—or you’re not sure where to start—this episode is a must-listen.

I’m joined by podcast publicity pioneer Jessica Rhodes, founder of Interview Connections and the OG of podcast booking agencies. Jessica has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs land thousands of interviews—and today she’s breaking down exactly how new and emerging coaches can use podcast guesting to build visibility, grow their audience, and yes… land paying clients.

We talk about:

• Why podcast guesting still works (and why it’s especially powerful for coaches)

• How to treat your first year of guesting like a beta experiment

• The “green room” strategy that turns hosts into collaborators (or clients!)

• How to build a simple, effective 1-sheet that gets you booked

• The biggest mistakes new guests make (and how to avoid them)

• What to actually say when someone asks, “Where can people find you?”

Whether...

Build a Lead Magnet That Grows Your List and Builds Trust

Email lists aren’t growing the way they used to — and here’s why:
People are tired of junk, low-value opt-ins that deliver zero value.

In this Coaching Edge episode, I walk you through how to build a high-impact freebie that doesn’t just grow your list — it builds real trust with the people you’re meant to help.

Here’s what we cover:

• The 4 things every high-converting opt-in or lead magnet must do in 2025
• Why video is your trust-building superpower (and how to use it well)
• A real coach case study: how Charlotta created a free 21-day video-based course that adds hundreds to her list monthly
• How to connect your freebie to your offer so it leads to real clients
• 20 lead magnet ideas you can create in one week or less

Whether you’re starting from scratch or refreshing an old opt-in, this episode will give you clear direction, smart strategy, and a nudge to actually get it done.

RESOURCES AND LINKS

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE...

Stop Playing Small: Start Building a Profitable Coaching Business

If you’ve been calling your coaching a side hustle, waiting for your big break, or endlessly “tweaking your niche” instead of making offers… this episode is for you.

This week on The Coaching Edge, we’re talking about what separates hobbyists from real business owners—and how to finally start treating your coaching like the profitable, purpose-driven business it’s meant to be.

Whether you’re still in your day job, stuck in the “figuring it out” phase, or secretly hoping a podcast interview from 2022 will send you your next wave of clients (we’ve all been there), this episode will show you how to move forward with confidence—and actual traction.

You’ll learn:

• The 4 red flags that your business is still in “pipe dream” mode
• How profitable coaches think and act differently (and what that actually looks like)
• Why emotional blocks—like fear of being seen—can quietly stall your growth
• The specific actions that move y
...

 If you want to instantly become a better coach — without adding certifications, frameworks, or fancy tools — start here:
The power of your questions.

In this episode, we’re diving into:

✅ What actually makes a question "powerful" in coaching
✅ The common trap of leading coaching questions (with real-world examples to illustrate)
✅ Why what and how questions are your secret coaching superpowers
✅ The role of curiosity in creating deep, transformational coaching conversations
✅ The big shift from agenda-based coaching to curiosity-based coaching — and how to trust your client’s inner wisdom
✅ A simple, actionable challenge you can take into your next coaching session this week

If you’ve ever found yourself feeling pressure to “deliver value” or “have all the answers” — this episode will give you a clear path to more effective, more spacious, and more client-centered coaching conversations.

RESOURCES & LINKS:

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE HERE
👉90+ Powerful Coaching Questions Cheat Sheet (FREE): ...

If you’re like most coaches, you’ve probably said this at some point:

“I want to build a course… but I don’t know what to build. What if I pick the wrong idea?”

That uncertainty can stall you out before you even get started. And with fall — one of the BEST times of year to launch a course — just around the corner, you don’t want to stay stuck in idea overwhelm.

In this episode, I’m walking you through 5 clear, actionable strategies to finally nail your course idea — so you’re excited to build it AND your clients are excited to buy it.

Here’s what we cover:

• The one question that helps you pinpoint your client’s most urgent problem.
• How to mine your own story to create a powerful course framework.
• Simple ways to poll your audience and gather the actual language they use to describe the real problem they are struggling with.
• The key to meeting your clients exactly where they are (and not where you wish they were).
• How to craft a course title and hook that makes your offer feel
...

Do you ever feel like you have dozens of brilliant ideas—but you can't figure out how to get clear and take action? In this episode, we're talking about OVERWHELM and how common it is for coaches in their first few years of business. 

You'll learn practical strategies to prioritize your ideas, take action without waiting for clarity, and embrace a beta mindset to test and refine your offerings...

...so you can stop spiraling and turn some of those big ideas into big moves that build your business. 

RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS 
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.wendymccallum.com/podcasts/the-coaching-edge-a-business-building-podcast/episodes/2149015181

and... share it with a coach who needs to hear it!

 Ready to get your coaching business off the ground? 

📌 Get my FREE Launch Fundamentals Checklist.

Want to work with me? Check out the resources I offer 👇

Double Your Profit in 2025 FREE Masterclass

My $37 Pricing Masterclass 

The Business Building Bootcamp

My Coaching Course Cr...