When Marketing Feels Gross - 10 Things I Don’t Do in My Coaching Business (And Why)
If marketing feels heavy, awkward, manipulative, or exhausting… it’s probably not because you’re bad at marketing.
It’s probably because you’re trying to follow a strategy that doesn’t match your values.
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing what values-based marketing actually looks like inside my own coaching business. I’m walking you through 10 things I don’t do — and why.
This isn’t about being moral or superior.
It’s about being congruent.
Because when your marketing aligns with your personal and professional values, everything gets simpler. Decisions get cleaner. Boundaries get easier. And you stop resenting your own strategy.
I share:
- Why I don’t coach in niches I haven’t personally lived
- Why I waited a full year post-separation before supporting women through divorce
- Why I don’t manufacture urgency or use pressure-based launch tactics
- Why I don’t overprice just because I can
- Why I ditched ManyChat (even though it worked)
- Why I don’t automate intimacy in my DMs
- Why I don’t chase every platform — and how I decide where to show up
- How I help clients leave platforms that feel ethically misaligned
- Why I don’t promise unrealistic timelines
- Why I intentionally keep my rooms small
- Why I refuse to shame people into change
We also talk about something I see all the time with coaches right now:
Feeling like you have to be on Instagram.
Feeling trapped by the algorithm.
Feeling uncomfortable with platform ownership and ethics.
Feeling like marketing has become performative.
You don’t owe any platform your presence.
You don’t have to build your business the way someone else did.
You get to choose based on what matters to you.
In this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple 5-step Values Audit you can use to evaluate your own marketing and make one aligned shift this month.
Because the goal isn’t to build the biggest coaching business.
It’s to build one you respect.
Listen to FULL EPISODE here.
Episode Resources:
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Author & Host
Wendy McCallum
Business Coach for Coaches, Burnout & Alcohol Coach for High Achievers
I’m Wendy McCallum — a coach, mentor, and former lawyer who’s spent the last 15 years helping people build lives and businesses they actually want to wake up to. When I first left law, I had no guidebook for how to do this coaching thing. I floundered — hard. I undercharged, overthought, and overinvested in shiny solutions that didn’t really move the needle. But every mistake taught me something, and eventually, I built the kind of coaching practice I once only dreamed about — one that’s profitable, sustainable, and full of work I truly love. Today, I coach two kinds of people: ✨ Busy professionals who are ready to make big, meaningful changes — whether that's finding balance, recovering from burnout, or rethinking their relationship with alcohol. ✨ And newer coaches who are building their businesses from the ground up and want a clear, sustainable path forward without all the gimmicks and noise. Whether I’m helping someone simplify their business or reclaim their personal life, the heart of my work is the same: giving smart, capable people the clarity, encouragement, and real-world tools they need to move forward — in a way that feels good, not overwhelming. If you’re ready for something better — in your work, your life, or your business — you’re in the right place. And I’m so glad you’re here. IMPORTANT: Blog content including Wendy's podcasts are for information purposes only and not intended in any way to be health advice. Please see full Terms of Use, by clicking on the link in the footer of this page, for details.
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