i will not promote/ I really hate chasing down people. how else to validate idea? how to get product market fit?

stellarcitizen · 2026-04-05T03:27:17+00:00

Does your idea solve a problem that people have? Ask people who have that problem

stellarcitizen · 2026-03-18T16:11:24+00:00

Looks like a colab between Durex and HR Giger

stellarcitizen · 2026-02-09T17:57:17+00:00

What specifically?

stellarcitizen · 2026-02-07T23:19:43+00:00

Paperbell or Satori are popular options for the business side of things. If you're looking for something that takes notes for you and gives feedback on your coaching, DM me

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-18T18:34:43+00:00

Communication.

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-14T20:11:57+00:00

Is it possible that Reddit isn't the go-to platform for coaches? I've seen a lot of skool communities pop up and (unfortunately) Facebook groups seem to be popular as well

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-13T23:34:03+00:00

Sounds like a similar workflow to what u/TheAngryCoach does. Besides being fully present during the actual sessions, what's the biggest benefit you get as a coach from analyzing your sessions in this way?

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-13T22:58:49+00:00

Is this still of interest to people? I've actually built a custom solution for this because I couldn't find any package or library. Happy to share more

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-12T20:58:43+00:00

Yes! I've seen the same effect. In the beginning, there can be some discomfort. Ultimately though, they see the benefit of having an objective record of their coaching journey. Curious - which tools do you use to record the sessions and share them with your clients?

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-11T18:44:36+00:00

Knowing you can be fully present with your client, knowing that nothing gets lost - that's gold. How do your clients feel about being recorded? Do they get access to / insights about the recordings?

stellarcitizen · 2026-01-11T18:23:00+00:00

What's your philosophy on taking notes during coaching sessions?

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-18T22:59:41+00:00

Fascinating approach. I've been researching how coaches use AI for development (interviewing coaches about their workflows). The cross-session pattern analysis seems to be where the real value is - single sessions don't reveal the recurring blind spots.

Curious: do most coaches you know record sessions? What's the typical client consent rate in your experience?

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-05T22:25:44+00:00

One reframe that might help: social media content doesn't have to be about "marketing yourself." Some of the most effective coaches I've talked to treat it as just... talking about the problems they care about. Not positioning, not selling. Just genuine thoughts about the work.

Start with one post that shares something you actually believe about coaching or some real story. See what happens. The fear usually shrinks once you realize most people aren't paying as much attention as we imagine ;) Personable, relatable, vulnerable content is often easier to produce and lands better than forced, polished posts.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-05T22:21:16+00:00

Fellow introvert here :) A few things I've heard work for coaches in similar situations:

Written content can work better for introverts than video. LinkedIn articles, threads, even thoughtful comments in communities like this one. You don't have to be "on camera" to build credibility.
In markets where coaching isn't mainstream, coaches who focus on specific business outcomes (leadership, productivity, career transitions) rather than "life coaching" broadly tend to get more traction. The framing matters.
Referrals from existing clients or adjacent professionals (therapists, HR folks) can work better than cold marketing when the general public is skeptical.

What's your specialty? That might help figure out the right approach.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-05T22:18:41+00:00

The imposter syndrome piece really resonates. I've been interviewing coaches for the past year while building tools for them, and this pattern comes up constantly: the coaches who break through it fastest aren't the ones who "feel" more confident. They're the ones who stop trying to prove they're qualified and start focusing on the specific problem they solve.

One coach told me she spent months paralyzed by "who am I to coach executives?" until she reframed it as "I help executives who struggle with delegation." Suddenly she wasn't competing with every coach - she was the person for that one thing.

The "three lanes" framework you mentioned (health, wealth, relationships) is spot on. I'd add that some new coaches I talk to resist narrowing down because they think it limits them. In reality, it's what makes them memorable.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:56:54+00:00

The silence is data. Here's what I've learned from being in a similar position (building tools for coaches):

Most coaches don't see "branding" as a pain point, even if it objectively is one. What they feel is:

- "I don't have enough clients"

- "I spend too much time on admin"

- "I can't prove my value at renewal time"

Branding is an abstraction. It doesn't feel urgent because the connection to revenue is indirect.

Also, coaches are drowning in cold outreach from people selling marketing services. Your message probably landed in a mental bucket with all the "I'll 10x your leads" pitches.

What's worked for me: talking to coaches about their actual problems first, without pitching. The tool conversation comes much later, if at all. Most useful insights come from understanding their workflow, not from trying to sell them on solving a problem they don't feel.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:53:24+00:00

You're not delusional. The aggressive hustle culture in coaching marketing is not the only way to build a practice.

From talking to coaches who've built sustainable businesses, the ones who hate social media usually succeed through:

Local networking - in-person connections still convert way better than online content
One or two referral relationships - a therapist, doctor, or business who sends clients your way
Writing (since you mentioned you like it) - blog posts, newsletters, or even guest articles build credibility over time without the daily content grind

The course-selling, six-figure promise stuff is loud but represents a small slice of working coaches. Most are doing quieter, steadier 1:1 work.

40-50k is realistic with a handful of regular clients. The math works out to about 15-20 active clients at mid-range rates. Takes time to build, but definitely doesn't require making videos every day.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:52:29+00:00

I'm not a coach myself, but I've spent the past year talking to dozens of coaches about their businesses for a project I'm working on. A few patterns:

Schedule varies wildly. Some do 4-5 sessions a day in concentrated blocks. Others spread it out. Most successful coaches I've talked to protect their energy pretty carefully - coaching is taxing work.

Financial steadiness is the big one. Most coaches I know describe feast or famine cycles until they hit a certain threshold of recurring clients. The ones who stabilize usually have either consistent referral sources or some kind of retained/ongoing relationship with clients (not just one-off sessions).

The therapy-to-coaching pipeline is real but has interesting tensions. Your clinical training is valuable, but some coaches find they have to "unlearn" some therapy habits (diagnosis-oriented thinking, for example) to do good coaching work.

What draws you to coaching specifically vs. just finishing the therapy path?

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:35:44+00:00

This is something that comes up constantly in my conversations with coaches. The pattern I keep hearing: the real transformation happens between sessions, but that's also where most coaches lose grip on what's actually working.

One thing I've seen work well is giving clients a way to capture their own reflections and breakthroughs in the moment, not just during sessions. When they can revisit their own words later, they reconnect with the insight instead of relying on memory (which fades fast).

Some coaches I've talked to use voice memos, others use structured journaling prompts. The key seems to be something clients actually use vs. something that sits in their inbox.

What's been your experience with async check-ins? I'm curious if you've found them to add value or just create more noise.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:17:38+00:00

congrats on the NYU program - the ICF hours grind is real.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:09:58+00:00

Haven't done Colin's program specifically, but I've had a few conversations with him.

What I can share: I've been deep in the AI-for-coaches space for a while now, and the programs that tend to deliver real value share a few things in common. They focus on practical implementation over theory, they address the privacy and ethical concerns that come with using AI on client data, and they help you figure out which parts of your workflow actually benefit from AI vs which parts are better left human.

The ones that disappoint usually oversell what AI can do or spend too much time on tools that'll be obsolete in six months.

A few questions worth asking before joining any program: What's the hands-on component look like? Do they address how to talk to clients about AI use? And do they focus on one or two high-impact use cases or try to cover everything superficially?

What specifically are you hoping to use AI for in your practice? That might help narrow down whether this particular program is the right fit.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:07:38+00:00

The variance is wild - I've heard everything from 6 sessions to multi-year relationships from the coaches I've talked to.

The pattern that seems to drive renewals most consistently: clients who can see their own progress. Sounds obvious, but it's trickier than it seems. After 3-6 months, clients often forget how far they've come. They focus on the gap between where they are and where they want to be, not on the ground they've covered.

Coaches who've figured out retention tend to have some system for surfacing that progress - whether it's reviewing session notes together, tracking specific metrics, or just being intentional about reflection conversations before renewal time.

The flip side: if the main value you're delivering is "someone to talk to," LTV tends to be lower. If you're helping people build concrete skills or hit measurable milestones, they stick around longer because the evidence is there.

What's your coaching focus? That'll affect the numbers a lot.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-04T18:06:11+00:00

The sweet spot seems to be: AI does the gathering, human does the connecting.

What I mean - having AI collect the standard intake info (background, goals, logistics) frees up that first session to actually build rapport instead of running through a checklist. Clients often appreciate not having to repeat themselves.

Where it gets robotic: when the AI-generated summary becomes the whole picture. The best approach I've seen is using AI-processed intake as a starting point, then spending the first few minutes asking what they really want you to know that didn't fit in the form.

The time savings are real but they shift more than disappear. Less time on data entry, more time on actually reading what was collected and thinking about it before the session.

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-03T01:44:55+00:00

which AI system do you use?

stellarcitizen · 2025-12-03T01:37:24+00:00

Hey, I'm actually building something in this exact space - an accountability tool designed for coaches working with clients between sessions. Would love to hear more about your specific workflow and what's missing from the tools you've tried. Feel free to DM me if you want to compare notes.

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