Intro: Welcome to The Masterful Coach podcast, with Molly Claire, where coaches learn skill mastery, business mastery, and life mastery at a whole new level. If you’re serious about creating a meaningful coaching business that makes a difference, you’re in the right place. And now your host, master life and business coach, Molly Claire.

Hello, coaches. Welcome to the Masterful Coach Podcast, and today we are talking about just that. What does it really mean to be a masterful coach? I'm going to talk with you about some of the characteristics or traits that I consider to be there when someone is masterful at what they do.

So in this podcast, as you know, we talk about coaching skill mastery, really helping you to be masterful or excellent at the craft of coaching. We talk about business mastery, all the things that you need to learn and practice and understand to build a successful, thriving, profitable business. And I also talk with you about life mastery, which is actually very much a part of being a masterful coach. So I'm gonna break this down for you today. I'm gonna help to identify some of the things that you can keep at the forefront of your mind as you become the most masterful coach you can possibly be. Let's dive in.

The first thing I wanna focus on with you is the importance of living the work that you do. Now this is very different than following all the exact same to-dos or programs that you may be giving your client. And the reason why I say this is because I can't tell you how many times I've heard clients say, for example, they're a weight loss coach and they feel like a fraud and think they shouldn't be teaching this because maybe they've never struggled with their weight or they don't do all the exact things that they're having their clients do.

There is a huge difference between living the work that you do and being your ideal client. Some of you are in a space where you are your ideal client and some of you are not, and it doesn't matter. So what does living the work really mean? So as a coach, no matter what you're focusing on with your client, there is some element of challenging your client to rise up to be their best self, to achieve the goals that they want to maybe have some sense of greater purpose or fulfillment in their life, and it's those generalities, those concepts that as a masterful coach, you want to embrace and truly lead the way.

So that's something really good for you to think about. How are you specifically living the work that you are professing as important? Part of that can be challenging your own self to be your best self. Also, saying what you believe and believing what you say. There is so much value in that sense of alignment and integrity, and the more you lean into that and become aware of, "Am I really saying what I believe and am I believing what I say?", it's going to really eliminate that unnecessary space of doubt around fraud complex and imposter syndrome and all the things.

And one thing I wanna add to this, living the work, challenging yourself, saying what you believe and believing what you say is, embrace your humanity. Living the work does not mean precise thoughts, feelings, and actions and results. Living the work does not mean perfection. Living the work does not mean that you do all the things you say every moment, every second of every. What it really means is that you are living the work, you are embracing these ideas, and you are allowing your own humanity and imperfections and embracing it right along with your clients.

Next up, a masterful coach will be professional. I'm gonna break this down just a little bit. Even the simple piece of legally professional, if you're just starting your business or if you've been doing it for a while but haven't quite buttoned up those loose ends, do it. Be professional. Create a professional experience for your clients and treat your business like a business.

The other thing that goes along with being professional is preparation and structure, and I'm gonna kind of talk outta both sides of my mouth on this idea of structure. But let's first talk about preparation and what does that mean. Learn what you need to learn in order to show up for your clients. Be prepared for them, understand their needs and be ready to deliver to them the moment they sign with you, and at every session, and all of this space in between. Be prepared and have consistent structure.

Now, what do I mean by structure? Some of you as coaches will be extremely structured in your approach to your session. Now, some of you might be listening and think, "I don't even like the word structure". When I work with my clients, there's this very free flowing experience for them, and maybe some of you don't really even have a program objective, but you do freestyle coaching.

And so if this is you, here's what I want to offer you. You don't have to have more structure. You don't have to be like that other coach. But you do need to be consistent. So if you are a coach who has a very free flowing style, embrace it. And just by you being consistent in how you show up and how you serve your clients, that is all the structure that you need.

The last thing regarding professionalism is, learn always and be the best at what you do. This is why I have such a focus in my podcast and especially in my programs with coaching skill mastery. I'm a big believer in advancing your skills. I'm a believer in continued education. I'm a huge believer in always adding tools to your tool belt and understanding and learning how to bring those tools together, playing with how they work in conjunction with one another. And I believe one of the best ways to do this is to continue to learn from others and truly embrace that coaching is much more of an art than a science. You have to bring you into this process as you are learning and expanding your skills.

All right, the next trait we're going to talk about as a masterful coach: put your clients' needs at the forefront of your business. What do I mean by this? For all of you, most of you, all of you listening to this podcast, I believe, are coaches who are here to serve your clients. Part of your greater purpose is to actually serve your clients and make their lives better.

And so, as you move your business forward, not only do you want to have your own purpose and mission personally there, which we're gonna talk about in a minute, but make sure that you are leading the business with your client's needs in mind. And this means that our bank account should always take a backseat to the client's needs.

Here's an example of this. If I'm working with a client, when I'm working with a client, because this has happened, I may see that they have a need that I cannot fulfill. They have a need for a service that I see as valuable to them, but I certainly won't get any financial gain from it. But I know someone else who is the perfect fit for that.

If I am putting my bank account and my needs ahead of my client's needs. My client who has trusted me to help, I am certainly not in integrity. I am not putting the client's needs at the forefront of the business, and I don't believe that speaks to being a masterful coach in any way, shape, or form. Now, I wanna be clear as well that there are certainly times when your client will have a need that they could get help with elsewhere, and that also doesn't always discount the need for what you offer them. So be careful about always thinking it's an either or. But the idea behind this today is this idea that the client's needs always trump your bank account. Period. End of story.

Also, your client's success should be about their success and what they need, not just your testimonials or not at all your testimonials. Here's what I mean by this: if I'm working with a client and they're working toward a certain money goal, and I'm helping them toward that money goal. And yet possibly I see that there is a bit of a shift to do in our work, maybe some healing, maybe some personal work that they need to do. Now that doesn't necessarily need to be in contrast or in place to that money goal. However, if I'm focusing and pushing for this money goal and ignoring this other need that they have because I want a good testimonial, I'm not really serving the client.

A masterful coach is always aware of what their client is needing, and yes, you want to keep that goal in the forefront of your mind and their mind, but only for the benefit of them not to provide proof of concept for your business. Just to sum this piece up, lead your mission with your client's needs in mind. That piece of your purpose, that piece where you want to help human beings with this powerful change that they're making, allow that to lead your business. That is masterful.

Now, let's follow up with the next piece of this, which is following through on the purpose of your business. Now, this includes your personal why. And what I mean by this is staying committed and aligned for what you want in your business. This is why I talk so much about this life-business balance because most of you have some part of your why behind your business that is about having a greater experience of your life, having a better quality of life, having more balance, having better relationships. Make sure that you're always keeping that personal why right there, top of mind for you and stay committed and aligned. This is why we wanna make sure that we're keeping that balance.

Also, follow through on the purpose of your business when it comes to your money goals. If your business is set up to make money, make money. Be careful about minimizing or changing or compromising your goals just because you don't feel you're succeeding at them. I see a lot of coaches start out with a solid goal of the money they want to make and the quality of life they want to have, and when it's not coming quickly or it's not coming easily, or the doubt starts to come in. They often start to justify away from that goal.

Now, this is a normal thing that we do, right? This is a way of kind of easing our pains, trying to minimize the negative feelings we have, so we don't have to be judgmental about any of this. Very normal. But what I want to offer you is, as a masterful coach, if you have set out to achieve a goal, if your business is there to, in part, improve your own life, which I hope it is, stay committed to that goal. Stay aligned to it. That is truly leading your clients by example and the way you live.

All right, coaches, so short and simple, but the last thing I want to offer you about being a masterful coach. I hope that you are happy, have joy in your life, truly allow yourself to enjoy your business, to love your clients, to embrace all of the good things that life has to offer. Think about the times when you see someone and they have a smile on their face and they have a positive attitude, and think about how that impacts you. I think that as coaches, as you being a professional there to lift others and help them reach their potential, you have such an opportunity to be a light in the world, to be an influence for good, to lift others, and I hope that you all have that experience of self-love, self connection, and happiness for yourself. It is available to you.

All right, coaches. So nice to be with you. I'll talk to you again next week. Have a good one.

Outro: Thanks for listening to The Masterful Coach Podcast. If you’re ready for complete support as you build your coaching business, check out Molly’s collaborative community, The Masterful Coach Collective, it’s a place where you’ll have access to the best experts in the biz, community support and guidance as you build your perfect business 90 days at a time. Visit www.mollyclaire.com for details.