Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

In this special episode, Shannon Waller sits down with Program Coach Chad Johnson to explore his entrepreneurial journey, what he’s learned along the way, and how he helps Strategic Coach® members grow bigger, simpler, and more rewarding businesses. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:* Why many of Chad’s early entrepreneurial ventures were short-lived.* The turning point that made him get serious about building a real business.* How Chad defines the entrepreneurial mindset and lives it daily.* What sets Strategic Coach Program Coaches apart from traditional business coaches. Show Notes: There’s value around you all the time; often, it just takes a moment of attention to see it. You can’t scale a business on ambition and positive attitude alone. It’s natural for entrepreneurs to want to jump to the next project, but that impulse needs to be managed. The right life partner can act as an accelerant for everything you want in life. In great organizations, everyone makes everyone else better. The work you do as an entrepreneur is closely tied to the growth you do at home. For entrepreneurs, business is not just what you do—it’s part of who you are. Strategic Coach coaches are also members, so they live the tools they teach. Any new concept has to work for the coach first before it’s shared with members. Freedom is often the deepest motivation for entrepreneurs. It can take time for your real-world experience to catch up with your mindset and goals. Long-term success comes from committing to a few important things, not chasing every new idea. The right coach relationship helps you turn everyday experiences into breakthroughs. Resources: How to Win a Heart by Chad JohnsonUnique Ability®The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Impact Filter®10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs (https://www.strategiccoach.com/resources/the-multiplier-mindset-blog/the-4-freedoms-that-motivate-successful-entrepreneurs)How To Foster A Longevity Mindset & Reap The Benefits (https://www.strategiccoach.com/resources/the-multiplier-mindset-blog/how-to-foster-a-longevity-mindset-reap-the-benefits)The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management (https://www.strategiccoach.com/resources/guides/the-entrepreneurs-guide-to-time-management)The Bigger Future™ CountdownYour Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan SullivanThe Positive Focus®

Isolation is more than just uncomfortable—it distorts your thinking and drains your creativity. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller open up about the risks of going it alone as an entrepreneur and why strong relationships make all the difference. Listen now to learn smart, actionable ways to reconnect, recharge, and keep yourself moving forward with clarity and confidence. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:* Why isolation causes the mind to invent stories and distort reality.* The reasons entrepreneurs are particularly vulnerable to feeling isolated.* Why isolated entrepreneurs develop outrageous aspirations.* What makes Strategic Coach® the perfect place for entrepreneurs to make long-lasting connections. Show Notes: Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely path, especially without external feedback.​ When there’s no outside input, your mind starts making things up. Isolation causes your brain to respond just like it would to sensory deprivation. Entrepreneurs thrive on constant change, while most people resist change. An entrepreneur’s creative imagination needs to be rewarded with real opportunities. Many entrepreneurs feel truly stimulated only when they’re working productively. Isolated entrepreneurs use their imaginations to give themselves the sense that they're actually connected to the world. Feeling misunderstood quickly morphs into paranoia and makes isolation worse. Entrepreneurs are better than most at finding their own clarity, even in tough situations. The entrepreneurial journey means creating brand-new ideas and selling them, time after time. Seeing life from other people’s perspectives keeps you connected and tuned in to reality. The more you understand and appreciate other people’s experiences, the richer and more meaningful your own life becomes. Resources: Unique Ability® Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan

Do you ever wish difficult emotions would just disappear? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller reveal why every feeling, especially the bothersome kind, is actually a valuable resource for entrepreneurial growth. Discover how turning frustration into clarity and action can lead to your next breakthrough, and learn the thinking tools that transform emotional energy into future results. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:* How technology has increased conversations about feelings in daily life.* Why your feelings serve as a built-in warning system for your thinking.* How to quickly gain clarity instead of staying stuck when something bothers you.* Why others struggle to truly understand your personal feelings.* How Dan’s own feelings inspired all of the Strategic Coach® thinking tools. Show Notes: Feelings are signals, not solutions—they alert you to something worth thinking about. Feelings don’t transform themselves; vision and capability do. The real power lies in transforming emotional energy into future-focused action. Feeling “bothered” is raw material for entrepreneurial creativity and improvement. Successful entrepreneurs treat bother as a resource, turning it into planning and innovation. Asking, “If I weren’t bothered, what would I be doing?” can pivot your mindset and open new possibilities. Responding thoughtfully, rather than reacting emotionally, leads to better results for you and your team. You can’t control others’ reactions, but you can fully own your own process and responses. Ignoring your feelings (or acting out impulsively) usually makes things worse. Every feeling brings energy—use it to fuel thinking, problem solving, and the creation of new tools. Mastery comes from skillfully transforming negative emotions into positive action, not from avoiding them. The entrepreneur’s job is to turn low-productivity “bother” into high-productivity breakthroughs. Don’t aim for perfect detachment; instead, get better at using what bothers you for future advantage. Resources: Not Being Bothered by Dan Sullivan The Impact Filter™ The Entrepreneurial Attitude (https://yourteamsuccess.com/portfolio/entrepreneurial-attitude/) Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller

What if ambition isn’t something you’re born with, but a capability you can keep growing?In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explore why ambition is the single master capability for entrepreneurs and how to nurture it. Learn why talking about ambition is difficult, how to grow it continually, and why community and capability are the true accelerators of progress. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:* Why entrepreneurs rely on ambition more than most people.* The most common misconception about ambition.* How to navigate the social dynamics around ambition.* Why envy threatens ambition and how to spot it.* How Strategic Coach® creates a safe space for honest, open ambition. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs succeed because they decide to rely on their own ambition and capability, taking a road most people won’t choose.​ Ambition is not a fixed trait—it’s a capability, and it grows each time you acquire new skills or take on new challenges.​ Ambition is the single master capability that enables you to achieve all other capabilities. Openly talking about ambition can be uncomfortable because people often feel there’s a pecking order with ambition, but this discomfort is natural, and moving past it leads to greater freedom and fulfillment. Comparing yourself to others works against ambition; entrepreneurs thrive by measuring progress from their own efforts and growth, not against external ideals or other people.​ Envy is the true enemy of ambition—it’s driven by comparison and leads to stagnation rather than growth.​ The Strategic Coach community is designed for entrepreneurs to talk about ambition openly, celebrate wins, and receive genuine support and collaboration.​ Unique Ability® is central: focus on a few activities that truly make use of your strengths, and surround yourself with others who do the same.​ Collaboration among unique, ambitious people isn’t accidental; when you support someone else’s ambition, you reinforce your own.​ Every Strategic Coach tool you master is meant to help you grow ambition, navigate obstacles, and create new opportunities.​ If you want ambition to keep expanding, focus on what gives you energy and leverage your team so you can multiply your results.​ Growth as an entrepreneur isn’t about fitting in; it’s about continually becoming more useful and unique in the marketplace. Resources: Always More Ambitious by Dan Sullivan The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Impact Filter™ Unique Ability® Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Are you thriving or just arriving? In this episode, Shannon Waller and Program Coach Lee Brower explore the lifelong mindset that keeps entrepreneurs in motion long after the initial motivation fades. Discover practical ways to make growth and gratitude central to your business, family, and life—plus the powerful impact of asking the right questions and building strong traditions that last. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode:* The surprising first job Lee created for himself before he was old enough for a paper route.* What sparked Lee’s deep appreciation for entrepreneurship and its ecosystem.* How Lee defines the mindset that drives enduring entrepreneurial success.* Why motivation and inspiration play different roles on the entrepreneurial journey.* How to tell the difference between genuine confidence and mere arrogance.* Why great entrepreneurs are more like rivers than you might think.* Lee’s most powerful lesson from three decades at Strategic Coach®. Show Notes: Not everyone chooses entrepreneurship—sometimes it chooses you. Money motivates at first, but it’s the freedom it brings that keeps you going. The best lessons come from learning alongside other entrepreneurs, not just from teaching. Successful entrepreneurs focus on making things better, easier to access, and more valuable. Great entrepreneurs don't ask themselves what's wrong. They ask, “What's right?” and “How can I make it even better?” Problems don’t hold entrepreneurs back; they turn problem solving into daily practice. Motivation is temporary. Inspiration and purpose are what keep you going. You can elevate yourself by surrounding yourself with people who have skills you don’t have. Family traditions, shared language, and rituals build lasting culture at home and in business. The most valuable assets aren’t financial; they’re values, learning, relationships, and contribution. Never delegate away your Unique Ability® until you truly know and refine it. Confidence grows from gratitude and from focusing on others, not just on yourself. Great results come from being open to learning in every interaction. Instead of chasing answers, ask better questions. The enemy of thriving is arriving. Resources: Unique Ability® The Impact Filter™ Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World by David EpsteinThe Positive Focus® strategiccoach.com (https://www.strategiccoach.com/) leebrower.com (https://leebrower.com/)