If you&apos;ve been thinking about starting a financial coaching practice, there’s probably a list running in the back of your mind. The certification you should probably get. The website you need to build. The LLC you think you&apos;re supposed to file. The handful of topics you still need to master before you&apos;d feel ready to call yourself an expert.I had that same list almost two decades ago, when I was still working in corporate America and trying to figure out how to make the leap. I spent so much of that first year bootstrapping and second-guessing, and looking back, a lot of what I thought I needed was actually getting in my way.In this episode, I&apos;m walking through what&apos;s really on that list once you strip out the things you can stop worrying about. Some of it might surprise you. Some of it might be the permission you&apos;ve been waiting for. And some of it might shift what you focus on this week, this month, or for the rest of the year.If you&apos;ve been circling the question of what it takes to get started, this is the conversation I&apos;d want you to hear first.Links &amp; Resources<ul><li><a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/builder'>The Builder</a> (launching Memorial Day weekend)</li><li><a href='https:financialcoachacademy.com/essentials'>Financial Coaching Essentials</a></li><li><a href='https://nolo.com'>Nolo.com</a></li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;ve been thinking about starting a financial coaching practice, there’s probably a list running in the back of your mind. The certification you should probably get. The website you need to build. The LLC you think you&amp;apos;re supposed to file. The handful of topics you still need to master before you&amp;apos;d feel ready to call yourself an expert.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I had that same list almost two decades ago, when I was still working in corporate America and trying to figure out how to make the leap. I spent so much of that first year bootstrapping and second-guessing, and looking back, a lot of what I thought I needed was actually getting in my way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, I&amp;apos;m walking through what&amp;apos;s really on that list once you strip out the things you can stop worrying about. Some of it might surprise you. Some of it might be the permission you&amp;apos;ve been waiting for. And some of it might shift what you focus on this week, this month, or for the rest of the year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;ve been circling the question of what it takes to get started, this is the conversation I&amp;apos;d want you to hear first.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Links &amp;amp; Resources&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/builder'&gt;The Builder&lt;/a&gt; (launching Memorial Day weekend)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https:financialcoachacademy.com/essentials'&gt;Financial Coaching Essentials&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://nolo.com'&gt;Nolo.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

If you've been thinking about starting a financial coaching practice, there’s probably a list running in the back of your mind. The certification you should probably get. The website you need to build. The LLC you think you're supposed to file. The handful of topics you still need to master before you'd feel ready to call yourself an expert. I had that same list almost two decades ago, when I was still working in corporate America and trying to figure out how to make the leap. I spent so much...

What You Need (and Don't Need) to Be a Financial Coach

Every client you work with moves through a journey. The situations are always different, but the stages are remarkably consistent. I’ve watched them unfold across hundreds of clients over nearly two decades, and at some point I started giving them language.In this episode, I walk through the four stages I see every client move through when they start working on their money: See Clearly, Stand Firm, Own It, and Build Forward. I talk about what the client is experiencing at each stage, what they actually need from you (which is often different from what you want to give them), and the coaching mistakes that happen when you’re doing the right work at the wrong time.This episode connects to the SpendFirst™ methodology, but the pattern applies regardless of what system you use. Once you see it, you’ll coach differently.Resources mentioned: <ul><li><a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/understanding-the-stages-of-learning-for-financial-coaching/'>Episode 27: The four Stages Framework</a></li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Every client you work with moves through a journey. The situations are always different, but the stages are remarkably consistent. I’ve watched them unfold across hundreds of clients over nearly two decades, and at some point I started giving them language.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, I walk through the four stages I see every client move through when they start working on their money: See Clearly, Stand Firm, Own It, and Build Forward. I talk about what the client is experiencing at each stage, what they actually need from you (which is often different from what you want to give them), and the coaching mistakes that happen when you’re doing the right work at the wrong time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode connects to the SpendFirst™ methodology, but the pattern applies regardless of what system you use. Once you see it, you’ll coach differently.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Resources mentioned: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/understanding-the-stages-of-learning-for-financial-coaching/'&gt;Episode 27: The four Stages Framework&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

Every client you work with moves through a journey. The situations are always different, but the stages are remarkably consistent. I’ve watched them unfold across hundreds of clients over nearly two decades, and at some point I started giving them language. In this episode, I walk through the four stages I see every client move through when they start working on their money: See Clearly, Stand Firm, Own It, and Build Forward. I talk about what the client is experiencing at each stage, what th...

153. The 4-Stage Client Journey Every Financial Coach Needs to See

Your client just made a choice you wouldn&apos;t have made.You walked them through the options. You built the understanding. They applied it, reflected on it, and came back with their decision. And it&apos;s not the one you would have picked.What you do in the next thirty seconds is the real test of whether you&apos;re coaching or telling.This is the kind of moment the Clarity–Application–Commitment framework is built for. It&apos;s the three-phase framework I&apos;ve used in every coaching conversation for years, and the one I teach other practitioners to use too. In this episode, I walk through what each phase looks like in practice, where coaches skip steps without realizing it, and how to hold the line when a client surprises you.If you&apos;re newer to coaching, this might become one of the most foundational episodes you listen to. If you&apos;ve been at this for years, it&apos;ll give you language for something you&apos;re probably already doing instinctively.Links &amp; Resources:<ul><li><a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/when-everything-feels-urgent-a-real-coaching-session-on-prioritizing-financial-goals/'>Episode 150</a>: When Everything Feels Urgent: A Real Coaching Session on Prioritizing Financial Goals</li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Your client just made a choice you wouldn&amp;apos;t have made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You walked them through the options. You built the understanding. They applied it, reflected on it, and came back with their decision. And it&amp;apos;s not the one you would have picked.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What you do in the next thirty seconds is the real test of whether you&amp;apos;re coaching or telling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the kind of moment the Clarity–Application–Commitment framework is built for. It&amp;apos;s the three-phase framework I&amp;apos;ve used in every coaching conversation for years, and the one I teach other practitioners to use too. In this episode, I walk through what each phase looks like in practice, where coaches skip steps without realizing it, and how to hold the line when a client surprises you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;re newer to coaching, this might become one of the most foundational episodes you listen to. If you&amp;apos;ve been at this for years, it&amp;apos;ll give you language for something you&amp;apos;re probably already doing instinctively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Links &amp;amp; Resources:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/when-everything-feels-urgent-a-real-coaching-session-on-prioritizing-financial-goals/'&gt;Episode 150&lt;/a&gt;: When Everything Feels Urgent: A Real Coaching Session on Prioritizing Financial Goals&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Your client just made a choice you wouldn't have made. You walked them through the options. You built the understanding. They applied it, reflected on it, and came back with their decision. And it's not the one you would have picked. What you do in the next thirty seconds is the real test of whether you're coaching or telling. This is the kind of moment the Clarity–Application–Commitment framework is built for. It's the three-phase framework I've used in every coaching conversation for years,...

 152. The Framework That Changed How I Coach

Last week you listened to a real coaching session with Lauren, a financial coach working through competing goals, limited margin, and a jumbled mind full of priorities she couldn&apos;t rank.This week I want to give you something to do with what you heard.I&apos;m pulling three takeaways from Lauren&apos;s session: one for newer coaches, one for coaches who&apos;ve been at this a while, and one for experienced practitioners who want to sharpen how they see their own work. They look like three different skills. They&apos;re actually the same skill at three different stages: paying attention to what the client actually needs versus what you&apos;re tempted to give them.If you haven&apos;t listened to Part 1 and Part 2 of Lauren&apos;s session yet, I&apos;d recommend starting there. You&apos;ll get a lot out of this episode either way, but you&apos;ll get more if you&apos;ve heard the session first.Haven&apos;t heard Lauren&apos;s session yet? Start here:<ul><li><a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/when-everything-feels-urgent-a-real-coaching-session-on-prioritizing-financial-goals/'>Part 1</a></li><li><a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/150part2/'>Part 2</a></li></ul>Learn more about the <a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/join-money-made-human/'>Money Made Human Peer Advisory Group</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Last week you listened to a real coaching session with Lauren, a financial coach working through competing goals, limited margin, and a jumbled mind full of priorities she couldn&amp;apos;t rank.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week I want to give you something to do with what you heard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;apos;m pulling three takeaways from Lauren&amp;apos;s session: one for newer coaches, one for coaches who&amp;apos;ve been at this a while, and one for experienced practitioners who want to sharpen how they see their own work. They look like three different skills. They&amp;apos;re actually the same skill at three different stages: paying attention to what the client actually needs versus what you&amp;apos;re tempted to give them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you haven&amp;apos;t listened to Part 1 and Part 2 of Lauren&amp;apos;s session yet, I&amp;apos;d recommend starting there. You&amp;apos;ll get a lot out of this episode either way, but you&amp;apos;ll get more if you&amp;apos;ve heard the session first.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Haven&amp;apos;t heard Lauren&amp;apos;s session yet? Start here:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/when-everything-feels-urgent-a-real-coaching-session-on-prioritizing-financial-goals/'&gt;Part 1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/150part2/'&gt;Part 2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Learn more about the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/join-money-made-human/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Money Made Human Peer Advisory Group&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Last week you listened to a real coaching session with Lauren, a financial coach working through competing goals, limited margin, and a jumbled mind full of priorities she couldn't rank. This week I want to give you something to do with what you heard. I'm pulling three takeaways from Lauren's session: one for newer coaches, one for coaches who've been at this a while, and one for experienced practitioners who want to sharpen how they see their own work. They look like three different skills....

151. Inside the Session: Three Things to Notice in a Real Coaching Session

Lauren is a financial coach. She knows exactly what she&apos;d tell a client who was juggling competing financial goals with limited margin. She&apos;d say: pick one. Prioritize. Stop trying to do everything at once.And yet, when it came to her own money (her IVF goal, her emergency fund, her coaching business, her serving job she was ready to leave) everything felt jumbled.In this Client Seat episode, I coach Lauren through what happens when you stop trying to figure out all the things and start choosing. You&apos;ll hear the exact moment her energy shifts from heavy and overwhelmed to clear and motivated. And I share something about my own coaching in this session that I would have done differently — because knowing a client well can be a gift, and it can also lead you to steer when you should be listening.This is Part 1 of a two-part session. Part 1 covers the goals and priorities conversation. Part 2 goes into Lauren&apos;s income picture and what it would actually take for her to leave her serving job behind.<a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/150part2/ '>Get access to Part 2 here.</a> Want to be a guest on a future Client Seat episode? <a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/clientseat'>Apply here.</a>In this episode:<ul><li>Why seeing income as separate buckets keeps clients stuck in scarcity</li><li>What happens when you stop trying to fund everything at once</li><li>How Lauren&apos;s gut gave her the answer before her logic caught up</li><li>The chicken-or-egg loop that keeps big goals permanently on hold</li><li>What I&apos;d do differently in my own coaching — and why naming it matters</li></ul>Resources Mentioned<ul><li><a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/mmh'>Money Made Human Peer Advisory Group</a></li><li><a href='https://www.ynab.com/'>YNAB</a></li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Lauren is a financial coach. She knows exactly what she&amp;apos;d tell a client who was juggling competing financial goals with limited margin. She&amp;apos;d say: pick one. Prioritize. Stop trying to do everything at once.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And yet, when it came to her own money (her IVF goal, her emergency fund, her coaching business, her serving job she was ready to leave) everything felt jumbled.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this Client Seat episode, I coach Lauren through what happens when you stop trying to figure out all the things and start choosing. You&amp;apos;ll hear the exact moment her energy shifts from heavy and overwhelmed to clear and motivated. And I share something about my own coaching in this session that I would have done differently — because knowing a client well can be a gift, and it can also lead you to steer when you should be listening.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is Part 1 of a two-part session. Part 1 covers the goals and priorities conversation. Part 2 goes into Lauren&amp;apos;s income picture and what it would actually take for her to leave her serving job behind.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.financialcoachacademy.com/150part2/ '&gt;Get access to Part 2 here.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want to be a guest on a future Client Seat episode? &lt;a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/clientseat'&gt;Apply here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why seeing income as separate buckets keeps clients stuck in scarcity&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What happens when you stop trying to fund everything at once&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Lauren&amp;apos;s gut gave her the answer before her logic caught up&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The chicken-or-egg loop that keeps big goals permanently on hold&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What I&amp;apos;d do differently in my own coaching — and why naming it matters&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Resources Mentioned&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://financialcoachacademy.com/mmh'&gt;Money Made Human Peer Advisory Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.ynab.com/'&gt;YNAB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

Lauren is a financial coach. She knows exactly what she'd tell a client who was juggling competing financial goals with limited margin. She'd say: pick one. Prioritize. Stop trying to do everything at once. And yet, when it came to her own money (her IVF goal, her emergency fund, her coaching business, her serving job she was ready to leave) everything felt jumbled. In this Client Seat episode, I coach Lauren through what happens when you stop trying to figure out all the things and start cho...

150. A Real Coaching Session on Prioritizing Financial Goals (Part 1)

The Financial Coach Academy Podcast is a weekly show for financial coaches and practitioners who believe that doing great work is the best business strategy there is. Hosted by Kelsa Dickey, founder of SpendFirst, Financial Coach Academy, and Money Made Human, each episode explores what it actually takes to build a coaching practice that lasts — from how we show up in sessions to how we think about our businesses. New episodes every Thursday.

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