Now some of you may remember that the Coach with Clarity Podcast is not the first podcast I've ever created. In fact, it's the second, a year earlier, I started a show called Work Your Inner Wisdom. And that show looked at the intersection between spirituality and entrepreneurship and I really enjoyed that show, it was a way for me to get comfortable with my voice as a podcaster, gain some experience in terms of interviewing other people, but also creating solo episodes. And I really loved the content that we covered in Work Your Inner Wisdom, that show is still available, by the way, if you search for it on your podcast feeds or on Google, it will come up. But I have not produced an episode for that show in almost a year and a half because what I found is that as much as I enjoyed that show, and learned so much making it deep down, I knew that that show was not fully tapping into my purpose. At that point, I had a lot of fear around positioning myself as an expert in coaching, it was a lot easier for me to host a show about spirituality and interview other people and bring their thoughts and opinions to you than it was for me to really step in and claim my authority as a coach and a coach trainer. So while I was and remain very proud of Work Your Inner Wisdom, when I go back and listen to it now, it's interesting because I can sense where I'm hiding in that show, where I'm not being my full, authentic self and not claiming my expertise in coaching. And that became more apparent to me about 30 episodes into the show, I realized that I wasn't showing up fully and I wasn't directly serving the people that I most wanted to connect with, which are other coaches. So I made the decision to put that show on hiatus and I took a few months to plan what would become the Coach with Clarity Podcast. And I have to tell you, although it was a challenging decision to stop that first show, I've never looked back. And I know that it was absolutely the right decision for me. And now that I'm one year into the Coach with Clarity Podcast, I feel even more certain about that. I love creating the show for you and I am so grateful for the ways in which this show has allowed me to connect with you and to support other coaches. And yes, there are certainly times where it's been a little challenging, coming up with new ideas for the show and sitting down every week to record it for you. And yet what gets me through is knowing that you are there on the other side of this relationship listening, and I can't tell you how much that means to me. It's so remarkable because, not only are we celebrating one year of the Coach with Clarity Podcast, but we are also celebrating the fact that we have surpassed 20,000 downloads of the show, which blows my mind. I will tell you that when I started this show a year ago, I had a secret goal that maybe in the first year, I would hit 10,000 downloads. I thought if I were really really lucky maybe I would hit 15,000 – that was like my out of this world goal. So the fact that I am recording the one year anniversary episode for you today and I can announce that we have surpassed 20,000 downloads – this is really beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And it's not because of me, it's because of you. It's because you've been tuning in, you've been subscribing, you've been sharing the show with your friends, and for that I am so grateful. And it's because of you that I am even more committed to the next year of the Coach with Clarity Podcast, and to years after that. So I am so excited to continue to create this show for you. I am planning out my content calendar for the next few months, but I hope you know that I care very deeply about making sure that this show addresses the questions and issues around coaching that most affect you. So if there is ever a topic you would like me to explore on the Coach with Clarity Podcast, I would love to hear from you. And in fact, at the end of the show today, I'm going to share with you a new way that you and I will be able to connect together. So more on that, but please know that I really view this podcast experience as a relationship. It goes both ways and so I certainly want to hear from you. I would love to know your thoughts and how I can better serve you because together, we can take Coach with Clarity to the next level, and I'm so excited to spend the next year doing that with you. Before I hop into the lessons I've learned over the last year of creating this podcast, I have to take a moment to sincerely thank the people who have helped bring this show to life. It starts with my extraordinary podcast editing team headed up by Britany Felix of Podcasting for Coaches, and special shout out to Alex Stennett. These two women are so smart, and so committed to ensuring that every episode of this show sounds as beautiful as it can be. And so when you listen to this show, know that you are not just listening to my voice, you are listening to the expert work of Britany and Alex and the people at Podcasting for Coaches. So if you're listening to the show, and you're thinking you know what I might want to start a podcast to to support my coaching business, you will definitely want to check out Podcasting for Coaches, you can head to PodcastingforCoaches.com. And you can also download the podcast by the same name. because let me tell you, there's no one better in this business for serving coaches and podcasting, then Britany and her team. I also want to thank Robyn Blanton of Kismet Virtual Services. She is an extraordinary virtual assistant, who does so much behind the scenes in post production to make sure that this podcast makes its way to you. So if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen the audiograms and the quote posts, Robyn creates those and not only does she create them, she is responsible for selecting the quote that gets highlighted from every show, and I fully trust in her ability to get to the essence of each episode, and find just the right quote that's going to reflect that because she is so insightful and so talented, and I feel so grateful to have her on my team. Robyn, you really are a blessing. There are so many other people that I work with and connect with that have supported me throughout this process, and I could take the whole episode to list through them. I'm not going to do that but you know who you are, and I am so grateful for all of the love and support and care that you've provided me over the last year and beyond as the Coach with Clarity Podcast has come to life. 

 

So now I would love to share with you five lessons that I've learned in the one year of the Coach with Clarity Podcast. And the first two lessons kind of go hand in hand, they fall under the umbrella of leading with your values of making sure that you are crystal clear about what matters most to you, and then deciding how you can bring those values to life by taking action every day. With that in mind, I want to share the very first lesson that I've learned from creating this podcast is how important, it is to ask powerful questions. Because when we ask powerful questions, we can show up and serve our people in a much deeper way. Whether it's a podcast listener, whether it's a client, our job as a coach is to know how to ask the right question at the right time in order to inspire, to engage, and to help our clients or our audience take the next step in their lives. I believe asking powerful questions is one of the most effective ways that I can show up and serve, and service is one of my core values. It's one of the values behind the Coach with Clarity brand and it's also a personal value for me. So I know that when I'm able to show up and be fully present with someone and ask a question that may help shift their view, or clarify what matters to them, or the next step they want to take, then I'm really doing my job as a coach, I'm showing up and serving them as powerfully as I can. And certainly asking powerful questions is integral to creating a podcast. And that's whether I'm creating a solo episode, whether I'm interviewing a guest expert, or whether I'm hosting a coaching call. Asking powerful questions and asking the right questions helps ensure that what I'm creating here on the podcast for you is timely and relevant, and will serve you as you build and grow your coaching practice. So when I sit down to prepare a solo episode, I asked myself, “what do you most need to know?”, that helps me develop some content ideas, some topics that I can talk about on the show, and then I go even deeper, and I'm asking questions about the processes behind that, if there are any simple tips or tricks that I can present in a way that will help you achieve success faster, because that's also one of my personal missions as a coach is to serve as a catalyst. If I can help things move faster for you in a way that promotes flow and joy, then I'm definitely fulfilling my purpose as a coach. And that's what I aim to do with every episode of the podcast. That's why we end every episode with the Clarity in Action Moments so that you can take all of the things that we've discussed, and you can apply them in your business to see growth immediately. That starts though, by asking powerful questions and asking the kinds of questions that are going to help us really clarify what will serve you best through the podcast. And naturally powerful questions are at the heart of good coaching, which is what I aim to provide through our coaching calls. And deep thoughtful questions are at the heart of a good interview so that when I invite people on, to share their stories and their wisdom with you, I can do so in a way where I'm really getting to the heart of their work, and their mission through asking those deep questions. So the first lesson that I've learned in the one year of creating this podcast is just how important it is to ask powerful questions, because that is an extension of my core value of service. 

 

The second lesson that I've learned from my year of creating the Coach with Clarity Podcast, is how important it is to connect with the person on the other end of the show. When I am recording an episode, I am talking into my mic to you and I'm imagining that I'm speaking directly to you to just one person. In many ways, I feel like this is a conversation. And while I realize it's a bit of a one sided conversation, because I'm the one doing all the talking and you're the one doing the listening, I'm very aware that this is a relationship. And I view this dialogue we're having as a way of connecting and my hope is that this is the way that we begin the connection so that it doesn't just stay with me talking and you listening because I want to hear from you and I want to connect with you. And that's something that I have been able to do because so many of you have listened to the podcast, you've reached out via email or social media and some of you have even decided to join the Coach with Clarity Membership, or be a part of the Certified Clarity Coach Program. And so these are just some really beautiful ways that the connection we initiate in the podcast can continue in other ways where it really is more of a dialogue. And that's something that I underestimated when I started this show, I hoped that creating a podcast would allow me to meet new people and grow my business. I was not prepared for the way that it would allow me to create intimate and important relationships with individual listeners. And that's been such a joy, I am so grateful for that and I feel like I have new friends as a result of this podcast. And I think that's because the focus has been on creating connection from the very beginning, connection is also one of my core values. Conscious connection is one of the Coach with Clarity core values and so that has been at the heart of my work and it has been so rewarding to see that that has manifested in new and deeper relationships with people. This is absolutely something that's applicable in a coaching relationship as well. As coaches, part of our role is to create an environment in which our clients feel safe to communicate with us, they have a sense of trust and mutual respect and unconditional positive regard, and that is at the basis of connection, so that when we co-create the vision and what's possible for them, and when we help them create action plans to get closer to their dreams, we're doing so in a way where we are creating a deep connection in the relationship. And we are also helping our clients connect even more deeply with themselves, with their intuition, and with their deep inner knowing. So connection is at the heart of good coaching and it is also at the heart of good podcasting, and I've definitely seen that over the last year.

 

So these first two lessons are very much connected with the importance of leading with your values. So number one is asking powerful questions as a way of serving your people and number two is focusing on connecting with that one person, whether it's a client in front of you, or someone who has downloaded your most recent podcast episode. Lesson number three, this is a big one, and admittedly, this is one that I'm still actively practicing. And that is, how important it is to keep your eyes on your own work and keep doing your work. The eyes on your own work thing is something that I tell myself a lot, when I find myself starting to compare myself to others, other podcasters, other coaches, other business owners, other women, other people, it can be very tempting to compare my work and my progress with other people. And when I first started my coaching practice, that was definitely something I fell into quite a bit. And it really hampered my progress, because I was so concerned about doing things right and doing them the way other people did that it kept me from really finding my own approach. Now that I'm a few years wiser, and a few years further along in my business, I can say that that comparison trap still shows up for me, but I'm more aware of it. And so when I noticed that I'm scrolling through Instagram, or Facebook, or listening to someone else's podcast, and I start hearing or seeing things that make me wonder, “ooh, should I be doing that, am I doing the right thing?”, I pause and I remind myself, “Lee, eyes on your own work”. Meaning, don't get distracted by what other people are doing, you need to focus on your work. And then you need to show up and do your work because that's the thing about when we start comparing ourselves to others, we can get caught in this perfectionism cycle where what I do isn't good enough, it's not perfect, it's not good as this other person's work, which can be a perfect breeding ground for procrastination, for not taking action. We spend so much time researching and comparing and trying to get everything right, that we don't actually move forward. So the second piece that, “do your work”, element is critical because that's where we make gains. If we're not taking action, repeatable regular action, then we're not going to see the improvements we want in our business and our relationships or in our lives. So when I get caught in the comparison trap, I remind myself, eyes on your own work, and do your own work. I've reminded myself of this countless times over the last year that I've been creating this podcast, because I do listen to other podcasts. I love this medium. I love the way that I feel connected to the hosts of my favorite shows. And sometimes my mind does go to that place of, “Wow, they've really got this down. And oh, why didn't I think to do a show on that? Or why didn't I ask this person those questions?”. So even when I'm creating and producing my show, I do tend to get kind of drawn into what are other people doing? Am I doing it the right way? And so I've reminded myself, eyes on your own work, do your own work, and that's something that is also relevant as you build, as I build, as we build our coaching practices together. 

 

Lesson number four, that comes from my year of creating the Coach with Clarity Podcast is how important it is to stay the course. podcasting is a long game. It takes time to see the rewards of your labor when it comes to podcasting. It can easily take even longer than a year to feel like you are building momentum, that you're growing an audience and that you're not just speaking out into a void. If you are going to start a podcast, you have to do so knowing that it's going to take a while for your show to find its identity, for you to be comfortable hosting and creating your show week after week, month after month, and it's going to take time for your ideal listeners to find you. And that's all part of the process. So podcasting is not about quick wins, it is about the long game and in looking back, when I look at my first few podcast episodes that I put out, I was celebrating when they hit 25 downloads, and then 50 downloads. The fact that 50 people were listening to one of my episodes was such a huge success, and then over time that started growing. So 50 became 75, became 100, became 200, and now as I mentioned, at the top of the show, we have a total of over 20,000 downloads for the Coach with Clarity Podcast, which is extraordinary. But that took an entire year, it takes time to build that type of momentum but then once you have that momentum, it will continue to grow. It's like a snowball rolling down the hill, that snowball is going to get larger and larger and pick up steam. And then before you know it, you've got a real movement, all because of the work that you did consistently from the very beginning. So this idea of staying the course and understanding that podcasting in particular is a long game. This is 100% applicable to your coaching business as well and when I think about the evolution of my work over the last five years or so, that's definitely been the case for me as well. That first 12 to 18 months of my business, that was rough. It took me a while to get comfortable with my own coaching approach to show up as myself in my business, and to understand exactly how I served my clients and what made me unique in the coaching industry. And let me tell you, there were plenty of times in the first year or two of my business, when I really questioned whether I had what it takes to be an entrepreneur, whether I could make this coaching thing work. I struggled with self doubt and it would have been very easy for me to have walked away from the coaching profession, to have gone back to my first career as a psychotherapist and worked with clients in that capacity, and yet I knew that I was called to coach. I knew that this approach was something that could change, not just my clients lives, but my own. So I bet on myself, and I committed to staying the course and sure enough at about that two year mark is when I started to really see some growth in my business. I needed a fairly long runway before my plane was ready to take off and I just want to let you know that if you are at that point in your business to where you're wondering, what's it going to take? Should I keep going? I want to remind you that strong businesses require a solid foundation and that foundation does not happen overnight. It does take time. It's also not something you have to do alone. And I am so grateful for the coaches and colleagues and friends that I worked with during my early years of my coaching business because I could not have done this without them. So if you're feeling like you could benefit from some additional support to definitely check out the Coach with Clarity Membership. Not only do we have weekly calls, and there's a whole toolkit filled with templates, and guides, and contracts, and resources, everything you could need. But really what makes the Coach with Clarity Membership so special is the community and to know that you can show up with a question, with a struggle, with a challenge and you've got dozens of coaches who are there to support you through it – that's powerful. So you don't have to do it alone, there is support, and definitely check out the Coach with Clarity Membership if you'd like to be a part of a larger community of coaches who are working together to grow their businesses. So that lesson number four, stay the course, it's a long game. Podcasting is a long game, and I would say coaching is a long game too, so stay with it and don't feel like you have to do it alone. 

 

So that brings us to lesson number five, which is how vital, it is to seek the joy in what you do. Sometimes that joy is going to be readily available and obvious for you. And when I started this podcast a year ago that joy was practically palpable. I was so excited to launch the show. I was clear about my vision and my mission for it. I knew who I was serving, I had all sorts of topics ready to go, and creating this podcast was such a joy filled experience for me. And so it wasn't very hard to seek the joy at first. Then, as I described in Episode 49 of the podcast, I got a little stuck at around the seven or eight month mark of the podcast, and this is not an uncommon experience. No matter how much you love what you do, we all go through cycles where, at times, we feel really creatively energized and ready to go. And other times we feel a little creatively stagnant and uncertain about what happens next. And I did hit that point in creating this podcast, and it became more difficult to find the joy. And yet, it also became more important than ever to find the joy. It required me reconnecting with my values, taking action that was consistent with them, and also reconnecting with you, with the people who listened to the show. I did some polls on Instagram, asking your opinions, asking you for topic ideas, asking you about what lengths you liked. And what I found was that the more feedback I got from you, the more excited I started to get. And it reminded me of why I was doing the show in the first place, which was to serve you, and that really helped me rekindle the spark for the podcast and to find that joy. Again, I think this parallels what many of us have felt in our coaching businesses as well. There are times where we feel really excited and just operating on all cylinders, and we can't wait to show up for our clients, and then there are times when we feel anxious or nervous or overwhelmed. We wonder where the next client is going to come from, if we're going to have the revenue to pay ourselves and pay our bills, all of those fears and doubts start to creep in. I think it's important that we remember that this is a cycle that every coach and every small business owner experiences this. And this is also the time where it becomes even more important to seek the joy and to reconnect with our core values. Yes, if we need to make some tweaks, if there are things that are not working, we do want to address them, we want to modify them so that we can have more successful outcomes. But again, this is where we stay the course and then staying the course we can also find the joy. That's definitely something I have found from doing this podcast over the last year, and from operating my business for over the last five. So those are my five lessons learned as I celebrate one year of the Coach with Clarity Podcast with you. Number one, ask powerful questions. Number two, connect with the one person in front of you. Number three, eyes on your own work and do your own work. Number four, stay the course – remember, it's a long game. And number five, seek the joy. So with that, why don't we head into this week's Clarity in Action Moment?

 

For this week's Clarity in Action Moment, I actually have a special announcement to share with you, and I mentioned at the top how there would be a new way that we could connect with each other. And I'm so excited to announce that I have revamped my existing Facebook group so that it will be a more open and inclusive community for everyone in the Coach with Clarity family. So your Clarity in Action Moment is to come find the Coach with Clarity Community, formerly known as From Therapy to Coaching over on Facebook. So that is going to be the group where intuitive, heart centered coaches can come and find support from me and from each other. You can head to CoachwithClarity.com/community to go straight to the Facebook group and request to join, and I'll also make sure that we have a link in the show notes for you. So I do hope that you will join us over at the newly revamped Coach with Clarity Community, that is going to be a fantastic way for us to connect with each other between shows, and you can also let me know what you would like to see in future episodes of the podcast. My friends, this has been such an extraordinary year. Thank you for spending it with me. It's been my honor and I cannot wait to spend the next year and many more with you. Thank you so much for listening this week, and let's do it again next week, shall we? Until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough, encouraging you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.