The Coach Trap Podcast

The Coach Trap

Most coaches are good at coaching and stuck on the business side. Greg Styan and Dan Williams talk to coaches who nearly quit, changed direction or finally got clients without fake marketing or chasing algorithms. Escape the Coach Trap, our book, is out 8 Jan 2027. Chapter 1 free: coachtrap.co.uk/coach-trap-book Free community: skool.com/thecoachtrap Want to be a guest? gbsc.kit.com/thecoachtrappodcast Whatever you do, don’t fall into the coach trap.

  1. 1d ago

    Every Great Story Needs a Book | Eric Koester on The Coach Trap Podcast

    Every Great Story Needs a Book | Eric Koester on The Coach Trap Podcast98 to 99% of people who start a book never finish it. 81% say they want to write one. Eric Koester calls that gap the ambition gap.This week on The Coach Trap Podcast, Greg sits down with Eric Koester, entrepreneur, Georgetown professor, and the man who has helped around 4,000 people launch and publish their books.We talk about:Why Eric told a room of business students to write a book, and what happened when the class tripled in sizeThe ambition gap, and why so few people finish what they startWhy AI books are about 90% data and the books that change lives are 60 to 80% storyThe tension statement: “Everyone believes X, but I’m convinced it’s Y”Why you should write a rubbish first draft, then get help to make it brilliantThe rule of 150: get 150 people involved in your book before it’s doneThe ROI of generosity (one free copy leads to 3 to 4 sales)How coaches can turn their methodology into an assetEric’s four rules for a project that creates an inflection pointIf you’re a coach with a story worth telling, this one’s for you.Don’t fall into the coach trap: www.coachtrap.co.ukFind out more about Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickoester/coach trap podcast, eric koester, every great story needs a book, how to write a book, coaching book, write a book as a coach, ambition gap, storytelling, book marketing, rule of 150, ai and books, tension statement, coaching podcast, coaching business, escape the coach trap, super mentors, georgetown, authorship#CoachTrap #CoachingPodcast #WriteABook #EricKoester #Storytelling #CoachingBusiness

  2. Oct 20

    Will AI Kill Coaching? Tim Brownson on Failing, Standing Out and Being Yourself

    86% of coaches quit or fail. Tim Brownson thinks the real number is closer to 98%. This week on the Coach Trap Podcast, Greg and Dan sit down with Tim Brownson, The Fully Booked Coach. Tim spent years in sales, almost quit coaching more than once in his first 18 months, then built a business that has helped coaches get clients for over a decade. We get into: Why Tim thinks the ICF failure stats are too rosy, and why we use them anywayWhat he actually uses AI for (invoicing, admin, transitions) and why he won’t let it write his postsWhether AI will replace coaches, and where the three of us disagreeWhy “I can coach anyone” is true, but you can’t market to everyoneWhy exec coaching is a tough niche if you’ve never been an execWhy coaches disappear into the murky middle where everyone sounds the sameTim’s advice: let your own personality show, and get offline as well as onlineIf you’re a coach trying to stand out, this one is worth your time. Whatever you do, don’t fall into the coach trap. Find out more at www.coachtrap [add full URL] To find out more about Tim, visit Business Coach for Coaches | The Fully Booked Coach: https://thefullybookedcoach.com/ #CoachTrap #CoachingBusiness #LifeCoaching #BusinessCoach #AIandCoaching #ColdTruthsForCoaches #TimBrownson coach trap podcast, Tim Brownson, Fully Booked Coach, coaching business, how to get coaching clients, AI and coaching, will AI replace coaches, coach failure rate, life coaching, coaching niche, business coach

    Will AI Kill Coaching? Tim Brownson on Failing, Standing Out and Being Yourself
  3. Oct 12

    Martial Arts, Ego and Finding Your Unique Coaching Advantage | Ryan Paul Spiteri

    86% of coaches quit or fail every single year. This podcast exists to change that. This week Greg sits down with Sir Ryan Paul Spiteri, a coach and mentor who turned a near-tragic accident into a new career. Told he needed 12 to 15 weeks to be "okayish", Ryan was lifting weights in the gym by week eight. That mindset shaped how he coaches today. In this episode: How an accident pushed Ryan out of his role as a chief operations officer and into coachingWhat martial arts and the Bushido code teach about handling life: get hit, block, evade, then anticipateWhy you can't lead people down a path you haven't walked yourself (the wounded healer in action)Starting at the bottom again as a beginner, and why so many new coaches struggle with itRyan's 95% success rate and why he chooses his clients carefullyThe question Greg and Dan ask before taking any client: will this person give us a five star review?Why ego is the biggest thing that stops people from getting coachedSelf-talk, reframing and the daily habits that change how you show up on stage and on cameraRyan's question for Dan: in a market flooded with generic advice, how does a coach find and market their single most unique advantage?Why the best advantage is being the answer to the exact question your ideal client is searching forWhy video matters more than ever for coaches, and where people actually go to find answersIf you're a coach who wants more clients without sounding like everyone else, the last ten minutes alone are worth your time. 0:00 Welcome and the 86% problem0:32 How Ryan got into coaching4:47 What martial arts teaches about life7:14 Ryan's three core mentors11:55 The 95% success rate and choosing clients16:06 Ego and why people resist being coached21:00 Society, dating and the work coaches have ahead29:02 Self-talk, reframing and the Kaizen principle35:15 Ryan's question: how do you find your unique coaching advantage?41:01 Video, YouTube and where clients search42:59 Where to find Ryan Want to learn more about Ryan? Connect with him on LinkedIn: Sir Ryan Paul Spiterihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sir-ryan-paul-spiteri-74220b9a/ Ready to build a coaching business that lasts? Start here: www.coachtrap.co.uk Subscribe for more stories like this, and whatever you do, don't fall into the coach trap. Ryan Paul Spiteri, Sir Ryan Paul Spiteri, coaching podcast, Coach Trap podcast, Coach Trap, Escape the Coach Trap, Greg Styan, unique coaching advantage, coach niche, how to find your niche, coaching business, how to get coaching clients, martial arts and mindset, Bushido, wounded healer coach, self-talk, ego in coaching, mindset coach, life coach tips, executive coach, LinkedIn for coaches, coach marketing, why coaches fail, business mentor #CoachingPodcast #CoachTrap #CoachingBusiness #MindsetCoach #MartialArts #CoachNiche #LinkedInForCoaches #CoachingTips

    Martial Arts, Ego and Finding Your Unique Coaching Advantage | Ryan Paul Spiteri
  4. Oct 5

    Anthony Alexander Harrison - Fix your message first!

    Fix your message first Most new coaches think the fix is a better website or a shinier offer. It usually isn't. It's the message. This week I sat down with Anthony Alexander Harrison, who spent 45 years in corporate PR working with brands like Microsoft, Disney, Starbucks and the New York Times before retraining as a coach a year ago. He now has eight clients and says it never feels like work. We talk about: Why the skills that made Anthony a great PR exec had to be turned down to make him a good coachWhy you need your own coach before you try to coach anyone elseThe three diving boards analogy, and why the top board is where most coaches get stuckWhy more men are opening up to coaching, and what they need from the spaceHow simply telling people "I'm a life coach" led to referralsWhy nobody searches for a "life coach", and how to find the precise question you can become the authority onJung's Wounded Healer, and why leading with where you struggled beats leading with how great you areIf you take one thing from this episode, it's this: fix your message before you fix anything else. Connect with Anthony:Anthony Alexander Harrison | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysprauveharrison/Stepping Higher: https://www.steppinghigher.net/ 86% of coaches quit or fail every year. If you want to be in the 14%, grab the book and start here: www.coachtrap.co.uk Whatever you do, don't fall into the coach trap. #CoachTrap #CoachingBusiness #LifeCoach #CoachingNiche #WoundedHealer coaching business, how to start a coaching business, coaching niche, coaching message, wounded healer, life coach, career transition coach, coach trap podcast, new coach, coach marketing

    Anthony Alexander Harrison - Fix your message first!
  5. Sep 23

    Why Men Don't Talk (And Where They Actually Do) | Stuart Walker on Grief, AI & the Coach Trap

    This week on the Coach Trap Podcast, we sit down with psychotherapist Stuart Walker, whose work focuses on men, fathers, grief and neurodivergence, for a raw conversation about why men struggle to ask for help and where they actually open up instead. We get into why Reddit and X see more male vulnerability than LinkedIn ever will, whether praising "strong and silent" behaviour is quietly making it harder for men to speak up, and how the death of pubs, football terraces and FIFA nights together has left a gap that AI chatbots are now filling for a growing number of people. Stuart also shares an anecdote about a client who paid £10,000 for counselling qualifications that weren't even recognised by BACP, and we talk about why the coaching and therapy industry stays so unregulated, and what that actually means for anyone looking for real help. Stuart also answers Dan's question on marketing versus competence in an unregulated industry, live on the show. 🔗 Find out more about Stuart Walker: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-walker-cafc1986/ https://www.meintime.co.uk Stuart Walker is an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist, writer and founder of Me In Time Counselling & Psychotherapy. He works particularly with men, fathers, grief and bereavement, neurodivergence and life transitions. 📘 Don't fall into the Coach Trap. Grab the book and learn how to build a coaching business the right way: www.coachtrap.co.uk #CoachTrap #MensMentalHealth #Psychotherapy #CoachingIndustry #LinkedInForCoaches

    Why Men Don't Talk (And Where They Actually Do) | Stuart Walker on Grief, AI & the Coach Trap

About

Most coaches are good at coaching and stuck on the business side. Greg Styan and Dan Williams talk to coaches who nearly quit, changed direction or finally got clients without fake marketing or chasing algorithms. Escape the Coach Trap, our book, is out 8 Jan 2027. Chapter 1 free: coachtrap.co.uk/coach-trap-book Free community: skool.com/thecoachtrap Want to be a guest? gbsc.kit.com/thecoachtrappodcast Whatever you do, don’t fall into the coach trap.