Service & Leadership for the Prosperous Coach

Levina Li and Melissa Ford

Hosted by coaches and friends Melissa Ford and Levina Li, Service & Leadership for the Prosperous Coach is an ongoing conversation about what it takes to build a thriving coaching practice. In their conversations, Melissa and Levina go behind the scenes of how they (and their guests) grow their practices - sometimes similarly, sometimes completely differently, and always through the same fundamental principles: through service, leadership, and a love of the craft of coaching and creating clients. To learn more about what we're up to: serviceandleadershipgame.com

Episodes

  1. Jul 14

    007. From Conversations to Clients

    In this episode, we're talking about another part of the client creation process that we've seen coaches get confused by: the space between an initial coaching conversation and making a proposal, where it's easy to end up either endlessly coaching with no direction or flipping into trying to convince someone to hire you. We share about learnings from our own years of flopping around in part of the process and the realization that changed things for both of us: people don't invest in coaching, they invest in help getting what they want. We talk about why connecting the dots in the proposal is the coach's responsibility, not the client's, and how skipping that conversation leaves even interested clients leaning out due to a lack of clarity instead of leaning in to say yes. Continue the conversation ⁠⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠ Melissa Ford: melissa@melissafordcoaching.com Levina Li: hello@levina-li.com

  2. Jul 9

    006. Leadership in Getting Paid

    Today, we're talking about what happens after a client says yes - specifically, that moment when it's time to handle payment. We talk about the internal freak-out that shows up for almost every coach at this stage, even years into building their practices, and why slowing down here is an act of leadership, not just logistics. We reflect on our own early discomfort talking about money, the stories we made up about what clients would think of us, and how avoiding the conversation actually costs trust rather than creating it. We also look at how payment policies aren't fixed - they're a living system that can evolve as we do, shaped as much by our own preferences as clients as by what we see serves the people we work with. Continue the conversation ⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠

  3. Jul 9

    005. Creating Clients as a Craft

    In this episode, we're unpacking a frustration we've heard from many coaches: I've been doing this for years, so why isn't it working yet? We get it. Looking back across our own journeys, we can point to so many moments of chasing magic bullets, testing tactics, and looking for any sign of proof that what we were doing was actually working - all while quietly wondering why our years in the game hadn't translated into the results we wanted. What we've come to see, from our own experiences and our work with our clients, is that time isn't the primary factor in a coach's success. Creating clients is a craft, and getting excellent at a craft means practicing its skills at your edge, not just logging hours. Continue the conversation ⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠

  4. Feb 19

    004. Filling a 10-Person $9,500 Group (Our Real Numbers)

    We're pulling back the curtain on what filling the first round of the Service & Leadership Game - a four month group for 10 coaches at a $9,500 investment - has looked like so far. Six weeks into the process, we're reviewing our actual numbers and reflecting on the inner game that's been required of us along the way. We talk about what's surprised us, what's challenged us, and what we've learned so far. Filling a group may look different for you. And, even with years of experience and robust communities, filling the Service & Leadership Game has required significant focus, time, and stamina. We're sharing our experience as one reference point - because it's easy to underestimate what it takes to fill a practice or group (we've done it), and in our experience, it often takes more effort, skill, and commitment than most of us expect. Continue the conversation ⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠

  5. Jan 16

    003. Growing Beyond $100K

    Today, we're exploring what's made a difference for us and our clients in our journeys of growing and sustaining our businesses beyond $100K. We reflect on the similarities and differences in our paths and surface a number of key opportunities: walking your talk as a coach, treating your coaching business like a business, developing a generosity of spirit as a service provider, and being willing to ask for help. We talk about how avoiding your own life drains capacity, why structure and policies actually create freedom, and how having a strong community of colleagues can really change everything. We take an honest look at the inner and outer shifts that made sustainable growth possible for us - and the ongoing willingness to learn that keeps it all alive. Continue the conversation ⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠

  6. 12/17/2025

    002. Saying Yes To & Creating Value From Coaching

    In this episode, we explore two closely related themes: the willingness to say yes to a coaching relationship, and what it takes to create real value once you’re inside one. We talk about resistance as a doorway to possibility and learning and share personal stories of hesitation, fear, and self-protection, and how those moments have often pointed us toward meaningful growth. We also reflect on responsibility from the client seat: how value in coaching is not something you receive passively, but something you actively create through action, experimentation, and engagement. Owning and developing the capacity to create value, we’ve found, deeply supports ongoing investment, learning, and growth. Continue the conversation Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠ ⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠

  7. 11/07/2025

    001. “Fill Your Calendar with Conversations”

    In this very first episode, we slow down around a phrase that you might have heard around the prosperous coach world: "fill your calendar with conversations." That sounds simple, and it's worth taking a closer look at. What does that actually mean when you're building (or rebuilding) your practice? How many conversations does it really take? How do you know if what you're doing is working? We share stories from our practices and our clients, discuss the value of tracking, and reflect on how much we can learn when we are willing to get clear on our systems, actions, calendar, and state. Continue the conversation ⁠Learn more about The Service & Leadership Game⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter⁠⁠

  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Hosted by coaches and friends Melissa Ford and Levina Li, Service & Leadership for the Prosperous Coach is an ongoing conversation about what it takes to build a thriving coaching practice. In their conversations, Melissa and Levina go behind the scenes of how they (and their guests) grow their practices - sometimes similarly, sometimes completely differently, and always through the same fundamental principles: through service, leadership, and a love of the craft of coaching and creating clients. To learn more about what we're up to: serviceandleadershipgame.com

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