The Coaching Mixer

Erin Aquin & Elana McKernan
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Honest conversations on life, coaching, the industry while sipping our favourite beverages

  1. 2d ago

    Stop Living on Minimum Viable Nourishment

    Erin and Elana are back with cherries in their glasses and a conversation for anyone who is excellent at keeping going… sometimes a little too excellent. Erin is sipping a cherry gin and tonic, while Elana has whiskey with muddled cherries, seltzer, lime, and maple syrup. If you have ever replayed a mistake, rushed to fix your feelings, or waved off help because someone else probably needs it more, this episode offers a kinder and more practical way forward. You will hear how to learn from what happened without making failure final, how to notice when you are surviving on crumbs, and how to create the conditions for your next attempt from a more supported place. In this episode, you'll hear about: How to evaluate a miss without turning it into a verdict on who you are Why finding the lesson too quickly can become another form of glossing over Why giving thoughtful support can feel much easier than receiving it What "minimum viable nourishment" looks like in life and business How pausing to refuel can make the next path easier to see This conversation is for high-capacity people who already know how to push through, and are ready to build success that actually feeds them. Connect: Elana Mckernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. Find her free content at instagram.com/elanamckernan and learn about coaching at coachingwithelana.com. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." Learn more at besuperabound.com/consultation.

  2. Jul 9

    Ep 36. Allow Yourself to Be Human Over Cherry Cocktails

    Erin and Elana are back with cherries in their glasses and support for Coaches. Erin is sipping a cherry gin and tonic made with frozen cherries, lime, and tonic water, while Elana has whiskey, muddled fresh cherries with seltzer, lime juice, and a little maple syrup.   They dive into something every coach, leader, and sensitive human eventually has to face: what happens when feedback, conflict, or disappointment brings up a very real reaction?   Elana and Erin explore how to stay warm and direct, without glossing over your own experience or managing everyone else's feelings at the expense of your own.   You will learn a gentler, more useful way to think about hard conversations, one that allows you to be professional without pretending you are not human.    In This Episode, You'll Hear About   Why trying to skip the hard feelings might be slowing down your growth  Why shame makes honest, curious conversations so much harder How to raise a potentially confronting observation without needing to be right Why rupture and repair are normal parts of healthy relationships, not evidence that something has gone wrong  This conversation is a reminder that being thoughtful, skilled, and caring does not require you to feel peaceful all the time.  Connect: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com/consultation

  3. Jul 2 ·  Video

    Ep 35. Cherry Lime Rum and Emotional Sabbaticals (pt 2)

    What happens when something doesn't go according to plan, and your first instinct is to make yourself the problem? In part two of the Cherry Lime Rum and Emotional Sabbaticals conversation, Erin and Elana get into the tender, funny, and very human work of building a kinder relationship with yourself. The kind that helps you learn from mistakes without spiraling, ask for what you actually want, and stop treating your well-being like an optional business expense. Because yes, your goal matters. But if you sacrifice yourself to reach it, the goal is probably not going to feel quite as sparkly once you get there. In this episode of The Coaching Mixer, Erin and Elana talk about: Why committing to your well-being matters more than committing to your goal How self-compassion can become a skill, especially if self-cruelty has been your default setting How to learning from something that didn't work instead of using it as evidence against yourself What it looks like to ask directly for support, appreciation, and recognition instead of waiting for people to offer it You don't have to become a person who floats through life in perfect self-love. You can simply learn to interrupt the Static and build a steadier, warmer relationship with yourself. Connect with us: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com/consultation

  4. Jun 22

    Ep 34. Cherry Lime Rum and Emotional Sabbaticals

    A lot of founders assume business has to feel heavy: think constant pressure, striving, and proving yourself. In this episode, Erin and Elana talk about what happens when you loosen your grip without checking out. Erin shares the latest on her emotional sabbatical: not a break from working, but a break from the inner pressure, drama, and self-inflicted urgency that can turn entrepreneurship into a serious grind. That experiment led to a surprising creative project (an oracle deck) and a deeper experience of what playfulness actually does for decision-making, leadership, and momentum. Elana brings the counterpoint, with her own "sprint season," where the volume of responsibilities force a kind of non-attachment by necessity. Together, they explore the difference between healthy non-attachment and hiding, and why the skill that matters most isn't "never caring," but being kind to yourself when things don't go the way you hoped. In this episode, we talk about: What an "emotional sabbatical" looks like in real life (and why it's not the same as stopping work) The difference between being focused vs. being hypervigilant How creative play can create better business outcomes  The hidden cost of self-punishment after disappointment, and what to do instead The "$10,000 learning" frame: how to turn an apparent failure into future value Connect with us: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com

  5. Jun 2

    Ep 33. Finding Your Business Pace, part 2

    If you've ever wondered why some people's ideas of success can feel like a trap (even when things are going well), this episode is a permission slip to build a business that doesn't require self-abandonment. Erin and Elana talk about the weird cultural religion of work, the invisible identity games underneath "So what do you do?", and what it looks like to make values-based decisions when your nervous system is screaming for safety. Takeaways you can use immediately If your business requires you to be depleted to be successful, it's not success. It's a slow leak. Your values should run your calendar, not your anxiety. Being "polished" is optional. Being aligned is not. If you're obsessing over tiny mistakes, that might not be professionalism. It might be self-protection. You can build a business that's steady, profitable, and not constantly on fire. If this episode resonates, it's probably because… You're in (or nearing) that moment where you realize: I can't keep doing it like this. Not because you're broken. Because you're paying attention. Connect with us: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com

  6. May 28

    Ep 32. Cocktails & Cadence: Finding Your Business Pace

    Erin and Elana are back at the Coaching Mixer with an important question: how do you create your own pace in business (one that actually works) without burning out or getting stuck in "nothing gets done" mode? They go deep on this while Erin sips a "Fairy Godmother" cocktail made with whiskey, amaretto, cherry, and lime, and Elana has whiskey with magical sumo orange juice, topped with a sprinkle of dried rosemary.  They talk about the real-life tension so many business owners feel: sometimes you genuinely want a sprint season. Sometimes it's exciting, focused, and purposeful. But the moment you're sprinting like you're being chased by a monster, it's time to get honest about what's sustainable, what's just habit, and what might be turning your business into a never-ending launch week. Takeaways for your own business: How to tell the difference between a healthy sprint and an unsustainable pace. A simple framework for staying creatively playful without sliding into shiny-object chaos. Why your "best work hours" matter, and how to stop scheduling your hardest work when your brain is a baked potato. The hidden mindset layer: how self-worth, work culture, and scarcity can keep you from honoring your actual rhythm. How to build a "creative outlet with no stakes," so your business isn't the only place you're trying to feel alive. If you're trying to find a pace that feels ambitious and humane, this episode is a must-listen. Links Find Erin on Instagram: @besuperabound Find Elana on Instagram: @elanamckernan Connect with us: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com

  7. May 5

    Ep 31. Long-Term Clients Without the Codependency Spiral (Part 2)

    Tune in to part two of the long-term client conversation, perfect for any coach who has ever wondered where the line is between support and slowly becoming someone's decision-making system. Elana and Erin talk about how to build long-term coaching relationships that are warm, real, and deeply effective without slipping into unhealthy authority dynamics or turning sessions into renewal pitches. The Drinks Erin's sipping a bourbon-lime-ginger drink while Elana's got honey + ginger vodka topped with seltzer and a splash of pineapple juice. They discuss: Why "I'm the expert" branding can quietly train clients to hand over their authority. The difference between being a thinking partner and being the person clients can't function without. How to receive client appreciation without inflating your ego or deflecting the whole compliment into the void. Why sales conversations inside paid sessions can mess with presence and trust. If you're a coach... Listen if you want clients who stick around because the work is good, not because they feel like they'll fall apart without you. (Also: ginger is apparently the unofficial beverage of boundary-setting.) Links Find Erin on Instagram: @besuperabound Find Elana on Instagram: @elanamckernan Connect with us: Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here. Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com

  8. Apr 28

    Ep 30. Ginger Bitters & Big Feelings: Long-Term Clients Without the Codependency Spiral

    A listener asked: How do you support clients long-term without accidentally becoming their emotional support human, their outsourced decision-making brain, or their personal "always be closing" sales funnel? Erin and Elana get into the uncomfortable truth, that "dependency" is not a villain. It is a spectrum. But coaching that ends up training people to distrust themselves is problematic. And yes, they also talk about the marketing version of coaching that's basically: "Your life is terrible, I'm the cure, please renew for six more months." Huge ick. The spicy bits: Being the "expert coach" can accidentally train clients to hand over their authority.  Long-term coaching can be clean and powerful when approached as a collaborator, thinking partner, and extra brain, not authority figure with a payment link. Sales conversations inside paid sessions feel gross (for everyone). If you're tracking breakthroughs mostly so you can prove the transformation at renewal time, you are no longer fully on their side. The dependency tells to listen for: The client keeps giving the coach all the credit. The client keeps asking what the coach thinks they should do. The client seems unable to decide without external validation. You will discover: One sentence that instantly cleans up the power dynamic (and makes clients trust themselves more). The tiny line between celebrating wins and low-key running a renewal pitch (and how to tell which spot you're in). How to take the compliment and give the power back, without deflecting or claiming credit you did not earn. If you're a coach listening to this… This episode is basically permission to stop doing coaching like it's a performance review plus a sales close.  Connect with us: Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach. Learn more at besuperabound.com Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here.

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5
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About

Honest conversations on life, coaching, the industry while sipping our favourite beverages

Information

  • Creator
    Erin Aquin & Elana McKernan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Coaching Mixer