Show Notes: In this episode of Beyond Six Figures, Ziv sits down with Eric Woodard – a Master Certified Coach with 25+ years of experience spanning the White House, U.S. Senate, State Department, and the Smithsonian. They dive into what it really takes to build a fully booked coaching practice: serving before selling, becoming a trusted agent of transformation, and creating simple, repeatable systems that don’t depend on fancy funnels or ad spend. Episode Highlights: Eric shares his unconventional path from growing up in East Asia to logging 10,000+ scuba-instructor hours in Guam before deciding to “pull it together” and unexpectedly landing a White House internship in the Clinton administration. How his roles in the First Lady’s Office, the U.S. Senate, the State Department, and the Smithsonian shaped his views on careers, leadership, and why people struggle at work. The moment he left “the system” to launch his own coaching business and how he’s grown it into a near seven-figure practice over five years. Why logos, funnels, and tools come second and why obsessively serving people is what truly fills a coaching roster. Why clients hire based on trust, and how real coaching conversations (not sales calls) build that trust fastest. Eric shares his simple invite script: Listen deeply. Reflect their challenge. Offer: “I help people with that. Want to schedule a coaching conversation unlike any you’ve had before?” Stay unattached to their answer. Eric introduces the C-T-F-A-R model: Circumstances → Thoughts → Feelings → Actions → Results. Eric’s contrarian niching philosophy: he “coaches humans.” The real qualifier is coachability, not profession. How he grew from a solo practice to: Hiring 8–9 coaches for 1:1 work Running group programs where everyone sees him Building an enrollment team so he can focus on the business Where his clients actually come from: weekly live workshops, organic conversations, referrals, and serving people who may never pay him but often send others. Eric’s view on the world’s growing need for people willing to be true partners in transformation. About Eric Woodard: Eric Woodard, EdD, MCC High Performance Career and Leadership Coach Dr. Eric Woodard has travelled or worked in over 70 countries. He served 25+ years at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in the U.S. State Department, and the Smithsonian Institution. Across a full spectrum of disciplines Eric helps individuals, teams, and organizations access possibility to elevate performance at all levels of government, business, non-profits, higher education, cultural organizations, international civil society, and more. Eric has deep expertise and experience coaching on a range of topics including resilience, productivity, inclusion, balance, trust, communication, focus, clarity, energy, courage, influence, caregiving, intuition, career growth, spirituality, presence, physiology, relationships, stress, belief, vulnerability, confidence, purpose, integrity, power, and more. His coaching is buoyed by fluency in all major theories of culture, change, learning, and leadership. Driven by positivity, authenticity, humor, and storytelling, Eric’s coaching leverages the power of context, emotions, values, systems, and the unconscious mind. His coaching relies on distinctions of agreement vs expectation, them vs you, style vs substance, depth vs breadth, serving vs pleasing, owner vs victim, empathy vs assertion, showing vs telling, commitment vs intention, professional vs social, responsibility vs control, managing vs leading, being vs doing, and knowing vs learning. Eric is the author of multiple books including Your Last Day of School and The Ultimate Guide to Internships. He is a Kentucky Colonel, recipient of the U.S. State Department Superior Honor Award, and has completed 9 marathons. He holds a diploma from the International School of Bangkok, a B.A. in Biology from the University of Missouri, an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University, and an Ed.D. in Human and Organizational Learning from George Washington University where he researched the nature of internships that develop soft skills. Eric is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Master Certified Coach (MCC) and three-time graduate of the CFJ Coaching Success School. Eric holds certificates in Executive Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance (American University), and Masterful Coaching (George Mason University). He is certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) as an IDC Staff Scuba Instructor with over 15 underwater specialties. Eric lives in Alexandria, VA, with his smart beautiful wife Keri and their 4 amazing kids (all named after occupations). Links & Resources: Eric’s Website & Coaching Win at Work / WeNetwork – Learn more about Eric’s coaching, his team, and services: Visit: winatwork.io Weekly “Get Hired Fast” Workshop A free, live weekly workshop for job seekers and professionals wanting to land better roles, faster. Held every Tuesday at 12:00 PM (U.S. Eastern). Registration available via winatwork.io (look for the Get Hired Fast workshop). Eric’s Books (Early Career / Internships) The Ultimate Guide to Internships Your Last Day of School How Do I Find an Internship? Search “Eric Woodard” on Amazon to find his books. Referenced Influences & Schools of Thought The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler & Rich Litvin – foundational text for service-first, relationship-based coaching. CFJ Coaching Success School (Carolyn Freyer-Jones) – a coach training school where Eric is a multi-time graduate and now faculty member.
