Better Bolder Braver

Frances Fogel, Cheerleader-in-Chief

Conversations around marketing for coaches that empowers them to attract Better clients, build a Bolder offer and be Braver with prices, planning and purpose.

  1. 4d ago

    Marketing, MUD and the Power of Community with Simon Hill

    In this episode, I get to profile one fabulous member of the Better Bolder Braver community, Simon Hill.  Simon is a coach, facilitator and consultant who works with people-helpers of a particular kind - leaders in charities and social purpose organisations - and he's been part of our community for two years now, most recently taking the reins as chair of our book club. We talk about what actually happens in a community like ours - how the thinking and feelings associated with marketing are slowly absorbed (after the eleventh time, or in Simon's case, the fifteenth), and how marketing starts to feel more human and less daunting. We cover the five P's of Positioning, the power of kindness at work, why good contracting is quietly brilliant marketing, and Simon's beloved concept of entering every conversation without Memory, Understanding or Desire - or as he calls it, “MUD”. There's humour, there's parenting, there's talk of doodling, and there's a couple of very good book recommendations. What we talk about Simon's journey from Head of Partnerships at Skills Builder to coaching, facilitating and consultancy - and the burnout, family caring and life changes that shaped it Why coaching is a partnership, and why the word "together" matters so much to Simon The diversity of the BBB community, and why high support plus high challenge beats being cuddled The five P's - Persona, Personality, Product, Price and Purpose - and why Simon is a "persona plus purpose" person Learning differently: dyslexia, visual thinking, and why BBB resources come in watch, read, listen and do formats MUD - entering conversations without Memory, Understanding or Desire (with thanks to Clare Norman's Cultivating Coachability) Why good contracting - outcomes, roles, responsibilities and process - is quietly brilliant marketing Simon's very human "coffee networking" approach Humour, play, parenting, doodles and King Lear's fool About the Book Club Simon is now chairing the BBB Book Club, where we read books that speak to both coaching and marketing. Next up: Kind: The quiet power of kindness at work by Graham Allcott - eight principles of kindness, starting with "it starts with you" and ending with "it doesn't end with you." Connect with Simon Website: thinkpositivechange.scjh.uk LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simoncjhill If you're a leader or manager in a charity or social purpose organisation and Simon sounds like your kind of person, LinkedIn is a great place to start. Mentioned in this episode Kind: The quiet power of kindness at work by Graham Allcott Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott Cultivating Coachability by Clare Norman The BBB Reflection & Confidence weekly space The BBB Book Club Explore Better Bolder Braver Membership of the Better Bolder Braver community includes the Coach's Marketing Journey course - the only dual-accredited course (AC, up to 32 CPD hours; ICF, 10 CCE

    Marketing, MUD and the Power of Community with Simon Hill
  2. Jun 4

    Asking Powerful Questions: The Marketing Superpower Coaches Already Have with Rob Lawrence

    What if your best marketing move wasn't saying more - but asking better questions? In this episode, I'm joined by Rob Lawrence: seasoned podcast producer, experienced coach, and - I'll be honest - one of my marketing heroes. Rob is also, rather wonderfully, the reason Better Bolder Braver exists at all. It was his generosity in inviting me onto the Association for Coaching podcast that kicked the whole thing off. Together we explore one of the most liberating ideas in good, ethical marketing: that coaches are already equipped with one of the most powerful marketing tools there is. They just might not have recognised it yet. What we talk about Why asking questions often generates more engagement than sharing expertise - on LinkedIn, in podcasts, and in lifeHow "holding the space" in marketing creates the same trust and intimacy as a coaching relationshipThe connection between self-awareness in coaching and self-awareness in marketingWhy you don't need to say something new every week - and why saying the same five things, creatively, is actually the goalHow questions can move your ideal clients through the Journey of Consciousness - from "I didn't know I had a problem" to "I'm ready to work with you"The difference between posting publicly and taking conversations offline - and why Rob's quieter LinkedIn strategy works beautifullyRob's 10-year weekly mastermind with his Australian counterpart Steve Palfreyman - and why he calls it his single biggest business secretHow to translate your best coaching questions directly into your marketing Mentioned in this episode The original Association for Coaching x BBB podcastMy weekly Reflection & Confidence space in the BBB communityThe Journey of Consciousness frameworkJoin Rob live Rob has hosted two workshops for BBB members - about "Podcasting for Coaches" and, most recently about "How to Use Brilliant Coaching Questions to do Good Ethical Marketing" - to accompany this podcast episode. To access the recording, become a BBB member.

    Asking Powerful Questions: The Marketing Superpower Coaches Already Have with Rob Lawrence
  3. Apr 15

    Clearer Positioning, Better Clients, with Sophie Swinn

    In this episode, I talk to coach Sophie Swinn about what can change when you get clearer on who your work is really for, and start building your business accordingly. Sophie shares how her business has evolved over the past year, from questioning whether she could really make coaching work, to developing a more focused offer for CEOs in scaling organisations, attracting higher-value clients, and growing in confidence as a business owner. Together, we explore what clearer positioning actually looks like in practice. We talk about niching without feeling boxed in, using real client language instead of coaching jargon, experimenting with webinars and LinkedIn outreach, and finding a way to use automation without losing the human touch. We also discuss pricing, longer-term retainers, and the internal shift required to stop charging mainly for time and start thinking more seriously about results, value, and fit. This is an honest conversation about visibility, courage, sustainability, and what it can look like to grow a coaching business in a way that is more intentional, more commercially viable, and more aligned with the work you most want to do. In this episode, Sophie and I talk about: how she became clearer about working with CEOs why niching can make your marketing easier, not harder the difference between coaching language and client language what she has learned from webinars, newsletters, and LinkedIn outreach how she thinks about AI, automation, and keeping marketing human why she moved away from six-session packages towards longer-term retainers what changed when she began thinking more seriously about pricing and value how improv has helped her with visibility, confidence, and getting things wrong the role of humility, experimentation, and consistency in growing a business About Sophie Sophie Swinn is a coach who works with CEOs and senior leaders, helping them think more clearly, lead more effectively, and navigate the complexity of growth. In this conversation, she reflects candidly on the mindset shifts, marketing decisions, and business development experiments that have shaped her journey so far. Links Find Sophie Swinn: www.swinnleadershipcoaching.co.uk Find out more about Better Bolder Braver: www.betterbolderbraver.com If this episode speaks to where you are in your own marketing journey, please follow the show and share it with a coach who might appreciate it too.

    Clearer Positioning, Better Clients, with Sophie Swinn
  4. Jan 5

    Fiona Partington: Confidence Through Transition

    In this episode, BBB community member, Fiona Partington, shares her story of transition and what has inspired to grow her coaching business in 2026. She talks about joining Better Bolder Braver in July 2024 after discovering it through an AoEC alumni session, and why the community model matters more to her than consuming marketing content alone. She describes trying to work through The Coach’s Marketing Journey alongside a demanding job, and how the live sessions, chapter-based check-ins, and confidence focused reflections have helped her stay connected and keep moving. Fiona outlines the coaching work she is building, including her role with Future Dreams, a breast cancer support charity in North London. She explains the two client groups she is most drawn to, people navigating work / life balance decisions and people making big life changes around career, family, and location. The common thread is rebuilding confidence during transition. She also addresses her relationship with marketing, moving from discomfort about self-promotion to a clearer view that marketing is simply how people find out a safe space exists. She shares her preference for one-to-one, human centred coaching over personality based approaches, and her belief in word of mouth rather than chasing vanity metrics. Fiona is active on LinkedIn and is currently building her presence without a website. Finally, Fiona speaks candidly about integrating her own health experience as a breast cancer survivor into her work, including what she has learned about acceptance and the reality of “never going back to normal”. She closes with her next steps for 2026, including joining the January Coach’s Marketing Journey sprint and building a sustainable balance between cancer related coaching and wider transition work.

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Conversations around marketing for coaches that empowers them to attract Better clients, build a Bolder offer and be Braver with prices, planning and purpose.