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. Aug 26

    Ep 40. Your Mentor Is Human. Now What?

    This week's Mixer gets into the complicated moment when a mentor, teacher, or coach you admire turns out to be unmistakably human. What happens when disappointment shows up, a teacher's choices no longer make sense to you, or the advice that once helped starts asking you to ignore your own experience? Erin and Elana explore how coaches can keep learning without swallowing an entire worldview, how to recognize the difference between expertise and projection, and what a mentor's community may reveal that polished teaching alone cannot. If you have ever felt guilty for questioning someone who helped you, or wondered whether disappointment means it is time to leave, listen for a way to stay curious without abandoning your personal values. In This Episode, You'll Hear About The subtle ways admiration can turn into outsourced authority Why disappointment with a mentor may be important information about your own leadership How to separate a teacher's useful work from the parts that do not fit your life What to notice when a mentor's message and lived choices appear to diverge Why the people around a teacher can tell you as much as the teaching itself This episode is for coaches, creative business owners, and lifelong students who want to learn deeply, keep their standards, and trust themselves when a teacher no longer fits as neatly as they once did. Erin is enjoying an Aperol gin and tonic with rosemary from the garden. Elana has ginger liqueur and peach juice for the show. Connect with Elana Mckernan and Erin Aquin Elana Mckernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. Find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elanamckernan/ and book a consultation at https://www.coachingwithelana.com/book-a-consult. 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." Read the book at https://besuperabound.com/book and book a consultation at https://besuperabound.com/consultation.

  2. Aug 13

    Ep 39. You Can't Plan Your Way Into Confidence

    Ever notice how easy it is to keep refining the plan when the next step feels uncomfortable? For coaches and business owners, preparation can look responsible while actually just being the fear of trying something new. This conversation explores the difference between a plan that helps you move and one that keeps you busy and waiting to feel ready. Erin and Elana also explore what becomes possible when you question inherited rules, let other people see potential you cannot yet see, and treat nervousness as part of meaningful work instead of proof that something has gone wrong. You'll hear: Why group coaching can lose its spark when it becomes one-on-one coaching with an audience How to tell whether your plan is supporting progress or delaying it Why trying to eliminate fear often results in shame without any extra confidence How community can inspire you to shift from preparation to action Connect with Erin and Elana Elana Mckernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. Find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elanamckernan/ and book a consultation at https://www.coachingwithelana.com/book-a-consult. 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." Read the book at https://besuperabound.com/book and book a consultation at https://besuperabound.com/consultation.

  3. Aug 4

    Ep 38. Who Made That Coaching Rule?

    Erin and Elana start with their liqueur-inspired drinks, then move into the real conversation: how coaches can tell the difference between business advice that offers useful structure and rules that shrink their creativity.  Most coaches have heard some version of the formula: niche down, start with one-on-one clients, wait to launch the podcast, follow the steps in the right order, and eventually the business will make sense.   Sometimes that kind of structure helps.   It gives you something solid to hold onto when you are new, uncertain, or leaving behind the predictability of a regular job.   But sometimes advice stops being useful and starts becoming a rule you never chose. What began as one person's strategy, or one person's constraint, can get repeated until it sounds like the only responsible way to build a coaching business. Erin's drinking a Mallorca herbal liqueur with sparkling water, maple, lemon, and cinnamon basil from the garden. Elana's got lemon-ginger liqueur with seltzer, extra lemon, apple cider, and frozen blueberries.  You'll hear about: Why "good advice" can become a weird little cage if you stop questioning it The difference between useful structure and arbitrary coaching rules What gets lost when coaches build from someone else's formula instead of their own instincts Why group coaching deserves to be treated as its own craft, not just the next business milestone How participation, play, and community could make group coaching way more alive This one's for coaches, facilitators, and creative business owners who want enough of a plan to keep moving, but not so much plan that the interesting stuff gets squeezed out before it has a chance to breathe. Connect with Elana and Erin Elana Mckernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. Find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elanamckernan/ and book a consultation at https://www.coachingwithelana.com/book-a-consult. 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." Read the book at https://besuperabound.com/book and book a consultation at https://besuperabound.com/consultation.

  4. Jul 22

    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.

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Erin Aquin & Elana McKernan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Coaching Mixer

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