16 years ago, I started coaching with an email, a PDF, and a lot of guesswork. Today, my athletes' workouts sync automatically and we're commenting back and forth before I even finish my coffee.

This episode came from a conversation with my friend who asked me what's actually changed the most since I started coaching. I break it down into three things. Communication. Data. Community. Then, I'll tell you where I think each one is headed.

We talk about:

• Why real-time commenting changed coaching more than any single piece of gear ever did
• The power meter I bought in 2008 and how data went from "nobody has this" to non-negotiable
• Why I won't coach an athlete without power anymore, and where useful data turns into noise
• My honest take on Strava and community apps, and why I stepped back from checking in daily
• Why I tell brand-new coaches NOT to start with AI coaching apps
• Where I think AI sharpens a coach's brain instead of replacing the coach

No fluff. Just 16 years of pattern recognition and an honest look forward.

Am I too old-school on any of this? DM me @CoachMichelleLake.

If you're ready to build a coaching business that doesn't run through 70 different apps, that's what we work on inside Dream to 6.

Book a call with me here to see if it's the right fit for you: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/afee674e/appointment/31380211/calendar/5950491?appointmentTypeIds[]=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

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Selling season is almost here, and up to 70% of athletes look for a coach between September and February. That means most of your future athletes are about to start searching.

Some of them already know your name. But a lot of them don't, yet. They're the lurkers. The quiet Googlers. The ones who find you on Instagram, or through a friend, or (yes, this is happening now) through ChatGPT.

So when a total stranger lands on your website, what happens next?

In this episode, I'm sharing the one thing I see missing from coaches' websites over and over again, and why it might be costing you inquiries you don't even know you're losing. I'm also giving you a first look at the framework I use every fall to make sure I capture as many of those inquiries as possible, and how it all ties into what we're building inside Selling Season.

This is the conversation to listen to before the season gets busy, not after.

In this episode:

• Why athletes are more likely to inquire this fall than almost any other time of year
• The one part of your website that determines whether a stranger becomes an inquiry
• A sneak peek at the framework behind Selling Season, my two-week program starting August 31st

Ready to get more than your share of inquiries this season? Selling Season opens for a limited time, cart closes August 30th. Click the link here to join us (https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/selling-season/), or DM me @coachmichellelake if you've got questions first.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

Your athletes finish their last big race. Weather cools off. Kids go back to school. And your numbers start to dip.

I used to panic about this. Now I know better. This is just the season, and it's the biggest one of the whole year, the one where over 70% of athletes buy coaching.

In this episode, I'm breaking down what selling season actually is, why it happens, and the two things every coach needs to focus on right now to make the most of it. I'm also walking through my Selling Season Star, the framework I use to help coaches prepare, and why systems (yes, even the boring back end ones...) might be the biggest unlock in your business this year.

Selling Season is open now.

Two weeks, three live calls, daily voice notes you keep for life, starting August 31st. Doors close Sunday, August 30th at 8PM Eastern. No late entries. Link below.

https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/selling-season/

Questions? DM me @CoachMichelleLake or email coachmichellelake@gmail.com. I'd love to talk it through with you.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

Just got back from two weeks in Europe, fjords in Norway, a Greek village nowhere near the tourist islands, and one group call taught from happy hour in Athens.

But that's not what this episode is about.

It's August. Your inbox might feel dead. Your athletes are quiet because they're heads down for their A races. That silence isn't a problem. It's the calendar.

Here's what matters: quiet doesn't mean nothing's happening. Athletes are already shopping, they've just been at it for months before the credit card comes out.

In this episode, I walk through four types of athletes window-shopping right now, including one who just podiumed at USA Triathlon Nationals and is already wrestling with what's next. Plus, I tell on myself with the story of the first time I tried to write my own training plan (spoiler alert: it did not go well).

If your DMs feel dry right now, or you want to get in front of athletes quietly deciding their next move, this one's for you.

Something big's opening Monday the 24th, built exactly for this window. Want the early word (plus a bonus for the first few days)? DM me "SELLING" on Instagram @coachmichellelake.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

It just happened to a coach I work with. Her athlete didn't finish, and the conversations we had after got me thinking about something we never talk about: how the coach handles a DNF, not just the athlete.

In this episode, I get into the grief of it (yes, even my own DNS-turned-finish story at Ironman Lake Placid), what you can and can't control as a coach, and a simple debrief process to help your athlete (and yourself) move through it and find the next start line. Plus, why this isn't just a race day problem. It shows up in your business too.

Also in this episode: Selling Season is back! Fall is the next start line for coaches: it's when most athletes go looking for a new one for the year ahead. Selling Season opens Monday, August 24th. Get on my email list below or follow me @CoachMichelleLake to hear first.

Join the list here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/joinlist/

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

I write my training plan every week before I ever step foot in the pool or on the track. So why would my business be any different?

In this episode, I'm breaking down the framework I teach inside Dream to 6 for building an actual system around your sales, not just random posts and hoping something sticks. I call it the Six C's, and I walk through all six levels of the "triangle," from the daily habits at the base to the bigger quarterly plays at the top.

I talk about:

• Why athletes hire the coach they connect with, not just the one they know exists
• The one simple ask after every conversation that builds your following without ever feeling salesy
• Why one post a week isn't enough to build the content muscle (and what actually works)
• The step almost every coach skips, and why it's costing them inquiries
• How to use longer-form content to let potential athletes really get to know you
• Where bigger group events fit into the picture, and how often to run them

This is the same intention I bring to every training plan I write. No throwing spaghetti at the wall. Just a system you run every single week.

Let's talk about your sales machine. If you're ready to stop guessing and build real intention into how you grow, book a call with me and let's map it out together.

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

How many athletes did you lose last year that you could have kept? Not the ones who got hurt or pregnant or had to step away for good reasons. The ones who just quietly drifted off.

We spend so much energy on the front door, getting new athletes in, and almost none on the back door, where people are leaving and we're not even noticing.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:

• Why that leak is probably the most expensive thing happening in your business
• Why it's rarely about your coaching and almost always about your systems
• The exact places I want you auditing this week

If your retention is sitting under two to three years per athlete, this one's for you. Book a call with me ​HERE​: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23890670&appointmentType=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

Two weeks ago, we talked about the worth wound. Today, I'm taking it further, and we're doing some actual math.

I want you to break down exactly how many hours a month you spend per athlete. Plan writing, calls, texts, feedback, all of it. Then divide that into what you charge.

Most of you are going to be shocked at your real hourly rate. And I mean shocked.

We'll get into why this happens (hint: you're pricing off what YOU would pay, not what the transformation is worth), the mistakes that keep coaches stuck at the same rate for years, and what actually justifies charging more.

If you've been avoiding this conversation with yourself, this episode is your nudge.

Ready to look at your own numbers? Book a call with me here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=23890670&appointmentType=31380211

Let me know what you think! If you enjoy the podcast, I’d be so grateful if you left a star rating or written review on your podcast platform of choice. Thanks for listening!

Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list