Welcome to the Anything but Average Podcast where I will teach you how to create a coaching business one step at a time. I’m Lindsey Mango, a life coach passionate about helping you create the life of your wildest dreams by creating a coaching business. Let’s get started.
Hello, how are you guys? And welcome back to another week and another episode of Anything but Average. Guys, how’s it going? I hope you are doing amazing. I am doing awesome. I just got back from Vegas Sunday for our first in-person event for the two-million-dollar mastermind that I’m a part of.
The first time I’ve seen some of these women in like, a year. And so I’m so grateful that we can finally get together in person. Definitely still recovering a little bit. Guys, I’m like a grandma. Chris jokes that I turn into a pumpkin past like, 10pm. But there was one night that we stayed out after dinner a little late, and so I’m like, 1am their time is like, 4am our time here on the East coast.
Oh my gosh you guys, I’m on a tangent now but I always go, never eat soggy waffles to remember which direction. Yeah, that’s what’s happening over here. So before we jump in, I want to share a results or testimonial from one of my students in Anything but Average.
Here’s what she said. “I’ve known I wanted to help people since I was a teenager. I tried to become a therapist but years of school didn’t energize me when I was already good at helping people. It occurred to me in November of 2020 that I could be a coach. But I had lots of fears holding me back. I was afraid people would think this was just another thing that I tried and abandoned because I started other things before and realized they weren’t my calling, and I was really worried what people would think of me and that they wouldn’t take me seriously. I joined Anything but Average on my birthday, January 24th of 2021. I followed the process and launched my business on February 13th.”
Guys, that’s like, what? Three weeks? “Today,” it’s April when she gave me this testimonial, “I have five one-on-one clients, 15 people in my group coaching program, and I have already made $7284 in my business.”
So guys, she launched on February 13th. It’s been a month and a half and she’s already made $7200 in her coaching business. She said, “ABA helped me get past all the drama I had about getting started and finally put it out in the world. I’m in awe of what I’ve created so far.” So freaking good.
In this program, we get you to a place where you start your business. That’s not something that has to take a long time. That’s something that can happen very quickly once you join because I have a process to follow and we coach in the group so that anything holding you back you can get past it.
And once you start, then we get into how do you sign clients, how do you start making money. So freaking good. Alright, so today’s episode’s going to be a little different than my typical episode. I put out a post yesterday, by the time this episode goes live it will be last week, and it is a post that I’ve actually put out before. I adjusted it some, but it always gets insane amounts of feedback.
It almost blows my mind every time how many people love it and comment on it and are inspired by it. So I actually want to – maybe you’ve already heard it, but I wanted to read to you guys quickly today and I want to talk about the thinking and the approach that went into the transformation that I talk about in this post.
Because it’s something that everyone is going to have to go through, all of you guys are going to have to grow through in order to start your coaching business. So here is the post.
Four years ago, I told my boyfriend I was investing $9700 into coaching. I only had $1200 in my savings. We argued about money pretty much every month. I paid for 90% of our expenses and it was $9000 more than I had. You see, I was never the type of woman to do something like this. I followed the rules. I always asked for permission and I weighed everyone else’s opinions more than my own.
I will never forget him saying, “You could buy a new car with that,” as he stormed out of the room. Then my parents called once they got wind of it, and the message from them was clear. This isn’t a responsible decision.
Then I cried alone in my car for an hour. I’d finally gotten up the courage to go for what I wanted and no one supported me. I considered backing out. Little did I know this experience was the growth I had been asking for because do you know what was going to be required to create the life I was asking for?
The ability to trust myself so deeply that I was willing to make uncomfortable decisions and stick by them no matter what. The ability to believe so deeply in myself and my inevitable success that it didn’t matter who believed in me or not.
This weekend, I was at the two-million-dollar mastermind and I thought about that decision being the first and most important decision that put me in this room today. I’m getting a little emotional, sorry.
The truth is yes, I could have bought a car with that $9700. But instead, I chose to invest that $9700 into becoming the woman who stands by her decisions no matter what. I invested in learning to believe in myself and my dreams so strongly that it didn’t matter what other people thought.
Instead of buying a car, I bought the opportunity to become who I am today. And that’s given me cars $9700 definitely couldn’t buy. The freedom to have experiences I couldn’t even imagine back then. A business that has generated over a million dollars, a business that has helped hundreds of people, and the life I always wanted.
I’d say that was the best damn decision and investment I’ve ever made. And then I said joining Anything but Average is lesson one of the growth necessary to start your coaching business. Waiting won’t change that. The only way is through.
Every time I read that it makes me emotional. So I was reflecting on this post and all the feedback I got, and I was thinking about how I had $1200 in my savings. I made this $9700 investment, and I wanted to expand on the story and tell you guys what actually happened and how I made that decision and how I backed it up by actually finding the $9700, and how I had to grow and think in order to approach it that way.
Because here’s the thing; no matter where you’re at in your life and your growth, if you want to create a different reality, if you want to start a coaching business and one day be in a room, like the room I’m in with two-million-dollar earners, you are going to have to grow.
And growth literally only happens when you make uncomfortable decisions, when you make decisions that require you to become someone else, that require you to show up, think differently, and become a different person. So I want to backtrack a little bit and tell you guys a little bit more about this story so that you can apply this to your own life.
Because to start your coaching business, this is something you’re going to have to transform through. This is an approach I want you to apply. Maybe you’re not starting a coaching business, maybe you’re further along. This is all going to apply. This is something I have to consistently apply at every single level when it comes to making big decisions, investing in myself, taking risk, all of that.
So I’d actually hired a one-on-one coach, which was also a very big step and stretch and investment before this $9700. And a couple months into our coaching, she offered me the opportunity to do a VIP weekend, which is an in-person event in Laguna Beach, and it was going to be $9700.
And I just on the call, I was like yes, I want to do it. Now, I made this decision and I committed myself before I knew how the hell I was going to make it happen. And of course in that moment I was very excited and like, let’s do it. And then I get off and the reality starts to set in.
I’m like, open up my bank account and I’m like, hmm, let me just offer to you guys, I never had a credit card that incurred interest before that point or even after that point but we’ll get there in a second. I didn’t pay for things on debt. I wasn’t somebody who just did that all the time.
So I look at my bank account and I’m like, okay, how am I going to make this happen? Now I had, probably five weeks to come up with the money and make the final payment before I left for that trip. And so I decided, I’d actually just started my coaching business, I decided I’m going to pay for it no matter what.
And I decided I was going to find a way to sign clients and make that amount of money. Now, the other thing was I just decided I would figure it out. So even if I didn’t sign the clients, I would put it on a credit card.
One of the biggest things I want to share from this part of the story is a lot of us make our decisions and our commitments contingent upon whether we get the outcome we want or not. So we’re like, “I’ll invest or I’ll make this decision if I have time, if I have money, if I sign the amount of clients that I want,” which doesn’t change who you are.
You’re making it contingent upon who you are now and the current reality and the current way that you think, which is why you don’t have the clients, the business, or the money just laying around. The universe and results respond to certainty, to making a decision ahead of time.
So one of the biggest things I did and that changed so much in that moment was I committed to paying that $9700, I told her I was going to do it, and it didn’t matter where the money had to come from. I was willing to do whatever it took.
Now, I’m going to go back through and talk about the different thoughts that I had, but you’re probably picking up on some of them. So I made that decision and then I tell my boyfriend about it and he was very upset. And I remember sitting in the living room bawling my eyes out and feeling like I wanted to argue for it but understanding why he was also uncomfortable with it.
And just feeling so defeated. And then my parents, I had a conversation with them and what’s crazy is they thought I was joining a cult or something and couldn’t understand it, which now I look back, you guys, I was not a girl to ruffle feathers. I was not a girl to do things like this. Of course they were all uncomfortable with it.
I had attracted people into my life and everyone in my life was used to me making decisions certain ways, so this was very out of character for me. So of course they’re going to be a little concerned. And I’ll never forget I was sitting in the car, it felt like they had an intervention.
My boyfriend was in the car with me along with my parents and they had this whole call and talked about how it was irresponsible and that they were all scared about the decision I was making. And I just remember feeling so defeated and just like, bawling my eyes out, to the point where I was like, couldn’t breathe.
And I just sat there quietly and I texted my coach and I called my coach after that and part of me wanted to back out. I think that’s important to say. Part of my brain was like, run, this doesn’t feel like a good idea, this doesn’t make any sense, this isn’t logical, you don’t have this money, what are you doing?
But the other part was still committed to my decision and wanted change and wanted growth and knew that there was so much on the other side of this. So I showed up to get coaching with my coach on it and I showed up to think about it differently.
And so I decided that it didn’t matter if it made my boyfriend uncomfortable, it didn’t matter if it made my parents uncomfortable that in order for me to create the life that I really wanted, I was going to have to do things that were uncomfortable for other people and uncomfortable for myself.
And so I wanted that so bad that it didn’t matter how uncomfortable all of that, the financial situation, my family, my boyfriend at the time felt. So then I really completely made that decision and I didn’t spend time thinking about what if it doesn’t happen.
I decided. I was getting my credit card, seeing if I could up the limit, I was thinking about how could I make money in other ways, what could I sell, I was thinking about how could I take some more money out of my paycheck, even though I was pretty much just barely making ends meet.
And because I was committed, I was willing to find any way to make it happen. Of course because I made that decision, I started signing clients and the money started coming. And I’m not kidding you guys, three days before I left for that trip when the payment was due, I signed one more client and I made the payment in full.
I didn’t even have to use a credit card. Now, I went on that trip and it completely changed me forever. I actually left that relationship, which was a very huge and scary decision for me, and I just changed completely as a person. I decided that this was going to be life-changing for me. I showed up with that intention. That’s what I created.
From that moment, I only had I think three or four clients. And that was what – some other things had come in. That’s how I made the payment. And I wasn’t even close to being able to leave my corporate job. But when I went there, it was October, and I was like, I want to leave my job in December.
And I grew so much, changed so much as a person, mostly because of this commitment and these decisions I made ahead of time. And when I got back, I signed eight clients in four weeks, and I was able to leave my job in January.
When I look back, it was one of the most pivotal life-changing moments for me. Not because of what I learned or the tangible things. It was about who I had to become in that moment when I committed to this. It was about who I became on that trip, showing up differently and taking responsibility over my life and what I was creating, and deciding I was going to be all in for me, no matter how uncomfortable it made other people.
And that is what created that ripple effect. Now, some of you guys are hearing this and you’re like, okay, how did you have $1200 in your savings and make a commitment that you were going to pay $9700? How did you make that happen?
Some of you guys might be even thinking about making the $2000 investment to join Anything but Average and you’re thinking I don’t have the money right now, it doesn’t feel available to me, whatever it is. Here is how I actually did it.
One, I decided there was no other choice. I decided my dream wasn’t optional and I knew that the human brain, I didn’t understand the science of it at the time, but I knew I would get really excited about the life I was creating, and then I’d lose excitement and enthusiasm, I’d lose my commitment and then I’d stop and three months later I would not do anything, and start back up again.
And it was this constant rollercoaster and I realized I am not creating the commitment that is required of me in order to change my life, so I’m going to commit myself to something that doesn’t give me any other option.
Once I made that decision, then I went to work. It was not a choice. Then I went to work to figure out all the ways. I was like, what can I do? How can I call my bank? Should I get another job? It didn’t matter. I was willing to do whatever it takes.
And one of the perspectives I had on this that I will offer you guys was I thought if I needed a medical treatment or my life was on the line, and I know this is a little extreme, but if my life was on the line and I needed something that was $10,000 to stay alive, or to take care of my body, or whatever, emergency surgery, I was like, would I find a way?
The answer is hell freaking yes. There’s no choice. That’s the thought we have about our health or our mortgage or whatever it is. And I thought why am I not that committed to the life I really want? And I realized that that is the level of commitment it would take to change my whole life.
To create everything that I wanted. So that’s something I asked myself and I realized, if I’m capable of coming up with the money in that scenario, that means I’m capable of finding a way now. And I brought that level of commitment to it.
So really, the first thought and the first approach was my dream isn’t optional. I’m committed to this no matter what. Even if you don’t have that yet, that’s a place you’re going to have to get to in order to start your coaching business and create the results that you want. That’s something I help clients with in my program.
If you don’t have that commitment, then your results are never going to – your results will always reflect your level of commitment there. The next thought I had is I’m willing to do whatever it takes. It didn’t matter if I had to get another job. It didn’t matter if I had to ask my boss if I needed extra hours, or I was on a salary at the time so that didn’t quite work there.
But I was like, I’m going to call the bank, I’m going to get a credit card. I don’t care how uncomfortable I have to be to find a way to make this happen. This is a commitment I’ve made and I’m committed to my dream life no matter what.
So I was willing to do whatever it took. And then the other thought I had was I will get results. This is going to be worth it. This is going to be life-changing for me. Because I had that belief, that’s why I was willing to do whatever it took.
I’m like, I’m going to get results. Now again, of course I had doubts, of course I had fears, of course it brought up all of my stuff. But I knew that those thoughts, those beliefs, those fears weren’t the things that were going to help me create the life that I wanted.
So I knew in order to change, in order to become someone else, in order to create a different reality, I had to make different decisions. I had to witness those fears, those doubts, will you actually get what you want out of it?
I remember somebody said to me, I think it was my boyfriend or somebody was like, “I don’t get it, so you’re paying all this money to just go on a fancy vacation?” And I was like, “No, I’m going to change my life.” And I just didn’t understand it. But I was committed to that.
It could have just been a fancy vacation but I decided I was going to change my life there. I would come out with the outcome that I wanted. And so again, even though I had all these other fears and thoughts, I was able to witness them and realize like, that’s the old me. That’s the me that has the nine to five job, the average relationship, the average life, everything I don’t want.
The new me is willing to bet on herself. So I just keep leaning into all of those decisions over and over and over again. It’s like even if I was afraid, I was like, I know this is the decision that will help me get where I want to go because if I keep making these same decisions, I’m going to stay exactly where I am.
So the three thoughts and how I did it was my dream isn’t optional, I’m willing to do whatever it takes, and I will get what I came for no matter what. I will get results; I will make this investment worth it no matter what. Because I had those thoughts, because I had that approach, my action reflected it.
And guess what? My results reflected it too. I didn’t have to do anything crazy, but I was willing to. I didn’t have to go get three jobs or anything like that. I was able to create the money because it was built off a foundation of commitment, because I was willing to do whatever it takes.
A lot of us want to wait until we have the evidence or until we actually believe we can get the result, before we go all in like that. But you will never get the result if you don’t make that level of commitment. You will never get the outcome if you don’t show up willing to do whatever it takes.
So that is how I figured out how to take a $1200 savings and invest $9700. And it didn’t matter if I had to put it on a credit card, if I had to borrow money, if I had to get another job. I was willing to do that.
So my question for you guys and what I want to leave you with is why isn’t your dream of starting a coaching business optional? I don’t know if I said that the right way, but why are you letting that dream be optional? Why isn’t it optional?
Why is starting your coaching business the most not optional thing you’ve ever done? Why is it the most important thing you will ever do? I’ll give you some ideas right now.
If you don’t start your coaching business, you will never create the fulfilled career that you really, really deeply want. You will never create the freedom that you want. You will get to 50, 60, it’s a little morbid but I think about this all the time and you will look back on your life and you’ll think, “Why didn’t I go for it?”
That’s why. This isn’t optional. People’s lives won’t be changed. People will suffer if they don’t have your coaching and have your help. And even if you’re not there and believing that yet, it’s okay. I want you to just think about that possibility.
And once that dream isn’t optional, then you’re going to be willing to do whatever it takes. Then you’re going to be creative. Instead of asking yourself and being confused like, well how can I make that happen? I want you to approach it from the standpoint of how can I make it happen? What are the 100 ways that I could find a way to make this happen?
And if you’re afraid you won’t get results, just remember, whatever reason you’re afraid you won’t get results for is why you have to go through this growth. It’s why you have to make this commitment. It’s why you have to make this change.
It’s okay if you don’t believe right from the start. But the more committed you are, the more all in you are on that, the more you’re willing to do whatever it takes, the more you’re going to trust yourself and believe that you can get results no matter what.
So that’s how I took $1200 and invested $9700. I want you guys to ask yourself these deep questions. When you do that, you will make a commitment at an entirely new level and you will make decisions that will require you to grow and that’s when you’ll change your life and start your coaching business.
I love you guys, I hope you have an amazing week and I will talk to you next week. Bye.
If you’re ready to take this work deeper and create your own coaching business, join us in Anything but Average, where I will walk you through the step-by-step process to become a coach, start your coaching business, and start signing clients. Go to lindseymangocoaching.com/anythingbutaverage and I will see you on the inside.
