In this episode of "Success Leaves Clues," Sarah Short speaks with Alex Nunn, a former charity sector leader turned executive coach. Alex shares her journey from navigating burnout in the non-profit world to building a thriving coaching business that supports the very sector she left.

Alex opens up about the myth that "clients will just find you," the power of narrowing your niche, and how she now helps charity CEOs avoid the burnout she experienced herself.

Key Takeaways

1. The Path from Accidental Leader to Coach - Alex spent her career in the charity sector, focusing on mental health and homelessness, eventually becoming an "accidental leader" as she progressed through senior roles. However, during the pandemic, balancing work and motherhood led to burnout. After receiving coaching herself, she realised she wanted to help people thrive through the science of positive psychology.

2. The Marketing Reality Check - Despite holding a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, Alex realised that qualifications alone don't build a business.

• She was initially told, "You never need to market your business... people will just find you," but quickly discovered this was not the case.

• This realisation led her to seek out The Coaching Revolution to learn the necessary business development skills.

  
  

3. The Power of "Nailing the Niche" - Alex describes her experience with the Nail Your Niche Challenge:

• Initially, she marketed herself broadly around "wellbeing," attracting a mix of people.

• Through the challenge, she realised that tightening her focus to female CEOs in the charity sector made her messaging stronger.

• Alex notes that "the tighter I focus, the louder my voice," echoing advice from her mentors.

  
  

4. Impacting the Sector from the Outside - Alex now works adjacent to the charity sector rather than inside it, which allows her to make a significant impact without the internal burnout.

• She notes that charity leaders often face unique pressures to "deliver more for less" and suffer from the loneliness of the CEO role.

• By coaching the CEO, she creates a ripple effect that improves the well-being of the entire organisation and helps them achieve their charitable aims.

  
  

5. Resilience in Business - Alex shares a candid look at the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. After early success using platforms like TikTok, she faced a personal bereavement that slowed her momentum. However, by re-engaging fully with her marketing and being authentic, her business picked up again, leading to speaking engagements and ideal client work.

The Nail Your Niche Challenge: A free, four-day challenge run by Sarah Short three times a year (September, January, and after Easter). Designed to help coaches understand why a target audience sets you free rather than restricting you.

Join the waiting list: thecoachingrevolution.com/nailyourniche.

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Many coaches shy away from sales and marketing, viewing them as a "necessary evil" or worrying that they are manipulative and inauthentic. In this episode, Sarah Short challenges this mindset, arguing that sales and marketing are actually "allies in providing excellent customer service".

Sarah breaks down why marketing is simply about visibility and why a sale is actually a positive change in status for your client. This episode is essential for any coach who feels uncomfortable with the business side of their practice.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Marketing is Not Shouting: Marketing isn't about standing on a chair yelling, "Buy my stuff!" It is about communicating quietly and consistently to a well-defined niche.
• The Power of a Niche: A niche is a defined segment of the population with a specific challenge your services can address. Focusing on a niche allows you to tailor your message so it resonates deeply with your target audience.
• Marketing for Good: Your marketing can have a positive impact on the world, even for those who don't become clients, by providing "light bulb moments" and relief.
• Honest Language: Sarah urges coaches to be "grown up" and use correct language: it is not a chemistry or discovery session, it is a "sales conversation".
• The Persuasion Myth: If you have marketed well, the sales conversation is simple because the potential client already knows what you do and what it costs; the persuasion part is already done.
• Sales as Service: Selling is simply an opportunity to help a client understand how coaching can support them to resolve their problems. It is about guiding them through a decision-making process with empathy.
• A Change in Status: A sale represents a "change in status" for the client, signifying their readiness to invest in their own growth and step into a new phase of life.

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In this episode, Sarah has the pleasure of talking to Cecile Emery, a self-described "introvert's introvert". Cecile shares her journey from a successful career in the mobile gaming industry to a period of burnout and existential crisis that led her to retrain as a coach.

Cecile gets candid about the reality of launching a business in March 2020 and the two years she spent "faffing around" before a critical lightbulb moment. She explains how she learned to embrace her identity as an entrepreneur and build a successful business as an introvert, without being "loud and shouty".

In this episode, you will learn:

• Cecile's "Aha" Moment: How, as a "massive introvert," she volunteered to give a company talk just to get her own hotel room—and was shocked when 100 people showed up to hear her speak about introversion. This was the moment she realised her words could help people.

• The Post-Graduation Reality: Cecile describes the struggle of launching her business in March 2020. The advice from her training about "having the right energy" didn't translate into clients, and she spent two years working for platforms without building her own business.

• The Biggest Mindset Shift: The most significant change came from joining The Coaching Revolution: the realisation that she wasn't just a coach, she was "running a business" and was an "entrepreneur".

• Marketing as an Introvert: You don't have to be an extrovert to market effectively. Cecile shares her strategy of building systems to manage her energy drain, attending the same networking events to build community, and focusing on having deep conversations with one or two people instead of working the whole room.

• Her Niche - The "Good Girl Syndrome": Cecile works with "quiet leaders"—the introverted, sensitive, and reliable people who do the work. She helps those struggling with the "good girl syndrome," who get overlooked for promotions because they are too "convenient" where they are.

• The Power of Community: Cecile highlights the value of The Coaching Revolution's supportive, non-competitive Facebook group, describing it as a place to get "instantaneous support" from colleagues around the world, especially for urgent business needs like proposals or contracts.

• What's Next: Cecile is expanding her business after getting certified in supervision.

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Let's talk about money. In this hard-hitting episode, Sarah tackles the "elephant in the room" that the coaching profession seems to ignore: the financial Return on Investment (ROI) on coach training.

While many training providers highlight the magnificent fees experienced coaches can command, they often fail to discuss the harsh financial realities. Sarah breaks down the real costs of qualifications—which can range from £3,300 to over £25,000 —and questions how many graduates ever earn enough to justify their investment. This is a critical listen for anyone considering a coaching qualification or any coach who feels misled about the business side of coaching.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Big Disconnect: Coach training programs provide valuable skills and personal transformation, but they typically only offer 50% of what you need. The other 50%—client acquisition and business development—is often "completely absent or given superficial treatment".

• The "Monetisable Credibility" Privilege: Training providers don't explain that unless you already have a network of people who know, like, and trust you (and are in a position to hire you for coaching), you will likely struggle to find clients.

• The "Add-On" Myth: Business building is often treated as an afterthought, sold as a self-paced video course. Sarah argues this isn't enough, as implementation is complex and requires ongoing, supported learning.

• Cognitive Dissonance: Coaches rarely regret their investment. The personal transformation is so profound that it's "psychologically easier to justify the expense, even when the financial returns we hoped for don't materialise".

• A Broken System: Associate work is scarce, to the point where some coaches work for free just to build their hours —an arrangement accepted by professional bodies to help coaches meet credentialing requirements.

• 3 Questions to Ask Before You Invest: If you are looking for a financial ROI, Sarah urges you to ask yourself three questions:

  1. Do I have monetisable credibility?
  2. If not, am I prepared to invest additional time and money to learn client acquisition?
  3. Can I afford to build my practice slowly while earning very little, or am I prepared to work alongside it?

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The Burnout Trap: From "What's Wrong With Me?" to a New Career

In this episode, Sarah talks with the "marvellous" Paul Bridel, a coach who shares his powerful and personal journey from a 20-year career in IT to a complete breakdown from burnout.

Paul opens up about his multi-year struggle in a project management role, where he lost all his energy, confidence, and desire to be at his job. He describes the awful feeling of being trapped —too exhausted and lacking the self-belief to even go through a job search.

This conversation is a must-listen for any professional who feels stuck, hopeless, or is asking themselves, "What's wrong with me?".

Paul explains how he finally found coaching and turned his "great experience" of burnout into a new mission.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Paul's Background: Paul spent two decades in IT, moving from support to project management. In the late 2000s, he began to burn out from the workload and pressure.

• The Burnout Trap: He shares the experience of being stuck in a loop of no energy and no confidence. The worst part was this sense of being trapped, believing he couldn't get another job and not having the energy to try.

• Discovering Coaching: Paul found coaching while devouring self-help books and after receiving some counselling. He was drawn to coaching's forward-looking approach, but he never actually hired a coach himself.

• The Long Road: Paul believes that if he had hired a coach, he would have "sorted himself out" much more quickly. Instead, it took him "years and years" to make progress on his own. He eventually left his job after being offered redundancy.

• The Stigma of Struggling: Paul and Sarah discuss why highly conscientious people with a strong sense of duty are often hit the hardest. In competitive corporate environments, people are afraid to be seen as "the one that's struggling" , which leads to isolation, loneliness , and a sense of shame.

  
  

• His New Book: Paul is writing a book based on his experience, with the working title "What's Wrong With Me". It's the book he wishes he'd had , written to help people in the thick of burnout understand what's happening to them and to show them that they are not broken.

• • Book Release: The book is planned for release by the end of October, and "definitely before Christmas".

  
  

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In this candid episode, Sarah explores a peculiar and frustrating challenge she has encountered repeatedly after years of running The Coaching Revolution: highly intelligent coaches are often the most difficult to teach.

While it's reasonable to assume brilliant minds would be quick to implement proven strategies, Sarah reveals that the opposite is often true. She explains how intelligence, when combined with professional success, can create the most stubborn barrier to learning. This episode is a must-listen for any coach who prides themselves on their intellect but finds themselves struggling to get results.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Paradox of Intelligence: Why the assumption that highly intelligent individuals are easier to work with is "entirely wrong". Their advanced education and success often create a "stubborn barrier to learning".

  
  

• The "Special Case" Syndrome: How highly intelligent coaches resist new strategies. They don't question the methodology directly; instead, they "claim exemption", insisting their situation and their potential clients are special cases where the normal rules don't apply.

  
  

• Ego and Counter-Intuition: The resistance often stems from the "uncomfortable collision between intelligence and ego". Effective marketing can feel "counterintuitive" or simply "wrong", causing analytical minds to retreat into exceptionalism.

  
  

• The Power of Peer Validation: Why breakthroughs for intelligent coaches rarely come from expert instruction. The resistance only disappears when they engage with other highly intelligent professionals in a community who validate the process. Hearing from a peer carries more weight than instruction from a teacher.

  
  

• The High Cost of Resistance: Coaches who remain convinced they are special cases consistently fail, not because the teaching doesn't work, but because they won't implement it properly. They become their own biggest obstacle.

  
  

• The Path to Success: The most successful outcomes happen when intelligent coaches "temporarily suspend their need to understand why something works before they try it". True progress comes when they show humility and accept that brilliance in one field doesn't automatically translate to expertise in another.

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Ever wonder why so many talented, qualified coaches have empty client lists? In this episode, Sarah Short, founder of The Coaching Revolution, tackles this question head-on, starting with the principle that inspired her nearly eight-year journey: Simon Sinek's "Start with Why."

Sarah gets personal, sharing the "why" behind The Coaching Revolution's mission: to transform passionate, qualified coaches into well-paid professionals by fixing the single biggest obstacle they face. This episode is a must-listen for any coach who feels frustrated with client acquisition and is ready to build a real, sustainable business.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Coaching Revolution's "Why": The organisation was founded to bridge the gap between skilled coaches and genuine, paid coaching opportunities. Its vision is to empower coaches who have been transformed by coaching to have a positive impact on others.

  
  

• The Non-Negotiable Standard: The Coaching Revolution only works with coaches who have completed 60+ hours of specific training. Sarah explains that many people who believe they've been "coaching informally" for years are actually mentoring, a critical distinction they discover after formal training.

  
  

• The Core Problem in the Industry: Most coaches don't lack skill; they lack clients. The fundamental reason is that coaches are notoriously bad at explaining the benefits of what they do in simple, accessible language. They use industry jargon like "co-creating environments" and "thinking partner," which means nothing to potential clients and can even sound patronising.

  
  

• A Broken System: The competition for clients is so fierce that many coaches work for platforms that don't pay them, in exchange for "community" or supervision. Sarah critiques the industry practice of logging hours that are "paid in inverted commas"—meaning an exchange of value like a cup of coffee, not actual money—which allows this to happen.

  
  

• • The Solution - Building the Bridge: The key to getting clients is learning how to articulate the problems you solve in words that are intelligible to non-coaches. The Coaching Revolution teaches coaches how to have conversations that demonstrate empathy and offer hope, building trust long before a contract is ever signed.

  
  

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Meet AmyAmy Wolfe joins us from Johannesburg, South Africa, sharing her journey from struggling healthcare manager to leadership coach. After experiencing transformational coaching herself, she trained to become a coach—only to discover she had no idea how to market her new business.

The "Smart Person" ProblemAmy has a master's degree, extensive healthcare CPD experience, and qualified coaching credentials. Yet marketing stumped her completely. Sound familiar? Western education trains us to be employees, not entrepreneurs. We learn to advocate for promotions—not build businesses from scratch.

What Corporate Doesn't Teach You

• In corporate, people understand your job title and skillset
• You're taught NOT to talk about yourself (it's seen as arrogant)
• Corporate marketing aims for massive reach—solopreneurs only need 20-50 clients
• You can't boil the ocean, but you can boil a drop

The Real Marketing ShiftAmy's breakthrough came from talking to a neighbour. Instead of explaining her coaching process, she described the problems she solves. Instant recognition: "Maybe I need to come see you."

The Hidden Truth About Coaching Businesses

• 93% of coaches run portfolio businesses (ICF 2023)
• Most aren't transparent about how long success took
• That "successful" coach might only earn 10% from coaching
• It's not about being smarter—it's about having the right skillset

Why Coaches Are VulnerableBy the time we realise traditional self-promotion doesn't work, we're feeling foolish, embarrassed, and ashamed. Perfect prey for predatory "six figures in 90 days" schemes.

Amy's Advice"It's not you. It's just a skillset you don't have—and anyone can learn it."

Start with Sarah's book, join the Nail Your Niche challenge, or book a conversation. Mind the gap in your skills and fill it.