The Endurance Coachpreneur: Business Tips for Triathlon, Running and Cycling Coaches

We've talked about worth. We've talked about pricing. Now it's time for the thing that actually sits underneath both of them: money . I heard a quote this week that stopped me in my tracks. "If you're scared of money, you'll make no money." And once I heard it, I couldn't stop thinking about how true that is for so many of the coaches I work with. This episode isn't about spreadsheets (okay...it's a little about spreadsheets). It's about why so many of us were taught to avoid talking about money, where that fear actually comes from, and why avoiding your numbers is keeping you stuck. I'm sharing: The actual reason coaches avoid looking at their revenue (it's not a math problem...) Why you track everything for your athletes but nothing for your business The mindset shift that separates "coach" from "coachpreneur" A simple 30 day challenge to change your relationship with money for good This week's challenge: Start tracking every dollar that comes into your business. Not what you think it should be. What it actually is. Awareness first, judgment never. Ready to go from coach to coachpreneur? If you've coached 5+ athletes and you're ready to build real income, book a call with me : https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/afee674e/appointment/31380211/calendar/5950491?appointmentTypeIds[]=31380211 Tell me you're coming from the podcast, I'd love to hear from 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

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! Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

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

I'm heading into vacation and this idea hit me mid-teaching Content That Recruits Module 2. I had to share it now! One of my mentors just gave our group a stat that stopped me cold: 82% of people don't have any systems around how they do their work. I'm a little obsessive about systems these days, and it's the exact thing that's saved me the most time and made me more fulfilled with my athletes and coaches. In this episode, I'm breaking down the one system I want every coach listening to build right now: the one that protects your content, your captions, your podcasts, everything you've ever written, from disappearing into the void. I'll walk you through exactly how I've done it for years, what it's unlocked for me now that AI is in the picture, and why where you are in your content journey changes how you should be using it. Bottom line: your words are the most valuable thing you own right now. Tune in to find out how to actually treat them that way. My call calendar is open again starting around August 12th. If you've coached at least five athletes (doesn't need to be one-on-one or all at once), grab time with me. 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

If you've ever been at the kitchen table on a Sunday night still writing training plans, second-guessing every decision, that's not a time management problem. That's the worth wound. In this episode: What the worth wound is, and why so many coaches carry it The lie it tells you: that you need to be "more" before you can charge more or believe in yourself Martyr to the marketplace, and why struggling isn't proof you care Why confidence comes after the action, not before it Worth is a decision, not a milestone Got five athlete experience and know your worth wound is showing up somewhere? Let's talk it through. Book a call with me here → 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! Follow me on IG @CoachMichelleLake | Join the list

Selling season is coming. Most of you will spend it chasing new athletes. I want you thinking about retention instead. I recently did the math on my own roster and found my average athlete sticks with me for years, not months, including some who've stayed through major life detours and come right back when they were ready. In this episode, I break down what actually keeps athletes around for years instead of one race cycle: Why longevity planning (not jumping straight to a marathon or an Ironman) protects athletes from burnout and protects your retention My "symbiotic relationship" mindset: becoming as essential to an athlete as their shoes or their bike Why even my longest-running athletes need the basics repeated back to them How I actually ask "what's next" without fearing the answer Why a like on your post from an existing athlete matters more to me than a like from a stranger My challenge for you this week: do the math. Look at your roster, find your average retention, and ask what's actually driving people to stay or go. If this episode helped, drop me a review ! Apple reviews and the star rating both go a long way! 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

AI is coming for a lot of industries. But is it coming for ours? This episode is for every coach who's had a quiet worry in the back of their mind about what AI means for the future of endurance coaching. And for the coaches who are using AI to get ahead, this one's for you too. Here's the thing. AI can write a training plan. It can analyze data. It's getting smarter. But there's one thing it cannot do. Be HUMAN. In this episode, I discuss how I use AI to save time, upgrade my athlete experience and build systems that actually give me more room to coach. This is not a doom-and-gloom episode. It's a wake-up call AND an opportunity. Listen to find out: What separates coaches who will thrive in the AI era from those who won't What "coaching" vs. "an unsupported plan" really looks like (and why the difference matters more than ever) How a simple feedback system can protect your business AND reduce the need for long one-on-one calls The exact AI systems I'm building in my own business Interested in the AI systems I mentioned? DM me "DT6" on Instagram to learn more about what's coming to Dream to 6 this fall. 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 just got back from Happy Valley 70.3 with 10 athletes on the course. And I've been thinking about what coaches can do RIGHT NOW, in mid to late June, that will pay off all the way through 2027. It's not a funnel. It's not a new offer. It's a team race . In this episode, I'm breaking down why picking a team race (and picking it early) might be the simplest retention move you're not making. We talk about how to choose the right one, when to announce it, how to use it to bring boomerang athletes back and the one thing that makes it a genuine business tool, not just a fun weekend. We also get into what happens when coaches try to do too many, why you probably shouldn't race your own team race and what I learned supporting 10 athletes on course for 24 hours straight. The community that builds around one shared race? You can't manufacture that. But you can create the conditions for it. The Recruitment Engine Masterclass is happening June 23rd and we're opening Content That Recruits for just a few days right after. It's a mid-level, live-taught course starting in July for coaches who want to learn how to do content that actually builds your roster. No matter where you are. Learn more here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/contentthatrecruits/ 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

You're spending hours on a single post. You edit it, sleep on it, edit it again, and still don't hit publish. And when you finally do? Crickets. Sound familiar? In this episode, I get real about why your content isn't converting. Spoiler: it's usually not a content problem. It's a system problem. I cover: Why most of the "effort" you're putting into content isn't actually moving the needle The feast-or-famine posting cycle that's quietly killing your credibility The one question every post needs to answer to make an athlete want to work with you Why posting faster almost always beats posting "perfect" Introducing the Recruitment Engine , a free live masterclass built around three things: the message, the mechanics, and the multiplier. If content has been draining your time and your confidence, this one's for you. Join the free live masterclass: Tuesday, June 23rd at noon Eastern. Come live for a chance to win a 1:1 content review with me! Register here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/recruitment-engine/ 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

Four apps. Around $20/month each. Hours saved every single week. In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact tools I've added to my coaching business that have changed how I interact with athletes, process information, and plan my week, all without changing how I actually coach. One is for podcasters. The other three? Every coach needs to know about them. You're going to want a notebook for this one. Also in this episode: The Recruitment Engine Masterclass is coming June 23rd . Free training for endurance coaches who are posting consistently but not getting inquiries, or who want a real system around their content, not just more tips. Links mentioned: Wispr Flow (Get an extra 2 weeks free): https://wisprflow.ai/r?MICHELLE1937 The Recruitment Engine Masterclass — June 23rd: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/recruitment-engine/ 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

85 coaches. Five days. Inquiries by day two. In this episode, we discuss what we did in the Sales Sprint last week and what it proved. The Sales Sprint ran May 18th–22nd and the results spoke for themselves. This episode breaks down the five-day framework so you can put it to work, whether you were in the challenge or not. The biggest takeaway? SELLING IS RELATIONSHIPS. Nothing more, nothing less. And you probably have more warm leads sitting in your world than you think. We also dig into the pipeline construct: the mindset shift that takes the pressure off every single conversation you have. Some athletes hire you in 24 hours. Some take years. The move is to stop obsessing over the timeline and start thinking about abundance. Never delete a name. The fortune is in the follow-up. Free Training: The Full Roster Fix Growing is great. But growing while you're leaking athletes? That's a treadmill. This free three-part training is for endurance coaches who are ready to stop the leak and start keeping their athletes a whole lot longer. Three videos. About 31 minutes. No catch. Grab the Full Roster Fix below. 👇 https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/fullrosterfix/ 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

You wanted a full roster. Now you have it. So why does it feel like you're stuck? A full roster doesn't mean you've made it. It means the rules just changed. And if you don't know what's coming, you'll hit a wall you never saw coming. In this episode, I walk through the 4 risks every coach faces when they start to up-level. What you'll learn: Why scaling means shifting your identity from coach to CEO and why that's so hard to accept How expenses multiply non-linearly as you grow (and why fearing that will cost you more than the expense itself) The "it's my baby" trap that keeps you doing $10 tasks instead of the work that actually grows your business Why having everything in your brain is a liability and what to do about it Your homework: Pick one task you've been holding onto that someone else could do. Write it down. That's your first SOP. Start there. The Dream to 7 waitlist is open. We're launching in July for coaches who are already over six figures and ready to scale their impact. Join the waitlist here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/dt7/ If you enjoy the podcast, a star rating or written review means the world. Thanks for listening! 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

You're not bad at content. You're bad at deciding. There's a difference, and that difference is costing you hours every week. In this episode, I break down the exact 5-step system I use to get a post out fast without sacrificing quality or authenticity. What you'll learn: Why decision fatigue is the real reason content takes so long How to use your idea list so you're never starting from a blank page Why the hook deserves 80% of your focused energy The "intuitive creativity" approach that gets words out of your head and onto the page How to batch when the creative wave hits and repurpose when it doesn't Your homework: Start your idea list today. On your next post, set a 15-minute timer and practice this system. Done is better than perfect. Practice beats perfection every single time. If you haven't registered yet, join us for the Sales Sprint , a free five-day challenge running until the 22nd inside a private coaching community. One small action per day. Five to 20 minutes. The goal: you walk away with a new athlete inquiry by Friday. DM me "Sales Sprint" or grab the link here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/sales-sprint/ 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

You created the thing. You posted the certificate. You updated your bio. And now you're waiting. Here's what nobody tells you: changing your identity to "coach" doesn't automatically move athletes into your inbox. That's not a talent problem. That's an outreach problem. In this episode, I'm breaking down why coaches at every level get stuck waiting for inquiries instead of going to get them and what to do about it. Whether you have zero athletes or a full roster you're trying to grow, the skill set is the same. And it's a skill set, just like swim drills or cadence work. You don't stop doing the fundamentals just because you've been racing for years. Coming up: The Sales Sprint is a free five-day challenge running May 18th-22nd inside a private Telegram community. One small action per day. Five to 20 minutes. The goal: you walk away with a new athlete inquiry by Friday. Ready to stop waiting and start getting? Join us. DM me "Sales Sprint" or grab the link here: https://coachmichellelake.lpages.co/sales-sprint/ 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