
Show Notes
In this episode, I talk to coach Sophie Swinn about what can change when you get clearer on who your work is really for, and start building your business accordingly.
Sophie shares how her business has evolved over the past year, from questioning whether she could really make coaching work, to developing a more focused offer for CEOs in scaling organisations, attracting higher-value clients, and growing in confidence as a business owner.
Together, we explore what clearer positioning actually looks like in practice. We talk about niching without feeling boxed in, using real client language instead of coaching jargon, experimenting with webinars and LinkedIn outreach, and finding a way to use automation without losing the human touch.
We also discuss pricing, longer-term retainers, and the internal shift required to stop charging mainly for time and start thinking more seriously about results, value, and fit.
This is an honest conversation about visibility, courage, sustainability, and what it can look like to grow a coaching business in a way that is more intentional, more commercially viable, and more aligned with the work you most want to do.
In this episode, Sophie and I talk about:
how she became clearer about working with CEOs
why niching can make your marketing easier, not harder
the difference between coaching language and client language
what she has learned from webinars, newsletters, and LinkedIn outreach
how she thinks about AI, automation, and keeping marketing human
why she moved away from six-session packages towards longer-term retainers
what changed when she began thinking more seriously about pricing and value
how improv has helped her with visibility, confidence, and getting things wrong
the role of humility, experimentation, and consistency in growing a business
About Sophie
Sophie Swinn is a coach who works with CEOs and senior leaders, helping them think more clearly, lead more effectively, and navigate the complexity of growth. In this conversation, she reflects candidly on the mindset shifts, marketing decisions, and business development experiments that have shaped her journey so far.
Links
Find Sophie Swinn: www.swinnleadershipcoaching.co.uk Find out more about Better Bolder Braver: www.betterbolderbraver.com
If this episode speaks to where you are in your own marketing journey, please follow the show and share it with a coach who might appreciate it too.
More from Better Bolder Braver
What happens when we rethink coaching and marketing through a neurodivergent lens?
What if better coaching, and better marketing, came from doing less?
Seth Werkheiser is a writer, musician, a "wizardly guide to platform independence" and the founder of the Social Media Escape Club. I met Seth for the very first time whilst creating this episode! We talk about escaping social media without a rigid detox plan, why a newsletter beats a feed, the "work-work balance" almost nobody admits to, and why community - not content - might be the actual antidote to burnout. We also cover: Seth's path from third-generation musician to music blogger (2001) to AOL Music editor to email marketer for record labels and a music publicist - and how that same "help creative people get seen" mission has never really changed
In this episode, I get to profile one fabulous member of the Better Bolder Braver community, Simon Hill. Simon is a coach, facilitator and consultant who works with people-helpers of a particular kind - leaders in charities and social purpose organisations - and he's been part of our community for two years now, most recently taking the reins as chair of our book club. We talk about what actually happens in a community like ours - how the thinking and feelings associated with marketing are slowly absorbed (after the eleventh time, or in Simon's case, the fifteenth), and how marketing starts to feel more human and less daunting. We cover the five P's of Positioning, the power of kindness at work, why good contracting is quietly brilliant marketing, and Simon's beloved concept of entering every conversation without Memory, Understanding or Desire - or as he calls it, “MUD”. There's humour, there's parenting, there's talk of doodling, and there's a couple of very good book recommendations.
What if your best marketing move wasn't saying more - but asking better questions? In this episode, I'm joined by Rob Lawrence: seasoned podcast producer, experienced coach, and - I'll be honest - one of my marketing heroes. Rob is also, rather wonderfully, the reason Better Bolder Braver exists at all. It was his generosity in inviting me onto the Association for Coaching podcast that kicked the whole thing off. Together we explore one of the most liberating ideas in good, ethical marketing: that coaches are already equipped with one of the most powerful marketing tools there is. They just might not have recognised it yet. What we talk about Why asking questions often generates more engagement than sharing expertise - on LinkedIn, in podcasts, and in life How "holding the space" in marketing creates the same trust and intimacy as a coaching relationship The connection between self-awareness in coaching and self-awareness in marketing Why you don't need to say something new every week - and why saying the same five things, creatively, is actually the goal How questions can move your ideal clients through the Journey of Consciousness - from "I didn't know I had a problem" to "I'm ready to work with you" The difference between posting publicly and taking conversations offline - and why Rob's quieter LinkedIn strategy works beautifully Rob's 10-year weekly mastermind with his Australian counterpart Steve Palfreyman - and why he calls it his single biggest business secret How to translate your best coaching questions directly into your marketing