3 Smart Moves Coaches Must Make Now
... and what to do when growth doesn’t go as planned
I spent my 20s trying to move back to Paris. I had only lived there for a year, during my junior year abroad. But the city had cast its spell on me, like it does to so many.
I applied for jobs and interviewed with companies, but as soon as they found out I didn’t have les papiers (the documents that allowed me to work in France), they dropped me like a day-old baguette. It was just too much of a hassle to go through the paperwork to hire me.
So I let go of the Paris dream and focused on building an international career that still gave me reasons to visit.
But 29 years later, I left the corporate world to build my dream business—one that I could do from anywhere. And once my writing and coaching business had gained traction, I thought, why not spend a month in Paris?
That was October 2022. And it felt like a huge, exciting, scary leap.
There’s a big difference between being in Paris as a college student with a bunch of classmates and being there on your own in your late 50s.
But the images in my head of what it could be were stronger than my fear. So I started planning my “mini relocation.”
I wanted to live in one of the livelier parts of the city, so I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect Airbnb. I finally found one right around the corner from Rue Montorgueil—one of the liveliest market streets in Paris.
I imagined walking through the market every day. I’d plan my menu based on whatever ingredients tempted me the most. Maybe I’d become enough of a regular that the vendors would start to recognize me!
My plan was to spend 4–5 hours a day working, and then spend the rest of the time enjoying life like a Parisian.
I sought out some activities that would have me interacting with French people. I found a couple of dance studios—one for ballroom and the other for West Coast Swing. I also found a couple of wine tasting classes in French.
As my departure day got closer, the reality of leaving my comfort zone started sinking in. I actually started feeling more nervous than excited… even to the point where a little scolding voice would pop into my head saying, “What the heck were you thinking?”
Then, about five days before my flight, I got an email from my Airbnb host. It said how excited I must be that my trip was just around the corner—and that the apartment I wanted was no longer available.
Wait… what?
The perfect apartment I spent weeks finding was “no longer available”? How could they do that to me?
They told me not to worry because they had two other apartments I could choose from. (That’s when I realized my host was a real estate agency.) One apartment was in a quiet residential area near the Eiffel Tower. The other was on Rue de Rivoli.
I had no interest in being in a bourgeois residential zone, so I opted for Rue de Rivoli and crossed my fingers.
A few days later, I landed at Charles de Gaulle airport. I grabbed a taxi and started practicing my French with the driver. So far, so good.
But when we pulled up in front of the building, I almost cried.
The entire front was covered in scaffolding. I entered the code to get inside—and walked right into a construction zone.
I had a pit in my stomach as I made my way up to the fourth floor. I kept thinking, What on Earth have I gotten myself into?
I opened the door to the apartment and stepped inside.
It was gorgeous!
Even though scaffolding covered half the windows, the apartment was still sunny and bright. And it was beautifully furnished!
I was amazed at my luck. The apartment was much nicer than the one I was supposed to be in. And it turned out to be a fantastic neighborhood—just around the corner was a square filled with lively cafés. It was buzzing.
Not only that… I soon discovered a small, open-air market right across the street on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I couldn’t believe my luck!
How This Experience Helped Me Build My Business
There are three important lessons I took away from this experience—and I’ve been using them ever since to help me grow my business.
Lesson #1: Growth lives outside your comfort zone
As I got closer to my departure day, I grew more nervous. I wanted to cling to what felt safe—familiar routines, my go-to workspace, the language I didn’t have to strain to speak.
But staying in your comfort zone feels good short-term. In the long-term, it’s a trap.
Real growth—whether personal or business—is sparked by challenge. There’s even research to back this up…
Psychologists call it eustress—the good kind of stress. It’s what happens when you stretch just enough to activate focus, resilience, and creativity… but not so much that you shut down.
Here are some examples:
Meeting with your first few clients
Moving from 1:1 to group coaching
Hosting a live webinar
Every time I’ve done something that made me nervous—like teaching a new workshop, launching something imperfect, or spending a month in a foreign country alone—it’s paid off, even if I didn’t get the exact results I wanted. Because I did it—and it made me feel more capable (and even a little daring!).
Comfort won’t build that kind of confidence.
Lesson #2: A change of scene changes your brain
There’s something powerful that happens when you change your surroundings.
Even though I was doing the same kind of work while I was in Paris that month, I started approaching things differently. My brain felt flooded with new ideas. My writing came alive. I started thinking about my business in ways I hadn’t before.
This wasn’t by chance.
Neuroscience shows that novelty stimulates the brain. When we step out of familiar environments, our brain makes new associations, processes information differently, and taps into more creative problem-solving pathways.
And you don’t need to go overseas to get the effect. You could:
Take your laptop to a café instead of your desk
Go on a weekend retreat to a new place
Schedule “white space” away from your routine
The point isn’t about geography. It’s about energy.
When you change your environment—even slightly—you shift your state of mind, reawaken your imagination, and open up new paths forward in your business.
Lesson #3: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
When I found out I lost the Airbnb on Rue Montorgueil, I felt blindsided. And if I’m honest, kind of crushed.
I pictured myself on that exact street, walking to that exact market. And now, it felt like the whole trip might be ruined.
In situations like this, we tend to default to certain language:
“The rug got pulled out from under me.”
“Life threw me a curveball.”
“I got derailed.”
That’s how I used to talk about it too.
Until a friend offered me a better phrase—one that instantly shifts how I see this kind of situation.
She calls them plot twists.
And that tiny shift in language changes everything.
Because a curveball feels disruptive. A plot twist? That’s just part of a good story.
Since then, I’ve been using this reframe anytime things don’t go to plan—like:
The tech snafus during last week’s $10k/Month Offer Finder™ launch
A client backing out of a $50,000 project at the last minute (it’s true)
Accidentally re-posting the same article on Substack twice in a row (yep… that just happened)
Instead of spiraling, I ask myself:
What if this is just the middle of the story—and something better is on the other side?
For coaches (and anyone building something meaningful), this isn’t just a mindset hack. It’s a lifeline.
Because things will go sideways. And the people who succeed don’t let plot twists bring them down.
They keep writing the next chapter anyway.
Final Thoughts
That month in Paris didn’t go exactly how I planned.
But it gave me something better than just beautiful memories: it reminded me what it actually takes to keep growing—as a person and as a business owner.
It takes the courage to leave your comfort zone. It takes a willingness to shift your environment and your mindset. And it takes the flexibility to treat the unexpected as part of the process (and not a sign that you’ve messed up).
Whether you’re launching a new offer, raising your rates, or just hitting “post” on something a little more vulnerable than usual, remember:
Growth comes from doing the thing that scares you a little
Creativity gets a jolt when you shake up your surroundings
Plot twists aren’t failures… they’re how the story gets interesting
So the next time something goes sideways, look at it as a plot twist. And invite a better outcome by saying: “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but it’s gonna be good.”
In case you missed it…
I launched The $10k/Month Offer Finder™ last week—a 3-step system that helps you choose the one program that’s most likely to attract your dream clients and get you to $10k months the fastest.
If you want to know more, you can get the details here.