It was 1995. 

I was a newly single mother stumbling out of a really messy divorce. My life felt like a steaming pile of wreckage. I had a college degree in business and economics, but I had no idea how to put that to work. So, I answered phones and did desk work for a tiny, dysfunctional company that did heating and air conditioning contracting. 

I did not take that job because it paid well—it most certainly didn't. I took it because my very volatile boss let me have my five-year-old at the office when he wasn't in school. 

At that point, I consumed personal development material like I was drinking from a firehose. Netscape was the browser of the moment, and I spent a lot of time at work searching for anything, or anyone I thought could teach me something that would help me get my shit together. 

Tony Robbins was out of my budget, and Esther Hicks was just starting to set out cassette tapes in the mail on subscription.

Then it happened. 

Netscape pointed me in the direction of my first coach. He was also out of my budget but less far out than Tony Robbins, so I hired him. I paid for three months upfront, and the only thing I remember from our work together is that I realized I wanted to be a coach immediately after my first session. 

Back then, only one player was in the coach training game. Coach U, owned and run by Thomas Leonard, was the only training option. Thomas Leonard was a genius who single-handedly defined modern life coaching. However, I didn't know that he wasn't exactly easy to get along with. Had I known that, I probably wouldn't have sent the email. 

"Mr. Leonard, 

I have read every word on your website at least a dozen times. Your program sounds amazing, and I know becoming a coach is my life's work.

I do not have the money to pay for your program. However, I do have a lot of drive and desire. I am not asking for a free ride. Would it be possible for me to work for you to pay my tuition? 

I am looking forward to hearing from you. 

I am excited to get started. 

Sincerely,

Lisa Hayes"

I got a reply from Mr. Leonard almost immediately. 

"Dear Ms. Hayes, 

You don't get where I am by giving away your work. 

You also don't get where I am by not hiring the best help. 

I have all my administrative needs covered. 

I must decline your offer not to pay tuition. 

Thomas Leonard"

I was devastated. I replied and asked Thomas to keep me in mind if anything changed. I had no reason to expect to hear back. 

So, imagine my surprise about three months later when his administrative assistant emailed me about the dial-in details and class start date. I thought he had finally come to his senses and changed his mind. That is, in fact, NOT what happened. Somebody must have added to some list in error. I messaged her two or three times to ask how I could help, but I never heard back. 

Six months into the program, during a class, I failed an assignment so badly that Thomas Leonard finally noticed I was in the group, and we both realized I was freeloading at precisely the same time. 

Awkward. 

I finished that training program without paying a dime. I don't think he knew what to do with me when he figured out I was there. I may be the only student he ever had who he actively tried to fail, but somehow I made it through and ended up with a certificate of completion for the program. 

My point here is I get it. 

I understand how it feels to want something you can't afford - specifically, coach training. I basically stole my first training - oops. 

Look, we are about to start our next training cohort. If you'd like to be in that group but think you can't afford it, we should talk because we don't know what you can afford or how you could afford it until we have a conversation. 

The Coaching Guild is a coach training program specifically designed to nurture dreamers, artists, creatives, outsiders, rebels, and good troublemakers. It is a multi-instructor, multi-disciplinary approach to training that prioritizes learning innovative foundational coaching skills and marketing training.

If you are interested in coach training done very differently, hit me up for a no-pressure, no BS, no trip, and fall into a sales funnel conversation. Let's talk about what's possible for you as a coach.