Collaborations can be magic—or they can turn into the group project where you do all the work. We dive into:

When collaborations work (and when they don't)

Mutual benefit isn't just a nice idea—it's the foundation. If you're the only one promoting, marketing, or caring about the outcome, that's a problem.

The danger of unsaid expectations

Erin shares stories of podcast guests who treated her platform like a free marketing service without reciprocating. The lesson? Say the things you think don't need to be said. They need to be said.

Working with family and friends

Erin works with her husband Steve as well as her father, John. We talk about why closer relationships sometimes need more formal agreements, not fewer—and how to have hard conversations without ruining Thanksgiving.

Theater taught us everything

Collaborations in theater have hard deadlines (the curtain goes up whether you're ready or not). Business owners could learn from that urgency and shared ownership.

What makes this podcast work

We got explicit about expectations from day one: fun over perfection, casual over polished, and we can skip weeks if we need to. Low stakes, high trust.

The marriage metaphor

Collaborations are lowkey marriages. You need open communication, regular check-ins, and the ability to say "this isn't working" before resentment builds.

• Sit down and say all the things you think don't need to be said—that's where the problems hide
• The closer the personal relationship, the more formal your collaboration agreement should be
• You can test collaborations with low-stakes projects before committing long-term
• If someone's not taking ownership, check whether expectations were actually explicit
• Collaborations aren't less work than solo work—they require communication skills and check-ins
• Have something to point to (even informally) when things go sideways

• Anyone considering a collaboration with a colleague, friend, or family member
• Entrepreneurs who've been burned by unequal partnerships
• People who want to know how to set boundaries without sounding like a lawyer
• Anyone curious how we make this podcast work

Drinks: Peppermint hot chocolate (with a minor overflow incident) and a spiritless Seedlip cocktail with orange, San Pellegrino, and rosemary

Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach.

Learn more at besuperabound.com

Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here.

What happens when you mix almond milk "holiday nog," espresso martinis, and two seasoned coaches talking shop? You get a masterclass in building a business that actually respects your soul . In part two of this deep dive, Erin and Elana move past the "Goal Swamp" of Facebook ads and cold metrics to explore what it really means to nurture relationships and lead with a pure heart . From the library of 700 books to the literal "pointy witch hat" Erin wears for coaching sessions, this episode is about shifting from "how do I make money?" to "how can I truly help?" .

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Espresso Martini Experiment: Why Elana is "doctoring" drinks with holiday nog and why staying awake past 9:30 PM is the ultimate entrepreneurial challenge .

• Beyond the "Lead": Moving away from "robot empire" terminology and focusing on the people already in your orbit .

• Creating Safety in Marketing: How working backwards from "what does someone need to feel safe spending their time with me?" is more powerful than any $300k revenue goal .

• Old Lady Wisdom on Rejection: Why rejection isn't personal or final—it’s often just a sign that you haven't created enough safety yet .

• The Luxury Car Sales Experience: What high-end car sales can teach us about non-pushy, high-integrity invitations .

• Wearing the "Magic Hat": Why Erin mentally (and sometimes literally) separates "business building days" from "coaching days" to keep the space sacred for her clients .

Memorable Quotes

• "Are we growing people right now? Like, what are we doing? People are not leads." — Elana

• "There's nothing I can do or not do that's going to bring this person closer if they're not the right person." — Erin

• "My coaching hat is on... it's a pointy witch hat and we're doing magic with clients." — Erin

For full show notes and to learn more about Erin and Elana's work visit https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer/ep-19-espresso-martinis-magic-hats-and-why-leads-are-actually-people

In this episode of The Coaching Mixer, Erin and Elana sip espresso martinis while exploring business growth, coaching, and the myths that keep people stuck.

They start with a listener question: why so many coaches believe there’s a “right” formula for growing a business—and why that belief often gets in the way.

Erin and Elana unpack the fantasy of the perfect funnel, the overreliance on marketing tactics that don’t fit, and the avoidance of the most basic (and uncomfortable) truth: clients come from talking to people.

You’ll hear thoughtful reflections on:

• Why chasing growth formulas can be a form of procrastination

• How trust, not tactics, is the real growth engine for service businesses

• Why introverts aren’t broken at business, and why “visibility” doesn’t have to mean performing online

• The overlooked power of your existing network and small, human invitations

This episode is for coaches and service-based business owners who feel pressure to market in ways that don’t feel like them, who suspect there’s something simpler underneath the noise, and who want permission to stop forcing themselves into someone else’s blueprint.

For full show notes, visit: https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer/ep-18-how-coaches-actually-get-clients

In this episode, Erin and Elena have an honest conversation about toxic positivity, emotional depth, and what it actually takes to create meaningful change as a coach, leader, or human. The discussion moves from client work to coaching culture to marketing, with plenty of real-world examples and lived experience along the way.

This episode will help you see why avoiding “negative” emotions limits growth—and how learning to work with the full emotional range leads to more effective coaching, leadership, and self-trust.

• Why toxic positivity and toxic negativity are both protective strategies
• How emotional avoidance shows up in coaching and leadership
• The hidden cost of “before and after” coaching marketing
• Why centering the coach undermines client transformation
• What it actually means to hold space without fixing
• How depth, not polish, builds trust and credibility
• Why coaches can only take clients as deep as they’ve gone themselves

A thoughtful, candid conversation for anyone who wants to lead, coach, or live with more honesty and less performative optimism. For the full show notes, visit https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer

This week's episode takes on toxic positivity, not to bash optimism, but to untangle when “staying positive” actually blocks honesty, safety, and real change in coaching relationships. Erin and Elana explore how coaches can hold nuance, complexity, and emotion without rushing clients toward silver linings.

• What “toxic positivity” really is—and why it often comes from self-protection, not bad intent

• How positivity can quietly disconnect clients from what they’re actually experiencing

• Why emotional grit is often easier to coach than polished optimism

• How coaches may unintentionally signal which emotions are “allowed” in the room

• The subtle difference between respecting a client’s readiness and pushing for depth

• What it actually takes to create a space where clients don’t have to edit themselves

This conversation is especially relevant for coaches working with leaders, founders, and high-functioning clients who’ve learned to keep it together at all costs. For full show notes visit: https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer/ep-16-the-hidden-cost-of-staying-positive

In this episode of the Coaching Mixer podcast, Erin Aquin and Elana McKernin explore how spirituality, identity, and belief show up in coaching, and how to hold space without slipping into persuasion or projection. They dive into the power of not knowing, the stories clients bring into sessions, and how curiosity can transform even tightly held identities.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How to work with the unknown without collapsing into certainty or avoidance
• Ways to use your spirituality and creative practices to inform your coaching
• What “choosing beliefs on purpose” looks like in real life
• How to use a client’s belief system, including astrology, diagnoses, or spiritual archetypes, without reinforcing limiting patterns
• Why coercion hides inside some forms of spiritual coaching, and how to avoid it
• Practical ways to help clients access the strengths inside the identities they cling to
• How to protect the coaching space as a site of exploration, not persuasion

If you're a coach navigating spiritual conversations, you'll gain fresh insights on how to explore rather than escape the mysteries of being human.

For full show notes visit: https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer/ep-15-spirituality-identity-the-art-of-not-knowing

In this episode, Erin Aquin and Elana McKernan wade into a topic every coach eventually encounters but few talk about openly: what role, if any, should your personal spiritual or religious beliefs play in your coaching?

What starts with travel stories, tea rituals, and cats eating tea plants unfolds into a conversation about the complexities of belief inside a coaching relationship. Erin and Elana compare experiences coaching clients who are questioning their belief systems, leaving high-demand religions, navigating spiritual identity, or rethinking long-held life paths—business, creativity, family, and otherwise.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to stay grounded in your own worldview without imposing it on clients.
• Why some clients seek a coach outside their religious or spiritual background.
• The boundary between personal belief and professional responsibility.
• What to do when a client begins questioning the very identity your work was hired to support.
• The difference between spiritual openness and spiritual agenda.
• How prior experiences with religion, communities, or conditioning shape your capacity to hold space.
• Why general-life-coaching skills still matter—even if you have a tight niche.

Coaching is intimate work. Clients often speak truths they’ve never said aloud. If you coach humans long enough, belief, identity, and meaning will walk into the room. This episode will help you navigate that with integrity—without pretending to be either a neutral robot or a spiritual authority.

Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach.
Learn more at besuperabound.com

Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here.

Traveling while running a coaching business isn’t just logistics—it’s identity, boundaries, and the persistent question of who you are when you step away from the work. In this episode, Erin and Elana mix philosophy with lived experience as they talk through unplugging, client care, rest, and what it means to take yourself seriously as a whole human, not just a coach.

The conversation moves from the practical (how to prepare yourself and your clients for time away) to the deeper layers of mindset that shape how you relate to your business, your freedom, and the experiences you say you value.

Along the way, they explore:

• How to structure time away so momentum doesn’t die—and why it usually doesn’t anyway.
• What a coach can model for clients simply by taking time off with intention.
• How to frame vacations so clients feel supported, not abandoned.
• Why rest makes you a better thinker, creator, and partner to your clients.
• The unexpected clarity that comes from being in a place where you don’t speak the language.
• The personal rituals, travel essentials, and return-home practices that keep both hosts grounded.

This episode is part practical wisdom, part mindset shift, and part invitation to rethink how you integrate your life with the work you love.

Connect:

Follow Elena and Erin on Instagram and share how you’re planning to take your next real break.

Erin Aquin is a Master Certified Life Coach and co-author of the #1 bestseller "Superabound: Live the Life the Universe is Dreaming For You." She provides whole life coaching for business owners, integrating success and personal fulfillment through her unique all-in-one approach.
Learn more at besuperabound.com

Elana McKernan is a Master Certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in helping perfectionists create more by treating themselves better. You can check out her free content here and learn more about coaching with her here.