Your brain doesn't want you to succeed. It wants you to survive. David Edmonds explains why that difference is the thing keeping coaches stuck.
David Edmonds is an ontological leadership coach and author of Becoming You. After 20+ years in architecture, he took a 75% pay cut to coach full-time. He now works with leaders and executives who sense they've outgrown the identity that made them successful.
In this conversation, David and I dig into the root fear that stops most coaches from charging what they're worth, putting themselves out there, and building real businesses. He shares his own journey from £350 for five sessions to premium leadership coaching, and the stories that shaped how he thinks about fear, identity, and contribution. We also talk about why money is a measure of contribution, the "Filing Cabinet Error" that keeps people living into their past, and the coaching conversation that may have shifted a Brexit negotiation.
Key Topics:
- Why your brain is designed to keep you mediocre, not help you thrive
- Fear vs. danger: how your imagination hijacks decision-making
- The "Filing Cabinet Error" — stop filing past failures into your future
- Charging what you're worth: from hourly rates to value-based pricing
- Three tiers of coaching and why transformational work changes everything
- Why every coach needs a coach
- Book picks: The Chimp Paradox and Man's Search for Meaning
ABOUT COACH AS ENTREPRENEUR: Coach as Entrepreneur is the show for coaches building real businesses with systems, strategy, and heart. Hosted by David Chung, each episode features honest conversations with coaches about the realities of building a sustainable coaching practice. Subscribe for new episodes every week.
What is Coach as Entrepreneur?
You became a coach to help people — but no one told you how to build the business behind it.
Coach as Entrepreneur is the show for coaches who want to go beyond referrals and create a real business that supports both their clients and their family. Each episode explores the systems, strategies, and stories that help coaches simplify marketing, attract the right clients, and grow sustainably, without burning out.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale, this is your roadmap to running your coaching practice like a business… and doing it with heart.
Build the system. Serve your clients. Support your family.