112. How to Stop Controlling Your Financial Coaching Clients (And Why It's Hurting Their Growth)

Ever tried to talk a client out of a risky decision? Found yourself pushing harder when they won't listen to your advice? If you've ever felt your stomach drop when a client chose the path you knew was wrong, this episode is for you.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: when we try to control our clients' choices, it's usually not about them. It's about us. Our insecurity that their mistakes will reflect badly on our coaching. Our arrogance in thinking we can predict the future and know what's best for everyone.

But here's what I learned after years of doing this: trying to shelter clients from consequences actually slows down their growth. The very skills they came to us for - making intentional, informed decisions and learning to pivot when things go sideways - only develop when they experience real world outcomes, both good and bad.

In this episode, I share the mindset shift that changed everything for me. My job isn't to be right or protect clients from ever feeling regret. It's to help them become more resourceful and confident in their ability to respond when life throws them a curve ball.

You'll hear the exact approach I use when clients insist on strategies I think are risky. How to create extreme clarity by mapping out best case, worst case, and most likely scenarios. The questions that illuminate financial, emotional, and logistical impacts without fear mongering. And how to help clients build contingency plans that make risky moves safer.

This isn't about becoming a yes-person who just smiles and nods. It's about the difference between coaching and controlling. Between building resilient clients and making their success about your ego.

Links & Resources:

• Ultimate Growth Guide
• Join the Facebook group

Key Takeaways:

• Your need to control client decisions isn't about protecting them - it's about protecting your ego from their potential mistakes.
• Real progress happens when clients learn to make intentional decisions and pivot when needed, not when they follow your blueprint perfectly.
• Stop robbing clients of consequences because that's exactly what they need to build the skills they came to you for.
• When a client wants to take a risky path: Map out best case, worst case, and most likely scenarios - then let them choose with eyes wide open.
• Ask yourself: Am I making their success about my comfort or their growth?
• The goal isn't for clients to make the same decision you would - it's for them to make clear, confident decisions they can handle.
• Ethical coaching means walking beside clients with your eyes open and theirs, not telling them which direction to go.