Stever Robbins is a lot of things – podcaster, executive coach, serial entrepreneur — ambiguous is not one of them. Talking about boundaries with clients might feel uncomfortable, but it’s not as uncomfortable as having to set them after lines have been crossed.

Navigating close coaching relationships can be tricky, but coaches have a responsibility to themselves and their clients to be clear about their expertise and expectations. In this densely packed episode, Melinda and Stever dive deep into the wide world of boundaries with real-world examples and valuable tips you won’t want to miss!

In this episode we discuss:

• What exactly is a boundary, and why are they important?
• Can boundaries be negotiated, and what does that look like?
• How to create “is” and “is not” boundaries.
• Should you create boundaries around crossing into other coaching niches (business, personal, professional)?
• How do your personal boundaries impact your professional life and vice versa?
• Pro tips to foster trust and honesty.
• What to do when clients become personal friends.
• How to handle a personal friend as an employee. 
• What kind of boundaries should you consider when working with groups?
• Do you need to clean up some boundaries?
• How to do a boundary audit.

“Shore up your boundaries, because the tighter they are, the more professional you’ll come across, and the more you will be able to be an absolute expert inside your zone of expertise.” ”

“A coaching relationship is simultaneously intimate and vulnerable, but it also relies on being able to have objective conversations.”

Stever Robbins

Stever Robbins is a serial entrepreneur, top-10 iTunes podcaster, and productivity expert. He co-founded the early internet success story FTP Software, served as COO of Building Blocks Interactive, CEO of JobTacToe.com, and has been an initial team member of ten start-ups, including four IPOs and three acquisitions. He currently runs Get-it-Done Groups™, which help people make extreme progress on important projects and habits. His experience developing organizational leaders began as co-designer of Harvard Business School’s “Leadership and Learning” curriculum redesign, and has gone on to include being an advisor and mentor to senior managers in several high-growth companies.

His Get-It-Done-Guy podcast spent weeks at #1 in the iTunes business category, years in the top 10 and was downloaded more than 36 million times. He has spoken at TEDx, has been interviewed on all major networks and is the author of several books.

Stever holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Sciences from MIT. He is a business coach, serial entrepreneur, podcaster and productivity expert. He currently runs get it done groups, which helps people make extreme progress on important projects and habits.

Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee
Coaches Console
Stever’s website
Stever’s LinkedIn

Credits:
Guest: Stever Robbins
Host: Melinda Cohan
Producer: Cynthia Lamb 
Executive producer: Danny Iny
Scripted and assembled  by: Michi Lantz 
Audio Post Supervisor: Evan Miles, Christopher Martin
Audio Post Production: Post Office Sound
Music soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely

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Music and SFX credits: 
Track Title: Clouds
Artist Name(s): Acreage
Writer Name: Marshall Usinger
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Coastline Dream
Artist Name(s): Wild Sky
Writer Name: Adam Simons
Publisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONS

Track Title: Coo Coos
Artist Name(s): Dresden, The Flamingo
Writer Name: Matthew Wigton
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

Track Title: Stars & Trees
Artist Name(s): Outside The Sky
Writer Name: Dustin Ransom
Publisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION