Podcast
Success Leaves Clues
Hosted by Davis Nguyen · EN
Success Leaves Clues is a podcast spotlighting the stories, strategies, and transformations created by today’s top career, leadership, executive, and other coaches.
Each episode dives into the real-world journeys behind coaching businesses, how they started, scaled, and succeeded, along with lessons learned, client success stories, and practical takeaways for aspiring or established coaches.
Whether you’re helping professionals pivot careers, grow as leaders, or step into entrepreneurship, this show offers an inside look at what it takes to build a purpose-driven, profitable coaching practice.
67episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Dr. Bob & Dr. Judith Wright: The Secret to Purposeful Leadership and Lasting Success
2w ago00:23:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets), host Davis Nguyen sits down with the founders of LiveWright, a husband-and-wife team who have spent more than 45 years helping executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders build extraordinary careers while creating meaningful, fulfilling lives. Drawing from decades of coaching experience and research, they share insights from working with leaders of multi-million, billion-dollar, and global organizations.Dr. Bob and Dr. Judith discuss the hidden challenges that successful executives face, including imposter syndrome, burnout, lack of fulfillment, and developmental blind spots. They explain why purpose-driven leadership creates better business results, how great leaders reclaim their time through intentional delegation, and why investing in personal growth delivers returns that extend far beyond financial success.The conversation also explores leadership development, executive coaching, company culture, lifelong learning, and the importance of continually evolving as a leader. Packed with practical wisdom and inspiring stories, this episode offers a powerful roadmap for anyone looking to build a successful business while living a more meaningful and impactful life.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjudithwright/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbobrobertwright/Website:https://livewright.com/meet-judith/Website: https://livewright.com/meet-bob/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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How to Build a Coaching Business That Runs Without You | Davis Nguyen
2w ago00:42:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues, host Pedro sits down with Davis Nguyen, founder of Purple Circle and My Consulting Offer, to discuss the realities of scaling a coaching business without sacrificing your lifestyle.Davis shares his journey from building a side business to creating multiple seven- and eight-figure coaching companies. He explains the four levels of business growth, the biggest mistakes coaches make when trying to scale, and why many business owners focus on the wrong problems.You'll learn how successful coaches generate consistent leads, improve sales, build systems that create time freedom, and develop businesses that can eventually operate without their daily involvement. Davis also provides an inside look at Purple Circle's coaching framework, including the Vision Planner, the 72-Point Assessment, and the four growth tracks that help coaches increase income, impact, and freedom.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamdavisnguyen/Website: https://joinpurplecircle.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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How Curtis Butler Built a Fully Booked Coaching Business
2w ago00:21:49Tap to summarizeIn this powerful follow-up episode of Success Leaves Clues, host Davis Nguyen sits down once again with career coach Curtis Butler to discuss the incredible growth of his coaching business, the lessons he's learned, and the personal challenges he's overcome since their last conversation.Curtis shares how he transitioned from a successful 30-year career in finance into coaching, despite financial uncertainty and family pressures. He opens up about the struggles of entrepreneurship, the importance of mentorship, and how staying committed to his mission of helping students, graduates, and families has transformed both his business and his life.From packed calendars and growing demand to achieving milestones that once seemed impossible, Curtis reveals what it takes to build momentum, create lasting impact, and scale a coaching business without losing sight of purpose.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisbutler/Website: https://www.guidedascentcoaching.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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Rachael O'Meara: From Burnout to a Thriving Coaching Business
2w ago00:27:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues Podcast, host Davis Nguyen sits down with Rachael O'Meara, former Google leader, bestselling author of Pause, and executive career coach, to explore how high achievers can break free from burnout, self-doubt, and analysis paralysis.Rachael shares her personal journey from struggling with burnout during her 13-year career at Google to building a thriving coaching business that helps ambitious tech leaders gain clarity, confidence, and career fulfillment. She also reveals how joining Purple Circle transformed her business by creating a consistent flow of leads, sales, and sustainable growth.Together, Davis and Rachael discuss the importance of investing in yourself, trusting the coaching process, overcoming overthinking, and building a business and life that are both successful and sustainable.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romeara/Website: https://www.rachaelomeara.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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Alex Barker: How I Built a Business That Runs Without Me
2w ago00:34:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues Podcast, host Davis Nguyen sits down with Alex Barker, pharmacist, entrepreneur, and founder of a successful career coaching company, to discuss the lessons learned from building, scaling, and transforming a coaching business.Alex shares his journey from being an unhappy pharmacist to helping hundreds of pharmacists land better careers while growing a team-driven coaching business. He opens up about the challenges of hiring the wrong people, managing an underperforming team, creating consistent revenue, and making difficult leadership decisions that ultimately changed the trajectory of his company.Together, Davis and Alex explore what it takes to build predictable lead generation, improve sales, create high-performing teams, and develop systems that allow a business owner to step back without sacrificing growth. They also discuss the importance of taking action, embracing tough conversations, and overcoming the obstacles that keep many entrepreneurs stuck.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-barker-pharmd/Website: https://thehappypharmd.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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The Secret to Sustainable High Performance with Max Martina
3w ago00:42:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets) our guest is Max Martina, entrepreneur, leadership advisor, and business strategist, who shares powerful insights on personal energy management, purpose-driven leadership, founder burnout, and building a business that aligns with your strengths. Max breaks down how entrepreneurs and high performers can identify their deepest sources of energy, conduct personal energy audits, delegate energy-draining tasks, and create sustainable long-term success without sacrificing fulfillment. This conversation is packed with practical strategies for founders, coaches, executives, and ambitious professionals looking to operate at their highest level while building meaningful work and stronger teams.You can find him on:https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-martina-41396715/https://cambridge-leadership.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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The Founder Is the Bottleneck: Fixing the Real Problem in Scaling Businesses with Forrest Derr
3w ago00:35:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets), the host is Pedro and guest Forrest Derr, a fractional integrator and COO who helps founders turn chaotic, owner-dependent companies into structured, scalable businesses that can run without them.Forrest shares hard truths from working with scaling founders between $2M–$50M revenue, where the real bottleneck is often not the team—but the owner themselves. He breaks down why accountability issues usually come from lack of clarity, how empowering teams changes everything, and why most founders unknowingly build businesses that trap them instead of freeing them.The conversation dives deep into the shift from trading time for money to building outcome-based consulting models, the danger of overusing AI without real strategic thinking, and why systematizing—though boring—is the key to scaling and eventually exiting a business.Forrest also walks through his own fractional COO model, including his one-day deep-dive diagnostic process and six-month engagement structure designed to install leadership systems and replace himself with a strong internal second-in-command.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestkderr/?skipRedirect=trueWebsite: https://derrconsulting.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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The Hidden Mistakes Keeping Entrepreneurs From Growing with Rob Craven
3w ago00:45:43Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets) our guest is Rob Craven, an experienced business growth expert, speaker, and leadership strategist who shares powerful insights on scaling a business, building stronger teams, improving leadership, and creating long-term success without burnout. Rob breaks down the mindset, strategy, and practical systems that help entrepreneurs and professionals move from surviving to truly growing in today’s competitive world. Whether you're a business owner, coach, leader, or someone looking to level up your career, this conversation is packed with actionable advice and real-world experience you can apply immediately.You can find him on:https://scalepassion.com/https://robcravenscalepassion.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertucravenhttps://www.instagram.com/rob_craven_scalepassion/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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Success Leaves Clues: Elisa Dibble on Career Change & Job Search Success
3w ago00:39:04Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets), Pedro sits down with Elisa Dibble, a marketing and career coach with over 12 years of experience in staffing, recruiting, and creative industries. Elisa shares her journey from working in the staffing world to building her own coaching business focused on helping high-level creatives and marketers land new roles, secure promotions, and make meaningful career shifts in a short timeframe.They explore her transition from corporate structure to entrepreneurship, the layoffs that accelerated her leap into coaching full-time, and how she naturally built her niche by working with people she already understood deeply. Elisa also breaks down her LinkedIn outbound strategy, her simple but structured coaching offer, and how she guides clients through either career development or job-hunting pathways.The conversation dives into time management as a business owner, avoiding burnout while scaling, and the challenge of moving from fully one-on-one coaching into more scalable systems like tools, videos, and group support. Elisa also shares her thoughts on rejection in sales, building consistency in outreach, and why specialization became her biggest advantage.Connect withLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisa-dibble/Website: https://www.elisathecoach.com/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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The Real Reason Teams Break Down at Work with Sarah Singer
3w ago00:36:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Success Leaves Clues (formerly Career Coaching Secrets, our guest is Sarah Singer, a leadership strategist, HR consultant, and business advisor who helps organizations improve performance through stronger people strategy, communication, and leadership development. Sarah shares powerful insights on hiring the right people, building resilient workplace cultures, navigating leadership challenges, and why emotional intelligence and psychology are critical for long-term business success. We also dive into the mistakes companies make when scaling teams, how leaders can create accountability without burnout, and the mindset shifts needed to build high-performing organizations in today’s fast-changing workplace. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, manager, coach, or aspiring leader, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on people, performance, and sustainable growth.You can find her on:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfcsinger/https://www.instagram.com/sarahfcsinger/Support the showYou can also watch this podcast on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/@thesuccessleavescluesIf you are a coach looking to grow your business, you can find out more about Purple Circle at http://joinpurplecircle.com
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