Podcast Summary: Courage & Clarity – Episode 155

Title: From 3 to 15 Clients: Renee 5x'd Her Group During "Busy Season"
Host: Steph Crowder
Guest: Renee Paul Gaultier
Release Date: October 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Steph Crowder sits down with Renee Paul Gaultier—a professional violinist, performance coach, and entrepreneur—to illuminate how Renee quintupled her group program's enrollment during her busiest period. They discuss practical strategies, mindset shifts, and real-life tactics that drove Renee's program from 3 to 15 members, emphasizing that major business growth is possible even for time-strapped professionals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Renee’s Background and Path to Coaching

[01:07 - 03:38]

• Renee introduces herself as a violinist with the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra and a performance coach for musicians.
• Coaching emerged naturally from noticing practice struggles among her students at Northwestern and developing a research-backed system to help them.
• Eventually, her focus expanded to include mindset: "Not just practicing, but practicing in the right mindset and making it fulfilling and something that feels meaningful and connected to their life." (A, 02:27)
• Started her own podcast in 2018, leading to online coaching by 2020.

2. The Challenge of Scaling While Busy

[04:24 - 06:38]

• Renee joined Steph’s mastermind after facing diminishing launch results with her group program, Music Mastery Experience.
• She needed streamlined, effective strategies because balancing a busy performance career and entrepreneurship left little time for trial and error:
  "When I spend time on my business, I can't waste a minute." (A, 04:54)

3. Pinpointing the Real Issues with Launches

[06:38 - 08:25]

• Music Mastery Experience serves musicians looking to transform both practice techniques and performance mindset.
• Despite early launch successes, later enrollments dwindled, signaling a disconnect with the right clients:
  "It had stopped hitting the mark... I really needed support with finding my voice again and figuring out how to target the right people." (A, 07:43)

4. The Buzz Blitz Framework: Organizing Genius for Public Appeal

[08:25 - 15:26]

• Steph recounts working closely with Renee, focusing on:

  • Sharpening messaging and positioning rather than overhauling the offer.
  • Employing the Buzz Blitz framework to structure a compelling 5-6 week launch, including event planning, hooks, and email sequences.
  • Encouraging Renee to conduct a survey: “Let’s realign—what does your audience need? Then tailor your challenge around this.” (B, 12:29)

• Renee found immense value in structure and fast feedback: "I had the blueprint, which was perfect for me… I’m really good at executing things, but I’m not a business expert, I’m a musician." (A, 11:35)

• Simplification and focus were game changers:
  "We really simplified your challenge… I’m mostly taking things away, not adding, and then it makes it clear." (B, 14:10)

5. Templates, Calendars & Launching During “Busy Season”

[15:26 - 18:47]

• Renee appreciated clear calendars, email templates, and step-by-step guidelines: “If the wheel exists, why should I reinvent it?” (A, 15:49)
• The key: She executed all this while balancing a packed music schedule and family life (kids, 4-hour commutes).
• Result: Enrollment jumped from 3 to 15 clients, all during her busiest performance season.

Quote:
"The previous launch, I had three clients ... for that last launch, I went to 15 incredible clients… It was just wonderful to see that blossoming." (A, 17:15)

6. Busting the “I’m Too Busy” Myth

[18:47 - 22:13]

• Renee describes how accessible the program was: listening/coaching on the go, done-for-you templates.
• Highlights the need for outside perspective—how Steph quickly spotted issues in Renee’s social media that she couldn't see herself.
• Steph emphasizes that under-enrollment is more stressful than the work of a focused, supported launch:
  "It's much harder emotionally and financially to be under-enrolling… Hitting your goals paradoxically gives you time back." (B, 21:18)

7. The Value of Custom Coaching & Mindset Support

[22:13 - 25:08]

• Renee credits her results to both strategic support and emotional regulation: "When I show up for coaching… you listen and you remember things about my business. There’s a cohesion about it." (A, 22:43)
  • The tailored coaching built her confidence and provided clarity: “This container brought me a lot of peace and… clarity. And courage.” (A, 23:22)
• Steph asserts the importance of addressing mindset dysregulation:
  "A lot of times people try to out-strategize mindset problems, and that's just never going to work." (B, 25:23)

Quote:
"When it's your own business, you're so close to it, you really can't see what needs to change." (B, 15:14)

8. Renee’s Advice to Others on the Fence

[26:14 - 27:49]

• Renee encourages others to take the leap, stressing the program’s value and ROI: “As a business investment… I made my money back many, many times. The time, the agony it’s saving me? Worth every penny.” (A, 27:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mindset & Professional Parallels:
  "Everything I share with you is not just a concept—I'm actually implementing it." (A, 04:11)

• On Effective Launching:
  "I just plug [the calendar] into my own... You had templates of a lot of emails... For me, it was precisely what I needed so that it would fit my very busy schedule." (A, 16:23)

• On Simplicity and Focus:
  "When I gave the feedback to Renee, she was like, 'Oh my gosh, this makes so much sense.'... The number one thing is: how do we simplify it?" (B, 14:13)

• On Coaching Value:
  "You see the problem that's behind… the real problem behind what I think is the problem." (A, 26:05)

Timestamps for Key Moments

• 01:07 – Renee introduces her background and evolution into coaching.
• 06:38 – Details on Music Mastery Experience and client struggles.
• 08:25 – The beginning of working together and leveraging Steph’s frameworks.
• 12:29 – The pivotal moment: tailoring the launch challenge to what the audience wants.
• 17:15 – Major result: growing from 3 to 15 clients.
• 22:43 – Discussing the value of hands-on, custom coaching.
• 27:30 – Renee’s advice on investing in coaching and business support.

Connect with Renee

• Website & Socials: mindoverfinger.com, @mindoverfinger on Instagram and Facebook

Summary Conclusion

This episode is a detailed, energetic peek behind the scenes as Renee transforms her group program results through smart strategy, powerful mindset support, and custom coaching. Steph and Renee’s practical dialogue will resonate with any entrepreneur balancing multiple roles—and inspire the belief that with the right tools and guidance, ambitious business leaps are possible, even in the busiest seasons.