Ep 12. Taking Time Off Without Losing Yourself (or Your Business)
Release Date: 10/29/2025
Ep 30. Ginger Bitters & Big Feelings: Long-Term Clients Without the Codependency Spiral
The Coaching Mixer
A listener asked: How do you support clients long-term without accidentally becoming their emotional support human, their outsourced decision-making brain, or their personal “always be closing” sales funnel? Erin and Elana get into the uncomfortable truth, that “dependency” is not a villain. It is a spectrum. But coaching that ends up training people to distrust themselves is problematic. And yes, they also talk about the marketing version of coaching that’s basically: “Your life is terrible, I’m the cure, please renew for six more months.” Huge ick. The spicy bits: ...
info_outline
Ep 29. Spicy Cherry Plot Twist: How to Create Without Suffering for It
The Coaching Mixer
If you’ve been telling yourself that your creative work “doesn’t count” unless it’s hard, dramatic, or all-consuming, this episode is a gentle (and very real) reset. In this Coaching Mixer conversation, Erin and Elana talk about what it actually looks like to create when you have clients, responsibilities, and a life. They unpack why “going all-in” is often a pressure story (and sometimes a privilege story), and how tiny, consistent steps can build serious creative momentum over time. You will walk away with a calmer, clearer way to create work you care about,...
info_outline
Ep 28: Letting Go of “Doing It Right” over Whiskey
The Coaching Mixer
If you’ve been trying to “do creativity right” and it’s making you avoid the work, this episode is for you. Erin and Elana talk about how to stop forcing someone else’s process, choose a next step you can actually do today, and create from real life instead of performance. They get into: Why your best content often comes from what you’re currently struggling with. The myth that you can’t coach or teach something until you’ve fully solved it. What your audience actually needs from you: probably not perfect lighting, a power suit, and a scripted TED Talk. More likely it's...
info_outline
Ep 27: Sips and Shifts—Why Every Client Needs a Different Medicine (pt. 2)
The Coaching Mixer
In part two of our episode we talk about why warmth is not the opposite of serious coaching but a pathway to lasting changes for clients. Sometimes warmth is the most serious thing you can offer a client who sees themselves in harsh light. We talk about what actually helps clients who find the “tough love” storyline tempting, and swap notes on the kinds of tools that feel like medicine instead of a cookie-cutter script. A few things we get into: Deep curiosity as a genuinely healing force (yes, even in business coaching) Creating low-stakes “rehearsal” space, where imagining...
info_outline
Ep. 26 Sips and Shifts: Why Every Client Needs a Different Medicine
The Coaching Mixer
In this episode of The Coaching Mixer, hosts Erin Aquin and Elana Mckernan talk about “different kinds of medicine” in coaching. Not every moment calls for a mindset reframe. Sometimes it calls for a pause, a practice, or plain old validation. Also, beverages matter: Erin is drinking a carrot–apple–ginger–celery–lime–beet juice (vampire lips included). Elana has an apple cider seltzer with berries (with the berries plopped in, of course). In this conversation, you’ll hear: Why a “reset” can be less about deprivation and more about changing patterns with care. How coaches...
info_outline
Ep 25: Coaching Without Preaching
The Coaching Mixer
Sometimes your client says something that isn't socially or personally acceptable to you. Suddenly might find yourself feeling distracted by their comment and unable to stay in your lane as a Coach. These are the moments when curiosity matters and where real change can happen. In this week’s Coaching Mixer, Erin and Elana talk about what to do when a client’s worldview is wildly different from yours, how to stay human without preaching, and when it might be wise, to end a coaching relationship or session. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why screaming your position online is...
info_outline
Ep 24: The "Hell No" Filter: Boundaries, Beliefs, and Business Coaching
The Coaching Mixer
Grab a blanket and a mug: we’re answering listener questions while getting a little buzzed on cozy winter spirits. Things get deep, a little spicy, and surprisingly "medicinal" as we dive into what happens when a coaching session hits close to home. How do you handle a client whose worldview makes you cringe? Can you coach someone you fundamentally disagree with? We explore the boundary between professional curiosity and personal "hell no’s." What’s in the Mug? Elana: Spiked Hot Cocoa. Heavy on the Bailey’s, sweet, creamy, and definitely not for kids (despite the "Best Dad Ever"...
info_outline
Ep 23: Values-Driven Entrepreneurship: Finding Your Voice in Turbulent Times
The Coaching Mixer
In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most challenging aspects of running a business right now—how to show up authentically when the world feels heavy, complicated, and politically charged. We explore what it means to be human in your business, how to protect your energy while staying engaged, and why your wellness as a business owner matters just as much as the service you provide. Drinks of the Episode: We're keeping it cozy with warm beverages. What We Talk About The messy reality of showing up online: When do you post about current events? When do you stay quiet? How do you...
info_outline
Ep 22. Coaching Through the Storm: Navigating Business and Politics When the World Feels Heavy
The Coaching Mixer
Picture this: Erin's in near-Toronto dealing with minus-30°C weather, Elena's buried in New Jersey snow, and we're both pretending we're somewhere tropical by mixing up vacation drinks. Elana's got a tangerine whiskey sour with egg whites (made in a mason jar, because sometimes you just have to work with what you've got), and Erin's sipping a margarita—no salt, because when the tequila's good enough, you don't need it. We're recording from our respective winter fortresses, and honestly? The polar vortex called for this kind of creative escape. Sometimes you need to pretend you're somewhere...
info_outline
Ep 21: Grateful, Not Needy: The Secret to Healthy Collaboration
The Coaching Mixer
Ever wonder what it's like to build a business with your spouse? In this episode, we dive deep into the messy, magical world of collaboration—from working with family to choosing the right creative partners. Erin gets refreshingly honest about the challenges of running Superabound with Steve, including the time she realized she was more interested in the business than their romantic life (yikes!). Key Topics: Working with Family: The good, the bad, and the "are we talking as business partners or life partners right now?" Erin shares how she and Steve navigate the tricky waters of being both...
info_outlineIn this episode, Elena and Erin pour a couple of local beers and settle into a conversation about travel, rest, and what it means to actually step away from your business as a coach or entrepreneur.
They start light, sharing stories of their brews (Block Three’s Blocktoberfest in Canada and a mysterious “Jersey Life” lager), Welsh pub adventures, and the strange psychology of beer versus gin. But the conversation soon deepens into something richer: how hard it can be for business owners to truly take time off, and what that reveals about our sense of identity and self-worth.
They explore how entrepreneurs often tie their value to productivity — and how that mindset can poison rest. Erin shares her ritual of leaving her laptop behind when she travels and what it took to finally feel like herself again on vacation. Elena reflects on the early days of working for herself and realizing how easy it is to forget to build rest into the business calendar when there’s no boss to approve time off.
Together they unpack:
-
Why taking real time off is a form of leadership, not laziness
-
How to plan your calendar to protect rest before burnout hits
-
The difference between traveling and resting
-
The creative myth of “the muse” and why true creativity can be scheduled
-
What it means to model presence and embodiment for your clients
-
How to navigate “non-restful” trips (like family visits or long-haul travel) without losing your grounding or momentum
Elena also shares her upcoming plans to travel to China with her husband’s family — a trip that’s both exciting and a break from building business momentum — and Erin offers strategies for preparing your business (and your mind) for time away that’s not exactly a vacation.
It’s a lively, honest exploration of how to create a healthy rhythm between your work, your creativity, and your humanity from two coaches learning to practice what they preach.
Listen if:
You struggle to unplug from your business, feel guilty taking time off, or secretly check your inbox while “on vacation.”
Connect:
Follow Elena @elanamckernan and Erin @besuperabound on Instagram to share your favorite local beer and how you’re planning to take your next real break.
For full show notes visit https://besuperabound.com/coachingmixer/ep-12.-taking-time-off-without-losing-yourself-or-your-business