Claim OwnershipProgram Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
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© 2026 Program Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
Description
Program design that actually works. Learn how to build a group coaching program that scales your business, delivers real results for your clients, and frees up your time.
Program Design for Coaches is hosted by Dr. Curtis Satterfield.
I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer, building over 30 courses from scratch. I now help coaches who are at capacity with 1:1 clients figure out how to scale their business without taking on more hours. Because there's a ceiling on what 1:1 work can do for you, and a group program is usually the answer. The problem is most advice about building one is either too generic to be useful or too focused on marketing and not enough on actually making something that works.
I see the same problems come up again and again. Programs packed with information but missing clear outcomes. Clients who buy but never finish. Launches that flop because the program itself wasn't built to deliver results.
In my under-20-minute episodes, I get straight to the problem and show you how to fix it. You'll learn how to structure your program so clients actually complete it, create lessons that stick, and build something you're proud to sell. Whenever it makes sense, I'll link helpful resources in the show notes so you can take action right away.
Scaling beyond 1:1 can feel overwhelming. There's conflicting advice everywhere, and it's easy to get stuck overthinking your outline, second-guessing your content, or wondering if anyone will even buy it. This podcast doesn't ignore that. Instead, it walks you through the messy and confusing parts step by step so you never feel like you're doing it alone.
My goal is simple. I want to help you build a program that gets real results for your clients. One that creates transformation, builds your reputation, and grows your business through social proof and repeat buyers. From defining your transformation to structuring your modules, from designing your lessons to launching with confidence, we'll cover it all.
If that sounds like the support you need, take a moment to follow or subscribe to the show. It's an easy way to support the podcast and make sure you never miss an episode.
19 Episodes
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If you've been trying to sell a course in 2026 and the numbers aren't adding up, the problem isn't your marketing. The market has structurally shifted. Courses are declining, and the practitioners who've been in this industry for years are saying it out loud. In this episode I break down what's actually driving the decline, what's working instead, and what the 2026 buyer needs from you before they'll spend money. You'll learn: - Why standalone self-paced courses are losing ground in 2026 - Ho...
Welcome to Program Design for Coaches, the podcast that helps fully booked coaches build group programs that scale their business, deliver real results for their clients, and free up their time. I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer, building over 30 programs from scratch. On this show I'll help you build group programs that actually work. Programs your clients finish, that generate real testimonials, and that make scaling your business a whole lot...
Online course creation starts with a foundation most coaches skip. Skipping it is the reason clients don't get the transformation they were promised. Most coaches sit down to create a course and start asking "what should I teach?" That question gets them into trouble every time. They end up with a pile of content that goes in ten directions and clients who finish without the result they paid for. The content isn't the problem. The missing foundation is. In this episode I walk you through the ...
Course creation mistakes are costing your clients before they ever start. If you're designing a course right now, there's a step most solopreneurs skip entirely and it sets clients up to struggle from lesson one. In this episode, I'll show you the course design mistake that causes clients to hit a wall early, what it actually costs you when it happens, and the two-part fix that prevents it. You'll learn: Why course creators unknowingly design courses from the wrong starting pointWhat the curs...
Online course completion rates don't improve by adding more content, they improve through better course design. If your clients aren't finishing your online course, the problem isn't what you're teaching. It's how much you're asking their brain to handle at once. In this episode, I'll break down the science behind why more content makes things worse and four course design mistakes that are tanking your completion rate. You'll learn: Why adding more content to your course actually ...
Online course creation starts long before you hit record, but most solopreneurs skip the readiness check and pay for it later. They jump into building modules, picking platforms, and recording lessons without the foundations in place, and end up scrapping weeks of work or launching something that doesn't deliver. In this episode, I'll walk you through four things you need to have ready before you create your first online course, so you can go in prepared instead of scrambling. You'll learn: W...
The wrong course platform can wreck your first online course launch before you make a single sale. If you're researching Kajabi, Teachable, or Thinkific for your course creation setup, you're about to make an expensive mistake. In this episode, I'll tell you the platform I recommend to my clients, why the popular options are a bad fit when you're just starting out, and how I learned this lesson the hard way after switching platforms myself. You'll learn: Why the most recommended course platfo...
Your students have purchased your online course, full of excitement and anticipation. Yet, many mentally check out within the first 30 seconds. Not because the course lacks quality, but because the introductory moments fail to engage them. In this episode, you'll learn about critical course design mistakes that cause students to disengage right from the start, and discover a simple, three-part framework to hook your audience from lesson one. You'll learn: Why "In this lesson, we're going to l...
For solopreneurs looking to build an online course that truly transforms students, understanding the difference between transferring information and transferring skills is key. In this episode, we introduce the Handoff Method, a simple three-step approach to course design that helps your students move from "I get it" to "I can do it." You'll learn: Why most online courses fail to transfer actual skillsThe absurd way most courses are structured (and why we'd never accept it in ot...
Creating an online course? Solopreneurs often make this course design mistake without realizing it. And it's costing them students, testimonials, and future sales. In this episode, I share a personal story about learning to crochet that reminded me why so many course creators lose students before they even get started. You'll learn: Why students give up on courses in the first few minutesWhat the "curse of knowledge" is and how it affects your course designHow to figure out where your audienc...
Are you ready to record your online course lessons but unsure whether to write a full script, use bullet points, or just wing it? This episode explores essential techniques for course creation that help solopreneurs build an online course that truly connects with their students. Learn from my 17 years of experience as an educator and course designer as I break down the three main approaches to lesson delivery and share which method works best. You'll learn: Why repeating yourself on camera t...
You build an online course, launch it, and only a few people sign up. For solopreneurs trying to create an online course that grows their business, low enrollment feels like failure. But it doesn't have to be. In this episode, I share exactly what happened when my course launch got only one paid student, and the course creation strategies I used to turn it into a sold-out relaunch just months later. You'll learn: Why low enrollment only matters for certain types of coursesHow to cap your enro...
Online course completion is the key to course creation success. If your students aren't finishing, you're not getting testimonials, referrals, or repeat buyers. Just silence. The problem isn't your content. It's that your students don't understand why each lesson matters to them. And the common advice to "just explain why" doesn't work because it relies on you remembering to do it every single time. In this episode, I'll show you two structural tools that build purpose into every lesson autom...
You're building your first online course and you can't stop asking: how long should it be? You've searched for answers. Maybe you even bought a course creation program hoping they'd tell you. But nobody gives you a straight answer. In this episode, I share 4 course length realities no one talks about - and they directly affect whether your course succeeds or fails. You'll learn: Why the "more content = more value" myth is destroying course completion ratesWhat actually determines how much you...
You want to build a course that helps people. But when you sit down to actually create it, you're staring at a blank screen thinking... what do I actually put in this thing? Most course creators just record everything they know and hope something sticks. That's why their students don't finish - and why refund requests pile up. In this episode, I share 5 truths I've learned in 17 years as an educator that separate courses that transform students from courses that just dump information. You'll ...
Passive income from online courses is a lie. At least the way course gurus sell it to solopreneurs. You followed the launch formula. Built your list. Sent the emails. Did everything the gurus told you to do. And you got almost no sales. In this episode, I share the story of my first course launch. $2,000 spent on a program. Six weeks of work. 2,000 people on my list. One sale. I break down why this happens to most course creators and what actually works instead. You'll learn: Why the success ...
Course creation as a solopreneur doesn't have to be overwhelming. In this episode, I'm sharing my complete framework for building an online course that actually transforms your students and grows your business. You'll learn: Why most course creation programs set you up to fail (and what to do instead)How to identify exactly who your course is for and what they actually needThe one-sentence test that tells you if your transformation is clear enough to buildHow to structure your modules and les...
You bought a course creation program expecting to learn how to build your course. But module after module was about launching, selling, and marketing - with almost nothing on how to actually structure your content so students get results. In this episode, I share the story of Anna, a book coach who paid $2,000 for a course creation program and asked for a refund. Then I walk you through the specific guidance I gave her that helped her sell out two courses. You'll learn: Why understanding your...
Course design determines whether your second launch is easier or harder than your first. Learn how to build an online course that turns students into your marketing team. Your first course launch is a grind. You don't have testimonials, success stories, or proof that your course works. You're convincing people to take a chance on something unproven. But your second launch? That one should be easier. And whether it is or isn't comes down to what happens inside your course after people buy. In ...
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