November 13, 2017 by Sharla Jacobs

Our World, Our Industry, and Your Future Clients...

...Are All Starving For This One Thing.

As I sit here after placing the finishing touches on an outline for an upcoming Facebook Live, encouraging our son (who is practicing his newest gymnastic move on the floor near my desk), thanking our team for rocking it this week, and considering what’s ahead for the New Year… two other important things are also on my mind and heart.

The state of our world.

And the state of our industry.

When my husband, Jesse, and I started this company, it wasn’t much of a company at all, LOL! We were just two passionate people determined to transform the world through increasing the quality of life for each client we had the honor to serve. Touching hearts and allowing healing to unfold, one person at a time through our coaching and acupuncture practices.

Through a series of spiritual experiences that aligned our way of selling with the way we did our transformational work… HeartsellingTM was accidentally born.

Attracting a new client became about empowering another human being to make a choice that was best for them, whether that choice meant they worked with us or not. Having conversations in this way magnetized so many new clients we loved working with quickly and our friends started asking us how we were doing it.

We started sharing our methods with them, organically, one person to one person. Then we started doing small workshops that also happened organically, through connection.

And then one step led to another, and now we’re here...

We’ve employed hundreds of people, spoken in front of 50,000 Coaches and Holistic Practitioners, had over 8,000 people attend our live events and watched our clients collectively generate over $100 Million, all using heart centered client attraction strategies…

We’ve seen so much in this industry.

Our company, Thrive Academy, has not only survived but thrived and grown each year in the transformational space.

And that’s not an easy thing.

Our clients have grown to be some of the most successful leaders in their space… ranging from Shamans now coaching CEOs…

To Acupuncturists launching leveraged group programs...

To former teacher turned Spiritual Healer making 6 figures and writing an Amazon Bestseller...

To speaking on global stages, landing Hay House contracts, and becoming philanthropists with global impact.

They didn’t do it with a magic pill. They didn’t do it through 3 steps to rocking it out without putting in the hours. The creativity. The imagination. The love.

They did it because connection to a deeper purpose and vision compelled them to move through the pain and joy of growth.

They did it because we gave them the templates and the systems that worked for us, and they took those proven systems and made it THEIRS. They did it because they were willing to look deep within and develop their authentic voices and offered authentic value.

They connected the strategy with the hearts of those they are meant to help. They did it through 1-on-1 connection until they were so confident in getting new clients, they could scale while still maintaining the integrity of the intimacy that earned them the trust of their community in the first place.

They did it by keeping love and connection front and center, just like we always have and always will.

There is a lot of pain in our industry, the “Transformation Industry” right now. There is a lot of pain in the world right now. I can’t help but think it’s all connected.

We’ve been reaching out to coaches and holistic practitioners within the greater community at large to learn more about their pain and how they are moving through to continue bringing their vision into the world.

We love our industry and are looking to answer the question... “How can we move forward together, and better?”

While so many people talk about automation and scale and “crushing it,” I can’t help but feel that the internet and our industry in general has to make a move back toward connection, intimacy and love.

Where people feel seen, heard, understood… and something most people don’t want to talk about, but HAND HELD. Our clients rock it because we are there for them. Because we consistently meet in person. Because our programs have never become so automated that any member of our community gets left behind.

It’s the same in the world. The pain is visceral. People are hurting each other at unprecedented rates and in increasingly violent ways because they themselves are hurting. Because they are starving to be seen, known, and loved. I believe together, doing our work, touching lives, we can be that for them, organically and one person at at time.

Every time one of you reaches out and touches another life, helps a client breakthrough a limiting belief or pattern, you create a space for another human being to experience the authentic connection that both our industry, and our world, are starving for right now.

I believe that increasing connection in an increasingly disconnected industry and world is the heart and spirit of what we do at Thrive. It’s what our clients do. It’s what their clients do. And it’s how we are slowly transforming this world while also raising our two sons based on the same principles.

When people feel held, they do their best work and reach the greatest heights of success. When people feel seen and loved, it becomes harder for them to hurt others.

There’s so much going on right now sometimes it makes my head spin, and often makes my heart hurt. But I know from 13 years of leading a global movement that together we move through it.

Thanks for listening. For taking a few minutes of your busy day to hear what’s in my heart, and hopefully respond in the comments below so I can hear yours.

Love & Prosperity,

Sharla Jacobs
Co-Founder, Thrive Academy

P.S. If you feel inspired by our vision for our community, our world, or our industry…

If you know that the way for you to move forward bringing your great work into the world is going to have to be based in connection, love and intimacy…

And you believe in the power of gathering together in person with like minded and like souled individuals to propel your dreams forward…

Then I’d love to invite you to claim a full scholarship to come to our next live Thrive Academy event, the Client Attraction Summit in January 2018.

We’ll share with you many of the strategies we mentioned above, connection and love based ways to communicate the value of your beautiful gift you are truly here to offer so that people get it and say yes to working with you…

Without ever compromising your integrity for even one second.

We have 35 scholarships available for January and the application process should take less than 5 minutes for you to complete.

You can learn more here and just so you know there is a $197 fully refundable seat deposit involved. If we do not accept your application we will immediately refund it, otherwise you will get it back the second you show up at the Summit.

If you know that 2018 is the year for you to step out more with your gifts, to make the money you need to contribute at the highest level possible while living your values, then you are more than likely the right person to be in the room… alongside a few hundred people who are also answering the call.

To see what others are saying about the Summit, visit this page.

Jesse and I, and our entire global Thrive community, can’t wait to connect more with you and support your vision!

Tell us what you think...

April 6, 2017 by Jesse Koren

The Question That Changed My Life…

Twelve years ago, I found my calling to be a Professional Coach. It was like coming home.

I felt like my whole life was secretly designed to make me a world-class coach.
The struggles with food, with alcohol, with my body…

They led me to travel the country by Greyhound Bus, living in eleven different intentional communities.

I tried every healing modality I could get my hands on.

My commitment for healing was SO strong, I was able to dig my way out of the madness without medication or drugs.

Breakthrough1By the time I found coaching, I had healed most of my major challenges and I was HUNGRY to help other people heal theirs.

I tried for almost 2 years. I didn't get One. Single. Paying. Client.
I just couldn’t get anyone to say yes to paying me.

I did lots of free coaching. And I worked all kinds of odd jobs to pay the bills.

Until one day I just couldn’t take it anymore.

I buried my dream of serving thousands of people and got a full-time J-O-B.

Finally, I had security… a nice paycheck every 2 weeks.
It was AWESOME... for the first 3 days.

But with each day that crept by, I felt an insatiable emptiness grow in the pit of my belly.

I had to fill this void with something, right?
Well, luckily, my co-workers always stocked up on sugary treats.

The temptation of those delectable cookies called out to me every minute I was at work, until I succumbed and let them fill me up.

Aaahhh… the sweet feeling of sugar, rushing through my veins.
Minutes later, I felt awful so I went back for another sugar hit.

By the time 5pm came along, I hardly had the energy to drive home.

Jesse and Sharla the year they went from 0-$175,000

Jesse and Sharla the year
we went from 0-$175,000

One morning (after eleven LONG months), I asked myself a question:
"Could I live with myself if I was doing this 5 years from now?"
"HELL NO!!!" was the answer.

I wanted to be married with kids, having impacted thousands of people.

"How about one year from now?"
"Absolutely NOT!!!!!!"

That’s when I knew I had to give my dream another chance.

The moment I re-committed to my business, chocolate chip cookies lost their power over me.

I was exhilarated. And I knew I was going to succeed this time because I had watched Sharla get business coaching and fill her schedule with clients.
I KNEW how she did it, and I KNEW I could do it too.

So, I used my life savings to invest in some expensive business trainings and in less than one month I had enough clients to quit my J-O-B.

Then Sharla and I joined forces and in our first year together we made $175,000.

Jesse and Sharla during one of our recent live events

We’ve gone on to teach over 50,000 Coaches and Holistic Practitioners our signature “Heartselling™” system.

But what we’re most proud of is that our clients have earned over $100 Million Dollars collectively (which means that LOTS of their clients are getting the healing and empowerment they need).

And it all came from asking myself this question:
"Could I live with myself if I was doing this 5 years from now?"

Now it’s your turn…
Could you live with yourself if your life didn’t change much in the next 5 years?

If your answer is “No” or “HELL NO,” then I encourage you to make a bold decision to make 2017 your breakthrough year…

So, that when you look back at your life 5 years from now, you’ll see this year as the year that changed everything.

Are you with us? If so, leave a comment and tell us what this year is about for you.

Tell us what you think...

March 4, 2016 by Jesse Koren

Let Go Of A Client Who Drains You?

Yesterday, one of our Thrive Members posted in our private Facebook group about her decision to let go of a client who drained her. She wasn’t sure if she did the right thing.

In my past, I have drained myself countless times in exchange for money (and it nearly killed me) so, I passionately answered her question... our members loved my response so much that they told me to turn it into a blog post.

Here’s my answer to the question about should I release a client who drains me?

It takes courage to release a client (and the income that comes along with them). I'm glad that you didn't let scarcity over take you.

Exchanging getting drained for getting paid is NOT ever worth it, for any reason! (That is something to write on a post-it note and hang on your desk.)

But, before I would dismiss a client, I would inquire deeply into what was draining about working with this client.

I find that there are 3 Major Client Drainers:

1) Overgiving.
Charging too little or giving too much of your time, almost always leads to feelings of being drained. It takes courage to charge what you want to charge and end the session when you say you’re going to end. Do it anyway. It will leave you with more energy to continue your day.

2) Not speaking your truth.
Those things that you wish you could say to your client (but it might be rude or disrespectful, and after all, they're paying you lots of money...) Those are the things you need to say!!! Just begin your bold statement with a large dose of acknowledgment, compassion and gentleness. It's nearly impossible to boldly speak your truth and get drained at the same time.

3) Getting attached to your clients getting results.
This seems like a good thing... don't we all want our clients to get great results? Of course!

The problem is that when you get attached to your client getting great results, you tighten up. And when you tighten up, you lose connection with your client and you lose connection with your intuition. From this place, you probably push your client too hard, or you protect your client from your inner pusher and you become quiet and withholding. Neither works.

Instead, trust that there is a much bigger picture working here. Sometimes people are ripe for results, and other times, it takes time.

Your clients' results do NOT determine your goodness or worthiness. You can be amazing, even if your client didn't get results. And you can be terrible and still have clients get results.

But... it's helpful to use their lack of results as inspiration to step up your game so that you are holding the most optimal space for your clients to get results.

It's helpful to trust that there is a bigger picture happening that we are not always privy to that goes WAY beyond how much money they made, weight they lost, or soulmate they have found.

It's helpful to celebrate the results they are getting, no matter how big or small.

It's helpful to address your clients' feelings about the results they're getting.

It's helpful to love them completely as they are, even if they don't change a bit. And, at the same time, it's helpful to hold vibrant space for them to become who they are becoming.

But, it's NOT helpful to take responsibility for your clients' results. You can't get results for your client, even if you try your hardest. Because they are the ones doing the work... it's their results. Your job is to hold impeccable space, like a cocoon for a butterfly. The space you hold includes your love, wisdom, energy, and compassion. And it's their choice to become the butterfly.

When you're doing your best to help your client win, it's best to simply hand the rest over to them and to God/the Universe and trust that everything that is happening is exactly what needs to happen.

But, what if you’ve been charging an amount that feels good, sticking to your time agreements, speaking your truth, and giving the results over to God/the Universe. But, you're still getting drained. Well...

Sometimes the arc is simply over and it’s time to complete. After all, even the best things in life have a beginning, middle, and end.

Your work together might feel like a stick of bubble gum that you've been chewing for 30 minutes and it simply no longer has much flavor.

If this is the case, we recommend you set this client free and refer them to another resource that can help them grow.

This will make space for new clients to emerge.

Sometimes, the problem is having draining clients... but other times, the BIGGER problem is simply getting enough high-paying clients to pay the bills. If this is the case, we’d love to help... Check out our life-changing Client Attraction Summit.

Would love to read your comments below.

September 16, 2015 by Jesse Koren

YIKES! My Pants Split Open on Stage

A couple of years ago, we led our Client Attraction Summit.

I (Jesse) had spent many hours the week before the event, praying for avalanches of abundance to flow to the entire Thrive Community. So when I stepped on stage on Friday morning, even though I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep, I was on fire.

By Sunday morning, our attendees are literally glowing. It’s about 11:00am. The song Good Feeling by Flo Rida is blasting from the speakers and I am in my element, dancing solo on stage with a group of about 200 Coaches and Holistic Practitioners dancing with me.

I try a slightly crazy move... and suddenly I feel the back of my pants go RIPPPPPP!!!! The confident smile on my face turns to shock.

I slide my hand over the back of my pants and yep... my black boxer briefs are now visible.

But the music is loud, so nobody heard the rip. And there’s no one behind me, so no one can see it...

So I’ll just keep dancing... And as long as I never turn my back to the group, I’ll be fine.

I end the dancing with a 1, 2, 3, YES!

And everyone takes a seat. I think about putting the group into a partner share so that I can run up to my room to change...

But I am more committed to staying on time and delivering on the Q&A session and so I decide to change my pants later.

As I answer the questions, I remind myself often to face the group at ALL times.

Then a woman shares something very courageous and also very dark about her past. The light-hearted exhilaration in the room turns into a dark, foreboding cloud.

I ask the group if they want me to keep going with content or to switch directions and help this woman have a breakthrough in this area that had been holding her hostage for the last 18 years (and would continue to keep her from attracting clients).

They vote for the breakthrough.

So I bring her on stage and step into my "Breakthrough Coaching Zone."

When I enter this Zone, I lose all self-consciousness and show up fully in service to the woman on stage as well as the entire group.

I start by asking her to reveal something that she had not shared publicly in years: her arms had scars on them from the incident 18 years ago.

She reluctantly takes off her long sleeve shirt to reveal her beautifully scarred arms. The group greets her with love and applause.

I guide her to a place of self-love and forgiveness and invite her to dance slowly as she holds herself in an embrace of self-love.

I can tell that she is still incredibly self-conscious. So I step to the side and invite some women who are moved by her story to come up on stage and literally hold her as they massage her with unconditional love.

She starts sobbing uncontrollably as she feels the love and tenderness of these angelic women. The healing has begun.

After several minutes of healing, one of our team members, Erin Delaney, walks on stage and whispers in my ear, "Your pants are torn at the butt.”

I whisper back, “I know.” And, then it dawns on me. I was no longer facing the group. The whole right side of the room had seen my butt.

Luckily, I am in my Breakthrough Coaching Zone, where I feel like Superman. So instead of getting embarrassed, I ask, "God/Universe, how do you want to use me now?"

Then it comes to me.

It is time for the group of angelic women to step back and make space for this woman to take back her power.

But I know that for her to truly embrace her body without self-consciousness, she is going to need me to lead by example.

So, I face the group and said: “Yesterday, I was talking with a woman who shared with me how well my pants fit. Well, I realize now, that perhaps my pants fit a little too well... When I was dancing earlier, my pants ripped really bad. But, it’s perfect, because if I am going to ask you to be as vulnerable as to share your arms with all of us, I better be willing to be just as vulnerable. So, here goes...”

I turn around, stick my butt out, and wiggle my hips for about two seconds.

The group gasps and then bursts out in laughter.

Immediately, I call for the music and make space for our heroine to step to the front of the stage.

With a huge smile, she dances...Beautiful scars and all.

Her self-consciousness takes a back seat to confidence and her beauty touches everyone in the room.

After a few moments they break into a spontaneous standing ovation as we all acknowledge her courage and beauty.

She walks off the stage, glowing. I am confident her life will be forever changed.

Next I bring Sharla back on stage and acknowledge her for her brilliance, beauty, and also for being the one in our partnership who does not have a slit in the back of her pants (or dress) as the case may be.

The moment I get to the back of the room, I turn into Clark Kent and feel a bit self-conscious... Erin quickly escorts me back to my room, where luckily I had brought an extra pair of slacks... just in case.

My boys are up in my hotel room, and when I show them the huge hole in the back of my pants, they are very impressed.

Now you may be wondering, really??? All that happens at a Client Attraction Summit? Isn’t the Summit supposed to be a business event about how to get more clients? Isn’t it supposed to be serious and a bit boring?

Yes, it is a business event about how to get more clients. But if I allowed the Summit to get boring, there is NO WAY I would have led this same event over 70 times.

In fact, I’ve been to my share of events that were so boring that the thought of stabbing myself with a pencil seemed like a good end to the boredom... I have vowed to do everything in our power to not make our events boring.

As for being a business event that helps you get clients... Yes it is!

Allowing yourself to be a vehicle of service to your clients (no matter how “good” or “bad” it makes you look) is one of the best things you can do to attract clients.

In fact, in spite of this “incredibly embarrassing (or sexy) moment,” it was our highest revenue generating event ever.

Was it the fact that I showed the group my butt? I don’t think so. I think that the huge success came from the fact that the group knew I was willing to do anything and everything in my power to facilitate a life-changing weekend for the whole group.

And life-changing it was...

Already, there have been many posts in our private Facebook group from people raving about the weekend and some from people who are already getting clients, including this one:

“Less than 24 hours since officially joining this community and already scheduled 3 new clients!!! It's amazing the magic that comes when you commit to your dreams and say YES!”

So my question for you is:

When have you put your own self-consciousness to the side to serve your clients? And what happened as a result?

Would love to read your comments below.

September 2, 2015 by Sharla Jacobs

Providing Rock Star Service For Your Clients

We’re busy preparing for our biggest Client Attraction Summit ever!

Even though we’ve led this event more than 70 times, we keep asking ourselves, “How can we make it an even better experience for our participants?”

When you create an experience for your clients that is ultra-supportive and you over-deliver on what they expect from you, they are much more likely to feel like they’re getting a “deal,” no matter what you charge.

In today’s article, you’ll get some great tips on how to provide excellent service to your clients so you can raise the bar on how much your clients value your work. And the even bigger and better benefit is that you’ll raise your own level of confidence at the same time.

Whenever we introduce the experiential exercise designed to have you give yourself a raise during the Client Attraction Summit, some participants look excited and others look absolutely terrified! Eventually, they all come to understand what most 6-figure coaches and holistic practitioners know: there are always people happy to pay you more when they get more value.

You may have come to a point where you know it’s time to raise your rates, yet it feels uncomfortable to make that move.

One of the first things to consider when you want to raise your rates is to raise the bar on how well you take care of your clients. You can feel really great about charging more for your work when you offer more value to your clients by providing excellent service.

You’re about to read some easy tips for providing excellent service. These are little things you can do right away to instantly transform the way your clients feel about their experience of working with you (which will make them rave about you to all their friends – you’ll see how this works from our own “rave”).

#1: Provide a luxury experience

One of the best ways to provide excellent service is to give your clients a luxury experience. Don’t worry – it doesn’t involve the high level of the Ritz-Carlton or a Rolls Royce! However, the experience of luxury IS in the details. It’s in those special touches you can add that make your clients feel like they are being really well taken care of.

A great example involves one of our graduates, Tina Ebrahimian, managing director of Ebrahimian Integrated Dentistry (in Scott’s Valley, CA). From her we learned personally why paying more isn’t an issue when the service is over the top.

After we witnessed Tina make over $500,000 in sales in the first month she was in our Client Attraction Mastery program, she invited us to visit their office. Our family quickly became patients of her daughter, Dr. Ariana. What followed was life-changing for us.

Our history with dentists for our children wasn’t a positive one. When our older son Jacob was 2 ½ years old, we learned he had seven cavities (even though we brushed regularly and he ate healthy food—turns out it was from nighttime breastfeeding).

His pediatric dentist told us we’d have to put our son under general anesthesia to take care of those teeth. From the first shot, Jacob had a frightening and traumatic experience and it was heart-breaking for us.

But our experience with Dr. Ariana and the entire staff at Ebrahimian Integrated Dentistry was SO different…

Even though we had brushed our boys’ teeth religiously after that horrible experience with the pediatric dentist – our younger son Zachary also got cavities from nighttime breastfeeding. We were, of course, concerned and scared that we were going to go through the same horror we had gone through with Jacob.

Dr. Ariana assured us she would do everything in her power to help us avoid putting our son under general anesthesia.

The first thing she did was spread the dental work over 3 appointments. Zach had an extraordinary experience and no pain.

While she was doing the work, we held his hand and she told all of us what to expect, every single step of the way.

And his cavities got filled with no anesthesia and no trauma. (Read: Mom and Dad letting out a big sigh of relief.)

This experience had us feel so well taken care of. We have become life-long loyal clients who share about them with everyone we meet! (How many people LOVE their dentist?!)

As for the luxury details: They put sunglasses on their patients, so the bright overhead light doesn’t bother your eyes. They didn’t miss one opportunity to help us feel comfortable – even offering tea! They’re practice is booked because people are willing to pay more for that experience because we felt so well taken care of.

#2: Sheepskin and iPods

What are some of the little touches that you can provide to your clients so they will feel well taken care of, and so they are excited to work with you?

Here are a few examples to get your creative giving juices flowing:

My (Sharla) rock star bodyworker, Yarah Sutra, places a sheepskin underneath a 1,200 thread count sheet so it feels luxurious even getting on the table. Another massage therapist I visited years ago put hot packs under my hands and against my feet. This made me feel so relaxed and luxurious. She also had a shower in her office her clients could use after their massage.

What if you’re a coach? Because we have so many clients in our group programs, we only see 5-6 private clients a year for VIP coaching.

One special thing we do is this: when the client comes to our home for a VIP Day (a day-long intensive) we gift them with a surprise iPod, so we can record the entire day of coaching, and they get to leave with the recording and their cool new iPod.

Let’s say you’re a nutrition coach, and you want to make your clients’ experience even better. Can you do give them a done-for-you menu plan with recipes and shopping lists? Or how about sending them a beautiful basket stocked with some of your favorite organic products that will improve their health?

Be creative and have fun with this!

As you saw in the examples, be sure the things you do are relevant to the service you offer. No matter what your business, there are many things you can do to help your clients feel they’re getting value. And they will be happy to pay you more!

Now it’s your turn!

Comment below and share some ways you’ve received rock star service or share something you can do to add value to the service you’re already providing.