SLRC Coaching Toolkit

SLRC COACHING TOOLKIT

SLRC Coaching Toolkit 2

Coaching Toolkit The intention behind this toolkit is to give you more information and resources about coaching as a professional.

As a disclaimer: • We are not lawyers or accountants and the contents of this document are

not legal or financial advice. Ideas expressed here are for consideration only, and you should always check with an appropriate professional when you have legal, financial or other professional domain questions.

• Any product (like a scheduler) or resource provided isn’t necessarily a recommendation from SLRC.

• These are ideas to get you thinking about what you want to do and create in your business. You are invited and encouraged to build your business in a way that feels orgasmic and reflects your personality and style.

Table of Contents Coaching Ethics 4Confidentiality 4Conflicts of Interest 5Scope of Practice 7Circle of Competence 7Mental Health 7Physical Health 8Secure Record Keeping 9Coaching Business Operations 11Onboarding a New Client 12Coaching Resources 14Example Intro Emails 15Initial and Intake Forms 18Opening and Closing a Coaching Relationship 19Releasing a Client 20

Copyright 2019, Truth and Love Coaching, LLC - All Rights Reserved.


Creating Your Business Container 21Legal Issues 21Business Structure 21Sole Proprietor 22Limited Liability Company (LLC) 23Corporations 23Client Agreement 24Intake Forms 25Website 25Reducing Legal Costs 25Intellectual Property 26Additional Disclaimers 26Insurance 27



Coaching Ethics

With the great privilege and sacred calling that comes with coaching, so does

responsibility to do the right thing in relation to your clients and work. What is

ethical in a coaching relationship is something you’ll consider over and over …

there’s not always one right answer, and clients can bring unique situations that

cause you to again consider what is ethical. Below, is helpful information on

how to ensure you are operating from an ethical place with your clients;

however, this does not include every possible ethics situation. It’s important to

thoughtfully consider how you’ll implement these items in your coaching and

the unique issues that may arise in your specific focus/niche.

In the SLRC, we hold the client in the center of all decision-making. It’s

important to consider decisions you make around how you run your business

and who you choose to work with from the lens of “what’s best for my clients?”

and “what creates the greatest level of safety and trust?”.

Confidentiality

Holding a client’s experience as a coach is sacred work, and it’s important your

client feels safe and understands how confidentiality works with you. Make sure

your contract is clear about confidentiality and when it may be breached. In

general:

• We mandate in our Code of Ethics that coaches keep coaching sessions

confidential, including content, times, and client names.

• Clients can however grant exceptions to confidentiality.

• As coach, be very clear about when you may not honor confidentiality. For

example:

• When a client may hurt themselves or others

• If required to produce coaching records by law (via a subpoena or the like)

parties—minor, parent and coach—should agree on what information will



be disclosed and the minor should be present for those conversations. The

same is true in an organizational context, where the parties include a

supervisor, employee and coach.

• Get consent from a client to use your client’s name for a testimonial or other

marketing.

Conflicts of Interest

Definition from the International Coach Federation (ICF): A conflict of interest exists when you have an interest that interferes with your

responsibilities as a coach or interferes with your ability to act in the best

interest of the coaching profession. A conflict of interest may arise when you

use your role as a coach for inappropriate personal gain or when personal

interests conflict with your coaching agreement. Examples of conflicts to avoid

include accepting or offering payments outside the coaching agreement, or

having a substantial investment or position in any business to which you are

providing coaching services. Coaches should avoid even the appearance of a

conflict of interest.

Relationship Conflicts: You have a client who has a relationship with another client that could

compromise safety, trust, and the overall coaching relationship if they both

work with you. This can show up as two friends, a couple that each desires one

on one coaching, a mother and daughter, multiple employees at the same

company, two or more people with a power dynamic (e.g., a boss/employee, a

parent/child relationship), etc.

Financial Conflicts: You have a client who has a partner, friend, family member paying for their

coaching. It’s important at the outset to clarify what that means, so that the

person paying is clear that you will not breach confidentiality and any update

must come from the client herself.



The primary exception to this is if you coach in companies/organizations. When

companies pay for employees to receive coaching, there is often an expectation

you will provide some kind of update. But that is negotiable, and you should

never agree to disclosure that makes you uncomfortable or feels it would

compromise your ability to be effective.

Grey Areas: There are scenarios where it’s easy to see a conflict and others where it’s not

clear, and coaches make decisions that are most in alignment with their values.

As the ICF states, “a conflict of interest exists when you have an interest that

interferes with your responsibilities as a coach and/or your ability to act in the

best interest of the coaching profession. This includes conducting yourself in

such a way that the appearance of conflicts of interest does not arise.” One

example of a grey area that may come up is receiving affiliate link commissions.

Conflict Decision Guidance: Start with:

• Can I effectively coach this client?

• Yes: Could this be perceived as a conflict?

• Yes: Explain the conflict (in general terms) and give the client the option to

stop coaching with you.

• No: continue coaching this client.

• No: would sharing the potential conflict (in general terms) potentially create a

problem?

• Yes: graciously say no to the engagement or release the client if they are

already working with you.

• No: explain the conflict and release the client.

Talking about conflicts with your clients:

Because you must maintain confidentiality, if a conflict of interest does arise,

you need to discuss it in general terms.



Scope of Practice

Circle of CompetenceWhile we lay out specifics in relation to mental and physical health below, it’s

also important you advertise and provide services within your circle of

competence: the things you’ve studied and know best. So, for example, if

someone reaches out to you looking for a career coach, health/nutrition,

trauma, pelvic floor health, etc. coaching and you don’t have additional training

in that, it’s important to let the person know you don’t do that work. Be clear

with clients about your qualifications, degrees, certifications and experience. If a

client desires expertise that you don’t have, be upfront about your background

and focus on what you do offer as a coach. If the client wants a coach with

different experience, you can refer them to a sister in SLRC with that skillset or

simply let them continue searching for that fit.

Mental HealthIt’s important as a coach to be clear that coaching is not psychotherapy, and it

is not designed to treat or heal mental health issues without proper training. If

psychological issues (such as depression, chronic anxiety, addiction, dangerous

behavior to self or others, etc.) arise via your coaching intake form or during a

coaching relationship, it’s important to acknowledge the situation and make

referrals.

Examples of when you should refer a client to psychotherapy:

• Suicidality

• Talk about cutting or other forms of self-harm

• Ongoing/severe…

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Addiction

• PTSD

• Inability to ground and resource



It’s important to note that clients with a mental health issue in their

background may be a great fit for you and your coaching. It’s common for

people seeking coaching in the sex, love and relationship space to have some

kind of trauma or mental health issue in the past. It’s important to assess if that

truly was in the past and the client is integrated and resourced enough to do

this work with you. If you are even in doubt, though, refer.

If a client is working with a psychotherapist, that doesn’t necessarily mean you

can’t coach them. In fact, coaching can be a beautiful complement to

psychotherapy and vice versa. The client, if open to this, may even sign

something with you and the psychotherapist that gives you permission to

communicate and ensure the client’s best interest is at the center of the work.

However, you need to make sure the client is functioning at a level that makes

your coaching and approach helpful.

We recommend that you get psychotherapist/emergency contact information

as part of your intake form, so you can reach out to the client’s support system if

a client has suicidal thoughts or something like that. This breach of

confidentiality should be clear in your client contract/agreement, and it’s best

to let the client know and co-create this with them, if possible.

If you are a psychotherapist already (or have other areas of expertise), that

doesn’t mean you bring that to the coaching relationship. The agreement with

your client should be clear: are you acting as a coach or as a therapist?

Physical HealthIn this work, clients may experience physical symptoms as part of releasing a

long-held wounding pattern. Even if you believe that what the client is

experiencing is related to your work together, it’s best to always ask clients to

check with their personal doctor.



Secure Record Keeping

Part of your duty to maintain confidentiality is to keep your client records

secure. Here are some things to consider as part of that exploration:

Consider how you’d like to keep notes:

Online: generally considered most secure

• Use strong passwords for any online records (Last Pass or 1Password are

great for this)

• Always keep online records in a password protected place (such as Dropbox,

Google Drive or Evernote).

• If you have a shared drive with a family member, friend, business partner,

etc, put your documents on a completely separate account.

• For added security, you may consider an encryption tool, like Laverna (which

works with Dropbox), Saferoom (which works with Evernote and OneNote)

or Turtl, which is completely independent from well known cloud services.

• Risks:

• Your account is hacked: you can reset your password or contact the app

provider to reset your account

• You lose a device: you can contact the app provider to see if anyone has

accessed your account and reset the password

On your desktop

• If you use a desktop app (like Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, etc), maintain a

strong password for that app

• If you have a backup system for your computer, ensure it is password

protected or, if it’s a physical hard drive, it’s placed in a secure spot

• Risks:

• Your computer is lost or stolen: someone may be able to access the

records you’ve kept

• You have a hardware malfunction: you lose all your notes and work



Hand written

• Have a specific physical spot to keep your notes out of obvious eyesight

• Risks: your dog eats your notes, your house burns down, notes get ripped or

degrade over time from use or traveling to coffee shops or other places to

work

• Suggestion: if you love hand writing your notes, that’s totally fine. Consider

taking photos of your notes or getting a scanning app and then keeping

those notes in a secure location online. Scanning apps can make the scan

searchable, which is an added plus.

Other ways to keep your notes secure:

• Don’t leave your computer open at a coffee shop or cafe when you aren’t at

the screen

• Consider getting a privacy filter or installing a “Boss Button” app (yes, this is

real thing)

• Don’t leave handwritten notes out for someone to easily see (whether in

public or in your home)



Coaching Business Operations

Below are the things you’ll need to get your business up and running (not

including website/marketing) as well as the most popular apps we’ve seen/used

for running your coaching business. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other good

options out there.

1. Create your Coaching Agreement

2. Online Schedulers:

• Acuity

• Calendly

3. E-Signature for your Contract/Agreement

• Docusign

• HelloSign

4. Accounting (US-focused)

• You can do this simply via a separate checking and savings account for your

business. You can’t open up an official business account, though, unless

you’ve set up a business entity (e.g., an LLC, S Corp, C Corp, etc). We do

recommend setting up an entity for liability purposes and to make business

accounting completely separate from your personal accounting.

• Apps for business accounting:

• Waveapps.com

• Quickbooks

• Consider finding/hiring an accountant

• Note we are not accountants, and you should always check with an

accountant in your state/country if you have questions on how to set up

business accounting

5. Payments

• Paypal

• Stripe

• Via accounting app (like WaveApps)

6. All in One Systems

• Dubsado

• Satori App



Onboarding a New Client

Below is a sample onboarding checklist to get you thinking about how you

want to set up your business!

Welcome Email Sent (steps to get started with you); steps may include:

Huge celebration for saying YES to this work

Desires you heard on the sales call

Agreement delivery and signature (i.e., they’ll receive an email from

Docusign or similar)

Package details (# of sessions over amount of time)

How you communicate and how to communicate with you

How to book sessions with you

A confirmation of your first session date and time if booked on the sales call

Intake Form

Gift/activities designed to prepare for the engagement, could include things

like:

Possible gift Ideas: mail handwritten welcome card, journal, book, sex toy

Activities to prepare for the coaching engagement

Toy Shopping Guide

Journal prompts

Reading list

Guided meditation or other practice

Things to have ready for coaching sessions (notebook and pen, blanket, yoga

mat, lube, jade egg, toys, etc)

If meeting in person, address and link to map/directions

Contract/program agreement

Contract sent

Contract signed

Contract uploaded to shared folder

Payment



Take first payment

On sales call; OR

Invoice Sent

Invoice Paid

Future Invoices/Payments created and automated (we recommend setting

up autopay for your clients and sending them a receipt for each time the

payment runs)

Shared Folder (to upload notes, resources and practices during your coaching

engagement)

Shared folder set up in Dropbox, Google Drive or similar

Give client access to shared folder

Inbox Folder (for those of you that like to be really organized)

Set up client folder in inbox

Set up filter that sends client emails to this folder

Initial Intake Form

Sent to client

Completed by client

Reviewed prior to first session

Scheduling Sessions

Schedule first session or all sessions during sales call with client

Note: if client is in a different time zone, use a time zone converter like

worldtimebuddy.com to ensure you and the client are clear on the time of

your first session.

Confirm session date/time via email (send calendar invite, if possible)

Give client link to scheduler

Remind client to book sessions if they aren’t booked

Reminders

Automate reminder emails/texts via your scheduler



Communicate Boundaries and Expectations

What your client will get from you in the relationship

Normal business hours

Do you want clients to share experiences with the practices prior to your

session?

Cancellation/no show policy (if this is hidden in your contract, it’s good to

note for the client)

Co-create accountability

Timing on when you’ll deliver notes/practices from a session

How long it generally takes to respond to email/texts

How you’ll do check ins and availability to respond to check ins (e.g., do you

respond on evenings, weekends, holidays?)

Technology training, if needed

How to download and login to Zoom

How to access notes/practices/resources you’ll share with client

Coaching ResourcesCoaching Questions Co-Active Coaching’s Powerful Questions

Coaching Questions: A Coach's Guide to Powerful Asking Skills 1st Edition

The Coaching Tools Company Coaching Questions

The Coaching Tools Company: Top 10 Questions

Forbes article on top coaching questions

Walking a client through a Byron Katie worksheet to explore beliefs

Additional Coaching Tools Traditional coaching tools

Mistakes new coaches make

National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (trauma-

related)

Podcasts


https://coactive.com/docs/resources/toolkit/pdfs/31-Powerful-Questions.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Questions-Coachs-Powerful-Asking/dp/0979416361/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13P6AFF0EXB81&keywords=coaching+questions+a+coach's+guide+to+powerful+asking+skills&qid=1555445179&s=gateway&sprefix=coaching+questions,aps,146&sr=8-1

https://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/free-coaching-questions/

https://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/10-time-best-coaching-questions/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/06/21/16-powerful-questions-coaches-ask-their-clients-to-help-achieve-their-goals/#2674198965e0

https://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/free-coaching-exercises/

https://blog.iqmatrix.com/life-coaching-mistakes

https://www.nicabm.com


The Life Coach School

The Catalyst Life Coaching Podcast (Spotify only)

Awaken with JP Sears

Life Coach Radio Network

Example Intro Emails

Pre-Sales Call Hello lovely,

I'm so excited to spend some time together exploring what is happening for

you, giving you information about how I work and answering any questions you

have.

We'll meet via Zoom - it’s free, and if you don’t have it, you can download on

your phone, tablet or computer.

Here is the link for our meeting:

I'm looking forward to connecting <3.

----------------------

Hi there,

It's so great to meet you! I'm excited to hear about what's bringing you to

coaching.

Here are the steps to get started:

Initial inquiry call with me via Skype of Zoom. The purpose of this call is to

discover what you really want to get out of a coaching relationship, answer any

questions you have, determine if I'm a good fit for you and vice versa, and


https://thelifecoachschool.com/podcasts/

https://open.spotify.com/show/2WreSKfVy0diOkgzRFVjIn

https://player.fm/series/awaken-with-jp-sears-show

https://player.fm/series/life-coach-radio-network


discuss how it works going forward if it's all a "yes". You can schedule here. If you

don't see any times that work, let me know and we'll work something out.

Starter Questions. Before the initial inquiry call, please fill out these starter

questions.

Please reach out with any questions. I look forward to connecting with you :)!

Post-Sales Call

Hello [name],

It was such a great joy to see you, feel your energy, hear all that's happening for

you. You have truly stepped into your power and are claiming the life you desire

and deserve! It sounds like there are a few areas where you want bring that

empowerment: [insert desires stated on call].

Logistics

Number of sessions: we agreed to start with an X session package

Regularity of Appointments: [e.g., weekly, biweekly, etc]

Cost:

Payment options:

First session:

Contract: you’ll receive a separate email from Docsketch to esign

Next Steps

Contract: you’ll receive a separate email from Docsketch to esign

Questionnaire: please fill out this coaching questionnaire to help me further

support you in your desires

Scheduling additional sessions: you can schedule via my online scheduler here

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts.

-------------------



Hello [name],

It was really great to meet you today, and I'm excited about your path :). To sum

up what we discussed ...

Here are the desires and goals we discussed: 1.

2.

3.

Etc

Some of roadblocks or obstacles you are experiencing are:

Coaching with me includes: A safe, supported container for transformation

Notes post-session that include:

Your goal

What we did in the session to move toward getting your desire

Impactful things that arose in the session

Custom written, audio or video practices

Next possible steps

Customized accountability - you choose how often you want me to reach out.

For example, daily, every two days, once a week, etc.

Email and text support from 9am-6pm CT, based on availability

15 minute laser session in between normally scheduled sessions

Next Steps: Contract: you’ll receive a separate email from Docsketch to esign

Questionnaire: please fill out this coaching questionnaire to help me further

support you in your desires

Scheduling additional sessions: you can schedule via my online scheduler here

Agreed pricing and package:



Helpful Information: Sessions are usually every other week, but they can be weekly - as per our

conversation, the packages above would be the same number of sessions over a

shorter period of time.

I recommend privacy for both sessions and practices, if possible

Practices between sessions are generally 30 minutes 5x per week. And, I want

to note that perfection is not required.

We'll meet virtually via Zoom

We'll go at the pace that feels best for you and your system

Here's a practice to help you right now:

I'll follow up with you tomorrow to see if you've had a chance to talk to your

husband, if you have questions and next steps.

All love,

Laura

Initial and Intake Forms

Intake Form & Questionnaire Below I have included an example of an intake form, or you can design your

own and also possibly pay a lawyer to review it.

This is a great way to start connecting with your client and building a

relationship with you. It also helps you start off the session with information

about them and keeps you from wasting valuable session time listening to

them tell stories about their life.

Questions I ask on my questionnaire are:

1. What are the three things you most want from our work together?

2. Are you currently in a relationship or not?

3. What are you most struggling with in life right now?



4. Can you share a few paragraphs of your sexual history that feels relevant to

our work together.

5. What are you afraid of about working together?

6. What can I do that will make you feel safe and supported in our work

together?

7. What are three things that you want to move through/release/transform in

our time together.

8. Is there anything else you would like me to know?

Examples:

Intake Form

Intake Form From 2017 SLRC Graduate Emma Spiegler

Intake Form from Laura Weber

Intake Form for Women's Empowerment from Laura Weber

Intake Form for Breathwork from Laura Weber

Opening and Closing a Coaching Relationship

Just as it’s important to bring intention and consciousness to how you open

and close individual coaching sessions, it’s also important to consider how you

open and close the relationship. Consider how you want a client to feel in their

interactions with you and set that tone right from the start.

Opening • Use a ritual from the course

Closing • Do a ritual-based call

• Do a retrospective with your client, so they can truly integrate all that’s

changed. Example questions are:

• What do you want to celebrate about the work you’ve done here?

• What specifically have you transformed as a result of our coaching?

• You can review the client’s goals


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sakQ0bxDgknUlkFnEzu40YcjMxVeYZ8DUCinWO010-s/edit?usp=sharing

https://emmas2017.typeform.com/to/ZLMOQA

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jKvqwnnwL2VW4PW9jnHHfHBXVhd8DaEypuHKpO5Q-As/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-cDCJ9SZEW6M0p0NzVQE8FniLF90Yj5WcEmaLjXvfWMu7Lw/viewform

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf33k9KYUra3Pg0qVScI3GIU4vO4-ILtlZtsDNF1xSmC4D4mQ/viewform


• What did you learn about yourself during our time together?

• What new ways of being

• How is your life different now?

• What are the best things about your life?

• What message, affirmation or mantra would help you to carry this forward

and serve you?

• What else would you like to note that would be useful to you going

forwards?

• What desires do you have now?

• If the client has additional desire, you could say something like “I’d love

to help you make these desires reality. Are you interested in what we

could create together next?“

• Have a celebration session where you spend part or a whole session with you

and the client celebrating themselves.

• Have a gratitude session

Releasing a Client

Sometimes, a client relationship just doesn’t work out: the energy may feel off

or like there isn’t chemistry there, the client may not be committed or ready,

the client divulges something that you feel uncomfortable holding,

• Have the conversation in person or via your normal method of connecting -

do not communicate this via email unless absolutely necessary

• Make this about the best interest of the client - you desire deeply for them to

have the coaching relationship and held space that best serves them.

• Understand your client’s perspective:

• How does the client feel the relationship is going?

• What’s working?

• What isn’t working?

• Avoid accusations or judgements

• Ask for permission and, if a yes, provide open and honest feedback



• Give your client space to process impact

• Co-create how you’ll each move forward from here - you could possibly offer

suggestions for who they could work with that might be a great fit

• Celebrate them, wish them luck and, if appropriate, offer your help in the

future

Creating Your Business Container

Before reading this section of the Coaching Toolkit, we want to remind you that

we are not accountants or lawyers. This is not legal advice, and is meant to help

you consider the components you’ll need to set up your business. You should

always check with an attorney and accountant if you have questions or need

help around your state/country requirements.

There are three things to consider to set the container for your business and for

your coaching sessions:

1. Legal Issues

2. Insurance

3. Intake Form & Questionnaire

Legal Issues

There are several areas of legal protection that you will want to consider putting

in place for your business:

• Business Structure

• Client Agreement

• Intake Form

• Website

• Intellectual Property

• Additional Disclaimers

Business Structure



This information only applies to US-based businesses.

There are a few options in how you organize your business for legal and tax

purposes. Here are the most common entity structures:

• Sole Proprietor

• Limited Liability Company (LLC)

• Corporation, most commonly:

• S Corporation (S-Corp)

• C Corporation (C-Corp)

• B Corporation (B-Corp) or For Purpose Corporation (not available in all

states)

Sole Proprietor

When you are first starting out, a Sole Proprietorship is the easiest option: you

do not form a business entity. Instead, in the eyes of the law, you are your

business. It only works if you are the sole employee of your company (for two

owners, it’s a partnership). It generally costs very little but gives you the ability to

file a name for your business and usually create separate business banking

accounts that don’t overlap your personal banking. Sole Proprietorships are

“pass through” for taxation, which essentially means you fill out an additional

form with your personal taxes, and you are taxed at your personal income rate.

However, it does not provide a wall between your business assets and personal

assets (since you are the business, all of your assets are available for creditors or

in the case of lawsuits). But, you can purchase umbrella insurance to help cover

this if it’s a concern. And, if you have lofty desires and eventually want to raise

money (for example, from venture capitalists), you can’t do that under this

business structure.

More on Sole Proprietorships here.


https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/10/how-to-start-a-sole-proprietorship.html


Limited Liability Company (LLC)

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is generally recommended to reduce liability.

It’s also relatively easy to set up; however, set up and fees vary from state to

state, and in some states, it can be expensive (for example, Massachusetts is the

highest at $500 to file and $500 for the annual fee). LLCs are flexible enough

that you can set up one LLC for all of your business ventures (for example, you

teach yoga, workshops, do coaching, run retreats). The benefit of an LLC is that

it creates a wall between your personal assets (bank accounts, car, home, etc)

and the business’ assets. So, if you had debt you couldn’t pay in your business or

got sued, they usually can’t go after your personal assets (when you are sued for

not performing an expected service in a service-based business, you can be

personally liable for that). LLCs are also “pass through” for taxation, so you fill out

an additional form with your personal taxes, and you are taxed at your personal

income rate. If you make a lot of money in your LLC, you can file to have your

LLC taxed like an S-Corp (so you don’t have to set up a more complex

corporation structure to receive tax benefits from that structure). More on LLCs

here.

Corporations

Corporations are generally more complex to set up and administer for small

business owners. You likely need an attorney and accountant to assist you. They

protect you from personal liability, similar to an LLC. Unlike an LLC, you need to

keep extensive records and do things like quarterly IRS filings, meetings for

owners and other formalities. The most popular corporation models for

entrepreneurs are S-Corps because - unlike the other corporation entities - it

avoids “double taxation” and uses pass through income for taxes (just like an

LLC or Sole Proprietorship) and allows for simpler accounting.

Questions to consider:


https://www.llcuniversity.com

https://www.llcuniversity.com


• Does your business lend itself to liability and, if so, can you personally afford

the risk of that liability?

• How concerned are you about taxes?

• What can you afford in terms of creating a business entity?

• And, what can you afford for longer-term entity management (LLC annual

fee, corporation filings)

• What are your long term goals with your business?

Please consult an attorney within your country or state of residence to deeply

understand business structure and all other legal issues covered in this section.

Client Agreement

A Client Agreement is required based on our Code of Ethics. It’s important to

document the arrangement you and the client have agreed to and provide

other information on policies you have regarding your business. The agreement

form protects you (you keep people from working with you who shouldn’t be

working with you), it saves you time (you don’t have to ask your client if they

have epilepsy or ever had a seizure in person) and it is professional and helps a

client to trust working with you.

Things to include:

• Coaching Package and Details (including number of sessions, duration of

relationship, cost)

• Other inclusions provided as part of working with you

• The rights, roles and responsibilities for each party

• The limitations of coaching, including that it’s not medical advice or

psychotherapy

• Your cancellation policy

• Your refund policy (if any)

• Late payments



• When you might breach confidentiality

• Breathwork description, effects and contraindications

• Legal protections (like dispute resolution)

Ideally, set up your agreement in an electronic signature tool like Docusign or

HelloSign, so the process is quick, easy and professional for you and your client.

Here’s an example Client Agreement and Breathwork Information and

Disclosure.

Intake Forms

We’ve provided form examples above but wanted to comment here on why this

is so important. Whenever you enter into a transformational container with a

client, it’s important to understand what they are bringing into the container

and what feels in and outside your Scope of Practice.

Website

On your website, you will want to have the following legal documents:

• Terms & Conditions

• Privacy Policy

• Disclaimers

• Coaching Disclaimer

• Website Disclaimer

These are examples only, and it is up to you to tailor for your business and

jurisdiction, ensure you are covering most current law and requirements

Reducing Legal Costs


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1idoX5KivVJukRw6_erGLBf8nkgh1LboQpaTSNSlYcY4/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vebAz3H8f0k_TBNoLH5t7wMw91LkiD-SVWKahae1wuc/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vebAz3H8f0k_TBNoLH5t7wMw91LkiD-SVWKahae1wuc/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A9GoXSDeP_2MqrB-Zv7orPrn_pp1EJabl_Sx4TTiYjQ/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OlF7adatNBqs15LS01Tk07MIPBejZrLr9SPObZuyzAU/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FMqO1QvHE2lv357NM_Jsc2QljxfSSh-fGyYEflmJ2cs/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FMqO1QvHE2lv357NM_Jsc2QljxfSSh-fGyYEflmJ2cs/edit?usp=sharing


It can be expensive to get full drafting of your agreement and website

documents by a lawyer. One way to reduce costs is to review other people’s

document and drafting a version of your own based on your research. Look at

people who perform similar work to you (for example, other coaches, retreat

facilitators, etc). When you’re paying for review vs. full drafting, the costs are

often cheaper.

In addition, you don’t need a lawyer on retainer until you are running an empire

- but it’s good to find a lawyer that you like and trust that does small business

advising for an hourly rate so you can be advised on your documents and

approach and just pay for what you need.

Most small business lawyers will charge a flat hourly rate to do things like work

on your disclaimers and other early start up material. Some lawyers also have a

“start-up” package where they do all of the necessary foundational legal work to

get you going for a fixed rate. For reference, Layla paid about $5000 for her

“small-business start-up” package.

Be aware that pricing is dependent on your situation, needs and location in the

world.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property is about your ownership of your ideas, materials, processes,

unique names and more that you have developed inside your business. You

may want to seek registered copyrights, trademarks and patents to protect your

intellectual property. Definitely consult a lawyer or at least use a website like

Legal Zoom that specializes in DIY legal work of this nature.

Additional Disclaimers

A disclaimer states things like you are not a doctor, your words do not

constitute medical advice and it also says that you are not liable for what



people do with your advice, etc. Consider having disclaimers on all of your

material, which can include ebooks, videos, blog posts, website, courses, etc.

Insurance

Insurance is great to have in place to cover any liability that isn’t already taken

care of by the contract or by the corporate structure you have chosen. It also

varies widely depending on your country of residence. Professional liability

insurance covers you for anything that you do professionally - meaning your

sessions and your videos and your podcast and your ebooks, etc, etc...but every

insurance policy is different. Make sure you are fully covered for all of your

relevant activities.

Whether you need insurance and how much depends on your risk tolerance,

the size of your business and whether you live in a country where people sue

each other. We’ve never heard of a coach getting sued, but that doesn’t mean it

couldn’t happen. It makes sense to get coverage especially since we are

working with material that can upset people. With that said, you want to

balance your risk tolerance with how much you invest in insurance. While the

risk of getting sued may be small, having insurance can provide peace of mind

that you won’t lose your business if something does happen. This is a personal

choice, and there’s not one right or wrong way.

While it’s fairly easy to find small business liability coverage for coaching from

most major insurers in general, because we’re doing cutting edge work in the

domain of sexuality, it can be more challenging. Make sure your insurance

policy covers everything you’ll be doing. So, if your business involves physical

touch or people inserting things into their body (dildo insurance? ;)), the insurer

needs to know that. Do your best to provide detailed information about your

business to ensure it covers all that you do. In the US, insurance brokers get

paid for signing you up for a policy, so it’s in their best interest to answer all your

questions and help you through the process.




Documents

SLRC Coaching Toolkit