Artificial intelligence has gone from buzzword to boardroom conversation almost overnight. ChatGPT and tools like it are making content faster, cheaper and easier to get than ever before. So, if you're an entrepreneur, especially one running a service business like coaching, you're probably asking yourself: How does this change things for me? Should I be worried? Is this a cheat code? Is a robot going to take my job?
For The Growth Coach and its franchisees, the truth is a lot simpler and way more hopeful. Instead of worrying about AI weakening coaching, the brand sees it as a way to make what coaching has always focused on even stronger: changing behavior, staying accountable and connecting as people.
“What is really interesting about AI is that it’s not all that different from 15 years ago, in some ways,” said Brad Schneider, president of The Growth Coach. “What it really brought to the forefront is that content is inexpensive. But we’ve always needed coaches because just because there is good content out there, none of that makes a difference if somebody doesn’t change their behaviors.”
Today's entrepreneurs are just buried in information: podcasts, blogs, videos — all those fancy frameworks and prompts. The real problem isn't figuring out what to do. It's actually doing it — sticking with it, especially when the pressure is on and life is just messy.
“Coaching at the end of the day is about behavior change,” Schneider said. “Having a system and a tool to help provide accountability and support, that’s still a person’s job. Until the robots fully take over, it doesn’t matter where the content is coming from. People still need help figuring out how to apply it in their world and their specific situation.”
That belief has shaped how The Growth Coach evaluates every new technology. The question isn’t whether AI can generate insight. It’s whether it can help clients apply insight.
“How do you use AI to help support behavior change and help clients navigate their journey?” Schneider said. “That’s the angle we’ve been taking.”
As part of that approach, The Growth Coach works with Cloverleaf, an AI-powered coaching platform designed specifically to reinforce human development rather than replace it.
“The Growth Coach has a content partner that has an AI coaching tool called Cloverleaf that synthesizes traditional behavior data,” Schneider said. “We use tried-and-true assessments like DISC, the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs. What’s changed is how we apply that data.”
Instead of long, abstract walkthroughs, coaches and clients are now practicing asking better questions of the data itself.
“What people really want are specific ways to apply this data to solve problems in real time,” Schneider said. “This is where the AI coaching tool is powerful. I can use it in a more surgical fashion, using the data, as opposed to the old ways.”
That kind of accuracy is really important. It helps coaches focus on specific behaviors that their clients can actually change and stick with, while also showing them how those habits pop up when they're in meetings, giving feedback or making big decisions.
From Cloverleaf’s perspective, the goal has never been automation for the sake of it. “AI should never try to replace the human relationship,” said Shelby Bolinger, Director of Marketing with Cloverleaf. “That’s where trust, nuance and real growth happen.”
Where AI shines, they explained, is in the space between coaching sessions. “Most development is episodic,” said Bolinger. “A great session happens, people feel clear, and then Monday arrives with meetings, pressure and old habits. AI can support the moments between sessions by helping leaders prepare for the conversations they are actually about to have and reflect right after they happen.”
That reinforcement helps in practical ways, whether it’s helping people understand how a teammate is likely to receive a message, reducing defensiveness before a conversation goes sideways or reinforcing what a coach is already teaching in real leadership moments.
“When AI is designed this way, it does not compete with the coach,” Bolinger said. “It reinforces the coach’s work and makes behavior change easier to sustain. Coaches know when to probe, when to pause and how to help someone sit with discomfort long enough to grow. Technology helps by revealing patterns people don’t always see in themselves or others.”
For The Growth Coach franchisees, this approach has real implications for their business as well.
“This really helps from a marketing standpoint,” Schneider said. “It shows that we have the ability to coach in this cutting-edge environment. Because we’re on the front end of these advances, we can add value very quickly to clients.”
It’s that ability to give quick, helpful ideas that really lets coaches build stronger relationships and go beyond just one-on-one sessions. “Instead of just working with one individual, we’re working with whole teams or organizations,” Schneider said. “That opens up better revenue opportunities while delivering more impact.”
Cloverleaf also emphasizes that trust remains non-negotiable in that equation. “Participation is opt-in and transparent,” Bolinger said. “Data is consent-driven and never used for evaluation. The coach remains a trusted relationship. Cloverleaf functions as the infrastructure that keeps coaching themes active, relevant and actionable between sessions.”
For entrepreneurs considering the coaching space, The Growth Coach’s approach is well-positioned for the future. “Clients still need help figuring out how to apply what they’re learning,” Schneider said. “If anything, AI is making more opportunities because coaching is more accessible and more relevant. We’re doing things other coaching franchises aren’t. We’re applying technology in ways that deepen relationships and drive them further. And we’ll continue to be on the front end of these advances.”
In a world where information is everywhere, The Growth Coach is betting on something harder to automate. Human behavior. Human accountability. Human connection.
For more information on franchising with The Growth Coach, visit: https://1851franchise.com/thegrowthcoach/info.
The Growth Coach
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The Growth Coach uses AI tools like Cloverleaf to deepen client relationships and speed up behavior change by offering precise, real-time behavioral insights between sessions.
Artificial intelligence has gone from buzzword to boardroom conversation almost overnight. ChatGPT and tools like it are making content faster, cheaper and easier to get than ever before. So, if you're an entrepreneur, especially one running a service business like coaching, you're probably asking yourself: How does this change things for me? Should I be worried? Is this a cheat code? Is a robot going to take my job?
For The Growth Coach and its franchisees, the truth is a lot simpler and way more hopeful. Instead of worrying about AI weakening coaching, the brand sees it as a way to make what coaching has always focused on even stronger: changing behavior, staying accountable and connecting as people.
“What is really interesting about AI is that it’s not all that different from 15 years ago, in some ways,” said Brad Schneider, president of The Growth Coach. “What it really brought to the forefront is that content is inexpensive. But we’ve always needed coaches because just because there is good content out there, none of that makes a difference if somebody doesn’t change their behaviors.”
Today's entrepreneurs are just buried in information: podcasts, blogs, videos — all those fancy frameworks and prompts. The real problem isn't figuring out what to do. It's actually doing it — sticking with it, especially when the pressure is on and life is just messy.
“Coaching at the end of the day is about behavior change,” Schneider said. “Having a system and a tool to help provide accountability and support, that’s still a person’s job. Until the robots fully take over, it doesn’t matter where the content is coming from. People still need help figuring out how to apply it in their world and their specific situation.”
That belief has shaped how The Growth Coach evaluates every new technology. The question isn’t whether AI can generate insight. It’s whether it can help clients apply insight.
“How do you use AI to help support behavior change and help clients navigate their journey?” Schneider said. “That’s the angle we’ve been taking.”
As part of that approach, The Growth Coach works with Cloverleaf, an AI-powered coaching platform designed specifically to reinforce human development rather than replace it.
“The Growth Coach has a content partner that has an AI coaching tool called Cloverleaf that synthesizes traditional behavior data,” Schneider said. “We use tried-and-true assessments like DISC, the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs. What’s changed is how we apply that data.”
Instead of long, abstract walkthroughs, coaches and clients are now practicing asking better questions of the data itself.
“What people really want are specific ways to apply this data to solve problems in real time,” Schneider said. “This is where the AI coaching tool is powerful. I can use it in a more surgical fashion, using the data, as opposed to the old ways.”
That kind of accuracy is really important. It helps coaches focus on specific behaviors that their clients can actually change and stick with, while also showing them how those habits pop up when they're in meetings, giving feedback or making big decisions.
From Cloverleaf’s perspective, the goal has never been automation for the sake of it. “AI should never try to replace the human relationship,” said Shelby Bolinger, Director of Marketing with Cloverleaf. “That’s where trust, nuance and real growth happen.”
Where AI shines, they explained, is in the space between coaching sessions. “Most development is episodic,” said Bolinger. “A great session happens, people feel clear, and then Monday arrives with meetings, pressure and old habits. AI can support the moments between sessions by helping leaders prepare for the conversations they are actually about to have and reflect right after they happen.”
That reinforcement helps in practical ways, whether it’s helping people understand how a teammate is likely to receive a message, reducing defensiveness before a conversation goes sideways or reinforcing what a coach is already teaching in real leadership moments.
“When AI is designed this way, it does not compete with the coach,” Bolinger said. “It reinforces the coach’s work and makes behavior change easier to sustain. Coaches know when to probe, when to pause and how to help someone sit with discomfort long enough to grow. Technology helps by revealing patterns people don’t always see in themselves or others.”
For The Growth Coach franchisees, this approach has real implications for their business as well.
“This really helps from a marketing standpoint,” Schneider said. “It shows that we have the ability to coach in this cutting-edge environment. Because we’re on the front end of these advances, we can add value very quickly to clients.”
It’s that ability to give quick, helpful ideas that really lets coaches build stronger relationships and go beyond just one-on-one sessions. “Instead of just working with one individual, we’re working with whole teams or organizations,” Schneider said. “That opens up better revenue opportunities while delivering more impact.”
Cloverleaf also emphasizes that trust remains non-negotiable in that equation. “Participation is opt-in and transparent,” Bolinger said. “Data is consent-driven and never used for evaluation. The coach remains a trusted relationship. Cloverleaf functions as the infrastructure that keeps coaching themes active, relevant and actionable between sessions.”
For entrepreneurs considering the coaching space, The Growth Coach’s approach is well-positioned for the future. “Clients still need help figuring out how to apply what they’re learning,” Schneider said. “If anything, AI is making more opportunities because coaching is more accessible and more relevant. We’re doing things other coaching franchises aren’t. We’re applying technology in ways that deepen relationships and drive them further. And we’ll continue to be on the front end of these advances.”
In a world where information is everywhere, The Growth Coach is betting on something harder to automate. Human behavior. Human accountability. Human connection.
For more information on franchising with The Growth Coach, visit: https://1851franchise.com/thegrowthcoach/info.
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