Program Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
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.
Episodes
24 episodes
How to Scale Beyond 1 on 1 Coaching: The First Group Program You Should Build
You're a 1:1 coach who knows you need to scale. You've thought about a course, a membership, group coaching. But every time you sit down to plan it, the same question stops you: which kind of group program do you actually build first?In ...
How to Keep Clients Engaged in Your Group Coaching Program: Boost Completion Rates and Client Results
You launched your group program with content you know is solid. By week two, clients are quietly checking out. You can't figure out what went wrong, and the answer is almost always the same thing. Information overload before clients have a sing...
The Group Program Skill You Were Never Taught
Most coaches plan their group program by listing everything they cover in 1:1 sessions and turning it into content. It feels logical. It also tends to produce a program that looks right but doesn't move people the way your one-on-one work does....
Breaking Through The Income Ceiling Every Successful Coach Eventually Hits
If your roster is full and it still doesn't feel the way you thought it would, you haven't done anything wrong. You've hit the income ceiling every successful coach eventually hits. And the problem isn't your work ethic or your pricing. It's th...
Stop Renting Your Audience: The Marketing Foundation Every Coach Needs
If you're building your coaching business on social media, you're building on land you don't own. The algorithm changes, your reach drops, and the audience you spent months growing suddenly can't hear you. That's not a marketing foundation, tha...
The 2026 State of the Market: Why Courses Are Declining and Group Programs Are Winning
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 sayi...
Program Design For Coaches - Trailer
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 y...
The Foundation Every Online Course Needs Before You Start Building
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...
Why Clients Struggle with Your Course: The Crucial Course Design Step Most Creators Skip
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 sho...
Why More Content Won't Fix Your Online Course Completion Rate: Course Design Tips for Solopreneurs
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...
What You Need Before Building Your First Online Course: A Course Creation Readiness Guide for Solopreneurs
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 u...
The Best Course Platform for Your First Online Course (And Why It's Not Kajabi)
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 ep...
Why Clients Won't Finish Your Online Course (4 Mistakes Course Creators Make)
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 t...
The Handoff Method: An Online Course Design Fix for Low Completion Rates
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 sim...
Why Students Give Up on Your Course Before They Even Get Started: A Course Creation Mistake Every Solopreneur Makes
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 r...
Do You Need a Script for Recording Online Course Lessons? Tips for Solopreneur Course Creators
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 ...
Turn a Low Enrollment Online Course Launch Into a Win: Course Creation Strategies for Solopreneurs
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 exa...
Two Tools to Help You Create Online Courses Your Students Will Actually Finish
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 u...
How Long to Make Your Course: Modules, Lessons, and What Makes a Valuable Course
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....
What to Put in Your Online Course: 5 Course Creation Truths Most Solopreneurs Never Learn
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 somethi...
The Truth About Passive Income from Online Courses (For Solopreneurs)
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.
How to Build an Online Course That Actually Transforms Your Students
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:Wh...
Why Course Creation Programs Don't Teach You How to Build a Course (And What to Do Instead)
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.
How to Make Your Second Course Launch Easier: Online Course Creation Tips
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, s...