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.
Program Design for Coaches: How to Build Group Coaching Programs That Sell, Scale Your Business, and Free Up Your Time
What to Put in Your Online Course: 5 Course Creation Truths Most Solopreneurs Never Learn
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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 learn:
- Why nobody buys a course for information - and what they're actually paying for
- The "ladder test" for making sure every lesson has a clear, actionable outcome
- How to sequence your content so students build momentum instead of forgetting everything
- The difference between teaching and dumping (and why one of my students remembered a lesson years later on the job)
- How to know what to cut - because more content actually makes your course worse
Here's what most course creation programs won't tell you: your students aren't paying for hours of content. They're paying to go from "I don't know how" to "I did it." If you don't design your course around that transformation, no amount of marketing will save it.
I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I spent 17 years as a college professor building over 30 courses from scratch, and I help fully booked coaches build group programs that deliver real results for their clients and scale their business without adding more hours.
Ready to stop spinning your wheels? Book a free Program Roadmap Call and let's figure out the right next steps for your course: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/
Note: This episode was recorded under the show's original name, Course Creation for Solopreneurs. The podcast is now called Program Design for Coaches. The name changed to better reflect what's actually working in the coaching space right now. Group programs where the coach is present and involved are what's selling, and that's the direction this show has moved. The instructional design principles in this episode apply whether you're building a course or a group program, so everything you hear still works.