Episode 4
Solo Coaches: 5 Ways to Use Inner Dialog Mapping for Better Messaging
Struggling with your messaging? Feel like you're staring at a blank screen, second-guessing every word, or just can't seem to say what you really mean? You're not alone.
In this episode of The Solo Coach Podcast, we're diving into how Inner Dialog Mapping can help you create messaging that truly connects with your audience and makes them feel seen and understood.
If you've ever felt like your words aren't landing or that your messaging falls flat, this episode is for you. We'll explore:
- How to uncover the self-talk your audience is already having
- Why identifying micro-problems creates more impactful messaging
- How to turn struggles into relatable content that builds trust
As a solo coach, this episode will empower you to create messaging that feels natural, personal, and compelling, without feeling salesy, generic, or forced.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to tap into your audience's self-talk to create messaging that resonates
- The power of identifying deeper fears and desires beneath surface-level challenges
- Ways to align your offers with what your audience truly needs
Resources Mentioned:
- Happy & Successful Business Mastermind – Get clarity, support, and a plan for your business
- Find Coaching Clients Newsletter – Subscribe for weekly tips and strategies delivered to your inbox
Support the Show:
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review! Your feedback helps other solo coaches discover the show and grow their businesses too.
Transcript
This is the Solo Coach podcast, where it's all about everything you need
Speaker:to build your business solo.
Speaker:Look, building a business alone can feel almost impossible.
Speaker:There's just so much to get done.
Speaker:That's just your DAO talking.
Speaker:I'm Michelle Sara, and I'm here to talk you through building a one-woman
Speaker:coaching business from the ground up.
Speaker:I'm talking marketing, time-saving systems, AI shortcuts, client attraction,
Speaker:energy, and belief, all to help you find your way, no matter your age,
Speaker:stage, or starting point. Ready?
Speaker:Let's get going.
Speaker:I talk about messaging a lot.
Speaker:I am, after all, a copywriter or have been a copywriter for a very long time.
Speaker:Messaging, words, language, conveying emotion with the
Speaker:written word is in my bones.
Speaker:However, as a coach, especially if you're in the
Speaker:first one to three years of your business, getting your messaging figured out can
Speaker:take a while, but it can also be really frustrating.
Speaker:It takes time to gain the clarity to formulate your messaging,
Speaker:and then it takes some experience and experimenting to refine it.
Speaker:However, I want to give you a leg up today,
Speaker:and I want to talk about five ways to use inner dialog mapping to write
Speaker:messaging that connects and converts.
Speaker:The whole point of messaging is to grab
Speaker:someone's attention, and that someone being your target audience, your people,
Speaker:to grab their attention, resonate with this audience, have them pause
Speaker:and nod and say, She gets me.
Speaker:However, most of the time, what we're doing is either staring at a blank screen,
Speaker:trying to figure out what to write, or second-guessing every word and wondering
Speaker:why it's so darn hard to say what you really mean.
Speaker:As a coach and a woman with decades of life
Speaker:experience, you bring so much to the table: wisdom, unique gifts, and insights
Speaker:that have the power to change lives, or simply help someone in a meaningful way.
Speaker:But making that clear to your ideal clients, that's a whole other story.
Speaker:We haven't even talked about content creation yet, right?
Speaker:That's for another day.
Speaker:But just suffice it to say that figuring out your messaging can
Speaker:feel really daunting.
Speaker:It feels like you've got it, you feel really excited because you think you've
Speaker:figured it out, and then the next day you look at it and it falls
Speaker:flat and you're like, That's not really it.
Speaker:I want to talk about the heart of the matter when it comes to messaging.
Speaker:For me, even as a copywriter, because there's so many different
Speaker:approaches to writing messaging that is taught in the And for today's purpose,
Speaker:when I say messaging, it could be your one-liner message statement for
Speaker:what you do and who you help.
Speaker:It could be messaging around a specific product.
Speaker:It could be messaging on your website.
Speaker:It could be messaging in your bio So messaging anywhere for any
Speaker:purpose in your business.
Speaker:And it took me a long time to figure it out and
Speaker:figure out the nuts and bolts of what really created a strong message.
Speaker:And I'm sure over the years, going forward, there are some more
Speaker:things I will learn around it.
Speaker:But for today, here's what I uncovered.
Speaker:And I will say that these are the things that made a really big difference.
Speaker:So I started asking my audience about the thoughts that were running through
Speaker:their minds when they were struggling.
Speaker:Self talk is different than asking somebody what their biggest challenge is.
Speaker:I I can ask someone what their biggest challenge is, but the self-talk that's
Speaker:going on in their head is different.
Speaker:That's what we're after.
Speaker:I also learned to listen for the patterns in their struggles
Speaker:instead of focusing on the surface symptoms, pain points
Speaker:versus micro problems.
Speaker:They may have this pain point, this big challenge, but what are all the small
Speaker:problems that pop up throughout their day in different instances, different moments
Speaker:of real life that are related related to this?
Speaker:I figured out how to turn their words, their inner dialog, into content that
Speaker:speaks to their hearts and minds instead of just adding
Speaker:to the noise all around them.
Speaker:When we can do that, we are catching a person's attention because we're
Speaker:mirroring their own thoughts.
Speaker:And what I realized was most important is understanding, connecting, and speaking
Speaker:in a way that makes them feel seen.
Speaker:Renee Brown said, Connection is why we're here.
Speaker:It's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.
Speaker:She says it best, Wouldn't it be cool if you knew every word you wrote would feel
Speaker:like a direct conversation, connection, and has purpose and meaning for
Speaker:your people, your ideal client?
Speaker:What if they read your content and think, How does she know exactly
Speaker:what I'm going through?
Speaker:It's like she's in my head.
Speaker:Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Speaker:Instead of spinning your wheels or going around in circles trying to come up with
Speaker:ideas, you have a clear, steady stream of inspiration because you've tapped into
Speaker:what your audience actually needs and wants to hear.
Speaker:This is what inner dialog mapping helps you to do.
Speaker:It's a simple, yet transformative process that uncovers the thoughts,
Speaker:struggles, and desires your audience is already carrying with
Speaker:them every single day.
Speaker:Here's what happens when you use this approach.
Speaker:You'll know exactly what to write about because your audience needs and
Speaker:struggles guide your content.
Speaker:That's a relief, right?
Speaker:Your messaging will feel deeply personal, making your audience feel seen and
Speaker:understood, who better to help them than the person who understands them.
Speaker:Creating content becomes easier because you're no longer guessing.
Speaker:You're simply reflecting in their own words back to them.
Speaker:When we say scroll stopping, that can be scroll stopping.
Speaker:You'll build trust in connection naturally, which makes saying
Speaker:yes to your offers a no-brainer.
Speaker:With inner dialog mapping, your messaging gets easier and easier and easier.
Speaker:It becomes a powerful tool for connection and growth.
Speaker:That's what we want.
Speaker:Before we go through, well, let's go ahead and go through them, the five ways
Speaker:that you can use inner dialog mapping.
Speaker:One, ask them about their self-taught, just like I said earlier.
Speaker:This is something I started doing, and write it down.
Speaker:When you get curious about the thoughts that
Speaker:they have when they're stuck, frustrated or searching for a solution,
Speaker:these insights give you the exact words to use in your messaging.
Speaker:For example, it's asking them what the challenge is, what's going on,
Speaker:what are they really frustrated with?
Speaker:Then you can say, what's your worst critic saying to you right now?
Speaker:What's that inner critic in your head saying?
Speaker:Because if you just simply ask a question or survey, typically the response you will
Speaker:get is not going to be as real and raw or at the heart of the matter
Speaker:as much as self-talk will be.
Speaker:The second way, identify the real pain beneath the problem.
Speaker:Look deeper than surface complaints to uncover what's really bothering them,
Speaker:what fear, doubts, or desires are driving their behavior.
Speaker:For example, when you identify their What's their biggest fear, what's the
Speaker:cost to them if that fear is realized?
Speaker:A failed business, not being able to pay their bills, running out of options,
Speaker:people being disappointed in them. You get the idea.
Speaker:Turn challenges into relatable stories. This is number three.
Speaker:Share stories that reflect the struggles they face.
Speaker:When your audience sees themselves in your content, in your stories, it
Speaker:builds trust and connection.
Speaker:I once wrote an email where I told a story about my son who has cerebral palsy.
Speaker:His physical challenges aren't as significant as his learning challenges.
Speaker:As a matter of fact, if you were to meet him today, physically, it might take a
Speaker:little bit before you realize there's something going on.
Speaker:You'll notice it in his right-hand.
Speaker:Most people reach out to shake someone's hand right-handed.
Speaker:However, even though Devon is right-side dominant, he is forced to be left-handed
Speaker:because of the cerebral palsy.
Speaker:He has a problem with his right leg and However, he's always been very active.
Speaker:Again, it's not something that you would typically notice right away.
Speaker:However, what you will notice is the learning disabilities and that
Speaker:there is something different.
Speaker:So when he was a child, I worked really, really hard to show people
Speaker:how they were alike rather than different.
Speaker:And if you had asked me then about my challenges, and if you had asked me,
Speaker:what's your inner critic saying, I would have said things like,
Speaker:people think your son is odd.
Speaker:He'll always be rejected.
Speaker:You're failing at finding a way for him to live in this world.
Speaker:We all know what it's like when we don't fit in that inner talk, this inner fears,
Speaker:where you feel like you're failing, regardless of whether it's true or not.
Speaker:Because it's that inner talk, self-talk, that drives our decisions.
Speaker:We make decisions, even decisions to purchase, based on how
Speaker:we feel in the moment.
Speaker:Based on how we feel in the moment.
Speaker:Yes, we may use logic to back up our decisions, or we may not at all.
Speaker:Certainly done that, but predominantly, we are led by our emotions.
Speaker:So number four is use their words to spark ideas for content.
Speaker:So take common phrases or recurring thoughts they share and transform
Speaker:them into topics for articles.
Speaker:This is part of what I mean by noticing the patterns.
Speaker:Their words become your creative feel.
Speaker:You're going to recognize that inner critic conversation.
Speaker:You're going to see similarities between clients or potential clients.
Speaker:You're going to hear common phrases.
Speaker:You can use those to become topics for your articles, social media
Speaker:posts, or even emails.
Speaker:An example, you're not getting a single comment, like or share.
Speaker:This business thing is impossible.
Speaker:This is what I'm thinking, by the way.
Speaker:If I'm posting all the time and I'm not getting anything from it, this
Speaker:business thing seems impossible.
Speaker:Why do I even bother?
Speaker:What's the point?
Speaker:I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker:You can write something for each one of those statements.
Speaker:You can write something about the fact that you may feel like this
Speaker:business thing is impossible, but it really is possible.
Speaker:Here's why.
Speaker:Why do I even bother? What's the point?
Speaker:Feeling like you shouldn't even bother with your business ideas anymore?
Speaker:You're feeling like there's no point to it.
Speaker:Let me give you five reasons why there is.
Speaker:You get the idea here.
Speaker:Number five, align your offers with what they need most.
Speaker:Create services or products that solve their specific challenges.
Speaker:When your offers match what they already have going on in their mind,
Speaker:saying yes feels effortless.
Speaker:Meaning if you are addressing...
Speaker:Let me go back to, let's see here.
Speaker:To the Why do I even bother? What's the point?
Speaker:If you're posting all the time, right?
Speaker:And you're not getting any engagement.
Speaker:You can create a solution around...
Speaker:This is just an example, by the way, around getting engagement on social media
Speaker:so that you feel a sense of purpose, in that you're actually
Speaker:making progress in your business, and that your social media efforts have a purpose,
Speaker:have a point and are worth the effort.
Speaker:So align your offers with what they need most.
Speaker:When you are able to echo that concern in their own head, that inner critic, it
Speaker:makes it so easy to say yes to something that is a solution to Say yes to something
Speaker:that will quiet that inner critic, at least even if only for a day.
Speaker:Like a simple email-based course that teaches you how to create messaging that
Speaker:makes you it, delivered to your inbox, no membership barrier to log in to,
Speaker:password to remember, or hours and hours of video to wait through.
Speaker:Just simple, clear, concise, and easy delivered to you.
Speaker:That's my answer to not wanting to have to log in to yet another platform.
Speaker:Remember the password, hunt down what you purchased, wade
Speaker:through tons of video content.
Speaker:I just want to get straight to what I need to learn, and I don't want
Speaker:to have to go find it.
Speaker:So the more you align your messaging with what your audience is already thinking,
Speaker:the more they'll feel that you're the coach who truly understands them,
Speaker:because I bet you are for your people.
Speaker:Or you're going to be once you start using inner dialog mapping.
Speaker:But let me be clear, I don't want you to think of inner dialog
Speaker:mapping as throwing more tact sticks out there and hoping that one sticks.
Speaker:It's not about using gimmicks or trends that don't align with who you are.
Speaker:It's definitely not about guessing what your audience wants to hear.
Speaker:I don't want you to guess. I want you to talk to them and find out.
Speaker:But remember, they're not often going to tell you directly because much
Speaker:of the time they don't know.
Speaker:But if you can tap into that inner talk, self-talk, inner critic,
Speaker:then you begin to figure it out.
Speaker:Instead, it's about listening, uncovering the words and emotions your audience is
Speaker:already using and reflecting them back in a way that feels natural and deeply
Speaker:connected so that you grab their attention, they
Speaker:lean in wanting to know more, and then you provide these very real
Speaker:and practical solutions.
Speaker:My goal is to help you simplify your messaging process and make it easier to
Speaker:create content that resonates and converts.
Speaker:So we're actually taking some things off your plate.
Speaker:What do you think?
Speaker:Well, I imagine I can I have my own inner critic, self talker.
Speaker:I can imagine yours is speaking up at the moment.
Speaker:What if you don't have an audience to ask about your struggles?
Speaker:Well, that's okay, and that's pretty normal when
Speaker:you're starting out, we all start at zero.
Speaker:But the magic happens when you start reaching out,
Speaker:or I should say paying attention to the conversations that are already
Speaker:happening all around you.
Speaker:So, for example, in Facebook so you can see the conversations that
Speaker:people are already having. Are they sharing that inner critic voice?
Speaker:If they're not, could you pipe in and say, just out of curiosity, what's that little
Speaker:voice in your head saying when you're going through this?
Speaker:We all love to talk about it.
Speaker:You can even look at Amazon Book Reviews.
Speaker:So choose a book that...
Speaker:This should be a book that has sold quite a few, has some good traction behind it,
Speaker:and is on the topic of what you do.
Speaker:I'm going to, just for the sake of example, be very simplistic and say, what
Speaker:if we chose a book on becoming a life coach?
Speaker:Because you help people gain either life coach
Speaker:certification or build their life coaching business.
Speaker:You can go through the comments or the reviews.
Speaker:I would skip the first, probably anywhere from 3-10, because usually those are our
Speaker:clients who have been asked to provide reviews, which are great.
Speaker:But generally, they're not going to have the real and raw stuff that we want.
Speaker:So skip down, skip through all the others, and get to the ones where they say stuff
Speaker:like, Finally, I've read every book out there on this topic, and no
Speaker:one ever talks about XYZ, but this author did.
Speaker:Look for those nuggets.
Speaker:If you think who has time for that?
Speaker:Well, you're building a business.
Speaker:You have to find time for it.
Speaker:In truth, you could take about 15 for 30 minutes and go scroll through
Speaker:some reviews to get some really good language to use in your messaging.
Speaker:I know that was the next inner critic, inner voice thing I was going to say was,
Speaker:I'm not sure I have the time to gather all this information.
Speaker:It can just be a matter of 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there.
Speaker:In your mind, here we go with your inner critic, and is telling you
Speaker:that you don't have time.
Speaker:That's going to take hours upon hours and days, maybe even weeks.
Speaker:Reality is 10 minutes here and there, 15 minutes, 30 minutes if you
Speaker:really have the free time.
Speaker:It's not a big deal.
Speaker:I know that you worry about sounding too salesy or pushy or
Speaker:generic, and this is the answer.
Speaker:This is what I'm saying, is when you can dig down deep into the more emotional base
Speaker:and pull those words out that your people use or that you read in book
Speaker:reviews or you see in our Facebook group.
Speaker:It's going to be quite the opposite, and your messaging is going to feel more
Speaker:natural, personal, and conversational.
Speaker:That's what we want.
Speaker:That's what we want.
Speaker:So tap into your as inner dialog and show them that you get them.
Speaker:You're building trust, creating connections, and offering
Speaker:exactly what they need by creating solutions based on that.
Speaker:Stop guessing and start truly understanding.
Speaker:Give yourself grace.
Speaker:It may take you some time. It should.
Speaker:And with inner dialog mapping, your messaging can become a really powerful
Speaker:tool for growth and for the impact that you're here to make.
Speaker:And for your business, too.
Speaker:Your audience is out there waiting for someone who truly understands them and
Speaker:makes them feel heard, and that someone is you.
Speaker:Hey, thanks so much for joining me for the Solo Coach It means so much to me
Speaker:that someone out there is listening.
Speaker:Now, if you know it's time to do something different about your business, and you
Speaker:know if it is, consider joining me for my Happy and
Speaker:Successful Business Mastermind, where you can get clarity, support, and a plan.
Speaker:I'll leave details in the notes below.
Speaker:I also want to share a free resource for you.
Speaker:If you haven't already subscribed to my newsletter, Find Coaching
Speaker:Clients, I encourage you to do so.
Speaker:To your inbox tips and strategies that make finding coaching clients
Speaker:for your business much easier.
Speaker:I'll see you next time.
