Whoever could untie the knot would rule all of Asia.
That was the legend. The problem? No one could even see how the knots were fastened, let alone unravel them. When Alexander the Great marched into Gordium in 333 BC, he knew this puzzle would define his destiny.
The ancient historian Arrian said Alexander was immediately “seized with an ardent desire” to untie the knot.
He tried for hours and made no progress. Then he stood back and said, “It makes no difference how they are loosed.” Then, he sliced the knot in half with his sword.
To solve the puzzle, Alexander ignored the unspoken conditions others had accepted – that you must untie the knot – and used his sword to cut right through the problem.
What if you could do the same with the blocks holding back your coaching practice?
Imagine having a thriving coaching practice. Clients seeking you out. Charging what you’re worth. Creating transformations so profound that testimonials flow in effortlessly. Your calendar full. Your bank account reflecting the value you provide.
You know it’s possible. You’ve seen other coaches do it.
Yet something holds you back.
Maybe it’s a fear of visibility that keeps you from putting yourself out there. Or procrastination that stops you from completing your marketing. Perhaps it’s money blocks that make you undercharge. Or that nagging voice saying “I’m not good enough” that keeps you playing small.
Here’s what most coaches assume: they need better marketing skills, more credentials, or just more willpower to push through.
But what if the real issue isn’t any of those things?
The beliefs coaches accept without question
Just like the people who assumed they had to untie the Gordian Knot, coaches accept certain conditions about building a successful practice:
- That you must “fix” all your own issues before you can help others
- That confidence comes from more training and certifications
- That if you’ve struggled with something for years, it must be difficult to change
- That limiting beliefs are just part of who you are
I don’t agree with any of these assumptions.
I believe coaches can have unconditional self-esteem
Before I explain how, let me define what I mean. Unconditional self-esteem is feeling OK about yourself regardless of what happens in your life. You pitch a potential client and they say no? You still feel OK about yourself. You raise your rates and someone questions your value? You still feel worthy. You put yourself out there on social media and get crickets? Your sense of self remains rock solid.
This isn’t about positive thinking or affirmations. It’s not about “reframing” your thoughts or managing your mindset. Those are like trying to untie the Gordian Knot one strand at a time – exhausting and often ineffective.
Unconditional self-worth allows you to feel OK even when everything in your business is not OK. You can take bold action. You can be visible. You can charge what you’re worth. Because your sense of yourself doesn’t depend on the outcome.
How coaches eliminate what’s holding them back
To get this internal stability requires eliminating two kinds of beliefs:
1) Self-Beliefs
These are beliefs you have about yourself:
- “I’m not good enough”
- “I’m not important”
- “I’m not worthy”
When you eliminate a self-belief, a natural feeling of confidence rises up. It’s not forced. It just appears. You feel worthy for no reason at all.
2) Survival Strategy Beliefs
These beliefs say your worth depends on something external:
- “What makes me good enough is being perfect”
- “What makes me important is achieving”
- “What makes me worthy is having others approve of me”
Both types must be eliminated to have unconditional self-worth as a coach.
I used to constantly worry what others thought of me. After eliminating beliefs like “I’m not good enough” and “What makes me good enough is having other people think well of me,” my inner voice became quiet. I am now myself 24/7. I no longer feel defined by anything outside of me.
That freedom transformed my work with clients. When you’re not consumed by your own doubts, you can be fully present with the person in front of you.
What this means for your clients
Here’s what one coach experienced after learning to eliminate beliefs:
“Thanks to the thorough practicing I used the The Lefkoe Method NEXT DAY (without my notes handy) with a Deloitte & Touche client, who was so personally distraught, there was no point in talking business during our executive coaching session. If you could have seen the radiance on that face after an hour! So … the tool is powerful and rich!”
—Agnes Mura, MA MCC, Past President, LA PCMA
Another coach shared:
“This belief work has had a profound impact not only on me but on my clients, and I only started a month ago! I read ‘Recreating Your Life’ by Morty Lefkoe, and once I put pen to paper I had not only identified the belief which was blocking my abundance but I have eradicated it completely from my consciousness. I have increased my business by 50% and now I feel as though I can’t handle all the offers. Yes, it’s true.”
—Karynne Boese, Life and Recovery Coach
Notice something? These coaches didn’t just feel better. Their clients got radically different results. And their practices transformed as a result.
Why other methods leave you stuck
Maybe you’ve tried therapy. Or energy work. Or body-based practices. Or dozens of mindset techniques.
Those approaches can be valuable. Sometimes they even create miracles.
But when an issue resists all efforts to change – when you’ve been working on “not good enough” for years, when you still procrastinate despite every productivity system, when money blocks persist no matter what you try – it’s usually because several limiting beliefs are in the way.
Most techniques try to help you change by:
- Reframing how you feel about events
- Trying to change your energy system
- Working with your body
But they don’t address the actual process by which beliefs were created in the first place.
That’s like trying to untie the Gordian Knot strand by strand. It’s why you’ve been stuck.
The missing piece
Core Belief Coaching focuses specifically on how to eliminate the core beliefs that hold people back. You learn to remove those beliefs completely. It’s almost like psychic surgery. Once the belief is gone, the person is forever free to behave in new ways.
This is why coaches who learn this work get those incredible testimonials. The kind that build practices.
Not because they’re better marketers. But because they produce profound and lasting change for their clients.
But isn’t it natural to feel bad when things go wrong?
Yes, it’s common. When my husband died, I felt deep sorrow. I still miss him to this day. I’ll likely miss him for the rest of my life. However, I don’t feel bad about myself as a result of his passing.
Some negative feelings are natural. But self-judgment? That can always be eliminated by getting rid of limiting beliefs about yourself.
What becomes possible
When you eliminate your own beliefs about not being good enough, not being worthy, needing to be perfect:
- You show up visible and confident
- You charge what you’re worth without apologizing
- You take action instead of procrastinating
- You complete projects that have been sitting undone
- You attract clients who are ready for real transformation
- You create results that generate testimonials that build your practice
And you give your clients something most coaches can’t: actual freedom from the beliefs that have been running their lives.
Your clients won’t just feel better. They’ll be different. Permanently.
That’s the difference between trying to untie the knot and cutting straight through it.
Summary
- Unconditional self-esteem means feeling OK about yourself regardless of what happens in your business
- It empowers you to take the bold actions that build thriving practices
- To gain it, you need to eliminate two kinds of beliefs: self-beliefs and survival strategy beliefs
- Most methods leave you stuck because they don’t address how beliefs were created
- Core Belief Coaching teaches you to eliminate beliefs completely – for yourself and your clients
- This creates the profound, lasting transformations that generate testimonials and build practices
- Like Alexander’s sword cutting through the Gordian Knot, belief elimination gives you immediate access to what’s been blocked
