How to “Avatar 2” Your Coaching Business
Have you watched Avatar 2?
I did it. Twice. Once in 3D. One in IMAX BIG.
What can I say?
James Cameron delivered.
Due to my obsessive *ahem* passionate nature, I spent days rolling down the Youtube rabbit hole (more like an elephant hole 🐘🕳) to research Avatar 2 production.
(The same way I “researched” about Game of Thrones, Dunes, LOTR, and 3892 other movies. 🤓)
Usually, these “researches” don’t amount to much other than worsening my eyesight.
Not this time.
I’m climbing up the hole 🐘🕳 bearing gifts: 5 secrets to making your coaching business a meaningful and (wildly profitable!) spectacle.
5 business lessons from “avatar 2”:
1.
Slow your roll
After Avatar’s first insane success, the “smart” thing to do would be to ride the trend and pump out Avatar 2. stat.
But James Cameron didn’t rush. He took 13 years to give us Avatar 2.
In those years, he:
• Waited for filming technology to catch up with his vision.
• Took time to develop the story properly.
• And, my favorite, went deep-sea diving!
This resulted in another masterpiece.
In the coaching space, where most coaches are recovering achievement addicts with frequent relapses (raising my hand here!), we can learn a lot from this.
The hunger to prove ourselves and the fear of failure can make us beat ourselves up to race ahead and beat ourselves up again when we feel we’re “falling behind.”
Many coaches quit. Not because they’re not smart or dedicated. But because they’ve figuratively beaten themselves to death. ☠️
Can I tell you something most business coaches won’t (because they know it’s not what you want to hear)?
It takes time to make happy, sustainable money.
The same way an apple tree takes its natural time to bear fruits. Injecting chemicals may bring more fruits today, but your harvest will suffer in the next season.
Depending on your context, it may take up to 2 years or more to replace your 9-to-5 with predictable coaching income.
You need to lay your foundation, understand your customers, hone your coaching skills and master your business skills.
So take your time. You’re not racing with anyone.
Be present with the process. And let the Universe deliver the outcome, not in ego-driven timing but divine timing.
2.
Cocktail your passions
When James Cameron was 17, he learned scuba diving and found, in his words, the “keys to another world.” He’s held onto them ever since.
Cameron joked that he made Avatar to fund his deep-sea exploration. And that he made Titanic just to have an excuse to see the real-life wreckage of the Titanic. (He did!)
He probably made Avatar 2 to take us down there with him. (He succeeded!)
James Cameron's 2 passions - deep-sea exploration and filmmaking - are entwined.
2 ingredients of a luscious concoction only he can bartend. We all drink up and ask him (beg him) for more.
What other unique passions can you bring to your coaching business? (In the way you coach or in the way you market your coaching)
I’m hopelessly multi-passionate.
Besides coaching and business, all art forms are my love affairs.
I make Zentangle while facilitating healing. I draw on flipcharts instead of using slides for training. I curate playlists for my events. I make calligraphy for social content. And I write absurdly lengthy emails to you!
And you? How can you mix a punchy passion cocktail that tastes uniquely YOU?
Deliver that, and we’ll be begging for the 2nd round (or the 28th!)
3.
Take a stand
Both times I watched Avatar 2, I cried so hard during the death of the Tulkun scene. I had to bury my face in my knees.
The next day, I was in an existential crisis, questioning my environmental impact and my business’s purpose. And eventually, felt more anchored in my mission.
That was uncomfortable but necessary.
And it might be the effect James Cameron hoped for all along.
Avatar 2 is his deeply personal project, a way to express his love for the ocean and commitment to sustainability.
Not only through its unapologetic environmental angle but also through its production.
James Cameron was determined to make Avatar 2’s production as green as possible, putting down his own money to construct 3,692 solar modules on the rooftop of his film studio!
Even more, he teamed up with people who shared his values.
Avatar’s producer Jon Landau is so on board with this agenda; he said: "We want to play a continued role in awakening people to the issues that face our world."
An unusual take from a producer whose job involves a hefty amount of money talk.
Back to your coaching business, what causes do you feel strongly about? What breaks your heart about our world? How can you gather a team and a community with the same values? What actions can you take?
When your audience knows what you stand for, they’ll trust you more.
But also, don’t forget that by using your genius as a coach, you give our world your biggest contribution simply by showing up.
Remind yourself of this often. It’s a better fuel than coffee.
4.
Build your muscles
To film extended takes underwater and make them feel as authentic as possible, James Cameron got his cast trained for months under the world’s best breath-hold specialist, diving instructors, and military divers.
Kate Winslet famously managed to hold her breath for more than 7 minutes! Something neither she nor James Cameron thought she could.
It’s not about being a born diver. It’s about building the muscles.
Similarly, in business, it’s not about being born an “entrepreneur.” It’s building your business muscles.
If you aren’t hitting your income, clients, or audience goals, which muscles are underdeveloped?
So often, I see coaches obsess over their coaching skills. But overlook the business skills.
If you want the freedom to quit your job, you need to know how to get paid for your coaching.
That means building your muscles on niche finding, program packaging, enrolment, copywriting, content creation, personal branding, and more.
The good news: just like in the gym, with the right trainer and squad, business weight training can be a hell lot of fun. (Not to mention a huge boost for your confidence and sexiness!)
(you building those biz muscles be like 👆)
5.
Claim your space
Avatar 2’s 3-hour runtime felt to me like no time at all. But James Cameron had to fight for it.
There was “tension” coming from Disney, but he wouldn’t back down on the 3-hour length. Because doing so would compromise the integrity of the narrative and the complexity of the story.
He had to balance “keeping engagement” and “preserving beauty.”
Cutting out the fat while still, in his words, “holding onto things that don't advance the plot, but are beautiful or scary or suspenseful for their own sake.”
Business-wise, we live in a freaky time: everyone has squirrel-level attention pans, and IG forces you to fit into 90-sec videos.
It’s easy to feel that the only way to get yourself heard is to pump out bite-sized content. I call them brain-sneezes, disappearing the moment they come out.
But if you have the vision and the depth, why not create long-form content and store it somewhere safe, ideally your own website?
Day by day, you’ll build a resource library for your audience and your thought leadership.
Take up space.
Don’t hold back.
Grab people by their shirt collars and pull them under the ocean, or down an elephant hole, with you.
They wouldn’t complain. They’ll get mesmerized (and pay you good money just to go deeper!)
That’s it. I’ve delivered my gifts. Which secret do you like the most?
Write back to me; I’d love to read all of them. Seriously.
Lots of love,
Milena
P.S.- Be the James Cameron of your meaningful work
Every day I help new coaches worldwide get paid to change the world by building their business muscles.
(It is easier and more fun than you think!)
You can start building your muscles now with the insightful guidebook called “The 7-Part Enrolment Session Blueprint” (and yes, my team still can’t believe I’m giving this away for FREE!).
Download the blueprint by clicking the image below, and I’ll see you inside.
SHARING = LOVING
I help YOU get paid to change the world.
Hey, fellow purpose-driven human!
I’m Milena. When I was 24, I said no to corporate job offers to “do my own thing.”
9 years, some major fumbles, 3 TEDx Talks, 1 published book, 50,000 followers, and hundreds of clients (from 15+ countries) later…
I make a multi-six-figure living as a coach while spending most of my time walking barefoot in my apartment. #introvertgoal
I know you want to make a difference.
I’m here to help you turn that calling into a financially sustainable coaching business — while staying away from the hustle, and skipping the pitfalls that trip up most new coaches.
Quit your 9-to-5. Move to a paradise island. Slow yoga every morning. Work from sunlit cafes. Make time for loved ones (including yourself). Grow your influence. Wake up excited about your day. And serve only the clients who light you up…
All of that (and more!) is possible, once you have the right support.
Let me help you shine.
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