753. MAKING THE FIRST COACHING SESSION MATTER

753. MAKING THE FIRST COACHING SESSION MATTER

Author: Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin September 1, 2026 Duration: 27:27

Real improvement takes time, which is to say that a single class or lesson can only take us so far. However, getting off to a good start can go a long way towards an ideal ending. Amy and Mike invited educational entrepreneur Lisa Tran to explore the importance of making the first coaching session matter.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

  1. What does rapport mean in an educational or coaching context?

  2. What does an ideal first session structure actually look like?

  3. How can educators and coaches cultivate effective rapport?

  4. What is the role of students and parents in making the first session work?

  5. What happens in a first session that makes students want to come back?

MEET OUR GUEST

Lisa Tran built her tutoring business, Lisa's Study Guides, from her own one-on-one students up to 35 tutors and 200+ students, and eventually sold it. She now runs Tutorboss, where she helps tutoring business owners stop being the bottleneck in their own businesses and step into being the CEO. She is an Aussie based in London.

Lisa can be reached at tutorboss.co or @imlisatran on Instagram.

LINKS

The 7 Traits of Top Tutors

How Building Rapport Helped My Students Take Risks

RELATED EPISODES

THE ROLE OF RAPPORT IN EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

WHY YOU WANT TO WORK WITH A CAREER TUTOR

CULTIVATING AND RECOGNIZING ACADEMIC CURIOSITY 

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.

 


Navigating the complex world of college admissions can feel like a maze with ever-shifting walls. Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast, hosted by Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin, serves as a reliable guide through that maze. Instead of generic advice, their conversations delve into the nuanced realities of testing, admissions strategies, learning differences, and broader educational trends. They bring in leading experts to provide depth and clarity on the issues that matter most right now. Whether you're a parent trying to support your student, a counselor shaping guidance, or an educator within the system, this podcast offers substantive discussion that goes beyond the surface. Each episode aims to demystify the process, offering practical insights and thoughtful analysis. You'll hear honest talk about standardized tests, application essays, financial aid, and the many factors that shape decisions on both sides of the admissions desk. For anyone invested in understanding the journey to higher education-from students to consultants-this is a vital resource. Tune in for a consistently informative and straightforward take on an industry that affects so many futures.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Podcast Episodes
THROWBACK: NEED BLIND AND NEED AWARE ADMISSIONS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:36
Is any aspect of college admissions more mystifying than the determination of financial aid? The concept of "need" and how different schools consider need in both admissions and aid decisions goes deeper than most people…
757. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER: EXPLORING INTERNATIONAL ADMISSIONS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:08
With thousands of colleges and universities at home, few American students ever consider studying abroad. Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Alan Sheptin to explain why he says the world is your oyster…
THROWBACK: ACT SCORE REVIEW AND VALIDATION [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:16
Security at testing centers is almost as tight as screening at American airports. Yet some test takers still find ways to cheat on the ACT or at least raise suspicions. Amy and Mike invited school counselor Desiree Rodri…
756. GUIDANCE FOR WRITING A STRESS-FREE COLLEGE ESSAY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:24
Students often approach their college applications as if each essay is the most important piece of prose they've ever written, which leads to overthinking and anxiety. There is a better way! Amy and Mike invited essay sp…
755. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind (Fall 2026 Updates) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:46
Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educator Amit Jain What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are tutors using MentoMind? How is the MentoMind platform evolving? What are the users of M…
THROWBACK: ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:35
While all teenagers are alike in certain ways, those at the very top and very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum share some disconcerting similarities. How are these peer groups connected, and what can be done to help…
754. WHAT STUDENT RESEARCH MATTERS THE MOST TO COLLEGES? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:03
The apprenticeship model of academia requires more than just passive learning from students. How can applicants seeking entry to selective programs demonstrate that they have the ability and ambition to contribute to the…
THROWBACK: BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS' LIVES [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:41
Many of today's high school students somehow appear to cram 30 hours of academic, extracurricular, work, and social commitments into each of their 24-hour days. Is that frenzy of activity sustainable or even healthy? Amy…
752. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:29
The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to dis…
751. ARE SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS DEAD? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:52
Even in the Common App era, completing college applications can feel like an interminably long and complex process with far too many permutations from one school to another. But some schools are announcing what appear to…