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
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Duration: 26:06
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Duration: 34:09
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736. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: June 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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735. BEACH READS FOR BETTER SCORES [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:40
According to Henry Ward Beecher, there is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs. Teens willing…
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Duration: 33:27
If you've been paying attention over the last year, you've observed tremendous change, chaos, and uncertainty roiling higher education. Behind the scenes, things are even crazier than they seem, which affects every singl…
733. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: The Gauntlet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:43
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732. STRATEGIZING YOUR TESTING AND ADMISSIONS TIMELINE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:54
A great many tasks need to be accomplished successfully in order to secure a seat at a selective college. Luckily, they don't all need to be done at once, but proper timing makes a world of difference. Amy and Mike invit…
731. FINANCIAL AID HORROR STORIES [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:32
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