Borrowed Audiences, Big Results: How Michelle Schafer Grew from 1-on-1 Coach to Bestselling Author and Sought-After Speaker
Michelle Schafer shares how she grew from a relatively unknown career coach into a highly visible expert by consistently “borrowing audiences” through podcast guesting. She breaks down the turning point that came from choosing a clear target market, how she researched and pitched shows with a service-first mindset, how she prepared to deliver high-value interviews with stories and a strong call to action, and how she repurposed episodes to build compounding momentum. Michelle also explains why she eventually hired a virtual assistant to scale outreach, and how a single well-crafted pitch led to a major in-studio appearance on The Art of Charm.
Chapters:
- (00:00:00) Intro: choosing to be found and the “borrowed audiences” concept
- (00:01:18) Michelle’s business today: who she serves and what she helps clients achieve
- (00:03:10) The visibility gap: from “hope they find my website” to real audience growth
- (00:06:58) The clarity breakthrough: picking a lane and defining the bullseye client
- (00:12:45) Weekly pitching rhythm: consistency, quality, and starting small to build confidence
- (00:17:40) What makes a pitch stand out: personalization, relevance, and crisp speaking points
- (00:23:05) Interview prep: listening to the show, key stories, and the “magic Post-it note”
- (00:27:35) The call to action: freebies, resources, and being a top 1% guest
- (00:38:10) Scaling with help: bringing on a VA and training them to run the system
- (00:45:35) The Art of Charm yes: imposter syndrome, the pitch that landed it, and what’s next
Links and Resources
- Freebie: A free chapter from my book - sign up HERE
- Order my book Cultivating Career Growth: Navigating Transitions with Purpose HERE
- Email me here
- Book a complimentary 30 min discovery call with me here
- Website
- Michelle Schafer on LinkedIn
- Dustin on LinkedIn
- 7 Figure Leap
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