Coaching Business Mindset: The 7 Permissions Holding Coaches Back from Success
Most coaches who aren't where they want to be aren't missing a strategy. They're missing permission. Not permission from a boss or a mentor or the market. Permission from themselves. And according to Liz M. Lopez, executive coach, bestselling author, and speaker with 19 years of coaching experience, that's the real core of the work.
In this episode of She Coaches Coaches, Candy Motzek sits down with Liz to talk about her book on the seven permissions framework, the inner work behind every external result, and why the fortress most coaches are trapped inside was built entirely from the inside out.
Why Permission Is the Word That Changes Everything
Liz didn't pick the word permission by accident. She started speaking about this concept internationally in 2019 after working with executive leaders, many of them women, who were hesitating to represent their wins, speak up in rooms they belonged in, and take up space they had already earned.
"There was nothing external that was telling them you can't do these things," she says. "They had to give themselves permission."
For coaches, this lands with particular force. So much of the coaching industry is focused on strategy. Get the niche right. Build the offer. Post consistently. But none of it works if the person delivering it hasn't given themselves permission to be seen, to charge well, to ask for help, or to fail on the way to something bigger.
The Seven Permissions of Success
Liz's framework, the foundation of her book Permission to Dominate Your Success, moves through seven permissions in sequence. Each one builds on the one before.
Permission to fail, because without it you can't give yourself permission to do anything big. Permission to be supported, because you can't do this alone and you don't have to. Permission to take baby steps, because small consistent action beats paralysis every time. Permission to feel confident today, exactly as you are right now, not when you feel more ready.Permission to prosper, so you can genuinely embrace financial reward without guilt or shame. Permission to walk away, which Liz says is often the hardest one. And finally, permission to succeed.
The framework can be worked through in order, which Liz recommends for the full experience. It can also be used as a diagnostic. You identify where you feel strongest, celebrate that, then identify where you feel most stuck and start there.
"Sometimes that's enough to get them started on the journey, even if they're starting in permission number three or permission number six," she says.
The Fortress We Build Around Ourselves
One of the most striking images in this conversation is the fortress. Liz talks about how job hurt, career trauma, and other people's opinions become internalized over time. We create rules for ourselves. We put on armor. And without realizing it, we lock ourselves inside a structure we built to keep us safe and that now keeps us small.
"If something has injured us, scared us, or humiliated us, we build defenses around I don't ever want to feel this again," she says. "And we create rules for ourselves that can be really limiting if we're not examining them."
For coaches, this shows up in specific ways. Undercharging. Avoiding discovery calls. Not posting because of fear of judgment. Staying in preparation mode instead of taking action. Hesitating before making an offer. These aren't strategy problems. They're permission problems.
And the root of almost all of them, Liz says, is fear. Permission to fail is foundational because if you can't tolerate the possibility of failure, you can't take the action that leads to anything meaningful.
Why Ambitious Women Struggle to Ask for Support
One of the most practically useful parts of this conversation is Liz's take on permission to be supported. She finds this one of the most commonly missing permissions among the coaches and leaders she works with, particularly women.
"It is incredible to me how often people are just truly struggling on their own," she says.
For many women who entered the workforce in earlier decades, the implicit message was clear. You can be here, but you'd better handle everything else too. That conditioning becomes internalized. Asking for help feels like an admission of failure. Delegating feels like admitting you can't do it. Going to therapy or hiring a coach feels like something that should be kept quiet.
Liz pushes back on all of it directly. Not only do you not have to do it alone, chances are you can't. And asking for support in a dignified way isn't weakness. It's one of the most strategic decisions an ambitious person can make.
"Support is a game changer," she says. "Whatever it means to you to be supported, please lean into that."
For coaches building their own businesses, this lands on two levels. It's a reminder to get support for themselves. And it's a framework for helping their own clients do the same.
Living the Framework, Not Just Teaching It
What separates Liz's work from a lot of coaching frameworks is this. She lives it. Not as the master of it. As a student of it.
She talks about catching herself making decisions from fear instead of strategy. Noticing when she's about to walk away from something that isn't aligned and actually doing it. Watching herself build the fortress and choosing to step out of it instead.
"I am not the master of this topic," she says. "I am also a student of this topic."
That honesty is part of what makes the seven permissions framework feel like a genuine way of living rather than a set of boxes to check. It's not a to-do list. It's a decision-making system and a value system that sits underneath everything else. Career goals. Business goals. Life choices. The framework applies to all of it.
"No matter what is happening in the world, most often what really stops us from going for what we really want, those reasons are internal," she says. "We have so much more control than we think we do."
Key Takeaways
- The biggest thing stopping most coaches isn't strategy. It's the permission they haven't given themselves to fail, be supported, feel confident, or walk away.
- Job hurt and career trauma create invisible rules that run our lives for decades. Coaching is often about removing the splinters of internalization.
- Permission to fail is the foundational permission because without it you can't give yourself permission to do anything that matters.
- Asking for support isn't weakness. Ambitious people, especially women, often exhaust themselves trying to do it all alone when they don't have to.
- The seven permissions aren't a checklist. They're a decision-making system and a value system that sits underneath every goal, every career move, and every business decision.
Ready to Build a Coaching Business That's Actually Yours?
Grab the free course, Stop Guessing and Start Signing Clients, and get clear on your next step: https://candymotzek.lpages.co/vfo/
Download the free Coaching Business Insights Report 2026 for real data on what's working for coaches right now: https://candymotzek.lpages.co/business-growth-survey/
Watch the How to Start a Coaching Business playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Ja1CypZHinAnJBRM6ENbRtYs--2hSwY
Ready to work with a coach? Book a free 30-minute call: https://stepintosuccessnow.com/
About Liz M. Lopez:
Liz M. Lopez is a powerhouse executive coach, bestselling author, and dynamic speaker who guides corporate leaders and entrepreneurs to life-changing success. With a blend of straight talk, strategy, and encouragement, she inspires live and virtual audiences by revealing their untapped potential and creating clear, actionable paths to achieve meaningful goals. Coach Liz co-authored the bestselling book Suck It Up Buttercup: 10 Tough-Love Strategies to Get You Off Your Butt and Making Money. Her second book, Permission to Dominate Your Success, is a bold call for individuals to transform their lives by systematically overcoming self-imposed limitations.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lopezlizm/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizmlopez/
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