In this episode of She Coaches Coaches, Candy Motzek sits down with Jodi Casstevens-Short - award-winning author of the Willow Springs Cozy Mystery series, 35-year elementary school teacher turned published novelist. She Coaches Coaches reaches listeners in more than 127 countries, and this conversation is one of the most unexpectedly useful ones Candy has had on the show.
Jodi isn't a coach. But everything she shares about self-doubt, resilience, community, and just keeping your head down when things get hard applies directly to anyone building a coaching practice from the ground up.
Imposter Syndrome for Coaches Doesn't Disappear After Your First Win
Here's the story that says it all.
Jodie Foster - one of the most recognized, celebrated actresses and directors in Hollywood history - won an Oscar. And still thought someone was going to knock on her door in the middle of the night and say they made a mistake and take it away.
A lifetime of achievement. A lifetime of craft. And still the doubt.
Candy brings this story up in conversation with Jodi because it illustrates something coaches need to hear: imposter syndrome isn't a beginner's problem. It's a human problem. It doesn't get resolved by your next credential, your next client, or your next win.
Jodi knows this firsthand. When her second book came out, the internal voice shifted. Book one was good - but is the second one going to be as good? Will readers like it? Can I actually do this again?
The bar moves. The doubt moves with it.
Seventy percent of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their lives. If Jodie Foster gets it, you're going to get it too. The question is what you do when it shows up.
The Tools That Actually Work When the Doubt Gets Loud
Jodi has practical answers to that question. No theory. Just what actually works.
The first is trusted people. Not just anyone. People whose word you trust. People who know your work and can tell you the truth. When Jodi hits a wall of self-doubt, she turns to the people who have been with her through this process. They remind her that book one was good. That book two is good. That book three is going to be good too. That's not empty reassurance - it's a reality check from people with real evidence.
The second is going back to the evidence. Jodi reads her reviews. Not obsessively. Just enough to remember that real people have read her books, enjoyed them, and taken the time to say so. That's proof. Real, tangible proof that she is actually doing the thing she thinks she might not be able to do.
The third is the simplest: put your head down and keep going. Because you decided this was something you were going to do. The decision came first. The doubt came second. You don't have to wait for the doubt to leave before you take the next step.
This is the coaching business mindset work that Candy Motzek brings to every episode of She Coaches Coaches. You don't wait to feel ready. You build the evidence by doing the work.
If you're ready to stop letting doubt slow you down and start signing dream clients, the free course is here: https://candymotzek.lpages.co/vfo/
Build a Coaching Business Your Way - Starting With Community
One of the most surprising insights in this conversation is about community.
Writing looks like the most solitary profession imaginable. You, your characters, your four walls, your deadline. But Jodi says the most important thing she did for her writing practice was find her people.
During COVID she connected with two other writers on Twitter. They noticed something in each other's messages and made a date to meet on Zoom. They clicked. Six years later, they still meet every morning - writers in London, Texas, Nebraska, and Jodi's home - to open up their screens, mute themselves, and write together.
Sometimes someone unmutes to ask a question. Sometimes they just write in the quiet company of people who understand exactly what it's like.
That accountability group is Jodi's daily writing ritual. It gives her a set time, a purpose, and people to be accountable to. It means she shows up even on the days she doesn't feel like it. It means she has somewhere to bring the stuck moments without feeling alone in them.
Build a coaching business your way - and build it with people around you. The coaches who stay in it are the ones who don't try to do it alone.
For a full picture of what's working for coaches across the industry right now, download the free Coaching Business Insights Report 2026: https://candymotzek.lpages.co/business-growth-survey/
What Cozy Mysteries and Coaching Have in Common
Jodi writes stories about a small town called Willow Springs where love is in the air and so is murder. Her characters are based on real people - her husband inspired a firefighter, her schnauzers made it onto the page. The details are personal. The work is intimate.
That's not so different from coaching.
Coaches build practices from their real lives too. From their own hard experiences, the things they've learned, the tools they know work. The characters in your coaching practice - your dream clients - are real people who need what only you can offer.
And just like Jodi, you'll have moments where you're not sure anyone wants to show up. Where the voice says it's not good enough. Where the blank page looks impossible.
What Jodi does with her schnauzers and her Zoom group and her trusted readers is exactly what coaches need to do too. Get outside. Talk to people who believe in you. Go back to the evidence. And then just keep writing.
Ready to build a coaching practice that's actually yours? Book a free 30-minute call with Candy: https://stepintosuccessnow.com/
Key Takeaways
- Imposter syndrome for coaches doesn't go away after your first win. It just raises the bar and finds a new place to live.
- Seventy percent of people experience imposter syndrome. It's not a sign you're doing something wrong - it's a sign you're doing something real.
- The tools that work: trusted people who tell you the truth, going back to your evidence, and putting your head down because you decided to do this.
- Community isn't a nice-to-have. It's what keeps you in the room on the hard days.
- The decision to keep going comes before the confidence. Not after.
Conclusion
Jodi Casstevens-Short retired from 35 years of teaching and started over. She put her characters on the page. She signed a publishing contract. She released two books and is working on a third.
And she still has moments where the doubt shows up.
That's not a problem. That's just what it looks like to do something that matters.
About Jodi Casstevens-Short:
Jodi Casstevens-Short is the award-winning author of the Willow Springs Cozy Mystery series, including Murdered by the Books and Murdered by the Blooms. Inspired by real people and small-town life, her mysteries blend friendship, romance, quirky characters, and deadly secrets. A former elementary school teacher of 35 years, Jodi retired and pivoted to her lifelong dream of writing. Her books are available on Amazon in ebook and paperback.
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