What does a sustainable performance coach do?

A sustainable performance coach helps high-achieving founders and students build systems and strategies for long-term performance without burnout. Ellyn Schinke diagnoses what's actually blocking performance before building anything — because motivation isn't the problem, design is.

What is the Heroics Economy?

The Heroics Economy is when a business only moves when the founder is in crisis mode — running on adrenaline instead of systems. It's a design problem, not a discipline problem. When heroics become the operating strategy, burnout is inevitable.

What is dependence by design in coaching?

Dependence by design is a coaching model built to keep clients paying rather than make them capable. Most coaching containers produce attachment instead of autonomy — the client feels supported inside the container but falls apart the moment they're on their own. Real coaching should make itself less necessary over time, not more.

What is the diagnostic-first methodology?

The diagnostic-first methodology means identifying what's actually blocking performance before building any solution. Most coaches sell generic frameworks to clients they've never assessed. Ellyn Schinke diagnoses the specific constraint first — whether that's a founder's business systems or a student's executive function — and builds the playbook around that.

What is Notion and why does it matter for founders?

Notion is an all-in-one productivity and automation app that can replace multiple disconnected tools in a founder's business. As a Notion Ambassador, Ellyn Schinke builds custom Notion systems for founders who need to get everything out of their head and into a structure that runs without them.

Does Coach Ellyn work with students as well as founders?

Yes. Ellyn Schinke works with both high-achieving founders and high-achieving students. The methodology is the same: diagnose what's blocking performance, build systems that fit how the person actually works, and create a sustainable path to long-term results. For students, this means academic tutoring, SAT and ACT prep, and executive function support.

What is work-life balance and why doesn't it work?

Work-life balance is a cultural frame that treats a structural load problem as a personal character flaw. It fails because it's vague by design — a standard you can never hit. The real model is load vs. resources: when your load exceeds your resources, the answer isn't better habits. It's reduce the load, increase the support, or redesign the system.

#84 - Practical Mindfulness Practices to Live your BEST Life

Mindfulness

Nov 19

Written By Ellyn Schinke | Head Coach, Tutor, & Notion Nerd

Summary

How can we be committed to bettering ourselves, but also be mindful? CAN those two things coexist?

In early September, my good friend Elena Thurston asked me that question and if she could interview for her community about the practical side of mindfulness techniques. And it turned into an awesome conversation that I cannot WAIT to share with you!

In today's podcast episode, we're turning the tables and I AM BEING INTERVIEWED by someone else, which is so fun, and we're discussing practical mindfulness techniques to live your best life! We talk about the practical side of journaling, of meditation, and of why judgment is such a difficult thing to balance!

I hope you enjoy it and I want to send a huge shoutout and thank you to Elena for not only asking me to have this conversation but also for sharing the audio with me so that I can release it here.

For show notes, head to coachellyn.com/podcast and, of course, post on Instagram and tag me @coachellyn so that I can shout you out and say thank you!

WHAT I TALK ABOUT…

A deep dive into my journey + my story
Self-judgment and treating self-evaluation objectively - “It’s just data”
How I discovered meditation + journaling as mindfulness practices through the Miracle Morning
How Meditation and Journaling have benefitted me…
- Meditation
  - Fighting against meditation because I couldn’t shut my brain off
  - Realizing that it’s okay to have thoughts during your meditation
    - TIP: Jot down things you “can’t forget” when they come up mid-meditation…
    - Stepping into observer mode and just acknowledging thoughts as they have
    - Realizing how necessarily meditation is for me to just take some space to not think…and how necessary that is for me with a hyper-active thinker
      - Brene Brown scheduling “white space” into my day
      - I’ve done some of my best creating after meditating…
      - Giving myself that space in my day allows my brain to functions more optimally
      - The Two Parts of Your Brain:
        The Critical Brain is the one that screams at you all day that’s talking shit, reminding you of all the things that you need to do, etc.
        The Intuitive Brain whispers. It tells you what you need and what feels good
        Meditation takes your intuitive brain to the gym and slowly increases it’s volume
        My Meditation is using the Calm app for 10 minutes a day
        Awareness IS intuition…they go hand in hand…
        Journaling
        “I don’t think my journaling practice would’ve been as effective if I wasn’t meditating…”
        Starting journaling as a sort of chronological recap OR venting out emotions/frustrations
        “I felt this. What does it mean?”
        Journaling after I meditate…
        Journaling to navigate difficult situations…
        Journaling to get clarity on thoughts + opinions…
        “You can’t love someone you don’t know. And the more you get to know someone, the more you love them. 100% of the time!”
        Journaling as a form of therapy (when you can’t afford a therapist)
        Michael’s has really cheap, cute journals for $4.99 - click here
        Grounding
        To help us sleep better, manage pain, etc.
        “Sleep Smarter” by Shawn Stephenson - click here
        What it is?
        Putting your bare sheet on the ground, preferably dirt or grass
        In our bodies, we have charge to our bodies as a result of normal bodily processes, particularly from our immune response producing reactive oxygen species. The earth, on the contrary, has a surplus of negative charge from electrons. When we come into contact with the earth, it neutralizes the charge in our body, essentially balancing our charge out.
        We don’t normally benefit from that because we wear shoes and rubber doesn’t conduct electricity well
        Helped me sleep so much better!
        Check out my IG Story Highlight call “Nerd Alert” - click here
        Vitamin D also has benefits…
        For someone who is stuck on the “woo-woo” of mindfulness…
        Go back to the reason “why” you wanted to experiment with these practices in the first place
        Re-frame these practices as helping you achieve that goal + address that reason “why”. Come back to the practical reasons…
        Set Daily Minimums to get you started…
        1-5 mins of meditation is a start
        LACK OF JUDGMENT!
        If you are still not feeling it…it might not be the right time for you! Keep them in your back pocket. These are tools in your tool belt!

quotes from this EPISODE

"Awareness is intuition. You have to bring those thoughts to the surface before you can observe them without judgement...and that's what meditation did."
"It's really about getting clarity. getting clarity on where your heads out + why you're feeling the way you're feeling. I am obsessed with asking yourself why…It's powerful to understand yourself at such a level where you can very clearly articulate why you are the way you are.”
“Journaling has become my therapist. It’s a personal space. No one reads that but me. And I can be as honest as humanly possible in that journal. Ya, sometimes it’s about asking yourself the right question, but that’s kind of where meditation comes back into play. You’re probably going to have that intuitive brain come into play and bring up a question while you’re meditating…”
“Meditation usually raises the questions once you get to the point where that intuitive voice starts pushing through, and then journaling is where you work it out!”
“It’s so practical! These are NOT woo woo practices! These are so practical if you have any desire to better understand yourself, what you want in your life, what pieces of your life are serving you toward getting that and what pieces aren’t, these two practices are so practical towards getting you that. I can’t say it enough. You improve that intuition and then you explore it in these two practices together, it’s amazing!”
“I think if I didn’t do these two things, I might eventually course correct. I might eventually get there. But in the same manner as coaching and therapy, but those are two things that are going to help fast track you. It’s the same thing with meditation and journaling. You might be able to figure that out over the course of time. For sure! Life will teach you those things! But if you want to fast track that, if you want to have that sooner rather than later, these are practices that I find have helped me fast track my understanding of myself…”

Resources in this episode:

Book a COMPLIMENTARY Transformation call - aka a 30 min free coaching call -here

Get your FREE DOWNLOAD - 25 Tips to Take Back Your Life - here

about today’s host…

Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational speaker, a transformational retreat leader, and a writer who recently gave her first Ted Talk at TedX: Colorado Springs. She grew up in a turbulent and abusive home, joined the Mormon church as a teenager, put herself through college, married and birthed 4 beautiful children, and then fell in love with a woman.

Life 2.0 brought a divorce, leaving the Mormon church, a beautiful love story and a new career!

Her mission is to empower women to free their own lives and discover parts of themselves they never knew existed. She helps women to heal their past to fully live their present and command their future.

Connect with Elena Joy Thurston: Instagram | Website

RESOURCES:

Books by Brene Brown here
“The Miracle Morning” - Hal Elrod - click here
Mindvalley - Click Here
Meditation apps I’ve used:
- Calm - click here
- Headspace - click here
- Grounding
  - From “Sleep Smarter” by Shawn Stephenson - click here
  - Here is a scientific article on grounding - click here

Ellyn Schinke | Head Coach, Tutor, & Notion Nerd

Sustainable performance coach, Notion Ambassador, and academic tutor helping high-achieving founders and students build systems and strategies for the long game. Founder of Coach Ellyn LLC and host of the Burnout-Proof Podcast.

https://www.coachellyn.com