I have spoken at Career Lab twice. Both times, the most valuable thing that happened did not happen during my session. It happened in the hallways and at the tables, before and after, between coaches who showed up already committed to building something with their careers. That kind of room is rare. The industry has plenty of events. It has far fewer rooms where the investment in the profession feels this urgent and this collaborative.
The panel “From Coach to Brand” runs at Career Lab Las Vegas on July 17 and 18. It is built around one decision. Three coaches who made that decision, at different stages and in different disciplines, will be in the room to talk about what it actually took.
If you are a coach, you have probably felt the ceiling this panel is about. All three panelists started where you are. All three built something that grew beyond the coaching. Brooke Vass merged movement and digital media into a brand at an intersection nobody else had claimed. Tricia Murphy Madden built Fit Pro Programming into a community and education platform the group fitness world keeps returning to. Dr. Emily Splichal turned barefoot science and sensory movement into a global brand with a product line to match.
The path looked different for each of them. The decision to build was the same.
Career Lab is not a motivation event. It is a working room for coaches who have already decided they want more than a full client roster. The July 17 and 18 programming is built around the decisions that separate a practice from a brand. The room is full of people making those decisions at the same time.
That shared context is what makes Career Lab different. The coaches in that room are not there to be inspired. They are there to work.
The Problem Career Lab Is Designed to Solve
Most coaches hit the same ceiling. The work is good. The clients stay. The income grows, but only when you add more hours. That ceiling is not a client problem. It is a structural one, and working harder does not move it.
The coaches who break through did not add more services or cut their prices. They decided what they stood for. They built an identity around it. Then they created something with a name on it that the market could find, follow, and pay for beyond the session.
That shift from practice to brand is the subject of the July 17 panel. It runs through the working sessions on both days. The brand question does not sit apart from the pricing, content, and partnership questions that come with it.
“I hope coaches walk away understanding that their personal brand is one of their most valuable career assets and that you don’t just have to have one thing. Whether it is through social media, content creation, group fitness instruction, and building genuine relationships, I’ve learned that opportunities often come from the connections you make and the value you consistently share. The sooner you start intentionally building your brand, the sooner you create opportunities for yourself and take it to limits you never knew were possible.”
— Brooke Vass, panel moderator
What Niche Positioning Actually Does to Income
The income conversation about niche positioning makes coaches uncomfortable. It can sound like a trade-off: narrow your focus, and you narrow your market. That logic feels intuitive. It is also wrong.
A coach with a clear niche does not have a smaller market. They have a more findable position inside a larger one. The coach who teaches general wellness to adults of all ages competes with everyone. The coach who teaches sensory-based movement for foot health and active aging is the only result for a specific, growing search.
A brand built on real authority in a niche earns differently. Partnership revenue, product licensing, speaking fees, and content income do not scale the way a generalist practice does at the same effort. The ceiling does not move by working harder. It moves by building something with a name on it.
The Three Things Career Lab Will Help You Build
The programming across both days is organized around three outputs every coach should leave with.
First, a named niche. A specific, defensible position that makes you the clearest choice for a defined audience. The July 17 panelists will walk through how they found theirs, what it cost to commit, and how the market responded.
Second, a content framework. Authority is not built in one viral moment. It is built by showing up in the same lane, with the same point of view, often enough that the market ties your name to a specific expertise.
“Content is not really about posting more; it’s about becoming known for something specific. The coaches who create the most opportunities for themselves aren’t chasing every trend; they’re consistently sharing the same expertise, values, and perspective over time and speaking directly to their specific niche. When your audience can clearly describe what you stand for and who you help, your content stops feeling like marketing and starts building trust, authority, and opportunities. They become your truest fans and customers without hesitation.”
— Tricia Murphy Madden, Fit Pro Programming
Third, a partnership model. Speaking fees, product partnerships, sponsored content, and platform collaborations all need the same prerequisite: a defined audience that trusts your expertise in a specific domain. Career Lab will help you see what that prerequisite looks like in practice, and how to build toward it on a realistic timeline.
The Honest Tradeoff
Building a coaching brand takes time and strategic energy that does not pay back in the first quarter. The coaches who build durable brands know compounding is real, but slow. They make the investment before they feel the urgency, not after.
Career Lab Las Vegas on July 17 and 18 is the room where that investment starts. If you have hit the ceiling that good work alone cannot move, this is the panel built for you.
Career Lab Las Vegas — July 17–18 — Reserve Your Seat
Seats are limited. Reserve yours now and come ready to work.
Related: Career Lab Preview: The Longevity Coaching Panel on What Today’s Clients Expect
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Career Lab Las Vegas?
Career Lab Las Vegas is a two-day professional development event on July 17 and 18. It is built for existing coaches who are ready to grow beyond the session-based model. The programming is structured around the decisions a coach makes to build authority, own a niche, and create demand that does not depend on one-to-one client work. It is not a conference with a vendor floor. It is a working room, and the people in it have already decided to build something.
Who is Career Lab Las Vegas designed for?
Career Lab is for the coach who is already good at the work and has hit the ceiling that good work alone cannot move. If your roster is full, your referrals are steady, and your income is still tied to your hours, this is the room built for where you are. The frameworks and community across both days are for coaches ready to invest in a brand before urgency forces the decision.
What is niche positioning for fitness coaches, and how does it affect demand?
Niche positioning is the decision to be the specific coach for a specific population with a specific approach, instead of a generalist available to everyone. It makes you more findable than a generalist. The clients and partners looking for exactly what you offer have nowhere else to go. That concentrates demand rather than limiting it. It feels like narrowing the market and works like owning a corner of it.
What is the income difference between a coaching practice and a coaching brand?
A coaching practice earns through sessions and client relationships, capped by the hours in a week. A coaching brand earns through those same channels and adds speaking, content partnerships, product licensing, and event income. None of those require a one-to-one time investment for every dollar. The two paths can look similar in year one, then tend to diverge as the brand compounds and the practice stays tied to hours.
Jessica Maurer writes on the business of coaching, brand building, and career growth for Coach360News.
About Jessica H. Maurer
Jessica is a recognized fitness business consultant and strategist focusing on transforming businesses from overwhelmed to organized. Her international presentations, workshops, certifications, and consultations underscore her commitment to helping fitness professionals and businesses realize their full potential. When Jessica takes the stage, she’s sharing fresh ideas and inspiration that spark positive change. Jessica’s international presentations and consultations are about growth, career transformation, overall wellness, and making fitness a joyful journey. Her expertise spans education, program and instructor development, and brand evolution, making her a key player in elevating the industry. Jessica also played a pivotal role in developing the Mental Well-being Association’s certification for Fitness Professionals., always striving to bring a holistic approach to wellness that’s as uplifting as it is effective.
Jessica has presented at prestigious events like IDEA World, Fitnessfest ACSM Health & Fitness Summit, SCW Mania, AsiaFit, and more. She has worked with brands such as FIT4MOM, SFR, BOSU, Lebert Fitness, Savvier Fitness, SCW Fitness, FitSteps, canfitpro, IDEA, and VIBES music. She also has written content for the IDEA Fitness Journal, canfitpro Magazine, Mental Well-being Association, FIT4MOM, Motherly, and more.Â
