What separates a good coach from a master?

Behind the Coaching Breakthroughs: What Master Business Coaches Do Differently

You're already a good coach. Your clients get results. So why does the leap to master feel further away the closer you get?

After thirty years coaching CEOs and leadership teams across four continents, Sharn Rayner found that the coaches who break through aren't working harder or relying on better instincts. They work from structure: frameworks designed to be adapted, made your own, and used to build a practice that is both genuinely profitable and worth being proud of.

This book hands you that structure: practical tools for sharpening your positioning, pricing your work with confidence, and turning each coaching conversation into measurable, lasting change. Take them as they are, or make them yours. Every one has been tested in real client work, with real clients and real outcomes.

If you've ever worried that frameworks flatten the human craft of coaching, Rayner argues the opposite. Used well, they don't replace your presence and judgment. They sharpen them, helping you see patterns faster and guide clients to insight with more precision.

The coaches who plateau keep refining what they already do. The ones who break through change what they're working from.

Available on Amazon, print and Kindle.

★ #1 Bestseller Behind the Coaching Breakthroughs book cover by Sharn Rayner

30 Years 4 Continents Former CEO, Coaching CEOs & Leadership Teams

Frameworks, not theory.

Behind the Coaching Breakthroughs gives you the proprietary frameworks, structured methodologies, and field-tested tools that distinguish master coaches. Each one is actionable, adaptable, and grounded in real client work.

Triple-A Alignment Method diagram

Triple-A Alignment Method

Assess, align, and articulate your unique value proposition so you stand out in a crowded market.

Niche Mastery Framework diagram

Niche Mastery Framework

Stress-test your positioning against real-world demand, competition, expertise, and passion.

Pillars of Robust Margins diagram

Pillars of Robust Margins

The financial structures behind a profitable, resilient coaching business - pricing, margins, cash flow, diversification.

Impact Pyramid diagram

Impact Pyramid

Map coaching effectiveness from behavioural change to business outcomes to demonstrable ROI.

Sharn Rayner

Sharn Rayner

Sharn Rayner is a master business coach, strategist, and leadership partner with over thirty years of experience working alongside CEOs, senior leadership teams, and high-performing coaches across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and the United States. A former CEO and board director, she brings rare commercial depth to her coaching work - the kind that comes only from having sat in the chair herself.

Through her practice Two Tides Consulting, Sharn works with mid-market business leaders and coaches ready to scale their impact without compromising their integrity. Behind the Coaching Breakthroughs is the book she wished had existed when she was developing her own craft - a straight-talking playbook for coaches ready to move from good to exceptional.

Reached #1 Best Seller in multiple Amazon coaching and leadership categories within days of launch.

What readers are saying.

Sharn, what a great read. It is practical, relevant and full of frameworks that I know I'll use with my clients - and will help me shape my own business better. What I particularly liked was that it doesn't just present theory; you've brought it to life with real examples from years of working alongside a huge range of businesses and people. I really felt you were sharing what you've genuinely seen work in practice. An excellent resource that I'll be coming back to again and again. Congratulations on a fantastic book.
Mike - Leadership Coach, Facilitator & Director
I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book and was so happy that this was a practical coaching guide. Instead of just talking about coaching concepts, Sharn provides frameworks that are easy to understand, easy to remember and, most importantly, easy to apply. I found myself thinking about how I could use the ideas straight away, both in coaching conversations and in my day-to-day leadership. The frameworks give you structure without feeling restrictive, and they're explained in a way that makes them accessible whether you're an experienced coach or just starting out. This is not the kind of book you read once and put on the shelf; it's the kind you keep nearby for practical reference. If you're looking for coaching ideas you can actually put into practice, I'd highly recommend it.
Sneha - People and Culture Manager
I've read this book cover to cover, and it's one of the most practical and valuable business books I've read in a long time. The real-world examples, frameworks and tools are immediately applicable, and as a business owner I found myself constantly thinking about how I could use them with my own clients. This isn't a book you'll read once and put on the shelf - it's one I'll keep coming back to as my business evolves and I continue to build my capability. It feels incredibly generous of Sharn to have shared so much of her hard-earned knowledge and experience in one resource.
Nicole - Strategic Marketing Business Owner & Coach
Received an advanced copy and couldn't put it down. I picked this book up hoping to add a few ideas to my toolkit. I ended up rebuilding parts of my own business. The first section, around building a profitable, sustainable practice, had me reviewing the way I work, the things I do every day, and where I'd been underselling myself. The models and frameworks helped me name, package and properly price a standalone offer. That's happened directly because of this book. What I really liked was how practical it is. There are heaps of frameworks, but they're backed up with clear explanations and real examples. I kept finding myself thinking, 'How could I adapt this for a client?'
Jacqui - Chief Marketing Officer
If you're a coach, or growing a coaching business, it'll absolutely help you. Actually, if you run any sort of expert or service-based business, there's plenty in here that'll get you thinking differently about how you're positioning, packaging and valuing what you do. I had my notes page open and was jotting down ideas the whole way through - pretty good sign it's a good read!
Jung - Business Coach
Great book to really help you address the key parts you need to grow a great income from your coaching business. The niching and business models really resonated with me. Honest, commercial and grounded in real practice.
Lori - Business Coach

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Ember House Publishing

Ember House Publishing is an independent publisher based in New Zealand. We publish business and coaching books written by experienced practitioners - work that's grounded in real client experience and built to make a measurable difference for the people who read it.