Why Great Coaches Need Better Business Systems
In this episode, Gretchen talks with Patrick Quinlan — actor, improviser, executive function coach, and dad — about the moment he realized his longtime way of working had become unsustainable, and in some cases too comfortable, for the families he served. Patrick shares his path from theater and tutoring into EF coaching, and why becoming a parent forced him to rethink in-home sessions, LA traffic, and the emotional labor of being students' "safe person." Together, he and Gretchen explore the fine line between supportive coaching and becoming an expensive emotional regulation crutch, and dig into the business shifts that can change everything — moving from hourly sessions to packages, building clearer boundaries, and creating a path for students to graduate. It's a conversation about coaching, business, and identity, and what it really takes to build support systems that make students more independent, not more dependent.
You'll Hear Us Talk About
How Patrick became "a safety blanket" for some long-term students — and what that actually costs both sides
Why moving from hourly sessions to packages gave families (and Patrick) a clearer beginning, middle, and end
The moment fatherhood made in-home, hourly coaching unsustainable and forced a shift to virtual work
Why Patrick's background as an actor made it harder — and eventually necessary — to show up as himself in his coaching business
Finding community after realizing he wasn't the only coach carrying this weight
About Patrick Quinlan
Patrick Quinlan is an actor, improviser, and executive function coach, and the founder of Quinlan Tutoring. He built his coaching practice out of a background in theater and tutoring, and now works to help students build independence rather than dependency — while also navigating the business side of running a coaching practice as a parent.
Links + Resources
Patrick's website: Quinlan Tutoring — https://www.quinlantutoring.com/
Learn More About the Anti-Boring Learning Lab
Download our free Toolkit, including the study cycle and the cognitive overload mini lecture:https://antiboringlearninglab.com/resources
Connect with Gretchen on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-wegner
Bonus — Rock Your Biz:Join Rock Your Biz in August!
Listen + Watch
Enjoy this episode in the way that fits your day.
▶️ Watch — Prefer video? Watch the full conversation on YouTube.
🎧 Listen — Perfect for your commute, workout, or whenever you're on the go.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you never miss future conversations on executive function, learning, and education.
FAQ: Why Great Coaches Need Better Business Systems
(Episode 4 of the Academic Coaching Podcast, featuring Patrick Quinlan)
How did Patrick go from acting to coaching?
Patrick studied theater and English in college with a secondary ed minor, student-taught for a semester, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. He found early tutoring work through Craigslist, eventually landing at an agency where he built a caseload working with junior high and high school students. Over five or six years, the language shifted from "tutor" to "academic manager" to "executive function coach," partly because that's the term parents themselves started using to describe what he did.
What pushed Patrick to switch his coaching from in-person to fully virtual?
After his son was born, Patrick found himself exhausted and driving across Los Angeles to see students in their homes. He describes the moment he realized he had to go virtual across the board, and the harder challenge that came with it: finding the language to explain to families why virtual coaching could work just as well as in-person sessions.
What does Patrick mean when he says he's "become a safety blanket" for some students?
Patrick shares a candid moment of realizing that some long-term clients no longer needed coaching sessions, they needed accountability, and could have gotten the same support by simply going to office hours. He talks about the guilt that comes with recognizing when a service has quietly become more about comfort than growth, and why it made him rethink packages versus hourly billing.
Why is Patrick moving away from hourly billing and toward packages?
Patrick explains that hourly billing keeps both the coach and the family focused on "what am I getting this hour," while packages create a clear beginning, middle, and end built around a specific goal. He and Gretchen also unpack why "package" is the better word than "bundle," since a bundle is often just hourly pricing in disguise.
What happened when Patrick tried to scale his business by hiring subject tutors?
Patrick describes hiring and pairing tutors with students during a period of transition, only to learn from the State of California that his contractor structure wasn't legally viable. He talks candidly about realizing he'd tried to "jump levels" too quickly, and why he's now focused on building a solid solo foundation before expanding again.
What did Patrick believe about coaching before joining the Anti-Boring Learning Lab that he's since had to unlearn?
Patrick admits he used to believe he was struggling alone, wrestling privately with burnout, boundaries, and the emotional weight of caring for students and families. Joining the Lab's community of coaches showed him that other practitioners were navigating the exact same tensions, and gave him a place to process it instead of carrying it solo or venting to his wife.
How does Patrick's background as an actor connect to his coaching work now?
Patrick reflects on years of keeping "church and state" separate between his acting life and his coaching identity, and how that's gotten harder to sustain. He talks about bringing more of his whole self, including the willingness to look ridiculous and fail on stage, into how he shows up with students.
What is Patrick working toward over the next six months in the Rock Your Biz Accountability Cohort?
Patrick hopes to leave the program with clear language for who he is, who he works best with, and what results he can promise, so he can market himself and any future team members with confidence instead of guilt. He names "being seen" through more visible marketing as the part that brings up the most resistance for him.
Where can I learn more about Patrick Quinlan?
Visit quinlantutoring.com to learn more about his coaching practice.