What Is A Permissionless Life And How You Can Pursue It
- Sean G. McCormick
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
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Most people wait for the green light.
Maybe it's from a supervisor, a certificate, another course, or some mythical moment where they finally feel "ready."
But that wait is the slow death of momentum—and the killer of great ideas.
In this article, I’ll share what it means to live a permissionless life and how to start building your coaching business (or expanding it) without needing external validation.
Let me show you how👇
Why Does It Matter For You To Pursue A Permissionless Life?
Living a permissionless life means you create your own structure, your own rules, and your own timeline.
Not being reckless, but trusting that your experience and insight are enough to begin now, even if you’re still learning.
The most impactful coaches I know didn’t wait for someone to tell them they were ready.
They identified a problem, shared a solution, and iterated as they grew.
Social media platforms have leveled the playing field. You don’t need a publisher, district administrator, or university to say yes anymore.
Now, you can say yes to yourself.
Why Do Many Coaches Wait For Permission?
Reason 1: They’re conditioned to wait for approval
Most coaches come from the education world.
That means following district protocols, waiting for administration to approve changes, and deferring to systems.
Breaking out of that mindset is difficult, but very possible.
Reason 2: They want external validation
Many new coaches want someone to tell them it’s okay to launch a course, offer a service, or raise their rates.
But if you wait for consensus, you may never act.
When I launched my certification course, a lot of people told me it wouldn’t work.
Now hundreds of coaches have gone through the program and built successful coaching businesses.
Reason 3: They confuse preparation with procrastination
Another trap is endlessly stacking certifications or training without ever implementing.
The longer you wait to start until everything is “ready,” the more momentum you lose.
Start messy—refine as you go.
4 Steps To Start Living A Permissionless Life
Step 1: Start testing the idea
If you think that you can help students as an executive function coach, instead of going and getting a full certification, go work with a student and see how it feels.
Offer a free session to one student.
Don’t wait for your brand to be perfect or your niche to be locked in.
Learn by doing.
Step 2: Find proof it works
Success leaves clues.
If someone else is successfully doing what you want to do—coaching students, offering workshops, running courses—there’s room for you too.
Most of the good ideas that come up are new developing fields that may not be traditional ideas.
For example, one of the most successful creators I know started creating courses on how to use Excel.
She didn't need a license for this. She didn't go to college to get a degree in Excel.
She just started teaching people her knowledge.
You can listen to my podcast, Earn More Tutoring, with Miss Excel here.
Step 3: Learn out loud
Learning out loud is finding a way to give value to people.
A great way to do this is to document the process and build your audience while learning.
You can:
When I first started wanting to become an executive function coach, I didn't know how to do it, and there wasn't any training program that I could afford at the time.
So I started a podcast called Earn More Tutoring, where I interviewed people to learn more about how they had built their coaching businesses.
Step 4: Narrow your focus
You’re not “an EF coach for everyone.”
Get more specific.
For example, there's a million people out there telling you how to be more organized, but how many people teach you how to organize the inside of your fridge.
There's more than 4 billion people on the internet looking for solutions and support.
So, can you find a hundred of them that might want to learn from your unique expertise?
If you want more guidance on starting your EF coaching business, check out more tips on my YouTube video.
The Bottom Line
You are ready to get started with your dreams and live a permissionless life.
Here are the steps:
Coach one person for free and learn from the experience
Study one person doing what you want to do—and model it
Share what you’re learning publicly
Choose a specific audience and start helping them
Hope this helps! 🤙🏻
Want support in living a permissionless life and getting your coaching practice started?
Consider joining hundreds of educators and professionals who have completed our executive function coaching certification.
You'll gain all the tools, templates, and techniques you'll need as a coach, plus you'll make new friends and have a community you can rely on to grow and learn. Learn more.
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About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and expanding my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.