How Sarah Zeilstra Built Her Executive Function Coaching Business While Teaching Full-Time
- Sean G. McCormick
- Oct 13
- 10 min read
Updated: Oct 14
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Thinking of starting an executive function coaching business but feel stuck in your full-time teaching position?
Maybe you feel like there isn't enough time to do both, or your skills won't transfer over to executive function coaching.
EFCA graduate, Sarah Zeilstra, is someone who pushed past those limiting beliefs and now successfully runs her EF coaching business, Student Success Coaching, alongside her full-time career as a college professor.
Her curiosity in executive function skills led her down a path of research, graduate study, and eventually executive function coaching.
As she approached this new chapter in her career, Sarah took the certification program and invested in coaching at EFCA to turn her passion for student success into a sustainable, semi-retirement-ready business that could reach far beyond her classroom.
In this article, Sarah shares how she built her practice from the ground up including how she overcame hesitation around pricing, gained confidence to speak publicly, and learned to run a business that fits alongside her full-time teaching load.
What is Sarah's Background?
Sarah Zeilstra, M.Ed. is the founder of Student Success Coaching, where she helps students thrive by fostering internal accountability, building resilience, and unlocking their full potential.
Sarah has spent 28 years as a college professor and academic advisor, with a focus on helping those who were falling behind not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked support.
That passion led her to study executive function in-depth, earn a Master’s in Educational Leadership, and eventually become a certified executive function coach.
Today, she balances her full-time role as a college professor with running her own coaching practice, where she works with middle school, high school, and college students across the U.S. and Canada.
Her business focuses on helping students build real-world executive function skills so they can stay on top of their workload, develop strong habits, and feel more in control of their academic lives.
You can check out Sarah's EF Coaching practice at sarahzeilstra.com
And, find Sarah on all Instagram @sarahzeilstracoaching
Here is the full interview 👇
1. You were working in the college system before starting your EF coaching practice. What drew you to this new path, and what about this certification program made it feel like the right next step?
I’ve been teaching college students for 28 years but my path to EF coaching really began about 15 years ago.
At the time, I was teaching and working as an academic advisor with students in credit recovery who were failing courses.
A colleague often dismissed these students as “lazy,” but I knew this wasn’t the case.
They were bright and engaged but facing invisible challenges.
While on the surface it may have looked like laziness, what I saw was a need for strategies that made tasks novel, created urgency in a supportive way, and built accountability.
That curiosity about how to better support them led me to executive function and my academic advising role expanded into helping students with EF strategies.
Over time, I dove deeper, completing a masters degree in Educational Leadership with a focus on EF, and completing EFCA through Seth Perler’s work.
The certification felt like the perfect next step, especially as I look towards semi-retirement.
EF coaching allows me to use my skills and experience in a meaningful way.
What I especially appreciate about EFCA is its focus not just on coaching, but also on building a business.
And perhaps most importantly, it connected me with “my people” at this later stage in life.
2. What made you decide it was time to take a leap into starting your own EF coaching practice while still working as a college professor?
For many years, I considered teaching in the college system a secure career.
However, in the past few years, post-secondary education in Canada has shifted dramatically, with 8,000 positions eliminated across the province.
That said I still love teaching and continue in my full-time role as professor.
I have had to intentionally carve out time for projects and work I truly value.
Supporting students in reaching their goals is what makes me happiest.
After more than a decade of coaching students for free, it felt like the right time to build my own coaching practice so I could help even more students.
3. Many new coaches hesitate around pricing and business structure. What was your biggest hesitation before enrolling, and how do you feel about that now that you’ve moved forward?
I was fairly strategic in setting up my business.
I didn’t rush it, I carefully mapped out my onboarding process and I built my own website (a skill I had to learn from scratch).
There were challenges but the certification helped me take what I was already doing for free and shape it into a practice that could sustain me into retirement.
Pricing was definitely the hardest part at first.
Most of my cohort was US based and they provided invaluable support as I worked through those challenges.
Over time I’ve grown more confident that my pricing reflects my 28 years of experience, my training, and the individualized, high-quality support I provide.
Now I see my pricing as a fair reflection of the value I bring to each client’s growth.
4. Was there a specific moment during the course or coaching where your confidence clicked into place? What helped shift your mindset from doubt to belief in your ability to coach?
Yes. A pivotal moment came in a conversation with Sean when he encouraged me to fully commit to two years of giving wholeheartedly to my clients and community.
The mindset shift of going “all in” opened new opportunities.
Sean also asked me:
“What are you willing to give up?”
The answer was immediate: the many unpaid hours I had been giving away.
That helped me reframe my boundaries.
I still intentionally support underrepresented students who face significant challenges, because I deeply believe EF coaching should be accessible.
But I now do so with clarity and balance, which has strengthened my practice.
5. You mentioned struggling at first with charging for your services. How did you get through that and take on your first paying clients? What did that experience teach you?
It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have, rather than what we bring.
My mastermind group of EF coaches was instrumental in shifting that mindset.
They reminded me of the unique strengths and value I bring to my clients.
Coaching quickly showed me that the real skill lies not only in planning sessions but adapting to each student in the moment, keeping both short and long-term goals in focus.
The coaching process highlights that adaptability as one of my greatest assets.
The experience reinforced that coaching is a natural fit for my strengths.
I often remind myself: Mindset develops skillset.
I live by “practice over perfection,” and I keep two soundtracks (inspired by Jon Acuff) visible in my office.
Feeling uncomfortable means my old comfort zone is struggling to keep up
Momentum is messy
These reminders ground me as I continue to grow.
6. What does your coaching business schedule look like, how many clients do you work with, and how have you shaped your business to fit your life?
This is a great question, especially since I teach full time.
I maximize my EF skills to carefully plan my weeks and prioritize what matters most.
Right now, I work with a steady load of four to five 1:1 online coaching clients, ranging from middle school to college.
Some are shared clients with another EF coach.
I also coach in-person with college students during the academic year, and I run small-group workshops on courseload management.
From time to time, I deliver parent presentations and workshops.
I schedule everything around my teaching hours and family time.
It takes intentional planning, but building my practice this way has allowed me to serve students while keeping balance in my own life.
7. What tools, lessons, or systems from the certification or coaching experience have made the biggest difference in your ability to coach or grow your business?
The EFCA workbook, resources, and Skool community have been invaluable.
Having practical tools paired with a supportive network has made a huge difference.
When I started EFCA, I already had years of experience coaching students in my academic advisor and professor roles.
But what I needed most was support in building a business: learning to think with a business mindset, not just an educators mindset.
EFCA gave me the structure and the confidence to expand my reach far beyond what was possible in my college role alone.
8. What has been tough as you’ve grown into this role and how have you pushed through those challenges?
The hardest parts for me were the technical and marketing pieces.
Building my website was a steep learning curve, and navigating social media, Facebook, Instagram, and so on often felt overwhelming.
It's easy to get lost in the “noise.”
For many years I’ve created my ideal week which has helped me through many phases of my business.
This past year I have categorized my time into Consume Create Share - a framework I developed that has been a game changer and optimized my time blocking.
I’ve also let go of the pressure to publish content weekly.
Instead, I write when I’m inspired by real student situations, which makes my writing more authentic and sustainable.
Ultimately, I’ve learned that consistency - showing up through setbacks and wins - matters more than perfection.
9. What impact has this work had on your clients and on your own personal or professional life?
The impact has been profound.
Supporting students to achieve things they once thought were impossible is incredibly rewarding, it truly fuels my soul.
On a personal level, it’s humbling to live a life that serves others.
On a professional level, it reaffirmed for me that this work is deeply needed, and it continues to inspire me to keep showing up for students and families.
10. How has your definition of success changed since you started? What does success look like for you now?
Success used to mean big milestones - degrees completed, jobs secured, goals achieved.
Now, I see success in many different forms.
Sometimes success is helping a student remove a barrier that’s holding them back.
Sometimes it’s witnessing a small but meaningful shift in a mindset or daily habits.
For me, success is no longer one fixed outcome - it's making a difference, step by step in students' lives.
Through a business level, success means continuing to support students beyond my teaching years and earning an income that meets my goals.
11. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about joining the program or starting an EF coaching business?
For many educators, EF coaching is a natural extension of what they already do.
You’re already building relationships, supporting growth and helping students problem-solve - coaching deepens and focuses those skills.
If you feel 80% excited and 20% scared that’s probably a sign you’re on the right track.
The EFCA certification program gives you practical tools, guidance, and most importantly, a supportive community.
Sean and the group help you build your confidence to navigate not only the coaching but the business aspects which can feel intimidating at first.
12. We know that you also do public speaking. What helped you gain confidence to speak publicly and share your expertise? What was most helpful in the community and coaching that helped you do this?
Teaching has been my biggest training ground for public speaking.
I’ve borrowed strategies I use with students and applied them to parent presentations, something I resisted at first.
Receiving positive feedback from parents showed me that I knew my content and that I could connect with them in meaningful ways.
Teaching during the pandemic also prepared me.
Recording my lectures and demonstrations forced me to get comfortable on camera, which has carried over into speaking engagements and workshops.
13. What advice would you give to other coaches wanting to start speaking publicly, especially if they feel hesitant to put themselves out there?
Start small. Gather a group of parents or community members who you think could benefit from your expertise and offer them a presentation.
Leverage your existing contacts.
Also, attend other speaking events and pay attention not just to the content but to the delivery.
Notice what resonates with you and borrow strategies that fit your style.
And remember, there will never be a moment when you feel fully “ready.”
Sometimes you just have to do it scared and grow from the experience.
14. What is your tech stack? (Tools that are indispensable when running your coaching practice)
My tech stack is simple:
Tutorbird in particular has been an incredible resource, their customer service is exceptional, they’ve guided me through many challenges, which has made the technical side of client management far less overwhelming.
15. You’ve talked about the importance of the people you met in this program. What role has the community played in your journey, and how does it continue to shape your growth today?
The EFCA community has been an anchor in my journey.
Sharing challenges, celebrating wins, and supporting one another has made the difference.
My mastermind group, in particular, has been a steady, positive source of encouragement and accountability.
Even now I continue to join the live Q&A calls when I can.
I love seeing newer members' questions and posts, because even if I'm further along in some areas, there’s always something to learn, adapt, or refine.
That sense of ongoing growth, alongside a supportive community, has been one of the most valuable parts of this journey.
Thank you Sarah!
Sarah's story is a reminder that it's never too late to pivot, grow, and create a career that fits your life.
Whether you're navigating your next chapter or wanting to dive into public speaking opportunities, we hope Sarah's path inspires you to take the next step with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
You can view Sarah's EF Coaching practice at sarahzeilstra.com
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About Sarah
Sarah Zeilstra, M.Ed. is the founder of Student Success Coaching, where she helps students thrive by fostering internal accountability, building resilience, and unlocking their full potential.
With more than 28 years of experience as a college professor and academic advisor, Sarah brings a wealth of knowledge in teaching, learning, and student support.
She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is a certified Executive Function Coach through the Executive Function Coaching Academy.
Sarah works with middle school, high school, and college students across the U.S., and Canada. She specializes in supporting students with executive function challenges, ADHD, ADD, anxiety, ASD, FASD, and learning differences.
Through personalized strategies, she helps students navigate their workload, boost productivity, develop organizational tools, and transform daily habits — so they can rely on themselves to get things done and reach their goals.
You can check out Sarah's EF Coaching practice at sarahzeilstra.com
And, find Sarah on all Instagram @sarahzeilstracoaching