A small, deliberate program. We do not scale. We work with the people we can actually pay attention to. Standard and Intensive tiers. Application required.
Most coaching programs scale. They market hard, take everyone, and hope process makes up for attention. We do not do that.
The cap is twelve. Not ten because that sounds prestigious. Twelve because that is the number of clients one curriculum lead can stay genuinely current on while keeping a working life. When the twelfth seat fills, intake closes. New applications go on a waitlist with honest dates.
The program is built on three commitments. One: every session is a real session, not a script. We have a structure, but the agenda is your agenda. Two: every protocol review is read by a human, not run through a template. If your map looks the same as last month, we say so. If it does not, we ask why. Three: we tell you when coaching is the wrong tool. Some people need a clinician, a therapist, or just time. We will tell you, refund the unused portion, and refer where we can.
What this means for you: you are not a number in a cohort. You are one of twelve people whose protocol your coach can recall without checking notes. The program is more expensive per client than a mass program, and intentionally so.
What it does not mean: medical care. Coaching is education. Your clinician handles anything clinical. We do not prescribe, supply, or diagnose. The cap protects the depth of education, not the scope.
Two tiers, deliberately. We do not stack a five-tier menu. You either need bi-weekly attention, or you need weekly. Pick one.
For the client running a foundation protocol who wants structured monthly accountability and a real human reading the data.
For the client running a more complex protocol or moving fast through changes who needs weekly contact and faster response.
Concrete categories. We review these things, in this order, every cycle.
Anonymized. Initials only. Educational outcomes only. Results vary, and what is described is the journey, not a promise.
Eight compounds with no rationale. Could not tell you which was for what. Had stopped journaling years ago.
Down to three compounds with documented rationale. Weekly journal kept for 6 months straight. Two clean 30-day audits with written conclusions.
Sophisticated stack but no audit cadence. Labs improving but client could not connect the dots.
Weekly written log linking labs to interventions. Whole-stack audit completed at quarterly deep-dive. Two compounds retired with clean reasoning.
Knew the literature better than the coach. Did not have an operating framework.
Uses the Pivotal framework with own clients. Workbook and journal format adopted as personal practice.
Two prior attempts stalled within 60 days. Pattern: too much too fast.
Foundation protocol on day 150. Two completed 30-day audits. One adjustment, one continuation, one pause. All written.
Labs were getting ordered but not used. Rolling pile of PDFs in a folder.
Quarterly lab pull, monthly summary, journal entries linked to lab dates. Has the panel patterns memorized.
Completed the workshop, ran a clean foundation for 90 days, ready to move forward but cautious.
Designed the second 90-day cycle with two new variables, weekly review keeping the change rate sane.
"The first coaching engagement I have ever had where the coach actually remembered me between sessions."
"Worth every dollar of Intensive. The weekly cadence kept me from spiraling."
"The monthly written summary is the thing I show my clinician. They love it."
"Honest. They told me to slow down when I wanted to speed up."
"Lab interpretation was the segment I needed most. I had been ignoring half my data."
"The quarterly deep-dive justified Intensive on its own."
"They told me coaching was the wrong tool for what I was facing and refunded the second month. Earned my trust forever."
"The cap is real. I waited six weeks. Worth it."
Honesty about scope. If any of these is what you actually need, coaching is the wrong tool.
We do not diagnose, treat, or prescribe. Anything clinical happens with your licensed clinician. We can help you talk to them more usefully.
We do not write or call in prescriptions. We do not have a prescribing relationship with you. Full stop.
We do not name suppliers, vendors, or retail channels. Sourcing is your responsibility, with your clinician and your own due diligence.
We are not licensed mental health providers. Coaching addresses protocol design, not psychiatric or psychological care. If that is what you need, we will say so.
We respond within 24 hours on Standard and 12 hours on Intensive during business hours. We are not on-call. For emergencies, contact your clinician or 911.
We will tell you when your map looks bad. If you want unconditional encouragement, this is the wrong room.
The form below. Your name, email, tier preference, current protocol, goals, and lab status. Honest is more useful than impressive. We read every application personally.
We review for fit. Three outcomes: invited to a 20-minute fit call, declined with referrals, or waitlisted with an honest date. Every applicant gets an answer within seven business days.
20 minutes by video. Both sides decide. We confirm scope and you confirm the program is what you actually want. Either side can decline with no hard feelings.
Intake forms, first session scheduled, first month invoiced. The first session happens within 14 days of fit-call acceptance unless your scheduling makes it longer.
Honest criteria. The more of these are true, the more likely we accept your application.
Twelve is not a marketing number. It is the largest number of clients one curriculum lead can stay genuinely current on while keeping a working life. Beyond twelve, the math forces shortcuts: templated reviews, scripted sessions, generic email replies. We have watched other programs drift this way and we are not interested.
Twelve also means: your coach knows your map without checking notes. Your last lab, your last journal entry, the variable you added two weeks ago, the reason you are nervous about month three. That recall is the product. The cap protects it.
When the twelfth seat fills, intake closes. Applications continue but go to a waitlist with honest dates. We do not pretend a new seat will open in two weeks if it will not. If the wait is three months, we say three months. If you want a faster path, the workshop is available every 4-6 weeks and the Academy is open today.
Average engagement is 6-9 months. Some clients stay 18+ months because the audit cadence becomes part of how they operate. Others wrap at 90 days having gotten what they came for. Both are healthy outcomes.
Yes. Tier changes happen at the start of the next billing cycle. We sometimes recommend the switch ourselves if the cadence is wrong for your situation.
If we have multiple coaches available, we will offer a switch. If only one coach is taking new clients in your tier, we will refund the unused portion and refer.
Yes. Pauses up to 60 days do not lose your seat. Longer pauses release the seat back to the waitlist; you can re-apply later.
The first month is 100% refundable if cancelled within 14 days. After that, billing is monthly and you can cancel any time effective the next cycle. We do not offer guarantees on outcomes because we do not control your behavior between sessions.
Yes. We schedule across time zones. Lab interpretation is calibrated to US reference ranges by default; if your labs use different ranges, we adapt.
Yes. We do not share client information with anyone outside the curriculum team without written consent. Coaching notes are stored in an encrypted system and retained for the length of the engagement plus 12 months.
Bring it. We will tell you honestly whether it is in scope, partially in scope, or outside scope, and refer where appropriate. We would rather have the conversation than pretend the topic does not exist.
Yes, with your written consent. Some clients find it useful for goal alignment. We do not coach the partner; the engagement is one-on-one.
Monthly billing via standard secure checkout. We invoice on the 1st of each month. Annual prepay is available with a 10% discount on Standard and 8% on Intensive.
Where coaching fits in the broader THE PIVOTAL PROTOCOL Academy stack, and where it does not.
Self-paced video and PDF curriculum. Best for: beginners building foundation vocabulary, anyone before paying for anything else, ongoing reference. Not enough on its own if you need accountability or audit.
Live small-group session, 3 hours, you leave with a written 90-day plan. Best for: structured one-time design with audit. Not enough if you want monthly accountability or lab-driven adjustments over time.
Bi-weekly or weekly sessions, monthly written review, lab interpretation. Best for: ongoing accountability, complex sequencing, or people moving fast through changes. Capped at 12.
We do not offer them. Group cohorts dilute attention and force a one-size-fits-all curriculum. We chose to keep coaching one-on-one and capped instead.
Personality-driven, often supplier-affiliated, no audit cadence. We are the opposite. If you are choosing between an influencer and us, the choice is whether you want a brand or a framework.
What your licensed clinician provides. Coaching complements clinical care; it does not replace it. The strongest clients have both.
$500 / month for Standard. Two 50-minute live sessions, a monthly written review, lab interpretation, email access, monthly summary. The hourly math is roughly $125-$150 per real hour of attention. That is below typical clinical-adjacent rates and reflects the fact that we are not licensed clinicians; we are educators.
$1,000 / month for Intensive. Four 50-minute sessions, weekly adjustments, direct messaging, quarterly deep-dive, priority access. The hourly math is roughly the same per real hour of attention; the price difference is the volume of attention, not a different rate.
We do not discount. We do not run promotions. We do not have a "sale" tier. The price reflects the cost of capping at twelve clients and the value of the framework. If the price is wrong for you, the workshop and the Academy are real alternatives that do not pretend to be coaching.
Annual prepay discount. If you pay 12 months upfront, Standard is $5,400 (10% off) and Intensive is $11,040 (8% off). We offer this because it stabilizes our planning, not because we are using it as a closer. You can also stay month-to-month at full price with no penalty.
Free to apply. Reviewed within 5-7 business days. Honest is more useful than impressive.