What a Pearl Bracelet in Bali Taught Me About Paying for Coaches

I'm sitting in Bali right now, sun on my face, completely at peace with the world.

And I want a pearl bracelet.

The problem? I have absolutely no idea what pearls cost here. Am I about to pay $40 for something worth $8? Or talk myself out of a $15 treasure because I'm suspicious it's too cheap?

Without context, I can't tell the difference between a bargain and a rip-off.

And it hit me — this is exactly how most people approach investing in coaches, programs, and events.

They have no market. No reference point. No idea what things actually cost or what they should return. So they either over-pay blindly, or talk themselves out of something transformative because the number scared them.

So here it is. My completely honest, no-gatekeeping guide to what I've actually paid — and what I actually got.

The Investments (Real Numbers. Real Returns.)

Simon Bowen | ~$25k

Systems thinking that rewired how I see everything. A framework for making my models visible and sellable. A genuine friendship. A man who came to Antarctica with us. Stewardship at a level I didn't know I needed. Priceless is a cliché but it applies.

Maca, our designer | $15–20k per brand kit (multiple times)

Worth it every single time. Good design isn't decoration. It's communication. When you find someone who gets you, you pay them again and again. No hesitation.

Taki Moore | $2.5k/month → $100k+

Famously makes you money. Which means it becomes an addiction you can keep funding from your results. This is what a great coach does — they make the investment self-liquidating.

Alex Moskov | $45k 1:1

We were running events that were losing money. After working with Alex on offer structure, we took those same events to $250k on the back end. You do the math.

Team Coaching in Corporate | $70–200k

Always worth it. Always. There is something irreplaceable about a skilled third party who can see what you can't see from inside the system.

Events | $100–$10,000

Every single one worth it. Not always for the content. For the curation. The hospitality. The conversations that only happen when the right people are in a room together.

What I Charged (For Context)

• Wired for Wonder — $1,650 for a 2-day event. Sold out every year.
• She Evolves — $3.5–6k including accommodation, all meals, and full curation.
• Evolve X — $5–9k including accommodation, all meals, and curation.

I tell you this because pricing is a conversation, not a verdict. And understanding both sides of it changes how you see value.

So What's the Wisdom?

If you want something — a pearl bracelet, a coach, a program, a brand refresh — understand the market first.

Ask what things cost. Ask what they return. Ask what you'd lose by not investing.

Good coaches are often more expensive because they've learned to charge for their time. That's not arrogance — that's proof they understand value.

The ones who undersell themselves are often still figuring it out.

And the ones who make you feel guilty for asking the price? Walk away.

Pearls included.

For context: I now charge $12,500 AUD for an in-person keynote and $6,997 AUD for my 12-week Wonder Conductor program. Not because I've changed — but because I am intentional about who I work with and the value I deliver. The right clients feel that immediately. The wrong ones baulk at the price. Both outcomes are useful information.