Banana Splits and Business Models: What Childhood Taught Me About Great Coaching Programs

My First Group Coaching Experience (Yes, in First Grade)

In 1994, I joined my first group coaching program.
It was called Banana Splits—a lunchtime support group for young kids with divorced parents. I was in first grade.

We met in the school guidance counselor’s tiny office. The walls were powder blue. The chairs squeaked. The juice boxes were Juicy Juice. And even though I didn’t have the language for it at the time, I remember the feeling of being in a room where the adult actually got it.

Where I didn’t have to explain everything.
Where I could just be seen.

It didn’t fix everything.
But it helped.
And it stuck with me.

At the end of the year, we had a party with—you guessed it—banana splits.

Yes, my first group coaching program came with ice cream sundaes and broken hearts. 😅

A Full-Circle Moment in NYC

Fast forward to last week.
I’m at the Museum of Ice Cream in NYC with my kids, my mom, and my boyfriend—walking through a giant banana split art installation, half pink, half yellow. My kids are running ahead of me, chasing their eighth sample of ice cream.

And out of nowhere, I thought:

Maybe this is why I care so much about creating group coaching containers that don’t suck.

Group Programs That Don’t Suck

The kind that scale without sacrificing the experience.
Where people feel held, seen, and respected.
Where expectations are met—or exceeded—and the whole thing feels like a full-body yes.

Where the sales process doesn’t rely on pressure or persuasion, but on mutual clarity and consent.

Not because I’m chasing some gold star in “client experience.”
But because I know what it feels like to be in a space that actually helps.
And what it feels like when it doesn’t.
(That’s a story for another blog post—think: required hugging, shady leaders, and really bad advice. 🫠)

To me, it’s not about being perfect.
It’s about being intentional.

That’s what I want more of.
For myself.
For my clients.
For the world, honestly.

The spaces we create matter.
They ripple.
And whether you’re leading a coaching program, running a team, or raising kids—the way your people feel in your presence?
That’s the real legacy.

Reflection Prompts for Your Own Business

Want to check the vibe in your own group offer or client experience?

Ask yourself:

👉 Where in your business do people feel held?
👉 Where might they feel like just another number?
👉 What kind of experience do you want to scale?

Because it’s not just about what we build.
It’s about how it feels—on both sides.

And if we can infuse even a little more care, clarity, and resonance into our work?
That’s the cherry on top. 🍒

Final Scoop (A Sweet PS)

My kids are unofficial members of the Banana Split Club now—not the official program, but the part of the population of young kids living between houses with divorced parents.

And I can’t help but wonder what tiny ripple from my experience in that little lunchtime group has made its way into how I support them now.

That, to me, is what makes a good group container powerful:
You remember the party.
But it’s the being seen that stays with you.

Cheers to more of that.