Disclaimers & Limitations.
Important disclosures about the nature of our content and services — what coaching is, what it isn't, and where you should seek licensed professionals instead.
Coaching is powerful — but it isn't a substitute for professionals.
Shaun Surgener is a coach, not a doctor, therapist, financial advisor, or attorney. The content, programs, and coaching engagements offered on this website are educational and strategic in nature, designed to help you operate at a higher level across body, inner game, and wealth. They are not professional medical, mental health, financial, or legal advice, and they are not a substitute for the licensed professionals who provide those services. Always consult appropriate licensed professionals for matters requiring their expertise.
General Coaching Disclaimer
Shaun Surgener provides premium 1-on-1 coaching services across body, inner game, and wealth domains, supported by self-paced digital programs and free educational content. Coaching is not therapy, medical care, financial advice, or legal advice.
Shaun Surgener is not licensed as any of the following:
- Physician, nurse, or other healthcare provider
- Registered dietitian or licensed nutritionist
- Psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed counselor, or licensed therapist
- Registered investment advisor, financial planner, or broker-dealer
- Certified public accountant or tax professional
- Attorney or legal advisor
- Insurance professional
For matters requiring any of these licensed professionals, consult the appropriate professional directly. Coaching can complement licensed professional support — it is not a replacement for it.
Coaching content, including frameworks, strategies, and methodologies (such as The Surge Effect™), reflects Shaun Surgener's experience from 10+ years of coaching and 1,000+ client engagements. It is provided as educational and strategic guidance, not professional advice. Clients are responsible for the decisions they make as a result of engaging with the coaching content.
Health & Fitness Disclaimer
The information and coaching services provided through Surge Effect Fitness — including nutrition guidance, training programs, and lifestyle recommendations — are intended for educational and informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed healthcare provider.
Always consult your physician before beginning any new diet, exercise, or fitness program — particularly if you have a medical condition, take prescription medications, are pregnant or postpartum, have a history of cardiovascular disease, eating disorders, or any other health concern that may be affected by physical activity or dietary changes. Exercise and dietary changes carry inherent risks, including but not limited to injury, illness, and aggravation of pre-existing conditions.
2.1 Specific Limitations
The fitness, nutrition, and training guidance provided:
- Is general in nature and based on Coach's experience and study, not on medical credentials.
- Does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon for diagnosing, treating, or preventing any medical condition.
- Does not account for your specific medical situation, prescriptions, allergies, or contraindications without explicit medical input from your healthcare provider.
- Is not appropriate for everyone. Individual circumstances and capacities vary significantly.
2.2 Your Responsibility During Coaching
- Disclose relevant medical conditions, medications, and limitations to your Coach at the start of the engagement and as they arise.
- Stop any activity that causes pain, dizziness, or other concerning symptoms, and seek medical attention as appropriate.
- Consult your physician before making any significant change to diet, exercise routine, or supplementation.
- Notify Coach immediately of any medical issues that arise during the engagement.
2.3 Results Vary
Individual results vary significantly. Body composition, weight loss, strength gains, energy levels, and other physical outcomes depend on many factors outside Coach's control, including genetics, age, medical history, medications, hormonal status, sleep quality, stress, life circumstances, and individual adherence to coaching guidance. Past results referenced in testimonials or case studies are not typical and do not predict your specific results.
Mental Health & Crisis Resources
Coaching, including identity work, behavioral psychology, and Inner Game coaching, addresses how you think, decide, and operate. It is not therapy. It is not a substitute for the diagnosis or treatment of mental health conditions.
3.1 When to Seek a Licensed Mental Health Professional
If you are experiencing any of the following, please consult a licensed mental health professional in addition to (or instead of) coaching:
- Clinical depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, or other diagnosed mental health conditions
- Active addiction or substance use issues
- Recent trauma, grief, or significant life crisis
- Eating disorders or disordered eating patterns
- Suicidal thoughts, self-harm urges, or harm to others
United States — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 at any time. Free, confidential support 24/7. Available in English and Spanish.
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
Emergency: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
International: Find a crisis hotline in your country at findahelpline.com.
3.2 Coaching Alongside Therapy
Many clients work with both a coach and a licensed therapist concurrently, with each serving different purposes. Coaching focuses on present-and-forward strategy, identity, performance, and execution. Therapy focuses on healing, mental health, and clinical care. The two can complement each other when both are appropriate. Talk to your therapist about whether engaging in coaching aligns with your current treatment.
Earnings & Financial Disclaimer
The information and coaching services provided through Surge Effect Wealth — including wealth-building frameworks, capital allocation strategies, identity work around money, and behavioral coaching around financial decisions — are educational and strategic in nature. They are not specific investment, tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Shaun Surgener Coaching is not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, certified financial planner, accountant, tax professional, or insurance agent. Any references to past client results, income figures, or financial outcomes shared in marketing, case studies, or testimonials are illustrative only and not typical. Past results do not predict future results. Individual financial outcomes vary significantly based on market conditions, personal effort, financial starting point, time horizon, decisions made, and many factors outside Coach's control.
4.1 What Wealth Coaching Provides
- Behavioral coaching around money habits, decision-making patterns, and identity work
- General wealth-building principles across income, allocation, and capital structure
- Strategic frameworks for thinking about your financial life
- Accountability and clarity as you make your own financial decisions
4.2 What Wealth Coaching Does Not Provide
- Specific investment recommendations (buy this stock, that real estate, this fund)
- Tax advice or tax planning
- Insurance product recommendations
- Securities advice or analysis
- Recommendations to buy or sell specific financial instruments
- Legal advice regarding entity structure, estate planning, or contracts
4.3 Consult Licensed Professionals
Before making any specific financial decision, consult the appropriate licensed professional:
- Investment decisions: Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or licensed registered investment advisor
- Tax decisions: Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or tax attorney
- Insurance decisions: Licensed insurance professional
- Legal decisions: Licensed attorney in your jurisdiction
- Estate planning: Estate planning attorney
4.4 Your Financial Outcomes Are Your Responsibility
All financial decisions you make — whether informed by coaching, by other inputs, or independently — are your own decisions and your own responsibility. Shaun Surgener Coaching makes no representations about the financial outcomes you will achieve.
Testimonials & Results
Testimonials, case studies, before-and-after photos, written feedback, and client results shared on the website and in marketing materials are real experiences shared with permission. We take care to represent client outcomes honestly.
Results vary significantly. The outcomes described in testimonials should not be interpreted as typical, average, or guaranteed. Individual results depend on effort, engagement, circumstances, starting point, and many factors outside Coach's control.
5.1 What We Disclose
- Anonymization: Default treatment for testimonials and case studies is full anonymity (initials or generic identifier). Full names, photos, and identifying details are only used with separate, specific written consent.
- Compensation: Clients providing testimonials are not compensated for doing so. Testimonials reflect their honest experience of coaching.
- Context: Where relevant, we share context about the type of engagement (90-day Transformation, 6-month Rebuild, etc.) and timeframe so you can interpret the results.
5.2 Withdrawal of Consent
If you have previously consented to a testimonial or case study and want to withdraw consent, contact us at [email protected]. We will remove the relevant materials from active use as quickly as practical.
Affiliate & Sponsorship Disclosure
From time to time, we may recommend books, products, tools, or services that we find genuinely valuable. Some of these recommendations may be affiliate links — meaning we receive a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
6.1 Our Commitment
- We only recommend products and services we genuinely use, value, or recommend in good faith.
- Affiliate relationships do not affect our recommendations. We don't promote products because they pay better commissions.
- Where we have an affiliate relationship with a specific product or service, we disclose it clearly at the point of recommendation.
6.2 FTC Compliance
This affiliate disclosure is provided in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" and applicable state law.
Third-Party Resources
Our website and content may reference or link to third-party websites, books, podcasts, tools, or services. These references are based on our genuine view of their value but are not endorsements.
- We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or accuracy of third-party resources.
- Your use of any third-party service is at your own risk.
- Review the terms, privacy policies, and credentials of any third-party resource before engaging with it.
- We are not responsible for any outcomes that result from your use of third-party resources.
Your Responsibility
By engaging with Shaun Surgener Coaching content, programs, or services, you acknowledge that:
- You are solely responsible for the decisions you make and the actions you take based on coaching content.
- Coaching is not a substitute for licensed professional advice in medicine, mental health, finance, law, or other regulated fields.
- You will consult appropriate licensed professionals for matters requiring their expertise.
- Results vary significantly and depend on factors outside Coach's control.
- Shaun Surgener Coaching is not liable for outcomes that result from your decisions, as detailed in our Terms of Service and the Coaching Services Agreement.
Why these disclaimers matter: They aren't legal boilerplate. They reflect the genuine difference between what coaching is and what licensed professional services are. We can help you operate at a higher level in many areas of life — but for matters requiring a doctor, therapist, advisor, or attorney, the licensed professional is the right answer.
Reach out directly — we respond personally.
If anything in these disclaimers needs clarification, or you want to better understand the scope of coaching versus licensed professional services, get in touch.
