Let’s face it: Life can be hard. Really hard.
Fortunately, the expert guidance and support of a qualified life coach can help you navigate challenges and lead a more fulfilling life.
Here are some life coach statistics that show the importance of this type of service, as well as how it’s rapidly growing in popularity.
Life coaching leads to a number of benefits for clients, including [3]:
A separate study found even more benefits of life coaching, including [4]:
A life coach is a wellness professional who partners with their clients to help them identify and achieve their goals so that they can lead richer, more fulfilling lives.
Kristie Santana, the Founder of National Coach Academy (NCA), provides an eloquent description of the purpose a life coach serves in this summary:
“A life coach is almost like a sculptor who can look at you and see the potential for you to achieve all that you desire. Through specific strategies and skills, the coach helps you define yourself and create the life you envision. Coaches help you focus, provide direction, challenge you, support you, motivate you and celebrate with you. Life coaches help you create a plan, detail action steps and hold you accountable for following through. They use skills that include observing, listening deeply, asking empowering questions, challenging, and motivating.”
There are numerous different types of coaches (business coaches, relationship coaches, health coaches, and more), but a life coach focuses holistically on a client’s entire life—and how all of the different aspects of their life impact one another.
For those reasons, as The Coaching Institute explains, you might also hear a life coach referred to as a mindset coach, transformational coach, life strategist, empowerment coach, success coach, motivational coach, and more.
Yes, there’s a difference. One key differentiator comes down to education. A therapist will need a master’s degree (and in many cases, a doctorate). A life coach doesn’t have strict or formal education requirements—in many places, a certification and license isn’t even required.
Beyond education, their purpose of work is different. Therapists are mental health professionals or psychologists who work with their clients to unpack past experiences, address mental health issues, and facilitate mental and emotional healing.
In contrast, a life coach is far more future-focused and helps their clients set goals and identify actionable ways to achieve them.
The experience of working with a life coach will differ from coach to coach and client to client. Your relationship should be personalized depending on your unique needs and desired level of support.
However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics outlines a few expectations for the logistics of partnering with a life coach:
When you find a life coach (which we’ll talk about in greater detail in a later section), you should collaborate with them closely to iron out an arrangement that works well for both of you.
As many of the statistics we included above highlight, there are a number of advantages related to working with a life coach. Let’s dig into a few of the biggest ones.
If you’re someone who often becomes overwhelmed with all of the thoughts swimming around in your own brain, a life coach can provide some much-needed clarity.
They’ll partner with you to figure out what you want in life, what you value, and what your unique talents are. They’ll use that information to help you figure out how you can craft a life that supports all of those things.
Related to that, a life coach is also heavily-focused on goal-setting. Once you figure out where you want to go, they’ll help you hash out an action plan for getting there.
You can work with your life coach to set short or long-term goals, and your coach will also confirm that your objectives are attainable so that you aren’t setting yourself up for disappointment or failure.
Setting a goal is one thing—but sticking to it is a whole separate battle. You’ll meet with your life coach regularly and they’ll check in on your progress toward your goals. They may even give you homework or action items to take care of during set periods of time.
That gives you a much needed accountability so you can stay the course and continue to pursue your objectives. If you’re falling behind? Your coach can help you course correct and become more efficient and effective too.
Your friends and family members mean well, but it’s hard for them to take a step back and give you completely objective feedback and opinions.
That’s why a life coach is such a huge benefit. They’re invested in your success, which means they aren’t going to placate you or tell you what you need to hear. They’ll become a great resource for unbiased advice and support.
Maybe you don’t think you need a life coach to be a permanent fixture in your life. No problem—they can step in periodically and help you navigate changes or specific circumstances too.
From sorting through your passions so you can map out a career change or making it through another major life shift, a life coach can also take a more focused approach to help get you through a targeted situation as well.
Checking in with ourselves is something that can easily slip to the backburner in our daily lives. However, a life coach will ask you pressing questions about your passions, values, and desires.
To answer them, you’ll need to dig deep and reflect on those important subjects. Not only will you learn a lot about yourself, but you’ll also pick up plenty of strategies and exercises that help you improve your self-reflection moving forward.
As you can likely guess, how much you’ll pay for a life coach will depend on a variety of factors, including location, how often you plan to meet, level and type of expertise, and more.
Most coaches charge an hourly rate that falls somewhere in the range of $75 to $200 per hour. Other estimates say you can expect to pay $200 to $1,000 per month for three or four 30 to 60 minute calls each month.
Needless to say, the exact price tag can vary pretty widely. When you find a coach you think you’d like to work with, ask for more details and information about their rates to ensure it fits with your budget.
You don’t just want to find a life coach—you want to find one who’s the best fit for you. Here are a few things you’ll want to keep your eye out for:
Keep in mind that it can also be helpful to check out reviews or testimonials on their website or any other review platform. Take those with a grain of salt, though—they don’t always tell the full story.
Any coach should be willing to connect with you for a free consultation so you can get a better sense of how you would work together. Take advantage of that opportunity so you can do thorough homework and identify the best coach for you.
You’re sold on the benefits of life coaching, and you want to find a coach that you can work with. How do you find them? Where do you look? Here are a few ideas to start your search.
There are plenty of resources online that pull together coaches that are available for hire. Some of the most reliable directories you can start with include:
Beyond those targeted directories, you can also turn to platforms like LinkedIn and Yelp to find life coaches who are potentially a good match for you.
Use the search function and enter a keyword like “life coach.” You can filter by location (if necessary) and learn more about them by checking out their profiles.
On Yelp, you can also read reviews to find out about other people’s experiences working with that coach. But remember, people are 21% more likely to leave a review after a negative experience than a positive one. So, take those comments with a grain of salt.
You trust recommendations from your friends and professional acquaintances, right? It’s possible that they’ve worked with a life coach who they thought was professional and qualified, and they might be able to give you their name or contact information.
So, ask your existing network if they’re connected with any life coaches who are taking on new clients. You might be surprised by what you find.
Regardless of how and where you find a life coach, remember the importance of a consultation. This is a big investment, and it’s smart to take your time to find the best match for you and your goals.
Life can feel like a lot to manage sometimes. And, even if you have a bunch of big goals and ideas swirling around in your brain, actually sticking to them can be challenging (which is likely why 80% of us don’t stick to our New Year’s resolutions).
A life coach can help you boost your success rate by giving you greater clarity, holding you accountable, and supporting you as you chase down even your most daunting goals.
Use this as your guide to find a life coach, and you’re well on your way to a richer and more rewarding life.
Our programs were designed by world-renowned coaches. Sessions only take 5-15 minutes. Get started for free with your personalized program now.
Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help
you create a life you love.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!
Your recommended programs include:
“Trust Your Gut coaching program helped me build deeper levels of self-esteem and how I valued myself vis-a-vis the greater world. It also taught me courage to believe in my beliefs, and that it is not about success or failure, but that we give it a go, a try”
“I found how to not give up!”
“I think Marlee is impressive!”
“The new Team Building program by Coach Marlee is amazing! I always believe in team work, and understanding your team dynamics does the magic!“
“I found the importance of setting goals. It’s a mindset”
“Coaching with Marlee was simply amazing. 200% recommend!”
“I found how to not give up!”
“The only way to move ahead is to work out the next action and then schedule a time to do it!”