What is Life Coaching?
Life coaching, also known as personal coaching or simply “coaching”, is a one-on-one, collaborative effort where a skilled professional (the coach) assists you (the client) in achieving your personal aspirations. These aspirations can vary widely, encompassing goals like gaining self-confidence, losing weight, changing careers, enhancing relationships, and more. Individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and professions seek coaching, united by a common goal: to accomplish more in their personal or professional lives. A professional coach provides the motivation, accountability, and support you need, ensuring you remain focused and consistently take action.
Many seek coaching when they feel “stuck” – whether in a dissatisfying job, relationship, or a life lacking in meaning and purpose. A coach’s role is to help you break free from this stagnation using a variety of tools, techniques, and processes. They aim to uncover what truly motivates you, define your desired direction, and determine the most effective path to reach your goals.
The term “coach” is deliberately chosen. A personal life coach plays a similar role to that of a sports coach, like in football or tennis. Just as a sports coach keeps you focused on your goals, offers feedback, supports you through challenges, and ensures you’re sufficiently challenged to make progress, a personal life coach does the same. They help maintain your motivation and focus, provide objective feedback, and enable you to achieve more, faster than you might on your own.
What is the cost of a life coach?
Recently, we received a call from someone interested in hiring a life coach, and they directly asked a crucial question: “How much does a life coach cost?”
The straightforward answer is that it varies. The cost depends on several factors, including the duration of the coaching engagement, the number of sessions, and the coach’s hourly rate.
Life coaches typically charge rates comparable to other wellness professionals like therapists, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. However, there’s greater variability in life coaching fees because the industry is less regulated. Let’s delve deeper into this.
To better gauge how much a life coach will cost you, consider these three aspects:
Life coach hourly rates differ
As noted, life coaches usually have rates akin to other helping professionals. The range is typically between $75 and $200 per hour, but there are exceptions.
Given that life coaching is a relatively new field compared to other wellness practices, the regulatory bodies in life coaching don’t have absolute control over who can identify as a life coach. This means you might encounter novice coaches offering free or low-cost services during their certification period and more experienced coaches charging several hundred dollars per hour. Generally, a life coach’s rates reflect their training and experience.
Some life coaches offer flexible pricing or reserve spots for clients with lower incomes.
It’s important to note that business and executive coaches often charge higher hourly rates than life coaches.
Many life coaches provide monthly packages
While a single session can be beneficial, the true value of life coaching is found in an ongoing relationship focused on achieving your goals. To support their clients over time, numerous coaches offer comprehensive monthly packages.
Included in these monthly coaching packages are often:
- Scheduled one-on-one coaching sessions
- Email and text messaging support
- Assignments or “homework” between sessions
- As-needed impromptu calls
- Personality assessments and follow-up discussions
- Online tools such as journaling, goal tracking, or accountability software
Monthly package rates typically range from $200 to $750. Remember, a life coach can guide your improvement, but the responsibility for change lies with you. They won’t do the work for you. That’s why some coaches require commitments of three, six, or 12 months, to ensure your dedication to improvement.
The length and cost of your coaching engagement will also depend on the nature of your challenges. Some issues can be resolved quickly, while others take more time. Here are two real-life examples:
Mark sought coaching for accountability and support in his independent professional work. He was struggling with motivation and focus due to family issues. Within two months of coaching, he re-established productive routines and saw a 30% increase in revenue.
Eva, post-divorce, engaged a coach for over 16 months. She initially sought support and encouragement through her emotional challenges and then focused on rebuilding her life – communicating with her ex, managing her children, and achieving financial independence.
Some clients see significant results in 4 to 6 weeks, while others undergo a complete life transformation over several months. The question is, which category do you fall into?
A Final Note on Considering the Cost of a Life Coach
When deciding how to invest in a life coach, it’s crucial not to make your choice based solely on cost. Ensure that you select a coach who is not just affordable but also a great fit for you, with the necessary training and experience to help you progress in life. The investment you make in a life coach should prove to be immensely valuable.
What Issues Can a Life Coach Address?
Think about it this way: for a kitchen leak, you call a plumber. For a toothache, you book an appointment with a dentist. And for supernatural troubles, well, there’s always Ghostbusters.
But on a serious note, the issues a life coach can help with might not always be immediately apparent. For instance, if you find yourself repeatedly dreading Mondays at your job, whom do you turn to? Or what if you’re grappling with self-esteem issues but don’t feel the need for therapy because you fundamentally believe there’s nothing “wrong” with you?
Or perhaps you’re considering a career change and thinking about returning to school, but you’re unsure about what to study. Who do you ask for guidance?
While it may not be the first solution that comes to mind, a life coach can assist in all these scenarios. They can help dispel those Monday blues, boost your confidence, guide you in choosing a new career path, help you find love, start a business, and much more.
Researchers in Positive Psychology are continually uncovering how individuals can thrive, enhance their well-being, become happier, more resilient, and find greater meaning in their lives. These are precisely the kinds of outcomes that working with a life coach can bring about.
Life coaches can assist you in:
- Overcoming the Monday morning blues.
- Building confidence.
- Discovering a career you love.
- Clarifying your goals.
- Staying committed to your goals.
- Increasing activities that you find engaging.
- Developing better relationships.
- Adding more meaning to your life.
- Cultivating your purpose.
- Pursuing your passions.
- Enhancing your overall happiness.
How to Choose the Right Coach
When searching for a coach, the key is to find someone whose training, experience, and skills align closely with your specific objectives. There are many coaches with a variety of specializations, and your success will greatly depend on finding the coach that best matches your needs.
It’s crucial not to settle for the first coach you encounter. Instead, we advise speaking with at least three, ideally four or five, to determine who you feel most comfortable working with over several months. Most professional coaches offer a free 15 or 20-minute consultation to help you decide if they’re the right fit for you.
If you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for in a coach, you can explore the directory of professional life coaches on United Global Coaches, which lists hundreds of coaches with various specializations. However, if you’re uncertain about the type of coach you need, you can utilize our ‘request a coach’ service. Here, you can share your goals, background, and budget, and we’ll provide you with a curated list of compatible coaches for your free consultations.
