Whether you’re new to being a life coach or have been running a successful life coach business for a few years, life coaching insurance has probably crossed your mind once or twice.

Today, you’ll learn: 

• What type of life coach insurance you need (if any)
• How much insurance costs
• Where to get it

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in!

(Before we start, it’s important to note that this article and its advice have been crafted through my own research. It doesn’t constitute legal advice – for that, you should always seek help from a legal professional.)

We’ll look at…

• The type of insurance you need
• The different types of coaching insurance
• How much coaching insurance costs
• Where to get insurance as a coach

What kind of insurance do you need as a life coach?

You probably have a lot of questions about life coaching insurance, but let’s start by getting the most important one out of the way: Do you really need life coaching insurance?

Coaching is a largely unregulated industry, unlike counseling or therapy. Because of this, there’s no legal requirement for life coaches to have insurance the way there is for licensed professionals, like doctors, therapists, or other counselors.

(Note: Some coaching niches are regulated. They are mainly in the health coaching space.)

That said, insurance can be a way for you to get peace of mind.  

Insurance policies act as a safeguard and protect you and your business in the unfortunate event that you ever find yourself amid a legal issue.

Believe it or not, life coaches do face legal risks. Most often, those risks appear when one of the following happens:

• A coach forgoes having a client sign a contract. Without a contract in place, neither party has a set of guidelines or expectations to fall back on, leaving the coach open to legal action. (So have one in place! Here’s my guide on coaching contracts.)
• Expectations aren’t met, leading to a breach of contract. When this occurs, the client feels they didn’t get the outcome they paid for, which can lead to a lawsuit.

  Get the Ultimate Guide

  for building a
  6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

  Get Instant Access
• The coach gives advice that blurs the line between coaching and therapy, medical, financial, or legal advice. This type of incident is also known as a tort.

But other risks can also happen in your practice – think about things such as illness, injury, and damage to your workplace. Insurance is there to protect you and your business in the event of any issues. 

At the end of the day, whether or not you choose to get life coaching insurance is up to you. 

Get the insurance(s) you need to get and then focus on the one thing that will make all the difference for your business – growing your business. 

What are the different types of insurance for life coaches?

You might be wondering about the different types of life coaching insurance policies that are currently available to you. If so, let’s keep going.

Professional liability insurance

Also referred to as errors and omissions insurance or indemnity insurance, professional liability insurance is one of the most common types of insurance for life coaches. It acts as a barrier in the event that you get sued for the information or advice you provide during the course of your career as a coach. 

This insurance works a lot like more typical insurance policies such as health or car insurance. If something happens and it’s covered under the policy, the insurance company will pay the amount owed instead of you. You will be held responsible if the policy doesn’t cover the incident.

Professional liability insurance will also cover any expenses you accrue during your defense as well as settlement or damage in your case.​​

There is a caveat, however: 

A life coach liability insurance only covers you if you’re within the boundaries of your practice and not breaking any laws.

Lisa Fraley, a good friend of mine and legal coach for coaches, has a great post about professional liability coverage for life coaches. 

Read it here if you’d like to learn more.

Cyber liability insurance

Cyber liability insurance is an insurance that protects your digital work.  

Where do you store client information? If your answer is “my computer,” that information is at risk.

In 2022 alone, thousands of hacking incidents were reported, and over 422 million people were impacted by data breaches, leaks, and exposure.

If a data breach affects your business, your clients’ financial details and session information could get stolen. 

Ultimately, your and your clients’ information could be used in the wrong way (think: identity theft, leaks, and so on). 

Cyber liability covers many of those events and includes things like: 

• Forensic investigation
• Litigation coverage
• Crisis management expenses
• Business interruption
• Betterment

General liability

Sometimes referred to as business liability insurance, general liability insurance protects your business from client claims made for: 

• Bodily harm
• Property damage 
• Personal injury

General liability is mainly relevant for you if you offer offline coaching. For example, if a client slips and falls on your stairs and sustains an injury, your general liability insurance covers you against those types of claims. 

General liability insurance covers things like:  

• Everything from lawsuit costs to damage repairs
• Replacement costs
• Medical costs

Workers’ compensation insurance

Most states legally require businesses with employees to provide their team with medical insurance and sick leave. 

If a team member does have a work-related accident or illness, you’ll need to cover those costs as well as lost wages. 

Enter workers’ compensation insurance, which typically covers medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs to any employee injured, ill, or even killed on the job. 

In the unlikely and tragic event of death, it also covers death benefits to the families.

However, this insurance becomes relevant once you have employees. If you’re a solopreneur right now, this isn’t something you need to include in your insurance stack. 

Commercial property and auto insurance

Commercial property and auto insurance are two types of insurance policies intended to help you safeguard your business assets. 

Commercial property insurance covers everything related to your business, including what’s inside your building and outside of it. 

That includes big-ticket items like:

• Your office, furniture
• Business equipment
• Signs
• Fences
• Inventory

It even covers more minor things like phones and computers.

Typically, this type of policy covers events like theft, vandalism, fire, storms, and burst pipes.

As for commercial auto insurance, this insurance applies only to cars you’ve bought or leased explicitly for your business. It provides coverage for liability damages, collisions, physical damage or loss, as well as any injuries made to those within the car. 

Business owner’s policy insurance

If you’re a coach who works from home, a business owner’s policy (BOP) is a great option, as it combines both property and liability coverage into one package. It also helps fill in the gaps that your homeowner insurance policy won’t.

BOP protects you if your business is impacted by fire and theft, as well as any claims that come up through your operations. (Like advertising injury or property damage claims.) 

Disability insurance

One harsh reality check for new coaches is that you don’t get sick leave or paid time off – if you’re not working, you’re not making money. 

Disability insurance helps you through any periods when you find yourself unable to work because of sickness or injury.

The best part is that disability insurance isn’t limited just to freak accidents. Because they can happen in any workplace, you can even make claims for physical injuries and more serious illnesses, such as cancer.

That’s it – those are the different insurance policies available to you. 

But how much do they cost? That’s what we’ll look at next. 

How much does a life coach insurance policy cost?

There are several factors that determine the cost of your life coaching insurance policy – or policies. These include: 

• Your location
• Risk level
• Claims history
• Number of employees
• The kind of coaching you provide

However, here is the approximate life coach insurance cost: 

• Professional liability insurance: $1,057 per year
• Cyber liability insurance: About $2,000  per year
• General liability insurance: About $500 per year
• Worker’s compensation: About $540 per year
• Commercial property and auto insurance: About $1,800 per year
• Business owner’s policy (BOP) insurance: Ranges from about $500 to $2,000 per year
• Disability insurance: On average, it will cost about 1-3% of your income

Your cost could be lower or higher than the averages above – again, it will depend on you and your coaching business. Often, insurance is more expensive for those with a history of claims, higher coverage requirements, or a high-risk level.

Remember, you don’t have to sign up for every policy right now – you can always start small and add more policies as you need to.

Where should you get insurance as a life coach?

Now we’ve discussed the types of life coach insurance coverage you might consider, as well as their cost. It’s time to think about how to actually find and enroll in the policies.

Progressive Commercial

Progressive Insurance is more than just cars and homes – they also tailor their services to life coaches.

The Progressive Advantage Business Owner program makes it easy to find a provider and discuss what’s best for you, whether you’ve been doing this for years or are just starting out. 

Progressive offers general liability, professional liability, commercial auto, and BOP policies.

Get a quote

Hiscox Business Insurance

Like Progressive, Hiscox also offers insurance for life coaches as well as career and executive coaches. Their plans include professional and general liability as well as BOP. 

Hiscox has several benefits, including flexible payment options, coverage for contracts, worldwide coverage, and speedy claims responsiveness. 

Get a quote

CM&F Group

CM&F has been in the insurance business for more than 100 years, so you’re in safe hands. 

Their life coach disability insurance comes with several benefits, including $2 million per claim, telemedicine and telehealth, license defense, sexual misconduct defense, and HIPAA defense.

General liability insurance is also available.

Get a quote

Over to you!

There you have it – a comprehensive guide to insurance for life coaches, when you need one, what type you need, how much it costs, and where to get it.

The next step after you’ve chosen your policy? 

Continue building a profitable, meaningful business to replace your 9-5. 

How? 

Get your free copy of my blueprint for building a six-figure coaching business to learn how to get your first paying clients and leave your 9-5: 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Read more: 

How to Become a Life Coach

The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Life Coaching Business

The Best Life Coaching Certification Programs

The post Life Coaching Insurance: 7 Types + Which one to choose appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Today, we’ll discuss…

• The best spiritual life coach certifications
• How much they cost
• If you even need one

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

How to become a spiritual life coach

What does a spiritual life coach do? 

Before we get to the list of the best spiritual life coach certifications, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what spiritual coaching actually is.

As a spiritual coach, you help your clients improve their spiritual lives and develop themselves. That’s a broad definition – but it’s a broad niche.

Most people think spiritual life coaches work within a particular religion or under a specific set of beliefs.

But the truth is that this type of coach can work within any realm of spirituality. Spiritual coaches can be religious coaches, reiki healers, energy healers, and more.

They help their clients live more fulfilling lives by guiding them to:

• Start their spiritual journey
• Understand the Universe
• Find their life purpose
• Deepen their spirituality
• Make changes that lead to fulfillment

  Get the Ultimate Guide

  for building a
  6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

  Get Instant Access
• Use spirituality for personal growth

Because these goals are so deeply personal, you might be wondering if you need to get certified to offer this kind of coaching.

Keep reading to find out!

What qualifications do you need to be a spiritual life coach?

Do you need certification to be a spiritual life coach?

No, you don’t.

As a spirituality coach, you act almost like a mentor. You help people achieve their goals and transform their lives in some way by offering actionable advice based on your own experience.

You’re not acting as a counselor, and that’s why you don’t need a certification.

Unlike in counseling, which requires specific certifications and degrees, your coaching qualifications are based on your skills, experience, and, most importantly, results.

(Note, though, that some health-related niches do require certifications. So before you offer coaching, research what applies to your specific niche.) 

Most importantly, your coaching needs to offer a transformation to your clients.

In other words, your experience is key.

But that’s not to say you can’t get certified in spirituality coaching. Let’s dive into the best certification options.

The best spiritual life coach certifications in 2024

If you decide to get certified, I’ve compiled a short list of the best spiritual life coaching certification programs available.

But first, let’s talk about how to choose.

How to pick a spiritual coaching certification program

There are so many coaching certification programs on the market that it can take time to choose one. 

I highly recommend that you choose one that is:

1. Accredited by the International Coaching Federation

Because coaching is a largely unregulated industry, certifications are unregulated, too – and signing up for a certification program doesn’t always guarantee quality.

The ICF is the closest thing the coaching industry has to being a regulatory authority, so I recommend choosing a course it has vetted.

Another option is choosing a program that’s offered by a reputable university along the lines of Columbia University, Brown University, or the University of Southern California. If you want to go this route, I’ve created a list of the best life coaching schools for you.

2. Aligned with your goals and things you want to learn

Make sure you set aside some time to really dig deep into the programs you’re exploring. 

Above all else, make sure the program offers what you want to learn. Further, your goals should align with the goals that the program has created for its students.

Without further ado, here are the best certification programs for spirituality life coaches.

Note: I have not personally completed any of the courses listed below. Instead, I recommend them here because they’re established, have great reviews, and are either ICF-accredited or offered by reputable universities.

1. iPEC Coach Training Experience

The iPEC Coaching certification program provides training in their CORE Energy Coaching process. During the process, you’ll learn about research-backed tools and methods to motivate and empower your clients to reach their goals. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $13,995. Quarterly and monthly payment plans are also available.

Key features: 

• 320+ coach training program hours
• 200 ICF-accredited training hours
• Participants graduate with three proprietary certifications
• Includes mentor coaching, peer coaching, and success coaching
• Resource library included

2. Coach Training EDU Life Coach Training

This versatile program applies to every coaching niche, but you can choose a specialized route. This base program lasts six months, and during those six months, you’ll discuss coaching tools, participate in live demonstrations, and maximize learning by applying new skills to practice.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $3,825 when paid at one time. Monthly payment plans are also available at $375 per month.

Key features:

• Has trained organizations like IBM, Harvard Kennedy School, and Nike
• Offers online self-study and live learning
• Learning happens in small mentoring groups
• Hard copy of textbook included
• Includes three ACC one-to-one mentor coaching hours 

3. USC Coaching Program

The University of Southern California’s coaching program is a hybrid course taught mostly online, but it does include three in-person workshops. Each module is created to arm you with the skills necessary to build a partnership, hone your coaching presence, increase your emotional intelligence, and more.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $3,850 for USC employees. Early registration (before March 1) is $3,500.

Key features: 

• University has an excellent reputation
• Taught by the best coaches in the world
• Includes coaching practice with a mentor coach who will provide feedback
• Will align you with the path toward becoming an ICF Associate Certified Coach

4. Coach U Professional Coach Training Program

Coach U has one of the longest and most detailed coaching programs online, lasting 12months. The course follows the CORE competencies outlined by the ICF, which means that even though the program isn’t focused solely on spirituality, you’ll get a good look at the kind of skills that make a coach successful.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $12,190. Discounts are available.

Key features: 

• Held in high regard by the coaching community
• Shorter, fast-track routes are available
• Every instructor has earned their ICF accreditation
• You can attend Community Engagement groups 

5. Life Coaching Institute of America Full ICF Pathway

The Full ICF Pathway is one of the most intensive programs on the list, clocking in at 70 hours. A majority of those hours – 60 – consist of online coach training, and the rest are mentor coach training in a telephonic class setting.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $2,985

Key features: 

• Great price for a 70-hour program
• Covers ICF’s Core Competencies 
• Of the 60 training hours, half are taught live on Zoom, and the other half are self-study
• Offers several modules on motivational interviewing, which is one of the critical components of coaching; includes lessons on key terms and fundamental processes
• Mentor sessions will help prepare you for your ICF accreditation 

With your certification journey in mind, it’s time to explore how to actually become a successful spiritual life coach and launch a successful business!

How to become a spiritual life coach

At the end of the day, what you need to become a spiritual life coach is experience and knowledge.

That’s it! 

Other than that, coaching as a skill is learnable. (And you’ll learn how to coach when you coach.)

But to build a successful spiritual life coaching business, you need a couple of things: A target audience and paying clients.

Let’s start with how to find your target audience.

Find your target audience

The first step to building your coaching practice is to define your niche. 

Your niche is what helps you attract a particular group of people who are interested in your services because they speak to the situation they’re going through.

It’s not enough to call yourself a spiritual life coach. You need to drill down further and define what you help your clients do. 

One of my students, Summer, has become a spiritual coach. As a coach, she offers her clients pathways to more fulfilling lives.

And Estelle, another student of mine, is a successful energy healer who helps her clients align with their soul’s highest nature to unlock their own unique brand of magic.

Not sure what your niche is or how to find it? Here’s how – by focusing on three things. 

Finding a few problems that people are willing to pay to have solved

One easy way to do this is to remember that those who work with coaches typically want one of the following: 

• To be
• To have
• To feel

When people work with spirituality coaches, they might want to be more connected to their calling, have a better relationship with their religion, or feel more connected to the Universe. 

There’s no limit to the kind of problems people want to solve.

Identifying the most profitable problem that you can help solve

But not all of those problems are going to be profitable. That’s why you need to do some outside research. 

The best way to determine what people are willing to pay is to look at what’s already out there. 

What are other coaches already being paid to help with? 

When you take the time to do that research, you can be confident your niche will be just as profitable.

Getting specific

Don’t be afraid to get specific within your niche. 

Specificity will get you better, more consistent business.

After all, people want to know how you’re going to help them through this phase of life. 

Sure, a spirituality life coach could say, “I’ll help you feel more fulfilled in your life,” but that’s not very effective. Or memorable. 

But saying, “I help highly sensitive people tap into their vibration so that they can lead truly fulfilling lives,” gets to the point immediately and stands out because it’s memorable.

To figure out your specific niche, use the following formula: “I help ___ to ___ so that __.”

Setting yourself apart from other coaches

Once you’ve nailed down your niche, it’s time to figure out what’s going to set you apart.

You need to differentiate yourself based on what I like to call your “secret sauce.” 

Your secret sauce is the unique way in which you’ll help your clients get results and transform their lives.

To figure out what your secret sauce is, understand how your offer and experience differ from what other life coaches offer. For example, maybe it’s that you work with new-age spirituality or study astrology.

Once you’ve figured out your niche and what’s going to help you stand out, it’s time to get out there and find your first paying clients.

Get your first clients

You know who your audience is and how you can help them – but to land your first client, you need a strong coaching offer.

Here’s how to make one.

Come up with a coaching offer

The most well-written offers include a promise of transformation. 

What will your clients get out of your coaching? 

Think more along the lines of intangible goals, which you’ll be offering as a spiritual coach. 

How will each of your clients’ lives have changed by the end of your time together? 

Will they have a better sense of purpose? 

Will they know what helps them feel more fulfilled? 

Or will they be happier?

Whatever the answer, those are the results you’ll use to craft a clear goal for your coaching program.

But be careful in the way that you phrase it. Don’t offer something simple, like “I’ll help you feel more fulfilled.” 

Instead, be more specific: “I help each client get past the obstacles standing in the way of their fulfillment in six months with a few simple steps.”

See the difference?

Setting your price and package

If you’re just starting out as a spirituality coach, a reasonable rate for your coaching package is $1,500 for a three-month commitment. 

Note that this is per package, not per month.

It’s exactly the right amount of time: 

Three months isn’t too long, which can scare off potential clients. 

But it’s not too short, either, which could hinder your results.

Over the course of your three months together, you’ll:

• Articulate what purpose means to them
• Find a few things that will bring them joy
• Define a long-term plan for finding their purpose

I recommend you start with one or two monthly calls while offering a second line of communication where your clients can ask questions and receive answers. 

Email, Slack, WhatsApp, and social media are great ways to do that.

Of course, you can increase your rate to $2,000 or more as your business grows. Check out this video, where I dig deeper into how to price your coaching package to learn more.

How to get clients

At this point, you might be saying, “But Luisa, how do I actually find a paying client?”

By focusing on how to reach your target audience and attract them with your message and offer. 

The truth is you won’t find your clients in one place. Instead, you’ll find them in places like Facebook groups, hiring platforms like Upwork or LinkedIn, and industry-specific sites. 
It all depends on your niche, offer, and preferences.

Some of the best strategies for new coaches are: 

• Leveraging your already-existing network by offering services to your friends or family (that’s how I got started in one of my businesses)
• Using social media like Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit to build relationships with people who are interested in your services
• Building trust by guest starring on podcasts or writing guest blogs

Regardless of the route you choose to take, make sure that you’re placing yourself in front of the right audience, sharing great content, and giving them a great offer. 

I always tell my clients to choose one or two strategies and focus only on those. After all, a jack of all trades is a master of none – and wouldn’t you rather be the master of two really effective marketing strategies?

And stay consistent! 

When you do, you avoid losing the momentum you need to land clients. 

For example, if you decide to focus on using social media to find clients, engage with people on the same platform consistently every day. Pay close attention to the feedback and engagement to improve your content.

That way, you’ll start seeing more and more clients come to you for help. 

Next steps 

That’s it! 

Now you know about the best spiritual life coach certifications currently available.

But whether you decide to get certified or not, you also need to build your business.

And contrary to popular belief, you DON’T need to hustle every waking minute. 

In fact, you can build your business while working a 9-5.

That’s what I teach you in my blueprint for growing a six-figure spiritual coaching business.

Get it now!

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Read more: 

What is Life Coaching?

The Best Life Coach Courses

How to Become a Life Coach

How Much It Costs to Become a Life Coach

How Much Do Life Coaches Make?

What is an Intuitive Life Coach?

The post 5 Most Trusted Spiritual Life Coach Certifications for 2024 appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Today, we will explore:

• What a life coach is
• How you might benefit from working with one
• What to expect from coaching 
• How to become a life coach
• And much more

Ready to find out?

Let’s get started!

What is a life coach? 

A life coach helps their clients achieve life goals, whether that’s a promotion, finding love, or getting healthier. 

However, the most effective life coaches focus on a specific niche (health, career, finances, relationships…) based on their own experience. 

A few ways coaches can help you include: 

• Developing or changing your career
• Becoming healthier
• Losing weight
• Building better relationships
• Overcoming limiting beliefs and obstacles
• Managing and reducing stress

  Get the Ultimate Guide

  for building a
  6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!

  Get Instant Access
• Improving confidence
• Becoming a better parent 
• Finding ways to manage your money better
• Handling and getting through the grieving process
• Developing your spiritual side 
• Becoming more productive in any arena of your life
• Improving your leadership skills 
• Helping you perform better at work

And much more. 

With that, you see just how focused life coaches are on helping you achieve a goal. 

How does a life coach differ from a therapist? 

You might be wondering how life coaches are different from therapists…Or if there are any differences at all. 

Yes, they are different. 

Life coaches and therapists don’t offer the same services. Therapists treat mental health conditions and are licensed mental health professionals. Life coaches help their clients reach their goals. 

Here are a few differences between life coaching and therapy: 

What a life coach does 

• Helps you achieve goals 
• Supports you based on their own experience reaching the same goals
• Uses coaching techniques and tools to help you overcome challenges
• Provides a roadmap to success
• Acts as a mentor 
• Is a trusted partner you can talk to about every part of the journey
• Does not give you a diagnosis or prescribe medication
• Does not treat mental health or health issues 

What a therapist does

• Fulfills proper qualification criteria, including licenses and education
• Diagnoses any mental health issues you might be experiencing
• Might prescribe medication (or refer you to someone who can)
• Focuses on mental health treatment 
• Uses different therapy styles and techniques to treat you 

As you can see, therapists and coaches don’t offer the same services.

So, what are the benefits of life coaching? Let’s find out. 

The top benefits of life coaches 

There are a ton of benefits to working with a life coach. After all, it is a billion-dollar industry that sees thousands of online searches each month.

Here are some of the statistics that show how life coaches help clients get results.

• 80% of people working with a coach say their self-confidence has increased
• 70% of those who receive coaching see an improvement in their work performance, relationships, and communication
• The median coaching ROI is seven times the investment
• 68% of coaching clients make back their investment
• 73% of those who hire a coach report that it has helped them improve their work performance, communication skills, interpersonal skills, relationships, work/life balance, and wellness
• 99% of coaching clients are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience
• One-on-one coaching has been shown to improve clients’ psychological well-being and help ease excessive and prolonged stress, low resilience, and poor satisfaction with life

Those are a few of the ways life coaches help their clients. But what types of life coaches are there? 

That’s what we’ll look at next. 

Different types of life coaches 

“What is life coaching?” is a broad question with a broad answer. 

The reality is that life coaching is a broad topic filled with hundreds of niches.

Essentially, there’s a life coach for everyone.

Whether you need some help with general life skills, family issues, life transitions, or your career, that type of coach exists. 

Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular types of coaches.

Career coaching

When you work with a career coach, you’ll get help advancing in your career. Your coach helps guide you through any career-related challenges, whether you’re transitioning careers, landing a dream job, or asking for a raise.

I helped my student, Emily Liou, become a career coach in 2016. Since then, she’s helped countless clients get a better job, land a promotion, or even switch industries.

Health coaching

A lot of people think health coaches are just there to help people lose weight, but that’s not true! While they can help with that, they can work with anyone looking to improve their overall health, including reducing stress or hitting a fitness milestone.

I have several clients who are health coaches – and they all specialize in something different. 

For example: 

• My student David Alsieux helps people improve their health with the use of herbs
• Jamie Ballew helps women experiencing high stress improve their energy levels
• Lisa Stigliano specializes in helping women over 40 stay fit

Financial coaching

If you’ve ever felt like you need help getting your personal finances into better shape, a financial coach might be for you.

Financial coaches are always extremely knowledgeable and can help you do everything from creating a budget to figuring out how to invest more wisely.

There’s no limit to what a financial coach can help you do.

Just look at my student Ryan Chaw, a real estate coach, who helps people build and manage real estate portfolios that generate a steady stream of passive income.

Relationship coaching

When I say relationship coach, you might be thinking that you have to be in a relationship to work with one. That’s not true!

Relationship coaches are as great for helping those in the dating scene as they are for helping people improve the relationship they’re already in. 

It’s also important to note that a relationship coach doesn’t have to focus solely on romantic relationships.

If you’d like to find a way to improve the relationships you have with your family or friends, they can help with that, too.

My student Ruby Lee helps her clients find high-quality dates while Brianna MacWilliam helps her clients delve into attachment in adult relationships. 

Communication coaching

Communication coaches help clients hone their skills to become more effective communicators, whether it’s at work or in their personal lives.

For more, I’ve put together a list of different types of coaches.

With that, let’s take a look at what you can expect when working with a life coach. 

What to expect from a life coach 

We’ve covered some of the things that a life coach can help with and what the benefits of working with one are. But you might be wondering what your time together will look like.

Let’s dive into it!

This type of coaching will help you the most

Traditionally, coaching involves a Socratic form of teaching. 

When you work with a traditional coach, you’ll get asked several probing questions that will guide you to the correct answers and, eventually, your overall goal. 

You’ll get questions like, “How do you feel about that?”

But the coaching industry has evolved. 

Today, the best type of coaching is more along the lines of what I like to call coach-sulting, where coaches act as a mentor and consultant.

Instead of asking you questions, a coach-sultant will actually give you some of the answers and examples from their own experience to help you get better and faster results. 

So for the best results, ask potential coaches what their coaching looks like. Someone who adopts this approach is going to help you reach your goals more quickly. 

How to spot a great coach 

A great coach has qualities that I like to refer to as the ABCs of coaching.

They’ll provide you with actionable advice in the form of a roadmap that clearly outlines how you’ll reach your end goal.

They’ll believe in you. 

This is one of the most important parts of working with your coach – after all, you’re far more likely to achieve your goal if you’ve got someone in your corner, rooting for you. 

Finally, they’ll offer candor. 

This might be tough at first, but the truth is that your coach isn’t there to tell you what you want to hear – they’re there to help you reach your goals. Expect them to offer some tough love and tell you what you need to hear when you get discouraged.

You can learn more about the ABCs of coaching in this video:

Of course, there are other qualities that make a great coach, including the ability to lead, provide a vision, and guide you through your coaching journey. 

You can learn about those things here.

What happens during your life coaching sessions

Every life coaching session is designed to help you get one step closer to your overall goal. 

Your coach will structure your journey so that each month is focused on a sub-goal that builds until you’ve reached your final goal – and those sub-goals will be the focus of your calls.

During your call, your coach helps drive the conversation by asking purposeful and effective questions such as:

• “Where can I give you some extra support?”
• “At the beginning of our journey, you mentioned you had fears around X. How are you feeling about that right now?”
• “What do you want to focus on during this call?”
• “What did you do this week?”
• “How do you feel about that?”

These types of questions will help you get more comfortable reflecting on where you are in your journey and taking control of your experience.

If you’re curious about what kind of questions you might be asked in your call, check out this list of 60+ questions that I recommend to my clients.

But what if you want to become a life coach?

That’s what we’ll look at next. 

How to become a life coach 

There are plenty of reasons to start a coaching business, but the biggest perk (aside from the flexibility and freedom that comes with self-employment) is getting to support people and help them reach their goals. 

Sound like something you’d like to do? Let’s talk about what it takes to build your own life coaching business. 

How much do life coaches make?

According to the International Coaching Federation, the average salary for life coaches in North America is $67,800

But that’s the average – and these coaches work part-time. Many life coaches make even more than that. 

Most life coaches work as self-employed business owners and can bring in over $100,000 per year. 

It all depends on factors like your niche and the number of clients you serve each month – so  there’s no real limit on how much you can earn as a life coach.

Several of my own students have grown their life coaching businesses to six to multiple six figures.

Do you need a certification as a life coach? 

Coaching is a largely unregulated industry, but at the end of the day, it all depends on your niche.

While some health and mental health niches do require certifications, most don’t. That’s because, as I mentioned earlier, coaching isn’t counseling. 

Counseling calls for mental health experts who have had the proper education to give diagnoses. 

But what you need to become a life coach is experience in your field and your coaching methodology to help clients get results.

Sure, you could get a certification, but the reality is that certifications are an unregulated industry. They’re expensive, time-consuming, and don’t offer as much experience as you’d get just working with your own clients. 

You can become a life coach without a certification, but if you’d like to get certified, make sure you choose a reputable program. 

I’ve put together a list of the best life coach certifications in 2023, which you can read here.

Finally, let’s look at the steps you need to take to set up your life coaching practice.

How do you become a life coach? 

There are a few steps to becoming a life coach with a profitable business under your belt.

1. Pick a profitable niche

To become a successful coach, you’ll need to have a niche, or specialty, to attract your ideal clients. To find it, you’ll need to figure out which problem people will pay you to solve.

Check out this list of 100 profitable coaching niches to learn more.

2. Create a coaching package

When they’re just starting out, I encourage my students to find a price that’s not too high but not too low. 

I’ve found that $1,500 for a three-month package is the ideal coaching price for new coaches. As you get more clients and scale your business, you can increase your prices.

You can learn more about how to price your coaching services in this article. I also talk more about creating a coaching package here: 

3. Land your first paying client

Once you’ve nailed down your package, it’s time to find your first paying client! 

Some potential strategies you might use include exploring social media groups within your niche or tapping into your existing network. Of course, there are endless ways to find clients – check out my favorite ways to do so here:

Next steps 

For those of you who have wondered, “What is life coaching?” – there you have it! 

Life coaching can be an incredibly fulfilling career, while offering flexibility and freedom. 

And if you’re looking for the next step to build your own life coaching business, get your own copy of my free PDF that shows you exactly how to build a six-figure business: 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Learn more: 

How Much Does It Cost to Become a Life Coach?

The Best Life Coach Online Courses

The Best Life Coaching Schools

Frequently asked questions

What does a life coach actually do? 

A life coach acts as a guide and mentor to those trying to achieve a certain goal. “Life coaching” is the catch-all phrase for different niches like health, career, mindset, and business. 

Who needs a life coach? 

Anyone who wants to improve their life, regardless of what their goals are, can use a life coach. Remember, there’s a coach for everyone, including those looking for help in their relationships, finances, health, career, and more.

The post What is Life Coaching? What Life Coaches Do (& Examples) appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Building a coaching business can be highly fulfilling and impactful. At the same time, you create more freedom and flexibility in your life.

But what qualifications do you need?

Read on to learn more! 

What credentials do you need to be a life coach?

What types of qualifications do you need as a life coach? 

First, let’s bust this myth. You do not need a certification to become a life coach.

Because the coaching industry is unregulated, anyone can become a life coach and most niches don’t require any qualifications at all. 

This doesn’t apply to every niche out there. For example, health coaching niches like nutrition coaching may require a certification or degree by law, spending on your state and where you work. 

But overall, you don’t need a certification to get started as a coach. Especially if you start your own business. 

The most important value indicator in coaching  

More importantly, the value of your coaching isn’t based on a certification. Instead, it’s about the results you help your clients get.

If you can help your clients get results without being certified, you don’t need a certification. 

Most of your clients certainly don’t care about certifications as long as you can guide them to achieve the goal they have. 

How to learn coaching without a certification

The most effective way to learn how to coach is to…coach. Offer a lower-priced package for your first few clients to build your life coaching skills.

Getting certified comes with a tradeoff. The time and money you spend on a certification could be spent on getting your first clients, developing your skills, and building your business. (And getting all those things you might be looking for in starting a coaching business – flexibility, being your own boss, and increasing your income.)

That said, are coaching certifications worth it at all? 

Depends on you and the niche you’re in. Executive and health coaches tend to need certifications more than other coaches, but ultimately, getting a certification comes down to what you want. 

But don’t feel like you HAVE to get one. A coaching certification is 100% optional. 

What is a life coach certification?

What is a coaching certification anyway? 

A coaching certification is an academic accreditation from a coaching association or university that recognizes you as a qualified professional coach. 

Who certifies you as a coach? 

There are many different coaching organizations out there. Some are tailored to specific niches. 

For example, you can get certified by the National Health and Wellness Board if you’re training to be a health coach. 

But for life coaches, the most well-known and credible coaching association is the International Coaching Federation (ICF). 

The ICF certifies hundreds of coaching courses all around the world. Because it comes the closest to being a regulatory body in the life coaching industry, ICF-accredited coaching programs tend to be more credible than others. 

To qualify as an ICF-accredited program, the course must follow the core competencies of coaching outlined by the International Coach Federation. 

Universities also tend to offer certification programs. Because these institutions know how to teach, getting certified by them can be a great way to increase your credibility. (But, your ultimate credibility comes from your coaching.)

Irrespective of where you decide to get certified, the way certification programs work is that you complete one or several courses. You might also need to complete a minimum number of coaching practice hours within a certain timeframe to get certified. 

Certification programs tend to last anywhere from a few months to up to a year. 

They do come with a cost, though. That’s what we’ll look at next. 

How much does a life coach certification cost?

The cost of a coaching certification program varies from a few hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars. On average, these programs tend to cost between $3K and $10K.

That’s the average – some programs cost more than $20K. Typically, the cost depends on the length of the course, the reputation of the school, and the amount of support you get during the program. 

Now you know what a coaching certification is, why you don’t necessarily need one, and the cost of a certification.

But do you need to be a licensed life coach? Let’s take a look. 

Do you need a business license as a life coach?

No, life coaches don’t need a license to start coaching. 

Why? Because life coaching is not therapy or counseling. Coaching isn’t a treatment and isn’t regulated by any governing body. So legally, anyone can coach.

However, things get more complicated when you look into different niches. Always check the specific regulations in your state for your particular niche, as there might be rules that apply to the services you offer.  

For instance, if you offer nutrition coaching, you need to be aware of the requirements for nutritionists in your state. 

With that, let’s find out how to choose a life coach certification program. 

How to choose the right coaching certification

Among all the life coaching certifications available, how do you choose the right one? 

Here are some questions to ask yourself: 

Do you want an ICF-accredited program? 

Do the ICF core competencies align with your preferred style of coaching? If yes, look for certification programs that are ICF-accredited.

What does the course curriculum include?

A good life coach certification balances coaching skills, psychology, and business skills. You might want to choose a program that’s catered to the type of coaching you do (such as career, health, or mindset coaching). 

What do reviews of the school or program say?

Testimonials are so important when choosing a certification program. Look at reviews and look at what people say on platforms like Reddit or Google. 

How much time can you give to studying?

Some certification programs are as short as three months. Others are as long as 18 months. The length also changes on whether you take a full-time or part-time course. 

If you have a full-time job, you probably want a self-paced online course so you can study in your spare time. Alternatively, there are intensive courses out there that will get you qualified in less than a year. Think about what will fit into your schedule and goals for starting your business. 

Does the course include coaching practice or mentoring?

Many certification programs include supervised coaching practice, which means that your teacher will watch you deliver a coaching session and provide feedback. Some programs include coach mentoring so you can ask an expert for advice on your coaching skills. Others have peer mentoring where you practice with other students of the program. 

With that, here are some of the top life coach certification programs to choose from. 

The best life coach certifications

Here’s a list of life coach certification programs to help you narrow down the list of potential programs. 

Disclaimer: I haven’t taken these programs myself. I’m recommending them based on good reviews and the reputation of the institution. 

iPEC Coach Training Experience

The iPEC Coach Training program is one of the highest-rated in the world. It’s an ICF-accredited course that offers three certifications in one program. 

You start learning the fundamentals of coaching. Then you progress to energy leadership and CORE energy coaching. Throughout, you’ll be supported by a mentor, success coach, and peer coaching. 

Duration: Between ten and twelve months to complete the course in full (total of 320 training hours)

Price: $13,395, if paid in full, installments are available

Coach Training EDU Life Coach Training

Coach Training EDU is another life coaching school that offers ICF-accredited courses. The basics coaching course will apply to any niche. But then you have the option to take specialized courses in academic coaching, executive coaching, life coaching, and wellness coaching. 

If you take the wellness route, you have the option to get an extra accreditation from the Health Board. The student groups are small and the program also offers business training. 

Duration: Depends on the course you choose but a minimum of six months

Price: From $3,240 for a six-month course

Certified Life Coach Institute Coaching 101

Most coaching certifications take several months to a year to complete. But this ICF-accredited intensive course by the Certified Life Coach Institute is a three full-day program. 

During the live online course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of coaching with peer-to-peer coaching practice sessions. It’s a fully immersive training experience with the intent of making you a great coach. 

You don’t get as much practice or mentoring as with longer courses. But this program can be beneficial if you want a certification quickly. 

Duration: Three full days

Price: $995 for the foundational certification, $1,295 for the advanced certification, $1,995 for both

The Columbia Coaching Certification Program

If you want a university certification, the Columbia program is a great choice. It is a three-part certification focusing on front-end coaching, practice, and advanced coaching. This program is detailed and prioritizes coaching mastery.

 The practice portion of the program is seven to eight months long, so this program really highlights the practical coaching skills. 

Duration: One year

Price: $8,500

Next, let’s look at what it takes to start a life coaching business – which is key to growing your impact and creating a Freedom Business. 

How much do life coaches make? 

To figure out if a certification is even worth it, you need to know what the average life coach salary is. 

On average, life coaches make $244/hour.

The average monthly salary is $67,800 in North America and the average coach spends 11.9 hours a week working as a coach. 

Full-time coaches can make far more – many of my clients have built businesses that generate six, multiple six, or seven figures. 

A few of them include Emily, a career coach.

And Ruby, a relationship coach. 

How to become a certified life coach online

What steps do you need to take to become a life coach? Here’s how to create a business – not another job – that grows your impact and helps you create a life you love.

Define your niche

If I could go back in time and give my younger self any piece of advice, it would be:

Figure out your niche!

This applies to you, too. 

You see, “life coaching” isn’t a great niche. It’s not really a niche at all. 

To stand out in a saturated industry (which most industries are), you need a niche. It’s what makes your ideal clients think of YOU no matter how saturated your industry is. 

(And if you’re thinking…”But I don’t want to just do ONE thing,” you absolutely can. But start with a niche and then branch out.)

Here are some examples of niches in the coaching industry:  

• Parenting coaching for parents with special needs children
• Relationship coaching for online dating 
• Career coaching for engineers 
• Executive coaching for tech leaders 

To find the right niche for you, look at what experience you have and what the market (your ideal clients) want. I talk more about it here: 

Create a coaching package

The next step is to create your coaching offer. 

Keep things simple in the beginning. I recommend offering a three-month package with fortnightly or monthly coaching sessions for $500 per month – $1,500 in total.

Here’s why this formula works. 

First, three months is long enough to help your client create real results in their life. BUT it’s short enough to not be a huge commitment to you or the client. 

Second, $1,500 is a great starting price while you’re new to coaching. But it’s still a big enough investment for your client to take you seriously. 

Finally, fortnightly coaching sessions are the perfect sweet spot for creating change and giving your client the space to action the advice you give in each session. You can always offer in-between support via Voxer or WhatsApp in case your client has any questions or concerns. 

Once you get your first few clients at this rate, you can raise the price. You have huge earring potential once you build up your experience and testimonials. 

So that’s your coaching package. Let’s talk about selling it. 

Market your coaching business the smart way

Now you’re a certified coach, with a niche and a package. Here are some simple ways to market your business and book those first coaching clients: 

• Your immediate network
  
  You’d be surprised at how many people want and need a coach. If you let your friends and family know that you’re a certified life coach, they will likely know someone who could use your services. Getting great feedback from a warm lead like this means you can easily get referred more clients in the future.
• Social media
  
  Social media isn’t exactly “easy.” But it is a powerful and accessible way of marketing your new coaching business. Use the principles you learned as a certified coach to educate others and build a platform. With patience and consistency, you can grow a following that will buy your services. 
• Podcasts
  
  There are so many podcasts out there for every possible niche. Podcasts are highly engaging and help you create relationships with a new audience fast. 

That’s how you build your life coaching business. For more, take a look at this short video on how to start coaching right away: 

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) 

Can you get a life coach certification online? 

Yes, you can get a life coach certification online. Online training programs are just as credible as offline programs. Even prestigious universities often run their coaching courses online. Online programs also give you more flexibility. There are also more online programs so you have more choices. 

How long does it take to become a certified life coach? 

It takes anywhere from three months to two years to become a certified life coach, depending on the certification you choose. University courses tend to be longer. Certification programs from coaching schools can be as short as three months.

Next steps 

Now you know how to become a certified life coach. 

But figuring out these first steps is just the start to becoming a successful life coach. 

If you’re wondering what it takes to build a coaching business that’s aligned with your goals and dreams, get my guide on how to build a six-figure coaching business. 

Read more:

How Much Do Life Coaches Make? 

Here’s How to Build a Life Coaching Business

The Best Life Coach Online Courses

The post How to Become a Certified Life Coach in 2024 (+Top Programs) appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’ve come to the right place.

Today, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to become a life coach. (Spoiler: you can probably get started faster than you think.)

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

What does a life coach do? 

A life coach is a coach who helps others succeed and reach their life goals. “Life coaching” is the catch-all phrase for different niches like health, career, mindset, and business. 

As a coach, you support, guide, and mentor your clients – but you also offer them the steps they need to take when they need that extra help (something I call “coach-sulting”). 

But what do you need to become a life coach? Let’s find out. 

What qualifies you as a life coach? 

Do you have to become a certified life coach? 

Unlike counseling, which requires special training and certifications, the life coaching industry is unregulated. (Aside from a few health niches such as nutrition.)

What matters most is how well you help your clients get results. 

Typically, that means you’ve developed a methodology on your own, thanks to your experience and skills.

For example, if you’re really good at getting promoted, that’s something you could help others with as a career coach. 

Just like my student, Ruby. 

She used to be a matchmaker at companies like eHarmony before she became a relationship coach.

I talk more about the different types of coaching you can do in my guide on coaching niches.

But how do you learn coaching skills without a life coach certification program?

The thing is: The best way to learn how to coach is to work with real coaching clients.

And you can make this a win-win for your first few clients by offering them a lower rate than you’d normally charge. 

(When I started working with my first clients I spent hours on delivering value in every coaching call – while the worth of your coaching is not in the time you spend on client work, this just goes to show how big of an impact you can have on those first clients.) 

Ultimately, you don’t need to get a certification. You can if you want to – but if you have the right skills, a certification isn’t necessary. 

A MUCH better way is to start getting paying clients and develop your coaching skills as you work with your clients. 

Because ultimately, your clients care about the results they get, not how many certifications you have. 

With that, let’s take a look at what a life coach certification costs – and then, at the costs you’ll have to set up your life coaching business. 

How much does a life coach certification cost? 

Coaching certification programs can cost as little as $3,000 or more than $13,000. It all depends on how many hours are involved as well as if it’s in-person, virtual, or self-paced. 

If you’re looking to work as a coach part-time, your certification program will take less time and therefore be a bit less expensive as well. 

Unsurprisingly, life coach training programs that are accredited or approved by the International Coaching Federation have higher costs associated with them than those that aren’t. 

But what does an accredited coach training program look like? 

Here are a few examples: 

• iPEC’s ICF Accredited Coach Training Program consists of 200 training hours and costs $12,495.
• New Ventures West offers an Integral Coach program consisting of more than two weeks of face-to-face training for $13,400.
• Georgetown University offers an executive coach program, which spans eight months, for $13,995.

But how do you choose the right program? Let’s take a look. 

How do you choose a certification? 

If you’ve decided to get certified, how do you ensure you choose the right program? 

Look for a life coaching program that meets these three requirements: 

Credibility

First, the organization you choose should be established and well-known. After all, if you’re getting a certification to increase your credibility as a life coach, the program you get should be one that people know and respect. 

You probably won’t go wrong with a top university. Certifications accredited by the International Coaching Federation are also highly credible. 

Niche

Does the certification work for your niche? For instance, if you want to become a health coach, there are plenty of certifications that focus on health coaching. 

Cost

Cost is a factor, but most high-quality certification programs cost around $10,000. Most of the top courses are in that price range. 

The best life coach certifications

What are the best life coaching certification programs? 

This list includes a few of the top programs out there: 

Coach Training Alliance

The Coach Training Alliance’s certification program is one of the best programs around. The Certified Coach program is a comprehensive program that teaches coaching, business and marketing skills.  

Coach U Professional Coach Training Program 

The Coach U program focuses on fundamental coaching skills. The course consists of two parts – the Core Essentials and the Professional Essentials. Core Essentials teaches ethics and the basics of building a business and Professional Essentials helps refine your skills and teaches you how to coach in the workplace.

Institute of Integrative Nutrition

Institute of Integrative Nutrition is one of the best known health coaching programs out there and it covers everything from conventional health coaching skills to biohacking and psychospirituality. 

Those are some programs you can choose from. 

But how do you build your business? Here’s what you need to know. 

How much does it cost to become a life coach? 

Now you know how much getting a coaching certification will cost you. But what about starting your life coaching business? 

At the core, you could get started with your laptop and an internet connection.

But there are a few more costs associated with starting a business. You can start lean and take on these costs as you build your business and land more paying clients. 

These are: 

Apps and software

There are a few apps and software tools that will make running your business so much easier. Many of these are tools you need to get started as a coach – such as payment software to get paid. 

These tools are: 

• Calendly – Scheduling software for scheduling sales and coaching calls (free basic version, but for $8/month, you can integrate Zoom for automated call links) 
• Zoom – The basic version is free, but for $15/month, you get access to advanced features like longer calls)
•  Stripe/Paypal – You will need a payment processor and these platforms tend to take a small percentage of sales
• Dropbox Sign – An e-signature tool for your contracts – the basic version includes two contracts but as you expand, the paid version ($10) helps you scale your contract management

Coaching contract

One of the things I do recommend that you invest in early on is a contract. 

Finding a lawyer who understands this type of business is hard. (I know firsthand – I’ve gotten some really bad advice from lawyers who didn’t understand the online space…at all.)

But fortunately, my friend Lisa Fraley, a legal coach for life coaches, offers contract templates that you can customize. 

Sales, marketing, and brand building

You don’t need to invest in sales or marketing to get your first few clients. In fact, that could be a distraction. 

Instead, look for clients in your network, on social media platforms, or through referrals.

But once you do have clients, you can start focusing on things like a coaching website and building your brand. 

The website-building tools I recommend are: 

• Hover: To buy your domain ($14.99/domain) 
• WPEngine: To host your website ($25/month)
• ElegantThemes Divi: A WordPress theme ($249 as a one-time purchase) 

Registering your business as an LLC or sole proprietorship

At one point, you’ll need to decide what type of business entity your coaching venture will operate under.

The two most common entities are LLCs and sole proprietorships.

I’ll give you a quick look at what each one is, but before you read on, remember: I’m not a lawyer, and the following should not be taken as legal advice.

An LLC (which stands for Limited Liability Company) allows for more than one person to own a business.

On the other hand, a sole proprietorship is exactly what it sounds like. 

As a sole proprietor, one person – you, the coach – owns an unincorporated business by themselves. If you plan to go into your coaching business alone, a sole proprietorship is most likely your best bet.

If you choose to file and maintain the company yourself, you can expect your fees to top out to around $150 per year. 

Working with a lawyer is an option some people choose for the sake of simplicity. Lisa Fraley offers different legal coaching services.

Business insurance

Insurance isn’t mandatory and it’s up to you how you want to protect yourself and your business. 

However, insurance costs are typically low. Research has found that on average, general liability insurance costs around $42 per month (or about $500 per year) for small business owners. 

“Advanced” marketing strategies

In the early stages of your coaching business, you need to hyper focus on the lowest hanging fruit to help you get clients (such as tapping into your existing network). 

Hold off on the more advanced marketing strategies like pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO), and content marketing.

It’s critical to your success that you work on building your brand and crafting your message before you invest in those strategies – they all have a steep learning curve, and your time is much better spent on getting your first paying clients so that you can reinvest in your business. 

Organizational fees

Something that’s completely optional is to invest in coaching organization memberships. However, your time is better spent getting clients than being a member of these organizations – you can always reach out to colleagues and get to know them outside of a paid membership. 

Here are a few example organizations:

• International Coaching Federation ($245 per year). Benefits include ethics resources, business development, and a discount on accreditation. 
• Association for Coaching (£170, or ~$200 on application). Benefits include digital learning, research, and Co-Coaching Forums. 
• International Association of Coaching ($169 per year). Benefits include conference discounts, networking, and more.

Those are the costs to start your business (both optional and must-haves). And if you’re curious to learn what it takes to run a coaching business that generates six-figures or more, take a look at this short video:

Next steps 

So, to recap: How much does it cost to become a life coach? 

Technically, nothing. All you need to get started is your own experience (unless you choose to pursue a certification). 

But building your business does come with its own costs. Ultimately, you likely will need to invest to build and grow your business. 

Want to learn more about how to build your coaching business? 

Get my Ultimate Guide for creating a six-figure Freedom Business. 

Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?

Get Instant Access To My FREE Ultimate Guide Below!

GET INSTANT ACCESS

When you sign up, you’ll also receive regular updates on building a successful online business.

Learn more:

The Best Coaching Certifications and Courses

The Top Life Coach Schools

How to Become a Life Coach

The post How Much Does It Cost To Become A Life Coach? [2024 Guide] appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’re in the right place. Today, you’ll get the top life coach certification programs out there so that you can make the right choice.

Ready to become an expert life coach? Read on.

You’ll learn: 

• The qualifications you need to become a life coach
• Best life coach certification programs
• How to choose your life coach certification

What qualifications do you need to become a life coach?

Before we get into the certifications, do you even need one to become a life coach? 

Short answer: No. You don’t need a certification to become a life coach – or any coach for that matter. 

Though it’s a growing industry with the number of coaches in the US increasing every year, it’s also an unregulated industry. Signing up for a certification program doesn’t guarantee quality. 

What you need to become a great life coach are these three ingredients: 

1. Experience in your field
2. Proven knowledge that you can relay to your clients
3. The ability to motivate and guide people through a life transformation

Very few clients pay attention to the qualifications of their chosen coach. They pick you for YOU. 

And money-wise, a certified life coach salary is rarely more than a coach without a certification. That’s because the value of your services depends on the results you help clients get. 

The best way to become a great coach is to…coach! Get started coaching clients by offering a lower rate. It’s a win-win because your clients get to work with you for less and you get to practice your coaching skills.

However, coaching certifications can serve a purpose. 

Here are some good reasons to take a certification program: 

• You want to boost your credentials as a thought leader in your space
• Your ideal clients would prefer a coach with a certification
• You want to specialize in a coaching niche that requires a certification like some health coaching niches

With that said, what are the best life coaching certification programs? Let’s take a look. 

Best life coach certification programs in 2024

The programs I list below are some of the best coaching programs you can take. They are in no particular order. 

Disclaimer: I haven’t taken these life coach certification programs myself. I am recommending them because of their reputation in the coaching space and public reviews. 

1. Coach Training Alliance

If you’re looking for a coaching certification online, the Coach Training Alliance program is one of the best around. Their signature Certified Coach program is a comprehensive program with the perfect balance of coaching skills, business skills, and marketing skills to make you a successful life coach.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $3,897

Delivery: Online self-study, group mentoring, and interactive software.

Duration: Six months (22 weeks with holidays).

How to apply: Apply online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Small classes of max twelve participants
• Expert mentoring and coaching supervision 
• A balanced curriculum of coaching, marketing, and business

2. iPEC Coach Training Experience

The iPEC Coach Training program includes three certifications combined. You go through three stages of coaching mastery. You start with undergrad, learning the basics of coaching. In the next stage, you’ll learn energy leadership. The final stage makes you a master in COR.E Energy coaching. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $13,395, if paid in full. Installments are available.

Delivery: Mostly online self-study. There is a three-day masterclass you can take in person or live online. 

Duration: Between ten and twelve months to complete the course in full. Total of 320 training hours. 

How to apply: Apply online. High school diploma required.

Key features:

• Mentor coaching, success coaching, and peer mentoring included
• Flexible self-study learning with one mini-course live online or in-person
• Highly respected program with great reviews

3. Coach U Professional Coach Training Program 

If your focus is to become a master coach with sharp skills, this might be the program for you. Geared towards coaches of any level, this course focuses on fundamental coaching skills.

There are two phases to the training program – the Core Essentials and the Professional Essentials. You’ll learn everything from the ICF Core Coaching Competencies to building coaching packages. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $10,090

Delivery: Online via live zoom classes and self-study. 

Duration: 14 to 23 months depending on if you do the intensive track or self-paced track.

How to apply: Apply online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Detailed approach toward coaching skills
• Fast-track options available
• Highly recommended certification program among the coaching community 

4. Certified Life Coach Institute Coaching 101

So far, all of the programs we’ve talked about are long. Want to get a life coaching certification in three days? You can with the Certified Life Coach Institute. They condense the fundamentals of coaching into three intense full-day immersive online classes to boost your coaching skills. 

The drawback is you don’t get to practice your coaching skills as much or get the same amount of depth on the topics as you do with the long courses. But if you’re confident in your skills anyway and want to get an ICF-accredited certification quickly, this is the one for you.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $995 for the foundational certification. $1,295 for the advanced certification. $1,995 for both.

Delivery: Online live tuition.

Duration: Three full days.

How to apply: Online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Get a life certification in just three days
• Peer-to-peer coaching practice sessions
• Business planning tutorials
• Fully online so you can access it from anywhere in the world

5. Coach Training EDU Life Coach Training

Coach Training EDU is a great life coaching school if you want to specialize your coaching further into a profitable niche. You can take courses on basic coaching that can apply to any coaching niche. Or you can take the specialized routes for academic coaching, executive coaching, and wellness coaching. 

The fundamental courses are six months long and these will grant you an Associate Coaching Certification from the ICF. But if you want to be certified by the Health Board or Coach Training, you can take those routes too. You have complete flexibility on what coach you want to become.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: From $3,240 for a six-month course.

Delivery: Online self-study and live learning.

Duration: Depends on the course but minimum of six months.

How to apply: Online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Small classes of 12 to 14 participants
• Four foundational coaching certifications to choose from tailored to different niches
• The option to get a coaching certification from the health board if you are a health coach

6. Rhodes Wellness College Life Coach Program

This Canada-based college has an excellent life coaching program. Though it isn’t ICF-accredited, you do learn the ICF core competencies as well as other coaching philosophies to give you a well-rounded view of coaching as a practice. You also get professional counselor training with this diploma. That means you have an added level of depth to your skill set, something not many coaching certifications cover. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $4,750 for the course + $990 for textbooks, course notes, and application fees.

Delivery: Hybrid in-person and online.

Duration: Eight months (31 weeks).

How to apply: Online. Requires a personal statement and resume for admission.

Key features:

• Trains you in both personal coaching and group coaching
• Combination of in-person and online tuition
• Well reviewed by previous attendees

7. Life Coach School Certification

The Life Coach School has a slightly different approach to coaching than many of the other life coach schools we’ve talked about. Their approach centers on circumstances as a base – why your clients do what they do. They dive into childhood and past stories to help clients rewrite their future. 

The ICF approach, on the other hand, is more focused on the present. If the Life Coach School’s approach resonates with you, the Life Coach School certification could be the program for you. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $18,000 if paid in full. Payment plans available. 

Delivery: Online, self-paced.

Duration: Six to twelve months.

How to apply: Online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Fully self-paced course for total flexibility
• Includes 6 months of coaching for you
• Suitable for complete beginners to coaching

8. Life Coaching Institute of America Full ICF Pathway

The Life Coaching Institute of America has three ICF-accredited life coaching courses to choose from. The main difference between them? The length. There is a 10-hour approved mentor pathway, a 60-hour approved coach pathway, or the full 70-hour associate coach pathway. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $1,095 for 10-hour program. $2,190 for a 60-hour program. $2,985 for a 70-hour program.

Delivery: Online with half of the course taught live on Zoom, and half self-study.

Duration: Depends on the course and your rate of study. 

How to apply: Online. Prior education requirements depend on the course you choose.

Key features:

• Covers motivational interviewing in depth
• Teaches ICF core coaching competencies
• Good price for the comprehensive 70-hour program

9. Health Coach Institute Dual Health & Life Coaching Certificate

Highly reviewed in the wellness space, the Health Coach Institute’s certification is one of the best. Though it’s focused on wellness coaching, it covers a broad spectrum of topics that can apply to many niches. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $4,950 

Delivery: Online self-study.

Duration: Six months.

How to apply: Online. No prior qualifications required.

Key features:

• Highly celebrated program in the wellness coaching space
• Focuses on habit-changing methods as the key to a better life
• Private mentoring available for all students

10. Full Circle Global Diploma In Professional Coaching Practice

Full Circle Global is a British life coaching school that provides coaching education to students from around the world. It covers a wide range of topics, equipping you to work in life coaching, workplace coaching, and business coaching. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: ~$6,200

Delivery: Online. 

Duration: Twelve months.

How to apply: Online. No prior experience required.

Key features:

• 152 hours of ICF-accredited coaching training
• Supervised coaching practice with in-depth feedback sessions
• Other certifications available from career coaching to wellness coaching

11. College of Executive Coaching Intensive Executive and Life Coach Training

Executive coaching might sound specialized, but the skills you learn can apply to any coaching niche. If you like a results-driven coaching style, this is the program for you. You’ll learn a four-step coaching method to help your clients transform. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $9,290

Delivery: Online via Zoom for the six-day intensive course.

Duration: Six days.

How to apply: Online. No prior education required.

Key features:

• Module on coaching assessment tools which is rare for life coach certification programs
• Practice coaching with real-time feedback
• Top quality resources to support your learning

12. Integrative Wellness Academy Master Integrative Life Coaching Program

The Integrative Wellness Academy does a great life coach program. It covers five different areas of coaching to maximize your potential as a coach. The program length is up to six months. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $2,499

Delivery: Online self-study.

Duration: Up to six months.

How to apply: Online. No experience required. 

Key features:

• Education on how to build a coaching business
• Sections on niche practices such as energy work and trauma 
• Completely self-guided

13. Life Purpose Life Coach Certification (Accredited)

This Udemy course provides you with accreditation at an affordable price. The short life coaching course has just seven hours of recorded content and 19 downloadable resources. With rigorous self-study, you’ll learn all the key components of coaching.

ICF accredited: No

Price: $119 

Delivery: Online self-study. 

Duration: Seven hours of recorded content.

How to apply: No application needed. Instant access upon purchase. 

Key features:

• Thousands of five-star reviews
• No feedback sessions
• Lessons on how to build a profitable coaching business

14. Coaching Evolved Professional Coach and Transformational Embodiment Facilitator – Dual Certification

Coaching Evolved is a life coaching school aimed at teaching women to become profitable life coaches. The certification program runs a few times per year but has a comprehensive curriculum. Few other programs include alternative modalities like breathwork and gestalt therapy. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: Changes every year.

Delivery: Online with some mentored coaching practice and self-study resources.

Duration: Six months.

How to apply: Online. No experience required.

Key features:

• Includes supervised coaching practice
• Aimed at helping women become amazing life coaches
• Covers alternative modalities like breathwork 

15. Transformation Academy Goal Setting to Success: Life Coach Certification

This Udemy course is affordable and specialized for life coaches who want to sharpen their goal-setting skills. You’ll likely want to combine this with another certification. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $84.99 

Delivery: Online self-study.

Duration: Six hours.

How to apply: No application required. 

Key features:

• Focuses on goal setting as an excellent coaching tool
• Covers the basics of coaching
• Thousands of five-star reviews 

16. The Coaching & Positive Psychology Institute 

The CaPP Institute is known as a high-quality coaching school. Though the program isn’t ICF accredited, it does include mentoring by ICF coaches. Their approach focuses on positive psychology to fuel transformation. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $3,495

Delivery: Online.

Duration: Six months.

How to apply: Online.

Key features:

• Specializes in a research-based approach
• Highly commended in the coaching world
• Great all-round program from coaching fundamentals to business growth

17. The UW Certified Professional Coach Program

This University of Wisconsin program helps you become a master coach. It’s the only university in the Midwest that provides an ICF-accredited program.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $11,990

Delivery: Online.

Duration: Ten months.

How to apply: Online.

Key features:

• Includes formal mentoring by an ICF coach
• The university has an excellent reputation
• Only one cohort per year

18. Texas State University Certified Professional Life Coach Program

If you want a university certification, this Texas State University program is affordable and comprehensive. 

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $1,895

Delivery: Online.

Duration: Six months.

How to apply: Online.

Key features:

• One of the few university programs that are ICF accredited
• 100% online for flexibility
• Affordable price for the curriculum

19. Rider University Life and Career Coaching Certificate

Life coaches wanting to specialize in career coaching will love this course. The program is comprehensive touching on life transitions, relationships, and workplace advice. 

ICF accredited: No

Price: $5,490 for online tuition

Delivery: Can be hybrid or 100% online.

Duration: Under two years.

How to apply: Online.

Key features:

• Covers many coaching topics
• Respected University with good reviews
• Ability to take online or hybrid

20. University of Miami Certified Professional Coach Certificate

If you want to get your coaching certification with an in-person program, this is the perfect choice. The University of Miami has a comprehensive course that covers all bases.

ICF accredited: No

Price: $7,495

Delivery: In-person with self-study online resources.

Duration: Ten months.

How to apply: Online. 

Key features:

• Practical course that focuses on actionable steps
• In-person tuition
• Well-respected coaching course 

21. USC Coaching Program

USC is one of the best universities in the country. So it makes sense that their life coaching program is one of the best too. You’ll learn everything you need to become an expert coach. If you want a life coach certification program in California, look no further.

ICF accredited: Yes

Price: $3,800

Delivery: Online with three in-person sessions.

Duration: Six months.

How to apply: Online. Two cohorts per year.

Key features:

• Covers how to build a coaching business
• Tuition by the best coaches in the world
• Support with coaching practice

How to choose your life coach certification

So those are certifications. How do you choose the right program for you? Here’s how to evaluate a program. 

Reputation 

In the certifications I listed, you probably saw the words “ICF” come up a lot. ICF stands for the International Coach Federation, the most respected body in the coaching world. 

So you can typically trust that ICF-accredited coaching programs are vetted. 

But because coaching is an unregulated industry, ICF-accredited programs aren’t the only coaching programs of value on the market. It depends on what you’re looking for. 

Some shorter online programs will give you the boost you need to strengthen your coaching skills. Or you might like a specific coach’s process and take their course instead. 

Taking an ICF-accredited program can give you a little more credibility, as your course has the seal of approval of the world’s authority on coaching. 

But it’s important to do your research and choose the programs that work best for your needs.

Duration

Want to get qualified as a life coach fast? Or do you want a course that is detailed and drawn out over several months? Maybe you want a course you can take on the side of your full-time job?

Think about how much time you have to devote to becoming a life coach. If you want to get your life coaching business started sooner rather than later, choose a shorter course or masterclass. 

But be warned. 

Shorter courses don’t usually include any coaching experience. That is, you won’t get to practice with real clients or get mentorship from the tutors. 

If the course content of a shorter course is giving you all you need, go for it! A great program is not just about the length.

Course content

Look at the contents of the course and ask yourself: 

• What type of coaching process will the program teach me?
  There are many different coaching philosophies like CORE, goal-oriented coaching, holistic coaching, and so on. If you know the style of coaching you want to do, find the program that will make you a master of it.
• What skills do I want to learn?
  Some programs focus heavily on goal setting. Others focus more on motivation techniques. If you want to strengthen a specific skill in your coaching practice, there’s a program out there that will teach you everything you need to know. On the other hand, there are programs that are great all-rounders for coaches of all levels. 
• Who are the tutors?
  Have you heard of them or are they well-respected in the field? Some programs have mentorship included to support you in your journey to becoming a life coach. 

Program cost

The first thing is to rule out free certification programs. They’re typically not worth the time you spend on them. 

The price you pay for your certification depends. Are you getting a certification because it’s compulsory in your niche? Then, that certification likely needs to meet certain criteria. 

And remember, you can always get your coaching business started without a certification and take a course later down the line. 

In fact, I created my own program (a self-study course, not a certification program), Employee to Entrepreneur, to help people in their 9-5 quit their jobs and start an online coaching business. To date, 1000s of people have gone through the program.

Here are just a few of the results my students have gotten… 

And if you want to know how to get those first-paying clients, check out this video: 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about life coach certification programs

Is it worth getting a life coach certification?

Depends on your goals! You don’t need a life coach certification to become a great life coach. What you need is a proven way of helping people achieve their life goals. But a certification is necessary for some niches, especially in the health coaching space. 

How long does it take to get certified as a life coach?

It depends on the course! Some life coach certification programs are as long as 18 months. Some are as short as a few hours. The average length of an in-person life coach certification program is six months. For online programs? About 10 hours. 

How much does it cost to get an ICF certification?

The cost of an ICF program highly depends. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is one of the most prominent coaching organizations in the world. They accredit a lot of high-quality life coach certification programs. The average cost for in-person programs is $6,000. The average cost for online programs is $2,000.

Over to you! 

Now you know the best life coach certification programs out there. 

Remember that to become a great coach, you need experience and a process to help your clients get to the next level. Choose the program that will help you strengthen both of these skills. 

I’d love to hear from you:

Which certification program are you looking to take and why?

Let me know in the comments below!

Learn more:

How to Become a Life Coach

The Best Life Coaching Schools

The Best Life Coach Online Courses

The post 2024’s Best Life Coach Certification Programs for New Coaches appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’re in the right place to learn how to keep your business safe.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• Who can coach
• If coaches need licenses
• How you should register your business
• And so much more

Want to learn more? Read on!

We’ll cover:

What qualifications you need as a life coach

Top legal requirements for life coaches 

How to avoid legal issues 

(Note! I researched what my friend Lisa Fraley has to say about this topic to create this blog post. Lisa is a legal coach for coaches and other online entrepreneurs.

However, this article doesn’t constitute legal advice, so always seek help from a legal professional to understand your specific case.)

Do you need a degree as a life coach?

Life coaching is about supporting and guiding clients to achieve their goals in life. It’s comparable to mentoring – but paid and with clear duties and expectations on both sides. 

So what’s needed to become a life coach? 

As life coaching is a broad term, it includes various coaching niches including career, health, mindset coaching, and more. 

Life coach requirements can be niche-specific. Here’s an overview. 

What qualifications do you need as a life coach? 

Most life coaches don’t need any specific qualifications. There are a few exceptions in the health and mental health niches, but as a general rule, you don’t need certifications or degrees. Coaching is an unregulated industry in the US. 

Can you call yourself a life coach without a certification? 

Yes, you can become a life coach without a certification because most niches are unregulated. The life coaching certification industry is unregulated, too, so by getting one, you won’t get any officially recognized qualifications. 

But should you start coaching without a life coach certification? It’s up to you. Personally, I don’t consider certifications a necessity. 

(Except for, again, in the niches where they are required – always research your niche thoroughly before starting your coaching business.) 

You gain the same experience by starting to coach. And to get your first clients as an inexperienced coach, you can lower your rates. 

Once you have worked with a few people and improved your coaching skills, you’ll then raise your rates.

Your first few clients get to work with you for less than they normally would. So it’s a win-win situation for all. 

That said, if you DO want to become a certified life coach, get accredited coach training from legitimate credentialing bodies like the International Coaching Federation or a well-known university. These types of organizations deliver coach-specific training that is widely recognized and the programs hold a high standard. 

And how do you find the best accredited coach training? Here’s a list of the top life coaching certifications in different niches. 

Therapy vs coaching

Therapy and coaching often get compared with each other. But hey are in no way the same thing.

Therapists are mental health professionals who: 

• Are required to get the right education to practice
• Work with specific methodologies and make diagnoses

That’s not what coaching is about, at all. Unless you’re a medical professional, you wouldn’t diagnose people. Instead, coaching is about offering a support system to help people achieve their goals. 

For instance, some getting sober would go to a therapist to get diagnosed and get help with their underlying mental health issues. A recovery coach, on the other hand, might draw from their own experience and support their client in building new habits or keeping accountable. 

Now that you know what qualifications you need as a coach, let’s take a look at the legal requirements for life coaching. 

What are the legal requirements for life coaches?

Here, we’ll look at the most important life coach requirements, from registering your business to contracts and licenses. 

With that, let’s jump right in.

Business registration 

Do you need to register your business? 

That depends on your location and business structure. 

In most cases, small business owners simply register their business name with state and local governments. 

And if you conduct business in your own legal name (something I recommend for non-legal reasons to make your business as straightforward as possible), you won’t need to register at all in some cases. 

However, registering your business comes with legal and taxation benefits. For more information on registration (and your specific life coach requirements), take a look at this guide by the SBA. 

You can also check Lisa’s services on forming LLCs, S-corps, and C-corps. Plus, she offers a package on registration and taxation for new businesses.  

Overall, though, you have two options. You can either offer searches as a sole proprietor.

This business structure means that you’re liable for all legal aspects of your business. You can still register your business, but it’s overall a simpler business to start. 

The other option is to register a legal business entity as an LLC (limited liability company). This structure means that your business is separate from you and protects you from personal liability, but it’s also more complicated and costly to start. 

Legal disclaimers and terms and conditions 

Disclaimers and terms and conditions help you lay down the ground rules for people who are: 

• Visiting your coaching website
• Engaging with your business
• Buying from you

Also, a privacy policy will be helpful to tell website visitors how you use their data. 

The easiest way to create your own ToC, disclaimer, and terms and conditions is to buy drag-and-drop templates from a legal coach like Lisa Fraley (she offers a package with all of these agreements) or from a service like LegalZoom.

Life coach license 

Does a life coach need a business license? 

No, life coaches don’t need a license. You would need one to offer therapy or counseling, but not coaching. 

However, always check the specific regulations for your niche, as there might be rules that apply to the services you offer For instance, if you offer nutrition coaching, you need to be aware of the requirements for nutritionists in your state. 

Life coach contract

You will need a coaching contract to offer your services.

While a contract isn’t mandatory, it helps you establish the rules for your coaching relationship with prospective clients. I absolutely recommend that you create one before you take on your first coaching client. 

Both sides know exactly what to expect from the services, what’s included, and what your and the client’s boundaries are. 

Your coaching agreement should at least include a description of your services. You’ll specify:

• The number/duration of coaching sessions 
• What coaching sessions cover
• Your rate 
• The length of your coaching relationship 
• Termination and cancellation policies 

Again, Lisa has some excellent packages to help you get started. This legal package includes a contract template. 

Refunds 

Refunds are pretty rare if you offer quality services/products and you’re clear and transparent in your sales/marketing.

But they do happen – for any business. 

Most coaching businesses get at least a few refunds for every hundred coaching clients. 

To protect yourself against unjustified refunds, make sure your contract includes a clause on when you offer refunds and you don’t. 

So if someone requests a refund but is in clear violation of your contract, you can hold them to the contract. 

Here’s more on refunds: 

Trademarks

Trademarks serve a few purposes. They give you the exclusive right to use your words or logo in a Trademark class for 10 years. Intellectual property rights are also business assets that can increase the value of your company. 

The first step to trademarking is to do a search to ensure the words or image you want to trademark are available. The next step is to file for a trademark application. You’ll likely need to work with a lawyer for both steps. 

The benefits are that you preserve the uniqueness of your brand. However, I personally don’t use trademarks in my business…simply because the distinctiveness of a brand is so much more than words/your logo. 

Instead of using time and energy on trademarking, focus on building a strong brand. 

Copyright 

When you create any original work (images, text, photos, videos…), you get copyright rights for that work. On the flip side, you also need to respect other people’s copyright. 

Say, if you want to use someone else’s photo on social media, you need to get their permission either directly or through a license. For instance, you’re free to use images from photo sharing websites like Pexels.com. 

But copying an image from Google and using it in your content is typically not ok (unless that specific photo has a license or similar). 

Legal templates for coaches 

We’ve talked about the most common legal requirements for life coaching. But how do you find all the legal documents you need for your business?

Again, I recommend my friend Lisa Fraley. Check out her legal templates library, including: 

• Starter kits for personal coaching, group programs, online courses, masterminds, and medical practices (includes agreements and website terms) 
• Disclaimers and waivers for websites, social media, videos, books, events, testimonial releases, and more 
• Agreements and consent forms for personal coaching, group programs, online courses, individual life coaching sessions, and more 
• Business registration and collections checklist and letter
• Sales terms, information on corporate entities, trademarks, cease and desist letters, contracts for team members, and so much more 

Next, let’s take a look at how to preventatively avoid legal issues in your coaching business. 

Avoid legal issues

How do you protect yourself from claims about your services? 

Insurance is a good way to cover yourself. 

The most common type of insurance for life coaches is professional liability insurance. This insurance covers you for the information and advice you give to clients, including omissions and errors. 

These activities must be directly related to practicing your profession, so long as you don’t violate any laws and you’re in your scope of practice. 

You can also get: 

• General liability insurance to protect yourself from claims against physical harm like personal injury 
• Cyber liability insurance to protect yourself against data leaks of private client information
• Workers’ compensation insurance to cover employee payments 
• Commercial property and auto insurance for offices and cars

But do life coaches need insurance? 

There’s no legal requirement (unless you’re practicing as a licensed professional). So it’s really up to you and whether insurance will give you that peace of mind. 

Ultimately, a contract is the best place to start to protect yourself from client claims. 

Over to you!

There you have it. Those are the legal requirements for life coaching. 

Starting a business takes a bit of research, but thousands of people do it every day – and so can you. 

What’s your top motivation for becoming a life coach? 

Let me know in the comments below!

(Disclaimer: This article is not meant as legal guidance or advice. Consult a legal expert for tailored legal information that applies to your specific situation.) 

Learn more:

How to Start a Life Coaching Business 

How to Market Your Life Coaching Business

The 16 Best Life Coach Online Courses

The post Legal Requirements for Life Coaching: 2024’s Definitive Guide appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Today, you’ll learn what the average life coach salary is and how to increase your rates as a life coach. I’ve helped 1000s of people price their coaching offers – here are the top strategies. 

Want to learn more? Read on!

What we’ll cover: 

What is life coaching? 

Is there demand for life coaches? 

How much can you charge?

How should you price your first package? 

How do you increase your rates? 

How do you become a life coach? 

What is life coaching?

Life coaches support people to achieve their goals and dreams. You offer your expertise and experience to help your clients succeed. 

“Life coaching” is pretty broad. You need to specify HOW you help clients to earn a higher salary. (Few people will pay premium prices for a generic offer.)

For example, if you have a system for becoming a charismatic public speaker, that’s something you can coach people on. 

The same applies to you whether you’re a career, mindset, or health coach. There are plenty of other coaching niches, too. 

Ultimately, a business is all about providing you with as much freedom and flexibility as possible. That’s what we do here – we build YOUR Freedom Business. 

Is there demand for life coaches?

Yes, there is demand for life coaches. After all, the coaching industry is a multi-billion dollar industry – and it’s growing fast. 

According to IBIS World, there are 22,758 life coaches in the US. The life coaching market is a $1.4 billion market ad it’s growing by 3.2% year over year.

That said, there isn’t massive demand for life coaches. That’s because life coaching is too broad. 

Instead, there is demand for coaches who help people with things like earning more money, getting healthier, becoming more confident, and building healthy relationships.

That’s what you need to do, too. So before you move on to explore the next sections, ask yourself if you have a clear niche. I talk more about it here:

If you don’t, take a step back and look at what your offer is. 

Then move on to figuring out your pricing. 

How much can you charge as a life coach?

What’s a realistic income as a life coach? 

The national average salary is $67,800/year. Now, that’s the average. Many life coaches make significantly more than that.

And according to ZipRecruiter, these are the typical life coach salaries in each state in the US: 

But this is based on salaries for employed life coaches. While you can work for one company as a life coach, most aspiring life coaches typically work as self-employed business owners.  

You see, business owners have much more room to grow their income than those who’re in full-time jobs.

The truth is that there’s no “cap” on how much you can earn. Your income depends on factors like how many potential clients you fill your pipeline with every month and what type of niche you serve. 

Many of my students have gone on to grow their businesses to six to multiple six figures – or more. 

For example, Ruby is a relationship coach who worked her way from being a matchmaker at companies like eHarmony to building a dating coaching business. 

And Anna went from building a career as an executive to starting her own career coaching company for high-achieving women. 

Both of them grew their businesses to six figures and more…and you can, too. With the right pricing model. 

That’s what we’ll look at next. 

Per hour 

How much do life coaches make per hour? 

Life coaches make $100-$150 per hour on average. 

That said, this isn’t the pricing model I recommend for you. 

Hourly pricing diminishes your value because your clients see it based on the hours you put in – not the results you help them get. 

What’s more, it’s much harder to sell 100 life coach hours (and earn $10,000) than to sell four coaching packages at $2,500 each (and earn the same $10,000). 

If you sell hourly coaching or per session, you won’t be able to truly show your worth, the transformation you help your clients go through. 

So we can scrap hourly pricing…but what about a monthly retainer? 

Per month

The next option is to price by month. 

Every month, your client pays you…until they decide to stop working with you.

This isn’t a great pricing model for new coaches, and I’ll tell you why.

First, your value is again skewed towards the work you put in – not your results. And valuing your services in this way won’t be very helpful to your clients. After all, they want results, and how much time you use each month is irrelevant. 

Especially as you get more experienced, you won’t spend a ton of time on each client – but the value you bring will grow exponentially. 

Another reason I’m not a fan of retainer pricing is that there’s no goal. What’s the ultimate goal of your services? This type of goal setting is much easier with a package. 

So, no, retainer pricing isn’t the way to go. 

Instead, consider pricing per package. 

Per coaching package 

The highest-paid life coaches use package pricing.

I’m a big fan of this pricing model for a few reasons. Pricing per package is: 

• Based on results
• Scalable 
• Sets clear goals 

And this is the pricing model that will help you build a sustainable company.

You see, if you offer a three-month package and you set up a plan for how your clients can achieve their goal within that time frame, the time you put in or the number of calls you have become irrelevant. 

That said, the goal you offer must be realistic within that time frame. You might not be able to help them achieve their ultimate goal (“lose 40 lbs”), but a sub-goal (“lose 10 lbs”). 

Once your client is at the end of your first package, they can decide to sign on for more to achieve their ultimate goal. 

Next, we’ll look at how to set your rates. 

How should you price your first package?

The way I went about pricing my first package was to look at my salary at the time. (I was building my business while working a full-time job.)

I calculated how much I was doing at my job and figured out that my hourly rate should be $50. With this hourly rate in mind, I priced my first package, a five-month package, at $5,000. 

The problem was that I had built a lot of trust before my first client decided to sign up to work with me. We’re talking two weeks of free, personal advice. 

I just couldn’t sustain that level of free support if I wanted to take on new clients.

One potential client after the other said the same thing: 

“You’re too expensive.”

I realized I had to build more trust up front by working with more clients and getting testimonials.

That’s why I chose to lower my rates for the next few people. 

With this “penetration pricing strategy,” it was easier for people to say “yes” to working with me without testimonials and proof. 

I priced my new package at $1,500. I also shortened it to three months to make it a lesser commitment. 

As a result, people started to say “yes.” After I had worked with a few clients and had testimonials to share, I increased my rates…and didn’t look back. 

This all goes to show that penetration pricing is a great way to get your first few clients.

The price/package I recommend? 

$1,500 for a three-month package. 

But once you have a few clients and testimonials, how do you increase your rates?

Here’s what you need to know. 

How do you increase your rates as a life coach?

The best way to raise your rates is to do it in stages. Here’s what you need to know. 

Replace your salary 

The first stage is what I call “Necessity pricing.” This stage is all about charging enough to replace your current salary – so that you can make your business your full-time job. 

The question you’ll answer here is: 

How much do you need to charge to double your income for the next three months with ten clients? 

Why double? Because you need to account for business expenses and taxes. And calculating 2x your income is a good benchmark for accounting for those costs. 

And ten clients because that’s about the most private clients most coaches can work with at the same time. 

If that price is $1,500, you’re all set, and you can continue selling your services at their current price point. 

But if it’s more, then you have the testimonials to prove how effective your coaching is. 

What happens when you’ve replaced your salary, though? 

That’s when you get to choose your rate. 

Choose your rate 

You get to freely choose your rates when you’ve…

• Worked with plenty of clients
• Have an established brand
• Have a plethora of testimonials, and
• You get consistent sales inquiries.

Sounds great – but it’ll take you YEARS to get to that point, right?

No, it really doesn’t have to. Many of my clients reach this point after a few months, or after they’ve worked with their first ten clients. 

Either way, at this point you can raise your rates if you feel that the value you offer exceeds the value your clients are getting. 

What you price at this point really comes down to your services, competition, and industry. Many coaches go on to charge five figures for their coaching packages. 

Group coaching 

The last stage in your pricing strategy is group programs.

You see, at about ten clients, you’re probably maxing yourself out as a coach. You can raise your rates, yes, but there is some limit as to how much clients are willing to pay. And you can only make as much as you’re charging ten clients at any one time.

That’s where group programs come in. 

With group programs, you scale your coaching. 

Meaning that you take on more clients, help more people, and increase your income.

Group programs are a great deal for clients, too. They get to work with you for less than what you charge private clients, and at the same time, they’ll learn from the other group members.

If your private coaching takes you to six or multiple six figures, group programs can help you reach the higher end of multiple six figures or even seven figures. 

In terms of pricing, group programs typically cost between $1,500 to $5,000, depending on if you’re a new coach or more experienced. 

How do you become a life coach?

We’ve covered so much. But there’s something we haven’t talked about yet: 

The best way to start your own business.

And that’s what we’ll talk about here below. 

What qualifications do you need to be a life coach? 

First, we need to establish who can become a coach. 

And as we’ve established, there are plenty of life coaching niches. The qualifications you need depend on your niche. 

For instance, some niches in the health and mental health space require certifications.

But most coaching niches don’t require any qualifications. 

That’s because coaching isn’t therapy. 

Therapists are mental health experts who give diagnoses. Not just anyone can call themselves a therapist – they need to have the right education to do so.

Coaching is about guidance and supporting your client to reach their goals. You wouldn’t diagnose them with a health problem. But you’d guide them in achieving the thing they set out to do.

That’s why you don’t need a certification (other than in the few niches where one is required). 

Certifications are an unregulated industry, and you’ll frankly gain experience much faster when working with clients. Plus, the lower rate you set in the beginning is all about helping you enter coaching. Your clients get to work with you at a lower rate – win-win! 

If you do decide to go for a certification, go for a credible program, like the International Coaching Federation. Many reputable universities also offer coaching programs. 

What type of package should you offer? 

We’ve talked a lot about pricing.

But what’s the offer you sell? 

I dive into this much more in my guide on coaching packages. 

The most important thing is your offer.

The transformation your clients go through. 

That’s what your clients will ultimately pay for.

Unless you have a clear niche, you won’t get paid premium rates. 

So first get specific on your life coaching niche. 

To get clarity, answer this prompt: 

“I help __ achieve ___ , so that __.”

For example:

“I help new parents sleep train their baby so that they get to sleep full nights and be fully present parents for their children.” 

“I help managers become extraordinary leaders so that they get ahead in their careers, earn more, and feel fulfilled.” 

You decide what your package looks like. But the most common model is to meet with clients on…

• Weekly
• Biweekly or 
• Monthly calls. 

In between sessions, you support them through email, text, or online groups. 

Remember: It’s not about the time you put in but the results your clients get. 

For more, check out my video on creating coaching packages:

How do you start your life coaching business?

Once you have your package and your price figured out (including your niche!), it’s time to take the leap and actually get started selling coaching.

How? 

Your first task is to find your first paying client.

There are plenty of ways you can make this happen. 

The first time I sold coaching, I was offering career coaching. I asked a few coworkers, who had asked me for career advice before if they were interested. A few said yes, and that’s how I got my first clients.

When I started my next business in digital advertising, I went to Facebook groups (at the time, Facebook groups were relatively new) and landed my first clients. 

Other strategies/platforms my clients have used to land their first paying clients:

• Reddit
• LinkedIn 
• Asking their network  
• Instagram 
• Industry events

…And so much more. I talk more about getting clients in this guide. And in this short video:

Yes, there are more things that go into starting a company and self-employment. Take a look at this guide on starting a life coaching business where I talk about all the important stuff – your niche, your contracts, business structure, and so much more – to start coaching today.

Over to you!

Now you know what the typical life coach salary is. You also know how to increase your rates and build your own coaching business from the get-go – strategies that the most successful coaches are using to grow their businesses.

However, building a successful and sustainable coaching business isn’t just about pricing.

Want to learn the best strategy to build your business?

Get my free blueprint that shows the exact steps you need to take!

Learn more:

The Legal Requirements for Life Coaches

Life Coaching Marketing Guide

The Best Life Coach Certifications

The post Life Coach Salary: How Much Do Life Coaches Make? [2024] appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

You’re in the right place! Today, you’ll learn how to market yourself as a coach. 

Want to learn more? Read on!

Steps to market your life coaching business 

1. Find your niche

2. Use the Taster Technique

3. Use social media (in the right way)

4. Pitch guest posts

5. Build a brand

6. Network

7. Pitch podcasts

8. Leverage testimonials 

9. Ask for referrals

10. Grow your Instagram following

11. Build a TikTok brand 

12. Build an audience on LinkedIn

13. Create a website

14. Use paid ads

15. Use email marketing

16. Build a blog

17. Use affiliate marketing

18. Market on YouTube

19. Get found on Pinterest

How do you market your life coaching services? 

People often ask me, “Luisa, how were you able to grow your first coaching business to seven figures in one year?” 

I focused on one strategy. In my case, that strategy was Facebook. This was a few years ago when Facebook was “the” social media, so for you, it could be something else. 

The point is: Use this list to choose one or two marketing strategies. They ALL work but taking one step at a time is key to standing out in an increasingly crowded market.

(Life coaching is growing fast – the industry grew by 33% in just the last few years.) 

Every life coaching marketing strategy on this list is marked with “beginner” or “advanced.”

Use the beginner strategies if you don’t have any clients and the advanced strategies if you have more than two to three coaching clients in your business. 

And if you want my take on which strategy works best for YOU, take a look at this video: 

Now, let’s dive into the life coach marketing plan. 

1. Find your niche

*Beginner strategy*

The first step as a life coach is to figure out one thing: 

Your target audience. 

You see, few people will buy high-ticket “life coaching.” 

Life coaching is just not specific enough. Instead, you need to decide on who your target audience is and what you offer them (your niche). 

For example: 

Target audience = New moms

Offer = Health coaching

Your niche is health coaching for new moms.

Or:

Target audience = Junior attorneys

Offer = Career coaching 

Your niche is career coaching for junior attorneys. 

For more on finding your life coaching niche, take a look at this short guide: 

2. Use the “Taster Technique”

*Beginner strategy*

The “Taster Technique” is a term I coined a few years ago. 

You see, when I first started my coaching business, no one knew who I was. So I had to build trust before anyone would be willing to invest money in working with me. 

After a number of people telling me I was “too expensive,” I figured out a way to show the value of my services faster as a new coach. 

I started offering free coaching calls. 

So a free consultation that was about 15 to 20 minutes long. (A “taster” of your services.)

At the end of the call, I’d ask if they wanted to speak more about working together. 

Free coaching shows the value of your services much faster than if you build that relationship through social media, email, or any other channel. And that’s why it works so well. 

But how do you even offer your free coaching calls? 

Let your network and social channels know about them. For example, here’s how one of my coaching clients offered her free sessions in a social media group: 

3. Use social media…in the right way!

*Beginner strategy*

What’s the secret to an effective social media strategy? 

Social media marketing works. But there’s one thing you need to master…

Leading with value.

You see, if you go on these platforms with just selling on your mind, people won’t listen. But if you, instead, make it your priority to share value and build relationships – that’s when people start noticing you. 

Back when I built my first online business, a digital advertising consulting business, I got my first coaching clients in a Facebook group. But I didn’t initially aim to “sell.” Instead, I wanted to connect with people and understand their needs so that I could develop my business. 

I answered people’s questions. I shared my own posts. And slowly, but surely, people started noticing me…and that’s how I got my first client and, ultimately, learned to leverage social media. 

Note! “Value” doesn’t mean dry posts full of facts and figures. People connect best when you share stories, tell fun facts, and, in general, entertain them. 

This advice applies to any platform. My audience was in Facebook groups at the time, so that’s where I went. But you can build your social media presence on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn…look first and foremost where your audience is. 

4. Get featured on top blogs

*Beginner strategy*

The next life coach marketing strategy is to write guest posts.

You see, there are plenty of websites out there with existing audiences. As a new life coach, getting in front of potential clients is key and you can do it by getting media exposure. 

Guest posts build trust, too. 

For example, a blog post I wrote for the website GrowthLab was (and continues to be) hugely popular: 

To find these opportunities, look at blogs in your niche. 

Which ones regularly feature guest writers? 

Then, reach out with a benefits-driven message:

“Hi NAME OF EDITOR,

My name is (your name) and I am (include something relevant about yourself). 

I’d love to submit a guest post to (name of publication). I researched topics that would do great on your site:

• Topic suggestion 1
• Topic suggestion 2
• Topic suggestion 3

I’ve previously written guest posts for (include a few sites if you’ve previously written guest posts): 

• Link to example 1
• Link to example 2
• Link to example 3

Let me know if these look interesting to (name of publication)? 

Best,

YOUR NAME”

5. Create a stand out brand

*Beginner strategy*

Just like your niche, a clear brand identity helps you stand out in the crowded coaching industry.

So that people decide to work with YOU versus all the other coaching businesses out there. 

There are five questions to answer to build a remarkable brand: 

• How are you different?
• How is your “secret sauce” different?
• How are your values and beliefs different? 
• How is your audience different? 
• How is your product different? 

In this video, I talk more about branding your life coaching business: 

6. Tap your network

*Beginner strategy*

One of the easiest ways to market your business is to your network.

That’s how I got my first few clients when I started my first coaching business, a career coaching business.

I reached out to a few coworkers who had previously asked for my career advice. A couple of them said yes to working with me, and that’s how I got started. 

And my students Anna and Emily, both of them career coaches, posted short messages on LinkedIn, letting their networks know about their newly founded businesses.

You can use a message like this one to let your network know about your new business: 

“Hey NAME,

I’m starting a new business that helps people with___.

If you know someone who would be interested in this, please let me know.

I’m happy to offer them a free coaching call so that they can get to know me and start getting some great results. If they’re interested, I’ll share more about how I can help them further, but if not, they’ll still get great value out of the free session.”

7. Get featured on podcasts

*Beginner strategy*

Podcasts are another way to reach other people’s audiences. And a great way to get high-quality leads. 

Think about it: If you reach your prospective clients on podcasts, you build trust very fast. 

To find relevant podcasts, search for these search phrases on Google: 

“Podcast” + “keyword”

“Top podcasts (year)” + “keyword”

Then, use this script to reach out to the podcast host:

“Hi NAME OF PODCASTER,

My name is (your name) and I am (include something relevant about yourself so the podcaster understands why YOU are the right person to feature on their show). 

I’d love to set up an interview for (name of the podcast). Here are a few topics that I think your audience would love:

• Podcast topic suggestion 1
• Podcast topic suggestion 2
• Podcast topic suggestion 3

Let me know if these would be interesting to (name of the podcast) listeners? 

Best,

YOUR NAME”

I’ve personally been featured on plenty of podcasts, such as Hello Seven: 

8. Leverage your testimonials

*Beginner strategy*

Once you’ve worked with a few clients, you can ask for testimonials from past clients. 

You see, social proof can make all the difference for your coaching business. 

In the beginning, you’ll have a harder time getting prospective clients to trust you because you haven’t earned your stripes yet. 

But once you’ve had a few happy clients, other potential customers see the value you can bring. And so they’re more likely to say yes. 

In fact, 49% of people trust online testimonials as much as personal recommendations. 

I reveal how to ask for testimonials here: 

9. Ask for referrals

*Beginner strategy*

You might even notice that some people you’ve worked with start referring clients to you.

But that’s not always the case – people don’t always realize they can refer you to others. Instead of waiting for them to do it, reach out and ask for referrals. 

You can send them a simple email like this:

“Hey! I’m thrilled I was able to help you__. Would you happen to know anyone else who’s looking for my services? I’d be grateful if you would share my information with them.”

I’m happy to offer them a free coaching call so that they can get to know me and start getting some great results. If they’re interested, I’ll share more about how I can help them further, but if not, they’ll still get great value out of the free session.”

Offer them a referral commission as thanks for their effort (10% of your rate is fair). 

10. Grow your Instagram following

*Beginner strategy*

Are your target clients on Instagram? 

54% of Instagram users have made a purchase after having seen a product or service on the platform. I’ve personally used it to sell my own four and five-figure offers. 

But you need to stand out on the platform and build engagement. (Instagram isn’t about the number of followers…but rather, how engaged they are.)

Create quick and impactful content that helps people make a reframe. (What I call QI content.) 

That could be a quote, five steps, helpful tips, a recipe, a formula…you get the drill. 

Especially if you use video, you’ll create a ton of engagement. 

For more, check out this video where I share my best Instagram marketing tips: 

11. Build a TikTok brand

*Beginner strategy*

I personally don’t use TikTok to market my business. 

That’s because I walk my talk and focus on a few core platforms instead of trying to master them all.

But if your audience is on TikTok, it’s a great social media marketing strategy for coaches. 

There are 1+ billion TikTok users and they love discovering new things (like your coaching program).

TikTok is a snappy social media platform where you share creative and fun content. Your content can be pretty similar to the content you’d post on Instagram with quick reframes. 

Here’s a good 101 on TikTok marketing. 

12. Build an audience on LinkedIn

*Beginner strategy*

Use LinkedIn to reach a professional audience. For instance, my student Emily, a career coach, used LinkedIn to attract more clients. 

It’s a platform that works well whether you’re just looking for your first clients or if you’re looking for your next few clients and are regularly posting on the platform.  

LinkedIn can be a good fit for: 

• Career coaches
• Mindset coaches 
• Executive coaches 
• Health coaches 
• Financial coaches 

Optimize your profile for LinkedIn’s search function by using relevant keywords. Then, get out there and start connecting with other users and sharing your content. 

This guide shows you how to use LinkedIn. 

13. Create an appealing website

*Advanced strategy*

Unconventional advice: You DON’T need a life coaching website as a new coach.

Before you have any clients, building a website is a waste of time. After all, your time could be spent finding those first clients – and they’re not going to come from your website. 

So wait until you have a few clients in your business. I personally built my website when I had made five figures. And honestly, my website wasn’t the prettiest thing when I eventually did create it…

If people asked to see my website before I had one, I simply sent them a link to my LinkedIn profile.

But if you want to build your website right away, build a simple one-page site with a website builder like WordPress. 

14. Use paid advertising (without throwing away money)

*Advanced strategy*

Next up: Digital advertising. 

This life coach marketing strategy is all about reaching coaching clients at scale. 

But…paid advertising can be a great way to spend money if you don’t know what you’re doing. So if you’re new to coaching, stop wasting money and get started with one of the beginner strategies.

Once you have a few clients, you can turn to advertising. 

Paid advertising was one of the reasons I was able to grow my business to seven figures in a year. So, yes, you can have a lot of ideal clients find your website faster with ads. 

Here, I outline when and how this is a good strategy for you to use: 

And if you want to learn the details of getting life coaching clients with ads, take a look at my Facebook ads marketing guide here. 

15. 10X your email marketing

*Advanced strategy*

Email marketing is THE reason I’ve been able to consistently grow my business with dream clients and seven figure sales. 

Yes, email works. In fact, email can have a 4,200% return on investment! 

Email helps you develop relationships and nurture them at scale. I have thousands of people on my email list and thanks to email, I can build relationships with them. 

That said, it takes time to build your email list. So I don’t recommend that you use this as your first strategy. 

But once you’re ready to build your list, take a look at my tutorial here: 

16. Attract clients from Google

*Advanced strategy*

Organic traffic is THE best way to get clients consistently. 

It’s what’s known as “inbound marketing” – attracting clients to your business versus actively seeking them. 

The best way to build your traffic is to build a blog and optimize it for search engines (like Google). 

Because the traffic is “organic,” you don’t pay for it (like you do when you promote with ads), and so this traffic is much more profitable.

In this short video, I share my top SEO tips for life coaches: 

17. Use affiliate marketing

*Advanced strategy*

One of the more unused marketing ideas for life coaches? 

Affiliate marketing – AKA someone else promotes your life coach business and you pay a commission to them every time they make a sale. The commission depends on your services, but typically for a service business, 10% is a pretty good commission. 

Obviously, affiliate marketing has a lot of perks for you as you make “passive” sales. However, it does require that: 

a) You have an appealing coaching program

b) You find trustworthy affiliates (you don’t want just anyone promoting your business).

18. Build a YouTube channel

*Advanced strategy*

I don’t spread myself thin with my marketing efforts. But YouTube is one of those strategies I use to grow my business and reach prospective clients. And I’ve quickly grown it to a multiple six-figure income channel. 

Why is YouTube an “advanced” strategy, though? 

Because it honestly takes longer time to master than other social media channels. You need the right gear to create, edit, and light your videos. And you need to figure out HOW to create your videos. 

But once you have those things, YouTube works really well. 

Want to learn how to use YouTube? Here’s my guide. 

19. Get found on Pinterest

*Advanced strategy*

Are your potential clients on Pinterest? 

Possibly, especially if you offer your services to individuals.

Especially if you blog and use SEO, Pinterest can be a good complement to promoting your blog posts.

The main thing on Pinterest is to create pins that stand out. You also need to optimize them for Pinterest’s search function, so that people can find them on evergreen. By learning SEO first, you’ll have a far easier time figuring out Pinterest.

Here’s what my pins look like: 

Over to you!

There you have it! Now you know what the best life coaching marketing strategies are. 

These marketing ideas work extremely well for life coaches – and by getting started with one of them, you’ll soon have your first paying client. 

What strategy will you focus on first?

Let me know in the comments below!

Learn more:

The Legal Requirements for Life Coaches: Definitive Guide

The Best Life Coaching Certifications Online

The post Life Coaching Marketing: 19 Strategies to Get Paying Clients appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

If you’re looking for the best life coaching schools to jumpstart your coaching business, you’re in the right place. Today, you’ll learn what it takes to become a life coach, whether you need certification, and the best schools to help you become a life coach. 

Want to learn more? Read on! 

What is life coaching?

Let’s start at the beginning. What is a life coach?

A life coach is the broad term we give to coaches who help people transform their lives. 

That could be professionally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically.

But the thing is:

You shouldn’t call yourself a “life coach.” 

It sounds counterintuitive but the term “life coach” is so broad that your unique skills and talents get lost. 

Few people are looking for life coaches.

They’re more likely to search for a mindfulness coach or health coach or career coach. Becoming a specialist for your ideal client’s individual needs is a better way of building a coaching business.

That’s what I talk about in this video: 

So as a first step to becoming a life coach, think about your niche. What specialized experience or qualifications do you have that could help you excel in one specific area of coaching?

Speaking of which…

What qualifications do you need as a life coach?

Do you need ANY qualifications?

No, you don’t. You can become a life-changing coach and create transformative results without any courses or certifications. It is an unregulated industry so there’s no requirement to have a qualification. 

(Note, though, that some niches do require a certification. These are mainly health-related niches.)

However, you can’t become a life coach or specialist coach with no knowledge AT ALL. 

Your clients are looking to you as an expert in your field to guide them from one place in their lives to another. But the key is the results you can help them create. 

You need to have experience in what you’re teaching and a method to help your clients get from A to B. For example:

• If you’re a parenting coach then you might have experience as a child therapist
• If you’re a coach for entrepreneurs, you might have experience running a successful business and a blueprint to take others to the next level in their businesses

I started my first coaching business as a career coach.

Despite my relatively young age at the time, I had already secured a lot of promotions and a fairly high salary. So people would ask me for career-related advice–which made me realize I could monetize my skills even though I didn’t have a certification.

In the same way, my students tend to niche down and become mindset coaches, health coaches, and so on. Here’s my student Spencer talking about her journey as a mindset coach: 

Ultimately, a life coaching certification is not always worth it. You can end up wasting thousands of dollars when you already have the knowledge and confidence you need to become a successful coach. 

If you’re curious about how to become a coach as someone new to coaching, I explain more in this video: 

Going to life coaching school can also be a huge time suck. Often those certification programs can be 6-12 months long depending on your schedule.

Instead, you could spend that time…

• Gaining your first paying clients
• Building experience
• Honing your skills while working

But it all depends on you and your goals. If you’re going into a specialist niche like health coaching, or you just want a certification to help you build your skills, then a certification might be what you’re looking for. 

And if you’re looking to start your business ASAP, then a course on how to build a coaching business could be a better fit. My own course, Employee to Entrepreneur, helps you do just that (I talk more about it below). 

Either way, I’ve gathered the top life coaching schools in this article to help you make the best choice for yourself.

But before we dive in, let’s take a look at how long it takes to start a life coaching business.

How many years does it take to become a life coach? 

It all depends on you! 

If you have a foundation of knowledge of the type of coaching you want to do, you could start straight away. Yes REALLY. 

Your first task is to find your first paying client and build a program for them. You’ll gain invaluable experience and real-life results that you can use to attract more clients. So while making a living as a life coach takes work and dedication, you can start your journey today.

Or, you can get a certification. 

The route you choose depends on you and your goals. 

But is it even worth it? How much do life coaches make?

Let’s find out. 

How much money can you make as a life coach?

There’s no limit to how much money you can make as a life coach. 

Depending on your goals, you can make five, six, or multiple six figures. Many coaches make seven figures or more–so there’s plenty of room to build your business, if that’s what you want to do. 

After all, coaches are in demand; coaching is a $2.85 billion global industry that is only growing. The average pay for coaches is $62,500/year in the US. For life coaches, most make between $100-$150/hour. 

And that’s just an average. Depending on how you build your business model and the number of income streams you have, you can charge more. 

Now you know what it takes to become a life coach. 

What if you still want to get certified? 

After all, that’s what this post is all about. 

Here’s what you need to know about choosing the right certification. 

How to choose the best life coaching certification

Let’s say you do want to get a certification to add to your credentials as a coach. How do you choose the best life coaching school for you? 

Here are the criteria I recommend: 

Reputation

How well-known is the university or institute? Do they have a solid track record of graduates with successful businesses? Or is it a fringe coaching school that no one has ever heard of?

If you can’t find any credible reviews or feedback about the course or college, back away. When in doubt, focus on credible universities. I’ve listed some great ones in the next section. 

Accreditation

Look for programs that are accredited by an organization like the International Coaching Federation (ICF). This is the organization that’s the closest to being a regulatory body in the coaching industry.

ICF’s credentials are:

• ACC (Associate Certified Coach)
• MCC (Professional Certified Coach)
• PCC (Master Certified Coach)

Alternatively, you can be fairly sure that a certification program by a reputable university will help you acquire the skills you need.

Price

What is your budget for a life coaching certification? The average for a 6-month course is around $4,000-10,000. I know that’s a huge range but it depends on the course. There are some shorter courses for around $1,500. Look within your budget but still aim to find a reputable school. 

Length

Do you have 6-12 months of full-time schooling hours to give? Be honest about your other commitments and the learning style that would work best for you. There are some intensive courses out there but they require more concentrated study time.

On the other hand, some of the longer courses allow you to go at your own pace. Figure out how much time you have in your weekly schedule and choose a certification program that fits you. 

Course content

I’ve mentioned that it’s great to niche down, but what if you haven’t decided on a niche yet? Or what if you can’t find a program in your niche? This is where course content comes in.

Some programs are specialized like health coaching and executive coaching certifications.

Some programs are broad and can apply to any type of coaching.

And some life coaching schools have a foundational course in coaching skills and then more specialized modules on different coaching niches. It all depends on your needs. 

Learning style

Some programs are completely self-taught. Others have group sessions with a mentor coach. And some schools even offer one-to-one tuition with a mentor coach.

Think about how you learn best and go with a program that works for you. 

By weighing up all these criteria, you can narrow down the type of program and school you’re looking for. 

The 20 best life coaching schools

What are the best life coaching schools? Here are 20 life coaching schools and information on their certification programs for coaches. 

Note: I have based my recommendations on reviews and the reputation of the universities/organizations. I haven’t taken these certifications myself. Contact the schools you’re interested in and make sure they are right for YOU. 

The Institute For Life Coach Training

The Institute for Life Coach Training was recommended by Business Insider as one of the best life coaching schools in the US. Here you can find a wide range of courses depending on the type of coach you want to become. You can take courses on coaching specific generations like Gen Z, Millennials and midlife.

You could focus on people with specific experiences such as guiding domestic violence victims or bereavement coaching. This specialized approach helps you to learn the specifics of your niche in more depth than you’ll get at any other school.

Price: Depends on the program ($4,305 for a 6-8-month ACC certified program)

The Certified Life Coach Institute

The Certified Life Coach Institute is a well-reviewed, International Coaching Federation (ICF) approved life coaching school. In just 6 days you can get certified as a life coach with these intensive courses. There are different levels of tuition and the courses are delivered online.

In Level 1 (101) you learn the core principles of life coaching, coaching ethics and how to build a business. In Level 2 (102), you deepen your learning with modules on different ways of thinking, shadow work, body language and advanced questioning. These are all tools that uplevel your skills as a coach. If you don’t want to commit to a 6-month course but still want a reputable certification, the Certified Life Coach Institute could be the school you’re looking for.

Price: $2,595 for Coaching 101 and 102

The CaPP Institute

The Coaching & Positive Psychology Institute (or CaPP for short) has a Certified Personal and Executive Coach Program (CPEC) that guides you step by step to becoming a coach. It’s a 6-month live virtual program with coursework in all areas of coaching. You’ll learn coaching skills like goal setting, stress management and building happiness. You’ll also have an in-depth study of how to build a successful life coaching business from the ground up.

The program covers branding, finding your niche and booking your first clients. You can trust that you’ll leave the CaPP Institute with a solid foundation in coaching skills and business knowledge. 

Price: $5,990 for a 6-month program

Brown University

Brown University’s Professional School of Studies is one of the best colleges in the US to get your life coaching certification. The school offers the Leadership and Performance Coaching Certification which is a broad-scope coaching program. It runs for six months and covers everything from coaching techniques to leadership skills.

Brown University is a great choice if you want to become a life coach to high-status professionals. This is because the program has a professional slant to it with an emphasis on decision-making, leadership and building strong professional relationships.

A certification from Brown University would also be highly attractive to entrepreneurs and executives because of the school’s reputation. Accredited by the International Coach Federation, you can start your journey at any point in the year. 

Price: $10,495 (virtual) and $11,495 (hybrid) for a 6-month program

Columbia University 

Columbia University has one of the best life coaching programs in the country. With an amazing reputation and wide focus, their coaching certification carries a lot of weight. The program focuses on helping you design a signature transformational coaching process. You learn the science behind coaching with 9 core concepts.

Because the course is so broad, you can apply what you’ve learned to any coaching niche. This is the perfect school to consider if you are already knowledgeable about your niche but just need a program to teach your coaching skills. 

Price: Part one costs $8,700, $2,300 for part 2 and $8,700 for part 3 (virtual)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

As one of the leading universities in the country, MIT’s Leadership Coaching certificate is a program that fits those who want to coaching leaders. The program is based on the university’s signature coaching framework to motivate and inspire executives and leaders. The program is a 2-day intensive program that includes a bit of coaching.

While the program isn’t ICF-certified, MIT’s reputation weighs up for that. Note that this is an in-person program.

Price: $5,100

iPEC

The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) has a signature Core Energy coaching process that sets the foundation for your life coaching strategy. Their programs teach you how to help your clients identify achievable goals and support them to the finish line. All of their techniques and tools are research-backed and proven to help people.

iPEC is one of the few schools on this list that offers training in nine coaching specialisms. That way you can apply the process you’ve learned to your niche. This is a great online school if you want both a basis in coaching techniques and a specialist focus on your field. 

Price: $13,395

The Coaching Training Alliance

The Coaching Training Alliance aims to get you certified and working as a thriving life coach within 6 months. You’ll learn the fundamentals of coaching skills, marketing skills and business skills so that you have all the tools to be successful.

The program is taught through a combination of self-guided coursework and mentoring groups led by your mentor coach. Classes are small with around 12 students in each group so you have a focused learning environment and enriching learning experience.

If you want a practical coaching program taught 100% online, the Coaching Training Alliance is worth exploring. 

Price: $4,339 for a 6-month program 

Coaching Training EDU

Coaching Training EDU has a coaching certification program that covers all bases. Over 6 months you’ll learn all there is to know to make you an excellent coach. You can become any type of coach you can think of with the skills you’ll learn here; health coach, relationship coach, mindfulness coach, business coach and more.

If you want to become a career or life coach to young people like high schoolers and college-aged kids, this program will be especially helpful. Whatever type of coach you want to be, you can achieve it with Coaching Training EDU’s International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified coaching program. 

Price: Depends on the program ($5,228 for the 6-month Essential Associate Life Coach program)

Royal Roads University

Royal Roads University is a Canadian college, but you can take the coaching program in person or online. They have a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching that is perfect for you if you want to become a business coach or a life coach to professionals. The course gives you all the tools to help your clients achieve their personal and professional dreams. This program counts as an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). 

Price: $12,992 CAD

Rhodes Wellness College

Rhodes Wellness College is another Canadian college that offers a great life coaching diploma. It’s a special program because it’s the only one that includes professional counseling training as standard. This gives you some extra skills beyond the normal coaching abilities. Those counseling skills will be useful if you aim to coach young people or vulnerable people such as those going through divorce or grief.

The course is 31 weeks and covers a broad range of topics. You can choose to take the course completely online, in person or both. Rhodes Wellness College is a great option if your niche involves more sensitive topics.

Price: $9,900

Rider University

Rider University is great if you want a personalized approach to your life coaching program. To earn your Life and Career Coaching Certificate, you need to take 1–3 courses, depending on the degree you currently have. The courses are varied and specialized.

For example, you can take courses in counseling, career development, life coaching techniques and more. It’s like building your own life coaching certification for the type of coaching that interests you instead of following a prescriptive course. You’ll still learn the basics of coaching skills and get a certification from a reputable university. What more could you want?

Price: $5,580 (for an online, 3-course pathway)

University of Miami

The University of Miami has a Certified Professional Coach Certificate that is so practical for anyone wanting to be a life coach. You’ll learn actionable skills like listening, motivating and building strong relationships with your clients for success. The topics are especially helpful if you want to be a business life coach but they aren’t limited to that. The topics are broad enough to apply to any niche.

The program emphasizes having a personalized approach to your client’s needs. If this unique approach resonates with you, the University of Miami might be the life coaching school for you! 

Price: $7,495

University of Southern California (USC)

University of Southern California (USC) has a great coaching program that covers everything you could ever need to know as a life coach. You learn communication skills, emotional intelligence, positive psychology and more. Add to that the fundamentals of coaching ethics and coaching agreements and you have one of the most well-rounded coaching certifications out there. You work with a mentor coach throughout the program and also gain coaching experience.

USC is an amazing choice for those on the West Coast wanting a flexible but thorough coaching program. 

Price: $4,800 

New York University

New York University (NYU) is one of the best schools in the country so it makes sense that they offer one of the best coaching programs in the country too! The 12-month Certificate in Executive Coaching program has four courses you. need to complete. You’ll learn through a three-pronged approach: The theory and science of coaching, evidence-based models and tools, and ICF core competencies.

Price: $12,000

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison helps aspiring life coaches achieve their goals through a well-rounded, highly-reviewed coaching certification program. Even though the course is 100% online, it uses a community-based approach to learning. This means you’ll build strong relationships with your peers and mentor coach to facilitate your learning.

In the course, you’ll learn how to communicate well, empower others and identify clear steps to achieving goals. They use a competency-based curriculum to explore subjects like neuroscience, positive psychology and even diversity and inclusion. This program will set you up to become whatever coach you want.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a great choice for online learners who still want to bond with classmates as you learn. 

Price: $12,990

Coach U

Coach U is a leading academy for coaching training programs. Their flagship program is the Professional Coach Training Program which is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). There are two phases of the program. The first is the Core Essentials course. This will teach you the Core Competencies according to the ICF, coaching ethics and the basics of building a business. It involves around 78 hours of coursework to be completed within 6 months.

The second phase – the Professional Essentials – helps you refine your skills and teaches you about coaching in the workplace. It involves around 72 hours of coursework to be completed within 6 months. Both phases are delivered via Zoom with live classes and self-study combined. There is a fast track for the Core Essentials course which is a 6-day intensive if you prefer to learn a little faster.

Price: $12,190

Integrative Wellness Academy

The Integrative Wellness Academy combines wellness and life coaching into their curriculum to create comprehensive programs. They offer a wide range of programs from business coaching to master life coaching. The life coaching program focuses on healing modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, visualization techniques and emotional healing techniques for a more holistic view of coaching.

You’ll also cover the basic coaching skills and the fundamentals of building a successful business. The program is delivered online and is self-paced. It takes up to 6 months to complete. If you learn well solo and want a more holistic view of coaching as a practice, the Integrative Wellness Academy is worth checking out.

Price: $2,499

Institute of Integrative Nutrition

Institute of Integrative Nutrition is perfect for you if you want to be a health coach. They have a program that will give you a strong basis in both coaching and wellness knowledge. There are 41 course modules on a wide range of subjects ranging from biohacking to psychospirituality. Every level of wellness is covered so you can further hone your niche and find your interests.

You can earn your certification in 6 to 12 months in English or Spanish. If you want an online coaching school with expert wellness educators and a wide range of subjects to study, the Institute of Integrative Nutrition is the ideal choice for you. 

Price: $5,995

The Health Coach Institute

The Health Coach institute is one of the best schools for coaching. They focus on wellness coaching specifically but they have an excellent dual program that works for life coaches too. The Dual Life & Health Coach Certificate Program is a comprehensive program that teaches you how to guide your client through transformational change in their life and health.

The program covers nutrition, habit change science, and the principles of personal development and growth. There’s also a final module on how to build a successful coaching business which is invaluable advice as a new coach. 

Price: $4,950

Bonus: Employee to Entrepreneur

The last program I want to mention is my own self-study course, Employee to Entrepreneur. This program is for new coaches who want to start their own coaching businesses. ETE is not a certification program, but instead, it shows you how to start your business from scratch–especially if you have a full-time job. 

ETE works for all types of coaches. My students have started health, mindset, career, nutrition, parenting, productivity, and other types of coaching businesses. 

Reserve your seat for the free masterclass to learn more about ETE.

Over to you!

Now you know the best life coaching schools and whether their life coaching courses may be right for you. 

But remember, you don’t have to have a life coaching certification if you don’t want one.

And even if you opt for one, you still need to learn how to build your coaching business.

I share the most effective and fastest strategy to building a six-figure business in my free blueprint.

Learn more:

How to Market Your Life Coaching Business

The Best Coaching Certifications and Courses

How to Make Your Life Coaching Business Legal

How to Become a Certified Life Coach

The Best Health Coach Certification Programs

The Best Wellness Coach Certification Programs

The post The 20 Best Life Coaching Schools in 2024 appeared first on Luisa Zhou.