Looking for a life coach or want to become one? Then this article is for you!
We’ll go over 15 powerful life coaching services that can change your life.
I’ll also tell you why a “life coach” is not a good idea — and what you can do instead.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!
You’ll learn:
What life coaching services are
15 common types of life coaches
What are life coaching services?
First, what does a life coach do exactly?
A life coach helps clients achieve their personal and professional goals. They do this by offering a mix of expert advice, guidance, and support.
But what is the difference between a life coach and a therapist?
Well, therapists focus on healing and mental health, while life coaches target personal growth and reaching goals. Therapists are required to have licenses and go through specific training; life coaches are not.
So, how do life coaches help their clients? Here are a few ways:
- Setting and achieving goals
- Navigating life transitions
- Improving specific skills
When asking, “What problems can a life coach solve?” it varies based on individual needs.
Three key benefits include:
- Boosted confidence: 80% of coachees report feeling more self-confident.
- Greater life satisfaction: Personal coaching improves well-being. It also eases prolonged stress, low resilience, and poor satisfaction with life.
- More clarity in goals: Coaching reduces procrastination and facilitates goal attainment.
A coach’s worth is in the results they bring, so certification isn’t necessary.
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But if you do get one or choose a coach who is certified, get it from a credible source like the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or a reputable university. The International Coach Federation is the organization that’s the closest to being a regulatory organ in the coaching industry.
(Although, some health coaching niches do require certifications…so make sure you’re aware of the requirements in YOUR niche.)
Certified or not, the most helpful coach is one who is an expert on a specific area of life like health or work.
So, for the best results, choose a specialized coach rather than a generic ‘life coach.’ This helps you achieve results faster and easier.
But what types of life coaches are there?
We’ll dive deeper into these niche coaching areas next.
What are 15 types of life coaches?
Who needs a life coach? And what services do coaches provide?
It all depends on individual challenges and goals.
There are countless niches in life coaching.
Let’s take a look at 15 common life coaching services and who would benefit from them the most.
1. Career coaching
Career coaches focus on professional growth.
They guide you to make career decisions that align with your goals.
The best ones go beyond just helping you earn more money; they also make your job more satisfying and rewarding.
There are also plenty of coaches who work in a specific niche – for example, my student Adunola helps millennials get ahead. And Emily helps people find a career they love.
How do you know if you need a career coach? You’re:
- Unsure about your career path or want a change
- Facing challenges in professional growth and promotion
- Want to improve job satisfaction and performance
2. Relationship coaching
Relationship coaches help you improve your dating life and personal relationships. coaches aren’t just for love issues. Their guidance can benefit all types of relationships by improving communication and closeness. Whether it’s with partners, friends, or family.
And many of them work with specific challenges or audiences. One is my student Ruby who helps introverted men find love.
How do you know if you need a relationship coach? You:
- Have difficulty in finding a suitable partner
- Want better communication and connection in your relationships
- Are going through a tough phase in a relationship or dating life
3. Spiritual coaching
A spiritual coach guides you on your journey to self-discovery.
Spiritual coaching isn’t limited to religious spirituality. The possible services are diverse – they range from establishing spiritual practices to encouraging self-love and compassion.
In fact, spiritual coaching can be a broad niche; a few examples include Reiki healing, Christian life coaches, and meditation coaching.
How do you know if you need a spiritual coach? You:
- Feel a lack of purpose or direction in life
- Want to explore or deepen your spiritual beliefs and practices
- Are experiencing a spiritual awakening or transformation
4. Executive and leadership coaching
Executive and leadership coaches help leaders, such as executives, managers, and CEOs, improve their leadership skills. Get the Ultimate Guide
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Executive coaches typically support you in improving your self-confidence, becoming a better manager, hiring team members, and so on. But they can also help you strategize.
How do you know if you need an executive coach? You:
- Want to improve your leadership or management skills
- Face challenges in leading teams or projects
- Need to acquire new leadership skills
5. Personal development coaching
Personal development coaching services help you in your personal and professional development.
For example, you might work on becoming more confident and overcome challenges like fear and procrastination.
A few types of personal development coaches include self-discovery coaches and empowerment coaches.
How do you know if you need a personal development coach? You:
- Want to build a stronger self-image
- Desire to discover what you really want out of life
- Aim to overcome fears that hinder your personal growth
6. Health and wellness coaching
While many health coaches focus on fitness and weight loss, there are many other specializations. Think of managing stress, dealing with chronic illness, or improving your nutrition.
For example, my student David helps people lose weight with herbs. Jamie helps entrepreneurial women improve their energy levels.
How do you know if you need a health coach? You:
- Want a healthier lifestyle but need guidance and motivation
- Are looking for support in achieving specific health goals
- Want to lose weight
7. Transition and retirement coaching
Transition coaches guide you through life changes, such as a divorce or moving abroad. The outcome is that overwhelming situations become manageable. A retirement coach is a specific type of transition coach. Here, the focus is on structuring life after a career ends. A few ways retirement coaches can help is to support you in finding purpose or managing your finances.
How do you know if you need a transition and retirement coach? You:
- Feel overwhelmed by a life change
- Want support and tools to manage transitions
- Are approaching retirement and want to plan for the next phase of life
8. Financial and money coaching
Financial coaches teach you how to manage your money better.
Unlike financial advisors, they don’t do things like taxes or investing for you. Instead, they show you how to make good money decisions, create a budget, and save more.
They can also talk about a specific strategy – like my client Ryan, who teaches people how to invest in real estate.
How do you know if you need a financial coach? You:
- Struggle with your finances
- Want to develop a healthier relationship with money
- Wish to save more and get out of debt
9. Stress management coaching
Stress management coaches help you handle stress in your life.
Similar to wellness coaches, they find out what causes your stress and propose ways to deal with it in a healthy way.
There are many tools they might use, such as mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises, or journaling.
How do you know if you need a stress management coach? You:
- Feel overwhelmed by the stress in your life
- Want to learn new ways to manage stress
- Need guidance on how to stay calm and focused in difficult times
10. Business coaching
Business coaching is for anyone with a business or planning to start one. Get the Ultimate Guide
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Depending on the business coach, you learn how to start and run a business, scale, and/or manage your business
A GREAT business coach always has extensive experience. In other words: they have successfully run multiple businesses themselves.
For example, I have over a decade of experience building different types of businesses – that type of experience makes a business coach qualified to give you advice on yours.
How do you know if you need a business coach? You:
- Want to grow your business
- Need advice in starting or managing a business
- Want to avoid common business pitfalls
11. Recovery coaching
Recovery coaching supports people overcoming addiction or trauma.
Unlike therapy, which dives deep into emotional healing and past traumas, recovery coaching focuses on setting up practical plans and building habits to maintain sobriety.
Besides navigating life’s changes post-addiction, they guide you in building a fulfilling life. This reduces the chances of returning to past addictions.
How do you know if you need a recovery coach? You:
- Struggle with maintaining sobriety
- Feel isolated in your recovery journey and seek a personalized approach
- Want a deeper understanding of addiction to prevent future relapses
12. Grief coaching
A grief coach guides you through a loss.
Whether it’s the loss of a loved one or a divorce, they help clients process their feelings.
In addition to managing sorrow, they focus on rediscovering hope. You learn how to reshape your future.
How do you know if you need a grief coach? You:
- Feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward
- Struggle to find joy and meaning in daily life
- Need guidance to envision a hopeful future
13. Mindset coaching
A mindset coach helps you break free from limiting beliefs. Many entrepreneurs (myself included) seek their expertise to navigate business challenges, but mindset coaches can work with a broader audience.
Ultimately, their goal is to unlock clients’ full potential by improving their mindset.
That’s what my student Spencer does as a mindset coach.
How do you know if you need a mindset coach? You:
- Feel stuck due to limiting beliefs or negative thoughts
- Struggle with confidence or self-esteem issues
- Want to improve your mindset to achieve specific goals
14. Parenting coaching
A parenting coach works with you to help you improve your parenting skills.
For example, they might teach effective communication techniques, address special needs or sleep or breastfeeding issues.
They may also specialize in a specific area, such as working with new parents, toddlers, or teenagers.
How do you know if you need a parenting coach? You:
- Feel overwhelmed by parenting challenges
- Require guidance on special needs or ADHD
- Want to improve overall parenting skills
15. Motivational and empowerment coaching
Motivational and empowerment coaches inspire you to reach your goals.
They use encouragement, positivity, and accountability as tools. The goal is to boost your self-esteem and make you feel more capable.
They also teach you how to motivate yourself in the future. This way, you know how to stay inspired and driven, even when things get tough.
How do you know if you need a motivational coach? You:
- Struggle to maintain motivation
- Feel overwhelmed by your goals
- Need accountability to stay on track
Each one of these coaching services examples targets a specific life area so that they can offer advice that’s tailored to your goals.
And if you’re an aspiring life coach, I talk more about finding your niche here:
Next, let’s look at how to find a coach that fits your needs.
How do you find a life coach?
Finding a life coach or attracting clients doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here are three strategies to connect with the right life coaching services.
Referrals
Referrals are one of the best ways to find the right life coach.
You can ask friends, family, or acquaintances who’ve worked with a coach to share their experiences. Ultimately, you know you can trust someone who has helped others get results.
Search online
The next step is to do an online search on a search engine like Google or different listings.
Websites like Reddit are also valuable. Here, people share their experiences. These reviews can help you find a coach who fits what you’re looking for.
Follow coaches on social media
Follow online life coaches on social media like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
Most life coaches market themselves by sharing their advice online. By reading their posts, you can see if you’d click with them and if their coaching style is right for you.
How much should you pay for a life coach?
How much you pay for life coaching depends on the coach and their experience. Get the Ultimate Guide
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6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
Experienced coaches charge more because they already have a lot of skills and knowledge.
New coaches, on the other hand, generally charge less because they’re still learning how to coach. They also tend to work more closely with you, offering a very personalized experience.
On average, part-time coaches in the US make about $67,800 a year, according to a 2023 study by the ICF. This average life coach salary can give you an idea of what you might pay per hour or for a package.
I recommend my students to offer their first coaching packages at $1,500 for three months, including biweekly or monthly coaching sessions. This gives you enough time to work toward a specific goal.
What are examples of successful life coaches?
Who is the best life coach?
Several life coach examples stand out. Think of well-known figures like Tony Robbins and Marie Forleo who offer coaching with their teams or online courses.
However, plenty of smaller coaches also help their clients get life-changing results.
Here are some examples of my students with six to seven-figure businesses:
- Cultivitae: Emily Liou worked as a recruiter for Fortune 500 companies before. Now, she helps people with their careers, using what she learned in the past.
- Good gentleman: Ruby used to work for dating sites like eHarmony. Today, she helps ambitious men with dating advice.
- Top law school consulting: Mara Freilich was a lawyer at a top law firm. She now uses her experience to help people get into good law schools, even if they don’t have the best grades or test scores.
- Newbie Real Estate Investing: Ryan Chaw created a way to make profitable investments and now shares his method with his clients. He teaches them how to reach financial freedom through real estate.
Next steps
There you go!
Everything you need to know about life coaching services.
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