A coach can change your life.
Coaches help you identify your purpose, motivate you to overcome challenges, and inspire you to achieve your goals.
Finding a life coach can seem overwhelming, but we can help.
Finding a Life Coach
Life coaches advertise their services all over the web. You can find them via networking sites like LinkedIn and Bark, social media sites like Reddit and Facebook, or even on YouTube
But finding the right coach is crucial to success.
Follow these steps to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to find your perfect life coach.
Step 1: Know What You Need
The first step is understanding why you want to hire a life coach.
Some life coaches can tackle all life’s problems, but many specialize in niche areas.
Determining what type of life coach you need will narrow your search.
Types of Life Coaches
When hiring a life coach, look for one that focuses on the area you seek to improve.
Although these are the most common focus areas, if you have a specific problem that falls outside these scopes, you can likely find a coach who can help.
Relationship
Relationship coaches assist couples in reconnecting. They offer advice for communicating, improving intimacy, and enhancing the relationship.
Some relationship coaches help people become better partners, while others guide clients through breakups.
Career
Career coaches can help clients discover what they really want out of work and find their dream job.
They help clients identify their skills, improve their resumes, and determine which type of work suits them best.
Financial
Financial coaches are very different from financial advisors. Coaches are more focused on you as a person (money mindset, budgeting skills, etc.), while advisors focus on your long-term investment and wealth-building strategies.
A financial coach works with you to build better financial habits. They can help their customers learn to budget, separate wants from needs, set spending limits, and prioritize debt repayment. Overall, they help you change your overall behavior when it comes to money.
Wellness
Wellness coaches help clients build healthier lifestyle habits.
The term “wellness” can encompass a wide range of activities and ideas, from mindfulness to nutrition. Many wellness coaches specialize in a specific category.
Fitness
Though a fitness coach can also be a personal trainer, they aren’t the same thing. Trainers focus on specific exercises during a workout, while coaches develop regular workout schedules and motivate clients to make exercise a part of their routine.
The trainer develops the process, while the coach helps clients develop healthy habits to stick with it.
Purpose/Passion
Many life coaches help clients discover what they truly want out of life.
They focus on hopes, dreams, and aspirations and put their clients on the path to achieving everything they want.
Spiritual
Although many people look to their religious leaders for spiritual guidance, those who don’t embrace traditional practices may seek assistance from a spiritual coach.
These coaches usually work outside mainstream religions to aid people in developing their inner sense of spirituality.
Recovery
A recovery coach can be a crucial partner in overcoming addiction.
These coaches should work side by side with a therapist to help patients build healthy lifestyle habits they need to stay sober.
Business/Executive
Business and executive coaches work with corporations to train and develop employees. They focus on the skills needed to excel in corporate leadership positions, such as communication, delegation, employee development, and stress management.
Leadership
Leadership coaches offer services similar to those of business and executive coaches but focus on leadership skills.
Many offer their services to individuals, whereas most business coaches only work with corporations/organizations.
Life Skills
Many people struggle with basic life skills, and a life coach can help.
They can motivate clients to establish healthy daily routines, assist in building social skills, and help them navigate life’s little struggles.
Holistic
Some life coaches offer a broad range of services or focus on the big picture. Holistic life coaches look at how everything in your life is connected, helping you navigate multiple areas.
Do I Need a Life Coach or Therapy?
Some people seek life coaching when they really need therapy.
Before hiring a life coach, consider whether you need motivation and guidance for the future or help with past trauma that prevents you from living life to the fullest.
A life coach is not a therapist, and they can and should not try to help you through mental illnesses, psychotherapy, or trauma.
Step 2: Ask for Recommendations
Now that you know what you want, it’s time to find your life coach. Many people find a life coach via recommendations from friends, family, or colleagues.
Ask around. You might be surprised at how many people you know have used a coach!
Step 3: Consider US!
Did you know that Melanie Allen, owner/operator of Partners in Fire, is a certified happiness life coach?
Although I’m not currently taking on clients, I’ve developed something even better.
Two somethings actually.
DIY Financial Coaching
My favorite is the comprehensive DIY financial coaching bundle. It’s bursting with over 90 pages of content designed to help you identify unhealthy money behaviors, change your money mindset, and learn to manage your money with confidence.
And the best part – you don’t have to hire an expensive coach. We believe you can do it all on your own with just a tad bit of guidance. Grab it on our store for only $40.
DIY How to Find Your Passion
If you’re good with money but unsure what you want out of life, check out our DIY How to Find Your Passion Journey of Self-Discovery bundle.
Here we offer 50+ pages of prompts and worksheets designed to help you discover your true calling – plus some action planners to help you turn your dreams into reality.
Action Plan Template
If you don’t need a full coaching bundle but need some help creating a real plan to achieve your goals, consider our action plan template bundle.
It has five templates (17 total pages!), each designed to help with a different type of goal-setting (and achieving!).
Why DIY Coaching?
I created these DIY coaching bundles because I know times are tough. The cost of living won’t stop rising, and coaching is a luxury many people can’t afford.
But most of us can afford $40, especially if it will change your life.
Relationship Coaching
If you need a relationship coach, consider our partner, Mindy Pickel, who helps couples reconnect by exploring ways we give and receive love.
Step 4: Search Online
We understand that we don’t fit everyone’s needs.
There are numerous places to find a life coach online.
Explore LinkedIn and Bark for professional listings, or join the Life Coach subreddit, where hundreds of coaches gather to look for potential clients.
Step 5: Narrow Down Your List
You’ve likely found a few coaches who meet your needs during your search. Now, it’s time to narrow the field to 3-4.
Examine their costs to ensure they fit your budget. If they have them, read client reviews and testimonials. Join their communities to see how they interact with clients and potential clients.
Look for evidence that your potential coaches share your values and have expertise in the field of coaching you need.
Step 6: Conduct Interviews
Personality is just as vital as niche when hiring a life coach. You need to work with someone you connect with.
Good life coaches will offer a free 30-minute interview to help clients determine if they’re a good fit. These exploratory sessions help the coach understand the potential clients, ensure personalities mesh well, and set expectations for paid coaching sessions.
It’s okay to interview a few coaches to find your perfect match.
Step 7: Review
Sometimes, a coach seems great at the first meeting, so you hire them, but the sessions don’t go as expected.
After the first few sessions, you should review your progress and expectations with your coach to ensure you’re getting what you need from the experience.
If it’s not working out, start the process over to find a new coach. There are no hard feelings; coaches are professionals who understand that everyone has different needs.
Step 8: Enjoy the Coaching Process!
Finding the right coach is only the beginning.
With coaching, you get what you put in, so you must commit to the hard work necessary for success.
Let your coach challenge you. Do the homework. Go all in.
Enjoy the process of self-discovery, with all its trials and tribulations. You’ll come out the other side a better person.