Has someone told you that you need to hire a life coach — but you hardly know what that means?
Or maybe you’ve already decided you want the help of a life coach, but you have no idea where to start when it comes to hiring the right one for you!
No worries, because you’re in the right place. Continue reading to learn why you should (or shouldn’t) hire a life coach and how you can do it successfully.
Why Hire a Life Coach?
There are plenty of reasons to hire a life coach, and everyone has their own motivations to do so. But if you’re wondering whether you need a life coach or not, let’s explore some of the biggest reasons why people hire life coaches in the first place.
1. You’re feeling stuck
Have you tried to improve your current situation but nothing seems to be working? Or maybe you’ve overcome trauma with your therapist and feel stuck on what’s next in store for you.
Life coaches are ideal for people who feel stuck in one place. While therapists can help you overcome grief and trauma, a life coach can guide you in changing your current attitudes or limiting beliefs, to create the future you truly want.
In many cases, people feel stuck because they lack perspective — they’re too close to the issue to see the full picture. Life coaches can help change your perspective so you can see the full picture and have a clearer idea of your priorities.
2. You’re dealing with new (or old) challenges
Maybe you’ve been fired from your job and have no idea what to do next. Or you’re going through menopause and feel overwhelmed with all the new challenges you now have to deal with.
Perhaps you’ve got a positive challenge to deal with, like a promotion or a sudden inheritance.
Life coaches can help you with all types of challenges. They’ll ask you the right questions to figure out where you want to go so they can figure out your best course of action for those challenges.
But they don’t just create a plan for you! Life coaches will also provide support as you implement the plan… especially since you’re likely to come across new challenges along the way.
3. You want to make a big change
Imagine you’re planning a transition to a new career — or want to move to a new country. You’re probably feeling unsure about several parts of that equation and feeling paralyzed by uncertainty.
Or maybe you’re still stuck wondering:
“What’s next for me now?”
In either case, a coach can work with you to get clarity on the next steps you need to take in your life. A life coach can be your cheerleader, voice of reason, and accountability partner for those big life moves that feel too scary to approach on your own.
Life coaches who’ve experienced what you want to try will have the benefit of personal experience to guide you to the other side of that big change. But they also have additional training and certifications to make that transition easier for you.
Is Hiring a Life Coach Worth It?
Hiring a life coach is only worth it if you’re willing to do the work. The simple act of hiring a life coach won’t magically solve all your problems.
If you’re looking for someone to:
- Listen to you vent about your problems
- Take action on your behalf
- Guide you through past trauma
Then a coach may not be worth it. Instead, you should consider seeking a therapist, a friend, or an assistant!
Life coaches also won’t be worth the investment for people who are unwilling to change. You could pay the world’s most renowned life coach, but even that person won’t be able to help you if you’re unwilling to implement their advice.
However, a life coach is worth the investment when:
- You have an immediate need or goal that you see as a priority
- You’re ready to answer personal questions and open up about your desires
- You’re open to getting challenged on your existing beliefs and attitudes
- You’re willing to implement the plans your coach comes up with
The short answer: it all depends on you!
How to Choose a Life Coach
Have you decided you need a life coach at this point in your life? To find the best fit and choose successfully, you need to know what to look for in a life coach.
First, you should consider what type of life coach you need. Depending on your goals, you can find a life coach in the following niches:
- Health and wellness
- Retirement
- Finances
- Business
- Career and executive
- Spiritual life
- Relationships
- General life coaching
Next, you can start searching online. You’ll find many platforms on which to hire coaches, but if you feel overwhelmed with all the choices, start with CoachCompare! You can browse our directory to find an online life coach that resonates with you — and it’s free.
If you want to find local life coaches to work with in person, you can also try local services such as:
- Yelp
- Bark
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- Friends and family who have hired life coaches before
So once you’ve found several options of people to hire, how do you choose the best life coach for you?
Consider getting on a free consultation call with a few life coaches to get a feel for the synergy between the two of you. While it can be tempting to get your credit card out and hire a coach right away when you fall in love with their social media content, it’s important to consider how the two of you interact before you make a decision!
Most life coaches allow potential clients to book that first consultation for free. Once you’re on that call, you can talk to them about what you want out of the coaching relationship — but you can also evaluate if there’s good chemistry between both parties.
The best life coach you can hire is a life coach you trust. So, if you get on a consultation call with more than one coach and you don’t know how to choose, consider the following:
- To whom did it feel more natural and comfortable to speak to about your challenges and goals?
- Which coach displayed the best comprehension of your situation?
- What does your gut tell you about each coach?
- Do you trust one coach more than another? Remember that trust is one of the most important factors to get you results!
Remember there’s no right or wrong answer when hiring a life coach. A lot of your results will come from the way you show up to your coaching sessions and take action on what your coach tells you. So, if you feel at ease with a life coach and trust their approach, you’ll be good to go.
4 Tips for How to Hire a Life Coach
Here are a few more tips to help you hire a life coach online if this is your first time!
1. Check for certifications
It’s “easy” to call yourself a life coach. But it’s not as easy to go through the certification process! Make sure you vet any potential life coach to make sure they have the experience and the certifications required to help you.
While there’s no universally accepted certification for life coaching, many widely recognized organizations provide training and certifications. One such example is the International Coach Federation (ICF). If a potential life coach has a certification from another organization, make sure to do your research on it before hiring them, to see if it’s widely recognized or not.
2. Ask for social proof
Apart from certifications, a talented life coach will also have a history of previous clients. If you’re considering hiring a life coach and they can’t point to any testimonials, case studies, or other types of social proof, there are two possibilities:
They’re just getting started on their life coaching journey, or they’re lying about their skills.
If a coach is just getting started, they should be transparent about it so you have realistic expectations. But if they make big claims and promises without any social proof to back them up, consider it a red flag.
3. Get as clear as possible on what you’re looking for
You might struggle to get clear on what you want if what you want is clarity. But knowing that is already one step better than not knowing anything at all!
Ask yourself what areas of your life you want to change or improve. Be ready to talk about it when you book a free consultation with a life coach.
The more you know about what you’re looking for, the easier it will be to disqualify life coaches who offer something you don’t need.
4. Want to dip your toes? Try group coaching instead
Did you know that you don’t have to commit to hiring a life coach one-on-one if you’re not ready yet? Many life coaches offer group coaching programs to help several people attain their objectives together.
Paying for group coaching is a good way to dip your toes into the world of life coaching if you feel intimidated by hiring someone one-on-one. It’s also ideal for those who aren’t certain the investment is worth it for them yet.
Plus, group coaching usually provides clients with a community thanks to the other clients going through the program with you!
Hire the Perfect Life Coach for You
Now you have more clarity on what it takes to hire a life coach and what you need to know about yourself before you do. If you’re ready to find the perfect life coach for your current situation, you can get a match with CoachCompare! Get started for free, so you can find the life coach that fully resonates with you.
