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A successful life coach has the skill and self-assurance to change lives. They can help people find purpose in life and embrace their own personal growth at the same time.
However, life coaching is a rapidly changing industry. New and established coaches need current, relevant skills and business acumen to remain competitive and stand out from the crowd.
As the industry grows, so does the number of eyes on coaches—not all of whom truly understand the value of life coaching and its potential benefits. This is why it’s more important than ever for coaches to be not only well trained, but confident and empowered to transform lives.
We sat down with Kavit Haria, co-founder and CEO of the Jay Shetty Certification School, to talk about the biggest challenges for life coaches today and share some words of advice for aspiring coaches.
The biggest problems facing the life coaching industry today
Life coaching is a fulfilling and rewarding career with the potential to make real, positive changes in people’s lives. However, as with any new and developing industry, life coaching isn’t without its challenges.
Both new and experienced coaches have to compete with uncertified practitioners. They also face challenges from new technology, a changing economy, and some common misconceptions about coaching.
Lack of regulation and standardization
As of 2024, there is no universal regulatory body for coaching. In response to this, some reputable organizations, such as the Jay Shetty Certification School, carry out independent research and offer training to create strong and effective coaches.
However, some coaches choose to operate without certifications. While this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unqualified, it does mean there’s no guarantee that they have an acceptable level of formal training or business skills. This lack of standardization also means that the differences in coaching approach, skill level, background, and client support can differ wildly from one coach to another.
The best life coaching certification programs use a mix of education, mentorship, and live practice sessions to provide valuable coaching experience.
"It's not just videos and worksheets," explains Kavit. "We do all of this to be as rigorous as we can, to make sure we have a benchmark and a standard."
Those standards mean that clients can trust certified coaches. Over time, organizations like the Jay Shetty Certification School hope to build credibility and trust in the profession. They aim to raise standards for training programs and educate clients about what to expect from certified coaches.
There are also powerful reasons to get a life coaching certification for the coaches themselves. It's not just about a certificate to hang on the wall. Rigorous coach training can also help you explore your own personal and professional development.
"When you go out to coach as a new coach, you [should] feel confident and clear that you have the frameworks and the skills, the systems and the tools to help somebody achieve what it is they are trying to achieve," Kavit sums up.
Feeling like the market is too saturated
According to research by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the number of life coaches increases every year. Some people have raised concerns that the market is saturated — but is that really the case?
First, Kavit says, you have to remember that there are many different coaching specialisms, such as executive coaching, career coaching, relationship coaching, or health and wellbeing.
But with a seemingly endless number of potential niches, where does the idea that coaching is over-saturated come from?
While coaches might have fantastic people skills, some may not recognize niches where they’ll have the most success. They may think too generally, or not understand how to tap into their unique skill set to find a subset of clients looking for their services. For these individuals, it might feel like there’s just too much competition out there.
That's why the top coaching programs like the Jay Shetty Certification School include training that covers how to find and define their niche, create content, reach their target audience, and sustain business growth.
Misconceptions about coaching
Another common problem in coaching is that people don't understand exactly what it is. The lines between coaching, therapy, counseling, and consultancy can be unclear.
While both coaches and consultants might work with a business, they function differently. Consultants work with a business to get a specific result or solve a specific problem. Coaches work with individuals to help them set meaningful personal goals and make positive changes
Similarly, therapists and coaches can both help people with their personal lives. But while counselors focus on unpacking the past and improving mental health, coaches are focused on future aspirations and a growth mindset.
"Because of the confusion [between roles], it's often harder for coaches to communicate what's unique about what they do," explains Kavit. He says that it's crucial for coaches to market themselves clearly—as well as defining their services and managing expectations for new clients.
Business acumen and professional barriers
Many new coaches may struggle to find or retain coaching clients. For some, it's their first time as business owners — which means learning critical business skills on the fly: pricing, marketing, preferred payment methods, managing your books, filing taxes, etc. The list goes on and may feel overwhelming for new business owners without the right support and training.
There's also a unique challenge involved with life coaching: managing your own boundaries. Untrained coaches are at a high risk of burnout due to their close interactions with clients.
This is one area where proper training makes a difference. The Jay Shetty Certification School encourages coaches to care for themselves while they learn how to support others. Once coaches graduate, they're immediately invited to a free additional course to support their start-up business.
Economic perception
Some life coaching businesses face the challenge of economic perception. People might see their coaching sessions as a luxury, not a necessity. And that risk is even higher during unstable economic times.
The solution is to educate potential clients on how coaching is an investment in personal and professional growth. Clients often see real rewards for the time and money they spend on coaching.
Fortunately, many people already recognize the value of life coaching. Even during the pandemic era, which also saw an economic downturn, many organizations increased their spending on leadership coaching.
The market is there — coaches just have to figure out the right messaging for their niche, clients, and expertise.
Our opinion of the biggest problem of the life coaching industry: Regulation and standardization
Out of all these challenges, the lack of universal regulation and standardization stands to be the biggest.
Kavit highlights how certification wouldn’t just improve coaching quality, standards, consistency, credibility, and trust — it would also protect clients. More rigorous standards could potentially solve other problems too, such as a lack of business skills that could lead great coaches to fail before they even get off the ground.
For example, a new coach may price themselves low in order to attract more clients. However, the low price point may result in being unable to cover expenses, sinking the business after just a few months.
But Kavit is clear that coach training programs need to be thorough and interactive in order to be effective. "I think the coaching schools have a high duty to set benchmarks in the coaches they produce.” That means logging real hours of coaching practice and getting feedback from trained mentors — not just watching a quick online course.
Standard certification is also key to building trust and credibility, which is crucial for a new and developing industry. Just like other professions, such as medicine or law, qualifications are there to reassure the public about the quality of their experience.
"To say that you're a coach when you don't have a certification… is like going to a hospital and someone says "I'm a nurse!", but they're just the person behind a desk," Kavit jokes. "Would you want to be treated by that person? Probably not."
How technology has helped to shape this big coaching problem
Over the last several years, social media and digital marketing have introduced more people than ever to coaching. Similarly, recent innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) have also made waves, with the potential to change what coaching looks like as it continues developing.
Social media and digital marketing
From TikTok to LinkedIn, social media has opened up marketing to the world. Anyone can market themselves as a coach with a minimal budget.
In some ways, that's a good thing — especially for coaches who are just starting out. Social media is also an opportunity to educate potential clients about what coaching is. For example, coaches can post videos where they explain their approach or share case studies of how they've helped clients in the past, shining a positive light on the industry.
But there are drawbacks, too. Social media magnifies the problem of uncertified coaches who lack knowledge or experience. They might claim to be an expert in a specific niche, or for challenging clients, without having the qualifications to offer such a service. There is a real risk that untrained coaches could do more harm than good.
The solution? Quality coaches should create quality content to educate potential clients, says Kavit. You can build a reputation online by sharing regular posts that are up to date, accurate, and supported by rigorous coach training.
It's also important to maintain a distinction between creating content and actual coaching sessions—for example, not posting about clients without their permission.
AI in coaching
A survey found that 60% of coaches believe using AI will have a positive impact for their clients. But the key word in that sentence is "using". AI is a tool for coaches to use — not a replacement for trained coaches.
"Coaching is one of those rare professions today that will not be replaced by AI," Kavit asserts confidently. "The AI has no empathy. The AI can't really, truly hear you and understand you."
For example, coaches might use AI to summarize their notes about a coaching session or send reminders to clients. But they'll still rely on their own listening, insights, and communication skills to build rapport with their clients. And they remain ultimately responsible for the guidance and suggestions that they offer.
Kavit only has one major concern about AI in coaching, and it comes back to regulation. AI tools make it even easier for someone to pretend that they’re an experienced coach when they might have no qualifications at all. Without a regulatory body to set standards in the profession, there's no accepted standard for how or when coaches should use AI in their practice.
New coaches vs. experienced coaches: Are the problems different?
Some of the challenges in coaching today apply to all coaches equally. Unregulated coaches, public misconceptions, and careless use of AI are risks for the industry as a whole. However, some problems are specific to new or experienced coaches.
For example, new coaches are more likely to struggle with building their business at first. It can take them a while to find new clients, gather testimonials, or get referrals to grow their coaching practice.
Experienced coaches face different challenges. If they were trained decades ago, they may be under pressure to keep up with new approaches and technologies. They're also at risk of price undercutting from untrained or inexperienced coaches.
Certification can be valuable for coaches at every stage of their career, whether you've been practicing for years or you're just thinking about quitting your day job to pursue a more meaningful career. Training with a reputable organization like the Jay Shetty Certification School can give you the support you need — regardless of your experience level — to make you a better, more effective coach.
How the Jay Shetty Certification School prepares coaches to overcome industry problems
There are several reasons why the Jay Shetty Certification School produces so many successful coaches:
Comprehensive coach training. Students carry out practical tests and live coaching sessions to build their skills, alongside conventional lessons and study time. This sets the certification apart from other, unregulated online courses which don't include real coaching experience.
Focus on business acumen. Throughout the course — and afterward — coaches get support on how to market themselves, price their services, and maintain a steady flow of clients.
"We teach you the business skills, like defining your niche, figuring out what's unique about you," explains Kavit. "And then we do our very best to bring in what's new, what's working, what's emerging in the technology and the tools."
Leveraging technology for efficiency. Coaches learn to use tools to manage their time, market their business, and stay in touch with clients more effectively. They get insights and guidance around the latest tools for life coaching, such as AI.
Real-world readiness. "A big thing that usually shows up in [coaching] schools is that the coaches are certified, and then they still have a lot of imposter syndrome. ‘Am I ready? Do I know what I'm supposed to do?’” Kavit observes. The training program is designed to overcome those doubts. Students learn how to develop their empathy and build a rapport with clients quickly.
Our parting advice for aspiring life coaches
For many people, life coaching is a vocation. It's something they feel called to do. However, that calling on its own isn’t enough. Life coaches have to commit to learning throughout their career: keeping up to date with new approaches, deepening their empathy, and expanding their business skills.
“Remember, it's a commitment of a journey of learning," Kavit says. "You don't go through a six-month certification and you've learned everything. It's a lifelong mastery to become a really, really great coach. Focus on the area that you really love and then develop, without a doubt, the mindset of growth in your business."
The future of coaching is bright for Jay Shetty Certification School students
For the best life coaches, training never stops. But it starts with a globally recognized qualification from the Jay Shetty Certification School.
During your certification, you'll benefit from the latest approaches in coaching, along with live practice sessions, support from fellow students, and a dedicated mentoring team. You'll learn how to find the opportunity in every challenge that you face as a life coach.
