One of the most common questions for aspiring life coaches is: "But what about my age?"
Younger coaches might worry that they lack enough life experience to connect with their clients and build trust. Older coaches, on the other hand, may worry that their expertise is outdated or that they’ll be left behind by new technology.
Fortunately, when it comes to life coaching services, age really is just a number. What truly matters are your coaching techniques and training, mindset, and commitment to making a difference in people’s lives.
There's a unique niche for every coach out there. If you're relatively young, then you can serve clients a fresh take on their challenges. If you come to coaching with decades of life experience, you have wisdom and perspective to share.
Are there legal age requirements for becoming a life coach?
Life coaching is a growing global movement, but there's no universal standard or regulations yet. At the Jay Shetty Certification School, the minimum age to join the program is 18 years old. Some individual countries or other programs may have their own age requirements or recommended age guidelines, which will vary.
Generally, coaches just need to be over 18 for practical reasons — in many areas, you won’t be able to register a business, open a business bank account, or file legal paperwork until you’re officially an adult. Plus, this age limit helps ensure that you have the maturity and life experience needed to understand and connect with clients.
But keep in mind that there are a lot of different coaching areas you can specialize in, from wellness coaching to relationship coaching, career coaching, and executive coaching. Depending on your niche, you might also want extra qualifications. For example, a health coach might also study as a dietitian or mental health professional..
If you want to become a certified life coach, you'll need to go through a life coach training program. The best courses for those 18 and up, such as the Jay Shetty Certification School, include practical coaching experience and personal development, as well as core competencies, communication skills, and business skills.
Common misconceptions about age and life coaching
Some people think that you need decades of workplace or relationship experience under your belt before you can even think about coaching. But this misconception often stems from a misunderstanding of what coaching is.
Life coaching is different from consultancy, mentoring, or therapy. Consultants and mentors usually join a business to solve specific problems, applying their own expertise in an industry. Therapists often work with people to resolve feelings and behaviors from their past. But life coaching is different.
Instead of giving people the answers, life coaches support their clients to deepen their self-awareness and find their purpose. Instead of focusing on the past, they empower people to look ahead and build the future life that they want.
A life coach is someone who guides clients to make changes on their own. They help their clients ask the right questions and take positive action. You can become a catalyst for change at any age.
The top 10 qualities of a life coach include things like empathy, enthusiasm, humor, and curiosity. There's no expiration date on being an empathetic person, and there's no minimum age to be enthusiastic about your work.
Can you be too old to be a life coach?
People who come to coaching in middle age (or older) often worry that they're "too late." Too late for a career change, too late to learn new skills, or too late to start their own business.
But your age can be an advantage. Life coaching values self-awareness, lived experience, perspective, and the ability to guide others — all qualities that improve as you age.
Clients may also value coaches with a lot of experience in their specific niche. For example, someone who's looking for guidance in their career will appreciate a coach who knows what it's like to hunt for jobs, go through redundancy, or win a promotion.
If you feel like there are gaps in your business knowledge, that's an easy fix. The best life coaching certification programs will support you with knowledge and tools to set up, market, and expand your small business.
How older life coaches can leverage their experience
It's important to see your age as a strength, not a weakness. Don't try to hide it, but embrace your years of experience and knowledge!
The majority of coaches have experience to back up their practice, according to industry research. Many of them hold PhDs or MBAs or have at least 20 years of work experience. You're not alone as an older coach — and you can be successful.
You can use your past career or personal journey as the foundation for your coaching practice. For example, some people become coaches in the same niche as their first career. But you don't necessarily have to stay in the same field.
Coaching is often a good fit for people who have moved on from their first career and want to feel challenged by something new. It can also be a great part-time role if you're returning to work after spending some time away in retirement or raising a family. You get to set your own schedule and control how much work you put into it.
The Jay Shetty Certification School gives you structured training to turn your experience into a coaching career. You'll learn proven coaching methodologies and strategic business skills to find your niche, attract the right clients, and start making a real difference in their lives.
See what's included in the Jay Shetty training program.
How older life coaches can market themselves effectively
One of the most effective marketing strategies is storytelling — and if you're an older coach, you likely have plenty of stories to tell.
Just like you leverage your life experience in coaching sessions, you can also use it to market yourself to coaching clients. Highlight your past roles, career achievements, and personal development in your marketing materials so prospective clients can feel confident that you understand where they are and where they want to go — because you’ve been there yourself.
As part of your life coaching training with the Jay Shetty Certification School, you'll learn how to develop a personal branding strategy that speaks to your past experience. You'll get support to define your niche as a coach, with the option to pursue a free post-training course that covers business skills, marketing tools, and social media.
Can you be too young to be a life coach?
Younger life coaches have the opposite problem from older coaches. As a young coach, you're prepared to take bold steps in your career, but you've had less time to build up experience in your chosen niche.
It's true that older coaches can use their life experience to build trust with clients. But experience isn't the only thing that matters. Your confidence, communication, and professional coaching skills are all more impactful than your age.
Being young has its own advantages as well. For example, when 75% of life coaching sessions take place online, younger coaches may benefit from their status as digital natives. If you're already comfortable with online life, then it's likely that you will adapt quickly to personal branding and marketing.
Programs like the Jay Shetty Certification School can give you the skills and confidence you need to support clients. It's a structured program for those 18 years or older that includes hands-on sessions, community support, mentorship, and independent study. You'll graduate with a certification that's known all over the world and become part of a global community of experienced coaches who can help you continue to learn.
How younger life coaches can build trust and credibility
It's important to remember that "experience" doesn't just mean the passage of time. It's about the work you do and the results you get. You can build up expertise as a life coach as soon as you start a life coaching business.
Once you've signed your first coaching clients, you can begin building your profile and credibility. You can share testimonials from clients and keep your own records of their successes. You’ll also continue developing your professional skills by learning new techniques and staying up to date with the coaching industry. Your knowledge will grow fast as you put your skills into practice.
Finally, remember that even if you're young, you still have plenty of experience and perspective to offer. Lean on your own story of personal development to connect with clients and understand their challenges. Use your fresh perspective to motivate clients and remind them that change is easier than they think.
How younger life coaches can overcome skepticism from potential clients
Here's a secret: Most of the time, when clients have doubts about a younger coach, it's not really because of their age. It's because of their confidence.
Younger coaches sometimes find it harder to position their personal brand or speak confidently to potential clients. But luckily, confidence and marketing are skills that you can learn at any age. You can also highlight the value you bring to clients by creating and sharing authoritative content online.
The Jay Shetty Certification School can help you become a more confident communicator as you acquire new skills and get support from an experienced mentor team. You'll learn how to define your niche as a coach — both for yourself and when speaking to clients, and you can even pursue a free post-training course that teaches you how to build your business from the ground up.
What really matters in becoming a successful life coach?
Whether you're older, younger, or right in the middle, you can become a successful professional life coach. As long as you’re at least 18 years old, your mindset, commitment, and training are far more important than your age.
You need a growth mindset so that you can encourage change in yourself and in others. You'll also need to be an empathetic person who communicates well and loves to solve problems.
A full commitment to your calling as a life coach is important as well. The role of a life coach is to help people make positive changes, so you'll need passion and dedication to see those changes through.
Finally, you need training in evidence-based coaching techniques to help your clients. The best life coaches keep up with continuous learning — adding new accreditations, online courses, and specialisms to their coaching practices.
The Jay Shetty Certification School is a science-backed, holistic training program for aspiring coaches. Whether you’re 18 years old or 100 years old, you can learn coaching techniques and business skills to build a meaningful coaching career.
Learn more about your journey into life coaching.
Steps to start a life coaching career as an adult
As every life coach knows, making changes in your life starts with making a plan. So if you’re ready to begin your journey as a life coach, these five steps will help you get started:
- Get certified with a reputable coaching program, such as the Jay Shetty Certification School once you’re at least 18 years old.
- Find your niche. Some training programs, including Jay Shetty, will help you identify your niche as part of your studies.
- Log practice hours to build up your experience as a coach. Look for training programs that include practice sessions and mentor feedback to guide you.
- Build credibility with potential clients by collecting testimonials, reviews, and case studies. Create online content to showcase your expertise.
- Join a community of coaches, online or in-person, so that you can continue learning and get support from your peers.
Your age doesn’t define your impact as a life coach
With the right mindset, commitment, and training, anyone can become a life coach in their adult years. The most important qualities for being a life coach are empathy, communication, and compassion — and there are no age restrictions on those traits.
The Jay Shetty Certification School is a rigorous training program for coaches 18 and up who want to develop personally and professionally. We'll equip you with the latest coaching techniques and business skills, as well as ancient cultural wisdom and the strength of a thriving global community.
Change your life by helping others change theirs. Join the program today.
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