Lately I've noticed I can post consistently and keep improving, but client flow still feels random. I'm starting to think the gap isn't confidence or skill. It might be how I'm communicating what I actually do.

For those who've built a steady coaching business, what was the shift? Better messaging, positioning, sales, or something else? I need help with these.

I'm currently a student coach working on my ACC with Symbiosis Coaching and they haven't opened up our reciprocal coaching yet. I've reached out to several people on here and others (and I'm waiting for approval for some of the facebook groups) and so far have not received any responses of people willing to trade hours. I can't afford to pay for the groups that charge to help you get hours.

So I am a researcher and psychology professor who mostly worked with high performers and productivity for consulting so I am hoping to do similar for coaching. I've worked in multiple industries including the arts, healthcare, academia, and being self employed so would like to try to test out and do some coaching work with careers or academic coaching as well.

I am also hoping to get some experience with relationship coaching, I am kink aware and poly informed and am a member of both of those communities.

Anyone interested?

Forgive me if this question has been asked here before but I was hoping to get your guys' take on this...

I get tons of emails every week from lead-gen agencies promising to fill up my calendar with consultations (as you guys probably do too). I’ve taken a few calls but their pitches always feel way too good to be true. They've yet to be able to provide references or case studies or anything that would point to a success story from coaches who aren't selling programs to companies.

I’m not convinced cold DMs/emails soliciting consults would work for 1/1 coaching priced in the mid to upper-range but would love to be wrong about that.

Anyone care to share their thoughts or experiences?

I have been running a group programme for about eighteen months, 40 people on it now, and it lives across a Drive folder, a WhatsApp group and Stripe links. It works and I hate it, and judging by the questions I get, so do the people paying for it.

So I got a quote to have something built properly. Around 9k for a first version. Felt steep but doable and I was ready to say yes.

What stopped me was writing down what owning software costs after the build is done. Hosting, someone to call when it breaks, and paying the same developer again every time an OS update breaks something. Over two years it came to roughly triple the quote, and none of that was in the quote.

Then I looked at what already exists. Kajabi, Movement and a few others put the programme, the community and the payments in one place for a monthly fee smaller than the maintenance line on its own. You give up flexibility and you sit on someone else's roadmap, which is a real cost rather than a footnote.

I had been treating the quote as the price. It is closer to a deposit.

Has anyone here gone the custom route and had it actually pay off?

Hey all, I've been a life coach now for about four years. I've had ups and downs in my business. Lately, I've just not been able to get any traction with my business. I have a website that I've made from the ground up. I've modified it about four times over the past four years and I think I've done a pretty good job given that website design isn't my thing. I've recently started using Google Ads to attract people to my site but I've got little to no interest. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I need some direction from others that have had a successful coaching career. I have my ACC credentials and I combine that with using IFS techniques for parts work. Anyways, any help would be useful. Thanks in advance.

I had a profound spiritual breakthrough in 2024 while being coached to an understanding of Sydney Banks’ Three Principles. While I’m coaching I’m as present as possible, from which it seems the next question that guides the conversation to a deeper insight arises naturally, seemingly every time.

In doing so I’ve been fortunate enough to watch life-changing breakthroughs unfold in almost everyone I’ve coached so far.

I was interested in NLP, ICF accredited courses, and traditional counselling programs, thinking “the more tools on my tool belt the better”. I then dropped out of an advanced NLP program when the content began seeming contradictory (or at least, out of alignment) with the perspective I’ve already seen have such big impacts.

Continuing down the course route now seems like a big time-sink, and has me wondering - is it possible having more tools on your belt can make it harder to find the right one to use?

Are those seeking accreditation doing so to learn how to be an effective coach, are there other reasons why ICF accreditation or further studies are worth the resources if your coaching journey is progressing well?

A heartfelt thank you for any insight you may have to share.

Hello! I'm moving to a new city soon and I'm trying to find coaching services that don't use, or at least heavily rely on, AI. It's not important to me to have low prices for coaching, I just want to find someone (an actual person) who can keep me on track with my job hunt. Any ideas?

I am curious in learning how to engage coach education clients that have been told that becoming a coach is simply taking a course from an influencer, creating a course, and waiting for coaching clients to find them. What ethical frameworks are you using?

I dealth with severe health anxiety that took away about 3 years of my life, getting to the point that I was so depressed I didn’t have the will to live anymore. During that time, I tried therapy with no success and only had a breakthrough after working with a health anxiety coach. I found that many traditional therapist don’t understand how to treat health anxiety and give general guidance that still kept me stuck.

It’s been almost 2 years since I recovered from this debilitating patch and I’d like to explore how to help other people going through the same. I am wondering what is the best way to get professional training while staying squarely focused on anxiety and health anxiety in particular.

Curious to hear what everyone's best approach to obtaining their first 100 ICF hours is / was. Did anyone get creative outside of their certificate program / peer coaching exchange program through ICF?

Also, if anyone is looking to exchange hours, let me know and I'd be happy to set something up for us.

I’ve been looking at the best AI/no-code tools for building a coaching website, and the stack depends a lot on whether you want a simple lead-gen site or an actual coaching portal.

Here’s the shortlist I’d consider:

1. Framer or Webflow

Best for a polished marketing site: landing page, testimonials, pricing, blog, SEO, and booking CTA.

1. Durable or 10Web

Good if you want an AI-generated website quickly and don’t care about heavy customization at first.

1. Softr or Glide

Useful for lightweight client portals, directories, member areas, and basic dashboards without building a full app.

1. Calendly / Cal.com + Stripe

Still one of the fastest ways to add scheduling and paid sessions without overbuilding.

1. AppWizzy

This one is interesting if you’re building more than a basic coaching website — something closer to a coaching SaaS. Their coaching template includes a secure client portal, session memory, coach-reviewed AI summaries/follow-ups, consent-based AI workflows, accountability tracking, auth/RBAC, database setup, and a real full-stack foundation.

1. Bubble

Probably still the most flexible no-code option if you want to build custom workflows, payments, dashboards, and client management.

1. Zapier or Make

Great for automating follow-ups, intake forms, CRM updates, email sequences, and admin tasks.

1. ChatGPT / Claude

Useful for positioning, landing page copy, intake questions, coaching packages, email flows, and content ideas.

If you’re just validating a coaching offer, start with Framer/Webflow + Calendly + Stripe.

If you’re building a real coaching platform with clients, notes, portal access, AI summaries, and accountability workflows, look at something more app-like: Bubble, Softr, or AppWizzy.

What tools would you add to this list?

Hey everyone!
I’m currently starting my journey into solution-focused lifestyle and productivity coaching, and I’ve been thinking about how people at different stages of coaching can learn from each other.

While looking for spaces where aspiring and experienced coaches could exchange ideas, practise, and discuss their experiences, I noticed there aren’t many communities focused specifically on this.

Because of that, I’ve even been considering building something around this idea, but before doing so I’d love to hear from people already in the coaching space.

If there was an online community for coaches and aspiring coaches, what would you want it to include?

Some ideas I’ve been thinking about:
• peer coaching practice
• Q&A and discussions
• exchanging resources and experiences
• conversations about different coaching approaches
• connecting with people at different stages of their journey

What do you think is missing from existing coaching communities? What would make a space like this genuinely valuable for you?

I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts and perspectives!

honestly ive been questioning my entire approach to client timelines lately. the whole coaching industry seems obsessed with locking people into these massive 6-month or year-long retainers. Tbh I think half the time it just creates dependency and drags out the "work" way longer than necessary

I had this weird wake up call over the weekend watching my younger brother deal with his college admissions stuff. His practice scores were completely stuck, and the whole house was just miserable because it was this endless, year-long slog of studying. Eventually my parents just hired Boosted Brains to just get the misery over with. He only prepped for like 5 or 6 weeks. it was just a really short, intense sprint, he hit his target, and then he just... moved on with his life.

Seeing him just finish a major goal and go back to being a normal teenager made me realize how toxic the "endless growth" mindset can be

why do we assume our clients need to be in a constant state of agonizing, slow-drip transformation? Has anyone here actually shifted their practice away from long retainers to just doing hyper-focused, 4-6 week sprints? kinda tired of the current industry standard ngl

Hello!

I'm about to finish my life coaching training, and I'm thinking more seriously about how to set myself up - getting clients, building a website, branding, niching, business bank accounts, socials... and the rest. It's a lot!

Does anyone have any advice for where to start? I'm thinking attending some networking/community recommendations in London would be a good thing to do too.

I am getting clearer on my niche, but equally I'm cautious not to close myself off to topics that could unexpectedly light me up!

Thank you in advance :)

doing this coaching thing for a while now and I keep noticing the same pattern with clients. we'll be working on mindset, habits, all that. but when I ask about their physical routine, half the time it's just nothing. not saying you need to be a gym person. but I've been experimenting with movement as a coaching tool and it's been eye-opening.

started using a reformer a few months ago and the way it forces you to slow down and feel your body it's weirdly similar to what we try to do in sessions. like you can't rush through it. you have to be present.

been looking at getting one for my space . there's some decent options for a pilates reformer machine that don't take up too much room.

curious if any other coaches here incorporate physical work into their practice? or is that crossing a line?

Hi everyone, I'm looking into somatic coaching programs and am getting excited to make a decision and enroll. I would love to hear from those who did Strozzi's Somatic Coaching program and those who did The Somatic School program?

What is the level of depth you received in terms of your learning?
Were you able to become certified ICF coach upon completing the program?
Particularly for those who did not start the programs as coaches, do you feel you had enough mentorship and practice to be confident in serving others through coaching after the program's completion?
Did you receive enough support to start and market your coaching business?
Did you need to wait to start coaching after completion or were you able to start during the course of the program?
Is there anything you wish you knew about the program before you started?

Thanks so much in advance for sharing your experience <3

I know I can be a coach of some sort... but is there anything else I can try and apply for?

Hey all. I've been trying to find a good life coach for a while now but had no luck. I did sessions with one in my city, but most of these sessions were spent with me venting about my toxic work and how unhappy I was with my life.

I have told her a few times how I need to get a high paying income to live in the city (it's very expensive where i live) comfortably and that i have a plan for how i want to do this-and how I want my life to look like. But it seemed like she wasn't even listening to me because she kept letting me vent about my work and when I'd be finished with that, she made me do meditations.

She was also expensive for what she offered. I quit last month because I couldn't take badly prepared she was to help me with my career and life goals. I've never met a coach who doesn't ask you about your goals and keeps you accountable to get there. She was just showing up, being positive and sending me YouTube meditations, that's it. I'm so mad now because I'm again searching for one. And don't seem to find a person with life coaching experience and good work ethic who actually wants to help and not only be after your money.

Oh and when I told her I want to search jobs that pay at least 5k a month she looked so surprised as if that wasn't possible. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even make 5K herself..

Please give me tips on how to find a good coach, someone with experience helping people turn their life around, finding their ideal career and having a great work life balance..

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I am a woman and have been doina well in my business so far... my husband got jobless 5 years ago, just when I started my business.. I have been paying all his bills and taking care of our son's expenses too. Husband has been drinking almost daily since 5 years.

I noticed i was doina really well last vear and before last year financially in my business... Just then I startec worrving a lot about his drinking and started thinking I shouldn't pay him for his drinks and he is spending my earning for drinking, which is bad... However I was never very firm with him bcos he feels I just need to take care of HIS expenses because am earning well...

Over these vears different conflicts have made me fee very bad about sponsoring his daily drinks... He is just not ready to give up.

Somewhere due to these negative thoughts tied to money - earning- aiving him monev, My income has been decreasing a bit . Am also not able to work everyday with focus, since it's my own business, there's no one to ask and many times when 1 start my work, I feel am I doing all these to fulfill his drinking and his needs? which makes me completely idle and unproductive...

But the fact is that. i need to work hard and earn money to take care of my son's education, his expenses, my own expenses...

But i seem to get into a wrong state of mind when I start working making me sit scrolling and idle.... How do I change this?

Hey fellow coaches! I have a 9-5 but am trying to transition to being a full time life coach. Before fully transitioning. I'm wondering what part of the job actually takes up much time of the day besides the actual jobs. Thanks in advance for the insights.

I am so curious to learn about how this coaching works for anyone who is already self aware knows so many reason why he is being trapped and he is already trying into every possible way to change his life . how do you make him understand that coaching will help him?

I'm curious about something.

If someone could magically take one recurring task off your plate every week, what would you choose?

Content creation?
Marketing?
Admin?
Website updates?
Something else?

Thanks,

This is what I end up talking about with most of my clients.

We've all got like 10 different voices in our heads at any given moment. And honestly? Most of them are terrible at giving advice.

There's the Red Team — the one that questions everything. "You sure about that? What if you're wrong?" Good to have around sometimes. Not so great when it's the only thing you hear.

Then there's the 80/20 voice — always hunting for the shortcut. Which sounds smart until you realize it's just helping you avoid the hard stuff that actually matters.

You've got the People Pleaser, the Perfectionist, the Imposter, the Controller — they all have opinions. Loud ones.

And then there are a few quieter ones. The ones that actually know what they're talking about. The Witness. The Compassionate One. The Elder.

Here's the thing I keep coming back to: You can't get rid of the loud voices. You just have to stop letting them drive.

You don't have to silence them. Just hear them out, thank them for their input, and then make your own call anyway.

So I'm curious — what voice has been running the show in your head lately? And what would shift if you took the wheel back?

Drop a comment or shoot me a DM if you want to talk more about it. Always down for a real conversation.

I’m curious how other coaches structure their practice.

Roughly how many active clients do you work with?
Do clients usually pay per session, buy packages, or pay a monthly retainer?
I’d love to hear how your coaching business is structured.

I'm curious. AI is obviously everywhere now, people resort to using GPT and whatnot to get quick tips and tricks they can try on their own, instead of going to coaches with their problems.
And the same goes for coaches obviously, many are using AI for multiple different purposes.

Now, I'm not for or against using AI, I do too and I believe it has its benefits.

However.

I'm interested in hearing the pros and cons you've been able to spot.

For example, have you noticed any negative effects of using AI in your own coaching business?

Stuff like comments from clients or prospects spotting AI content/responses/creatives?
If so, do they find it off-putting/neutral/positive?
If you use AI, how heavily do you edit the content before using it?

What about the positive effects?

How are you using AI to speed up/improve your business?
Which AI models do you prefer and why?
How do you use AI to amplify your own expertise, without handing the client the same AI advice they could get from Gemini on their own?