Coaching

5 Big Things I Disagree With in the Coaching Industry

5 Things I Disagree With in the Coaching Industry

July 12, 2023

Hi! I’m Krista.
Human Design Educator, aligned business guide, mom to a two-year-old Manifestor named Maddie —  and on a mission to bring Human Design to the masses.
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I think coaches will change the world. In fact, they already are. However, there are some big things I disagree with in the coaching industry. Here are five of them. 👇

5 Things I Disagree With in the Coaching Industry - Soul & Sage

5 Things I Disagree With in the Coaching Industry

1. High-ticket, low-touch offers

There’s been an emerging trend of charging more and more money while being less and less involved with your clients. For example, selling a mastermind priced in the five-figure range but having 20 or more clients inside the mastermind.

In that case, there’s a dissonance between the level of investment made and the level of support, connection, and attention the client receives.

Similarly, some coaches are encouraging their clients to be as “self-led” as possible, instead of relying on their coach for help. Listen… Yes, it’s important for your client to learn not to depend on you completely. But that definitely doesn’t mean you should reduce the amount of support you give your client within the parameters of the coaching container.

2. Cookie-cutter strategy

Gone are the days when all of your clients wanted to follow in your exact footsteps and create success the exact same way you did. Each of your clients is here to walk their own special and unique path, and your job is to guide them along that path rather than show them how to replicate your own journey.

There’s a time and a place for sharing your own strategies and systems with your clients. But that’s not the only thing you should focus on inside your coaching containers if you want to make the biggest impact.

Remember: No one else has your same gifts, personality, goals, and lifestyle. Cater your coaching to each client’s individual needs. If you want to use Human Design as a tool for bespoke coaching, check out my Human Design for Coaches program.

3. Emphasis on income vs. skill development

This mindset is particularly rampant amongst business and money coaches, where financial results are touted above all else. (e.g., headlines like, “How I booked 10 clients + made $10K in 10 days!”)

Don’t get me wrong, these wins are fantastic and exciting. Sharing them can be inspiring and empowering. However, making sales and booking clients shouldn’t be the only way a coach gauges their success or markets their coaching containers.

Instead, I believe coaches should prioritize the development and refinement of their coaching skills. Ideally, they should spend as much time mastering their craft as they do marketing their packages.

4. The “all coaches need coaches” mentality

I’m beyond tired of hearing people say this as if it were fact. Or worse, use it as a subtly-slimy tactic to get new clients. Because not only is this not true, but it can be an extremely harmful or even completely off-putting message for aspiring coaches.

Everybody’s situation is different. Everyone’s needs and desires are different. Some people benefit from a coach at one point in their life and not at another. Some people thrive with a 1:1 coach and some people thrive in a group setting.

There’s no right or wrong way to do life; and declaring that someone isn’t a good coach unless they’re willing to invest in a coach is an overly simplified, biased, and damaging message.

5. Sharing client wins without the full story

There’s nothing wrong with this, per se. I just personally would like to see coaches start sharing more of the story behind the results rather than just the results themselves.

Instead of only telling people what your client achieved, talk about:

  • What they were struggling with at first
  • What type of guidance you gave them
  • The action steps they took
  • Where they stumbled
  • What worked and what didn’t work
  • And finally, their results.

Share realistic case studies of your client’s journey (everyone loves a good story!) instead of distilling it down into 2-3 punchy sentences that overly simplify and even glamorize the process.

Of course, these are just my own opinions and things I personally disagree with in the coaching industry.

I love coaches, and I love working with coaches. But I do think these changes would help promote the longevity, ethics, and integrity of our industry. Let me know if you resonate with what I shared. Is there anything else you disagree with in the coaching industry?

Ready to use Human Design to personalize your coaching?

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