So, you’ve arrived at a decision to look for a life coach to help you with your personal growth and goals. Awesome! It’s very important that you align with your coach on multiple levels, shared definitions, communication styles, goal setting, and the shared accountability required for a stellar partnership.
Most coaches will allow a free consultation or session for you and the coach to get to know your needs and why you’re pursuing their support. This is great, because this will allow you to vet them by asking questions that will help you determine if the coach is the right fit for you. Use these 12 insightful questions during your discussion with them to determine if a coach is right for you.
These questions below are great questions to ask your potential coach to get a better understanding of them as a coach and how they operate. Feel free to make the questions your own. I've added the "Why Ask This" because it's helpful to understand the "why" behind each question so you can determine if you need to ask it, and if the answer provided is satisfactory.
I also do this because my neurospicy clients (like me) often need the "why" otherwise it doesn't help us process effectively without it :) I also have a PDF version (scroll to the end) of these questions for those who rather read offline to manage their screen time.
Top 12 Questions to Find Your Life Coach
1. Can you describe your coaching philosophy and approach?
Why Ask This: This question helps you understand their overall coaching style and whether it aligns with your preference for a forward-thinking, ethical, and practical approach. Let them talk about why they enjoy being a coach, how they approach supporting clients like you, and what values they hold in coaching. Coaching is a practice and all of us have different approaches to the work. If you don’t align here, that’s a pretty big flag they may not be right for you.
2. What are some of your specializations, niche or focus in which you best serve your clients?
Why Ask This: It’s very important to ask about their specializations as all coaches have niches and these should align well with the majority of your needs to be a good fit. For example, I specialize in both Career & Mindset coaching for ADHD clients. I have focus on Tech career pivots, Creative career pivots and Entrepreneurship pivots all with mindset focus on emotional intelligence and self-awareness development.
Sounds like a lot, huh? Well, all of us have very different experiences and skill sets as a life coach. I specialize in these because I have certifications, lived experience and industry knowledge in these spaces which makes me very helpful to my ideal clients. So, it’s key to understand your coach’s knowledge so they can better support you and your goals.
3. What is your philosophy regarding how passion, skills, and purpose help people achieve their life goals?
Why Ask This: This questions delves deeper into the psyche of the coach to see how they understand the distinction of those three elements as well as how they intersect with each other. Passion for something is not the same as having the skill for it, nor does the presence of passion guarantee its your purpose. It's important for a coach to properly understand this so there's agreement on how to approach your goals realistically and effectively.
4. Can you provide examples of how you have helped clients develop specific skills related to their goals?
Why Ask This: This question focuses on the coach's practical experience in skill or workforce development and whether they have a track record of helping clients achieve tangible results. To be fair, not all coaches have this as a strong quality especially if they view themselves more of a 'consultant' than a 'practitioner' school of thought. If your goal is to become an small business owner, there's skills which need to be developed (business planning fundamentals, project managing, budgeting) which are needed. I'm skilled and resourceful in not just telling you what you need, but where to get those skills and even teaching you those skills. I personally feel that's what a coach does, but we all come from different perspectives and methodologies.
5. What is your process for setting and achieving goals with your clients?
Why Ask This: Understanding the coach’s process will give you insight into how structured and actionable their coaching is, which is crucial for ensuring that your drive translates into commitment and progress. Do they use a tracker? Do they have their clients journal goals? Coaches are goal-driven so they should have a plan that helps keep you accountable.
6. How do you measure progress and success in your coaching sessions?
Why Ask This: This question helps you gauge whether they have a systematic way of tracking progress, which is essential for maintaining motivation and seeing results. I personally use a goal tracker for my clients and we do periodic check-ins to review progress and for me to gather feedback from the client on how I’m doing. Progress should be openly talked about.
7. Can you share a success story from a client who had similar goals or challenges as mine?
Why Ask This: Hearing a specific example of their success with someone like you can provide confidence in their ability to help you achieve your goals. If they don’t have a story with similar goals, they can just share a success story that they feel paints a picture of their coaching style. Listen specifically for how they helped the client and how they defined success.
8. How do you handle setbacks or when a client feels stuck?
Why Ask This: I consider this one of my personal favorite top questions to find a coach.Their response will really indicate their resilience, problem-solving skills, and ability to support you during challenging times. In my experience, setbacks are quite common because life happens, shifts, and sometimes throw curveballs to which can effect a client’s goal. Life is a series of interruptions.
What’s important is understanding HOW the coach identifies, manages, and supports the client and recognizes WHEN the coach can assist in the setback and when it’s beyond their sphere of power.
9. What ethical guidelines do you follow in your coaching practice?
Why Ask This: Ensuring that they adhere to ethical standards is important for building a trustworthy and professional relationship. It’s common that some coaches may adhere to the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or IPEC Code of Ethics, which are accredited organizations. Some coaches may have codified their own ethical standards. Whatever they have, a reputable coach will openly share and communicate their ethical standards, and not only when you ask ;)
10. How do you ensure that your communication with clients is effective and constructive?
Why Ask This: This question will often reveal a life coach’s strategies for maintaining clear and productive communication. It’s important that there’s a mutual understanding of the various communication methods, cadences, and expectations so there’s no confusion. Life coaching is all about clarity.
Ask about if they send reminders, recap emails, or other resources in between sessions. This is a great time to share how YOU best communicate and receive information. Without effective communication, there is no effective coaching progress.
11. What kind of commitment do you expect from your clients, and how do you keep them accountable?
Why Ask This: Understanding your coach’s expectations and accountability methods will help you determine if their coaching style will keep you motivated and on track. Listen to their tactics and ask yourself if that works for you. If it doesn’t, suggest alternatives that would work for you and see if they will compromise.
Remember, this is about determining if this coach is the right fit and usually an ideal fit is someone who is open to receive feedback and adjust to fit your needs. If they can’t, then that helps you better decide.
12. Do you work with clients who attend therapy? If so, how to you partner or ensure your work with the client connects well with the work they are doing with their therapist?
Life Coaches are NOT Licensed Therapists! It’s important that not only your coach understands this, but also acknowledges that there are boundaries and supportive work that is an opportunity when working with clients who also attend therapy.
Though these two professions serve different purposes, it’s helpful for them to both to support and not contradict.
Searching for the right coach to support you takes time and its important not to select someone who may be counterproductive to your goals or may perform unethically.
Ask questions until you fill confident that the coach is right for you. It’s also OK to leave a coach if you find in your experience with them they are proven not right for you.
The decision to work with a coach is ALWAYS your choice and when you find the right one for you, they can help you unlock parts of your personal growth you didn't think possible alone. We are communal creatures and are meant to grow with a community and others beside you. Isolation often feels unnatural to us for a reason. We tend to grow betters with other healthy folks.
Need to download this sweet guide to finding your own life coach? Download your free guide below!
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Wanna see if I can help you in your transformation journey? Schedule a free mini session with me and let's talk about your goals!
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