Abstract
One factor generally overlooked in life coaching studies is the importance of the client-coach relationship. This relationship may be facilitated by the lived experiences of coaches themselves. Here, we examined the efficacy of a life coaching program in a sample of 12 life-coaches-in-training. Participants sought coaching and experienced positive outcomes in line with what has been previously reported in the literature. These results indicate a close concordance between the experiences of life coaches who receive life coaching and the general client base. This points to the importance of life coaches receiving coaching themselves in order to better serve their clients.
Introduction
Life coaching is a professional practice that aims to help people flourish in life by living according to their strengths, striving to reach goals, and achieving wellbeing in all areas of life. Life coaching broadly involves approaches to mental health, emotional and physical wellbeing, and optimal career performance, facilitated by trained coaches, which rely on several foundational principles. These principles include the belief that those seeking out coaching have a potential for change, the belief that significant change is possible, that clients are resourceful, that the coaching is goal-focused, that change can happen in a short period of time, and that clients are willing to do the work to change (Grant & Cavanaugh, 2010). In short, coaching is collaborative and solution-focused, aimed at enhancing individuals’ life experiences, goal attainment, and overall wellbeing (Grant, 2003).
Importantly, life coaching aligns squarely with the goals of positive psychology, with coaching practices aiming to develop humanistic strengths like resilience and optimism (Green et al., 2020). Other positive psychology-related variables directly addressed by life coaching include self-efficacy and empowerment, with those from disadvantaged and diverse populations particularly benefiting (Ammentorp et al., 2013). In this regard, clients sometimes find that life coaching is especially helpful as it relies on different types of communication and relationships than they are used to from healthcare personnel (Ammentorp et al., 2013). Findings from other studies suggest that life coaching is a reliable approach that may enhance individual courage (Jarosz, 2017; Green et al., 2020; Spence & Grant, 2007).
Additionally, studies have provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of evidence-based life coaching in improving goal striving and goal attainment (Green et al., 2006), increasing perceived control over environmental factors, and greater openness toward new life experiences (Spence & Grant, 2007). In these studies, life coaching was also associated with significant increases in levels of cognitive hardiness (Green et al., 2020). Still other studies show improvements in terms of metacognition, levels of self-reflection, and levels of insight, and autonomous motivation (Grant, 2003; Curtis & Kelly, 2013).
Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of life coaching for personal growth and the development of character. For instance, these coaching programs have been linked to significant improvements in virtues (Green et al., 2020). Life coaching has also facilitated notable benefits for young adult populations, including increases in self-confidence, and alignment of values with decision-making (Lefdahl-Davis et al., 2018). Group interventions have also yielded positive results, with structured peer coaching groups yielding significant increases in participants’ scores on happiness and wellbeing measures (Style & Boniwell, 2010).
Moreover, coaching practices have been employed in healthcare settings as a method to encourage healthy lifestyle changes and promote better quality of life for patients and student practitioners (Ammentorp et al., 2013). Life coaching has proven effective in reducing psychological distress among dental students, with participants exhibiting significantly decreased levels of depression and anxiety, and enhanced resilience and self-acceptance (Aboalshamat et al., 2020). These findings underscore the potential of coaching to inspire change and support personal development, particularly in demanding fields.
Overall, life coaching is a promising methodology for fostering personal growth, enhancing wellbeing, and supporting individuals in achieving their goals. It provides a framework for further research into psychological processes and outcomes in professional and person-centered contexts, demonstrating its role in promoting positive psychological functioning and resilience (Curtis & Kelly, 2013). However, empirical studies are still limited, and more research is required. One largely understudied area is the related impact of mandatory life coaching for life coaching trainees themselves. One previous study has shown improvements in anxiety, goal attainment, and personal insight, alongside higher academic performance (Grant, 2008).
In general, research concerning the impact of life coaching on wellbeing and mental health variables seldom relies on investigating these outcomes for the life coach population, who are the disseminators of the programs yet are rarely examined as participants themselves (Spence & Grant, 2007; Jarosz, 2016). This is important as one of the central factors ensuring coaching efficacy is the coach–coachee relationship. Determining the problems that coaches may seek life coaching for, and how they overcome these problems, can help elucidate characteristics that may make them effective in their own practice. The current study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining professional coaches’ participation in a pilot life coaching program and its perceived impact on markers of wellbeing, personal growth, and professional development.
Method
The Center for Heart Living offers a novel coaching program which utilizes various life coaching techniques, such as the Heart Freedom Method, that aim to help participants in their path toward self-efficacy and self-actualization. Preliminary evidence points to the efficacy of this program, as shown by previously collected and unpublished data including the subjective reports of past participants. To further build on this body of evidence, the present observational study seeks to collect qualitative interview data from participants in the Heart Freedom Method course to better determine the potential efficacy of the program. All participants in the present study were life coaches in training.
The primary objective of this pilot trial was to determine the subjective benefit and rationale of the program as reported by the participants. It was hypothesized that participants would find the program effective in aiding them in dealing with day-to-day challenges as well as improving their sense of wellbeing, gratitude, and self-efficacy.
Participants and Intervention
The present study received ethics approval from Veritas IRB [reference number: 2022-2974-10321-2]. Participants were recruited through the program website and by utilizing a snowball recruitment technique. Those who wished to register for the program booked an exploration call with the Principal Investigator. Here, participants’ goals were explored, and it was determined whether they were a good fit for the program. Following the completion of the program, participants completed one semi-structured interview through video call, during which questions were asked regarding their evaluation of the subjective efficacy of the program. In total 12 participants completed the study. The sample consisted of 10 females and 2 males.
The program took approximately 6 months in total for each participant. The participants received an average of two half-hour sessions a month with the coach. After each session, the participants set three goals they would have liked to achieve in order to support their three areas of focus for the coaching period. One week after the first session, participants reported on how well they were doing with their goals. Each session was then tailored to the needs of the client at that moment.
Although the program was largely variable from client to client, there were certain parts of the program that were constant. First, during the first session, each participant had a 1hr “Life Design Session,” where the areas of focus for the program were narrowed down to three areas. If a participant came to the coach reporting a strong challenge or emotion, the Heart Freedom Method was used to help them move past this challenge. The method involves asking participants to find an initial moment when index memories may have led to reported negative effects, as well as working through these memories and past experiences to counteract their impact on present endeavors. Moreover, most participants attended a weekend seminar at some point during their program. There, they were taught the Demartini method (Demartini Institute, n.d.), which involves asking participants to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of their most significant relationships, in order to facilitate gratitude for their life experiences.
Analysis
Qualitative data were analyzed using a combination of human and Artificial Intelligence (AI) coding. Specifically, we broadly followed guidelines provided by De Paoli and Mathis (2024) for AI-assisted inductive qualitative analysis. Qualitative data were first coded using common Large Language Models (LLMs). Following this, two researchers (PS and KX) reviewed and modified themes. First, the two researchers read and took notes on seven interview transcriptions, ensuring the fit of the LLM-generated themes. Then the researchers met to ensure consistency in the initial notes. Following this, the research assistants discussed the applicability of the themes and their modifications. After emerging themes were determined, one researcher (KX) read through and coded the remaining seven interviews, to determine the applicability of the themes throughout the interviews. This was deemed suitable for the study, given that there was no expectation of finding particular themes in the participants’ data. Additionally, AI-assisted coding was deemed to be fitting given that LLMs function by picking up on statistical relationships between words and phrases, which provides a more objective alternative to traditional human coding approaches.
Results
Reasons for Joining the Program
Participants reported many challenges prior to the start of the program which motivated their enrollment. The following themes categorize these challenges across the personal, emotional, interpersonal, and professional domains.
Self-Self and Self-World Relationship
Participants indicated that one of the main causes for concern, prior to the program, was how they related to themselves as well as their goals and visions for their life. Many participants sought authenticity and self-discovery. This pursuit often involved searching for alignment of personal values and finding what they loved doing. Participants also aimed to gain control and overcome feelings of being stuck, as evidenced by one participant who mentioned wanting to “break through” obstacles and another who felt “a puppet of her own conditioning before the program.” Similarly, some participants also indicated feeling disengaged or “distanced” in their lives and seeking support to move forward. Finding purpose was another common goal, with one participant feeling that they were “meant for more” and another wanting to ‘overcome things from her past and find a purpose.” In other words, participants attended the life coaching program to achieve a deep personal transformation.
Emotion Dysregulation
Many participants indicated problems with managing negative emotions as well as stress, seeking to take part in the program to overcome these problems. Many described experiencing significant emotional challenges, such as severe anxiety and stress, with one participant mentioning “extreme anxiety in social situations” and another noting maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as the use of food to “regulate stress and emotions.” Depression and emotional pain were also reported, with participants sharing struggles like depression, cynicism, and anger before starting the program and feeling “very unhappy initially.” Issues with self-esteem and self-worth were also prevalent, as evidenced by statements that expressed a sense of self-hatred, low self-esteem, low self-worth prior to the program, and a desire to overcome self-loathing. Additionally, impulsivity and difficulty regulating emotions were significant concerns, with participants expressing the need to “let go of emotions that create problems” and acknowledging “emotional dysregulation at first.” Many participants sought the program to change and develop better coping skills, aiming for instance to “change [their mood away] from fear and anger.”
Self-Other Relationship
Participants in the study highlighted various relationship problems that led them to attend the life coaching program. Many described challenges with significant others, family members, and friends, seeking to improve these troubled relationships. Some participants reported friction with parents, and negative emotions such as “extreme anger towards [their] mother” and “constantly triggered by … [their mother].” Marital and partner relationships were also common issues, with participants mentioning troubled marriages, betrayal, and financial dependence on partners. For instance, one shared that her marriage ended, and she lost contact with her son, and another noted that their partner had a double life, and she wanted to overcome the sense of betrayal. Relationships more generally presented challenges as well, with participants experiencing difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships and facing social struggles. These relationship struggles included feeling stuck and frustrated, feelings of codependency, and having a lack of boundaries. Participants sought the program to address high-conflict situations and restore harmony, with one aiming to “restore family harmony” and another “searching for stability” and “leaving unhealthy environments.”
Career Concerns
A common concern reported by participants was career issues. Many participants described feeling stuck in their careers and seeking a meaningful change, with one noting a desire to “be better able to help others deal with challenges,” and another mentioning feeling “burnt out and working to make ends meet.” Some faced significant career disruptions and had to learn to accept these changes, such as one participant who shared that her “career was taken away from her.” Financial troubles were also common, with participants working multiple jobs to maintain financial stability in light of their continued pursuit of life-coaching. Additionally, many sought career and financial success, driven by professional and economic goals. For instance, one participant sought “success in career and financial success with business,” while another wanted to “apply the process of certification to many areas of life.”
Physical Wellbeing
Finally, several participants described health issues prior to the program, and sought ways to improve these issues. Many described being in poor physical health, with one participant noting that they were not “in the best place physically” and another mentioning “pain in [their] body when exercising.” Unhealthy habits were also a common concern, as illustrated by one participant who shared they were “eating unhealthily,” indicating a desire to improve both diet and overall wellbeing. Specific medical conditions further motivated participants to seek help, such as one who mentioned that they were “suffering from a vaccine injury” and another who noted that they were “taking sleeping pills before [the program].”
Benefits Derived from the Program
Participants reported a myriad of benefits derived from their participation in the program. These benefits often overlapped with their stated goals for joining the program. These benefits have been categorized under themes related to participants personal growth and development, gratitude and positive emotions, emotional and behavioral regulation, career improvement, improvements in interpersonal relationships, and improvements in health. Although these categories have been separated, they were often reported to be interrelated by participants.
Personal Growth and Development
This theme denotes a sense of growth experienced in the participants’ personal lives, including changes in their view and relationship with themselves, changes in their views of the world, as well as how they participate in their life more broadly. This involved feelings of improved self-Acceptance and authenticity, learning and self-understanding, self-control and confidence, and spiritual growth.
Participants frequently reported gaining a sense of self-acceptance and living more authentically. Many described embracing their true selves and letting go of inauthentic behaviors. For example, one participant noted that they were “no longer pretending” or “people pleasing.” This shift toward authenticity was accompanied by a deeper understanding of their values and purpose. One participant shared that she was finally able to remind herself why she is doing things, and has gotten touch with her values, which also motivates her.
The program also significantly helped participants in their journey of learning, self-understanding, and self-awareness. Participants reported developing a better understanding of themselves and their mental blocks. One participant mentioned that they “acquired self-knowledge” which improved their emotional health, while another expressed learning by “overcoming victim mentality” and “overcoming mental blockage.” These changes helped participants recognize and break maladaptive patterns, making the program a transformative experience, as indicated by some participants. For instance, one participant noted that she was “recognizing patterns of limiting beliefs holding her back” and another shared that the program “helped her get rid of maladaptive beliefs [that she wasn’t good enough],” which in turn brought about success in her career. This self-awareness extended to seeing the broader context of their struggles, as highlighted by a participant who stated that they “now recognize…troubles as part of a larger system.”
Participants also reported gaining a sense of control over their lives and feeling more confident in themselves and their abilities. Many described building confidence and competence through the program. The program also helped participants set and achieve personal goals, leading to a greater sense of empowerment. One participant shared that she “feels empowered,” while another highlighted the program's impact on their goal-directed behavior, stating, now she has “the ability to maintain goals over time.” Additionally, participants reported discovering their self-worth and feeling worthy of love and success.
Finally, participants reported that life coaching program positively influenced their spiritual growth and philosophical outlook on life. Many participants reported a deeper connection to the “divine” and a more fulfilling spiritual life. For example, one participant mentioned, “sense of connectedness to self and God” and “self-transcendence.” Participants also described specific spiritual experiences and a renewed sense of purpose. One participant stated, “becoming a coach feels like divine will - feels as if this was [my] purpose,” illustrating how the program helped them discover a spiritual mission in their career. The program also helped participants adopt new philosophies and beliefs that were experienced as beneficial. One participant mentioned that they “adopted a philosophy of joy,” and another noted, “the program helped celebrate life…without being tied to the past.” These changes reflect a shift toward a more positive and balanced outlook on life, influenced by spiritual growth.
Gratitude and Positive Emotions
Participants reported an increased expression of positive emotions at the conclusion of the program, which included a newfound orientation of gratitude and a sense of joy from feeling more connected and supported by loved ones. Many described feeling happier and more content. For example, one participant simply noted that she felt a “sense of wholeness, wellness.” The program also helped participants develop a sense of inner peace and self-compassion. Gratitude was a recurring theme as well, with participants feeling grateful for their lives and the world at large. These positive emotions extended to their relationships, with participants feeling more love and appreciation for their families. One participant mentioned that she now “feels loved in family, [feels] blessed” and “learned how to manage feelings and love for family.”
Emotion and Behavioral Regulation
Participants in the study reported various ways the life coaching program positively influenced their emotional and mental health, foregrounding emotional and behavioral regulation, particularly in overcoming negative emotions and building coping skills. Several participants described becoming more mindful and balanced, such as one who mentioned she felt as if she was “walking a middle path, no longer [feelings] extreme highs and lows.” The program was instrumental in helping participants manage stress and trauma, with one participant noting their “commitment to work on wellness, manage stress,” and another stating they “dealt with PTSD [better].”
Many participants also described feeling more at peace and grounded, with one participant stating that she “now feels peace, despite persistent stress.” The program helped participants develop a better understanding of their emotions and reduced feelings of being overwhelmed. One participant mentioned that when something triggers her, she just does the practice and then “things shift,” illustrating how the techniques learned in the program provided immediate relief from stress. Another participant shared that she “no longer feel[s] addicted to stress,” pointing to the program's effectiveness in breaking unhealthy patterns.
Career Improvement
Many participants reported increased financial success and greater effectiveness in their professional lives. For instance, one participant shared that “her career started from zero” and now she is “building a business and feel more in power and more independent.” Participants also mentioned improved job satisfaction and alignment with their career paths. One participant noted “realization and frustration that career isn't aligned [with who they are]” followed by, “[I] overcame this in my current career path” indicating that the program helped them find a career path that better suited their true selves. Another participant expressed, how she now “enjoys her profession … more,” showing enhanced job satisfaction.
The program also facilitated career transitions and entrepreneurial ventures. Several participants started their own businesses or pursued new career paths after the program. One participant mentioned that after doing the training, she started doing really well in her business, and experienced a “lot of growth.”
Improvements in Relationship/Interpersonal Factors
As a result of the program, participants reported better connections with others, including significant others and family members. For example, one participant mentioned “having compassion for parents, harmony and peace,” indicating a newfound ability to empathize with and understand family members better. Another participant noted that she has done a “lot of work with her mother,” and she thinks her mother can understand her better now, highlighting improved communication and mutual understanding.
Participants also mentioned that the program helped them choose healthier relationships and set better boundaries. One participant shared, “[I’m] now choosing people who are more cherished in relationships, recovering from poor boundaries and one-sided relationships.” This shift toward healthier interactions extended to romantic relationships as well, with participants noting improvements. For instance, one participant stated that the program helped her through her divorce, by giving her “more compassion and better communication,” and when her husband also started doing coaching, their relationship became much better.
The program also fostered a better understanding of others, enabling participants to relate more effectively and avoid taking things personally. One participant said she feels that she now has a better understanding of other people, and their behaviors, while another shared that she can interact with people now “without taking things personally.”
Improved Health and Vitality
Finally, participants reported significant health improvements, such as dietary changes (e.g., cutting back on coffee and sugar), which helped them feel better and more energized. Increased energy levels were a common outcome, as well as weight loss. Overall, the program led to better self-care and general physical health improvements, with participants feeling physically better. These examples point to the life coaching program's effectiveness in promoting healthier lifestyles and enhancing participants’ wellbeing.
Discussion
Participants reported widespread benefits pertaining to their experiences of personal growth following their participation in the program. They expressed greater awareness of their emotional wellbeing, improvements in their interpersonal relationships, overall mood and feelings of general health and wellbeing, all of which are in line with prior research investigating the effectiveness of life coaching programs (Jarosz, 2017). Specifically, participants reported a heightened appreciation for their own understanding of themselves and their relationships to significant people in their lives, corroborating previous participant experiences of life coaching as a journey toward self-discovery yielding a renewed sense of resilience and self-acceptance (Green et al., 2020).
In line with prior research on life coaching paradigms, participants reported a greater ability to regulate negative emotions like guilt, shame and anxiety toward their participation in the program (Grant, 2003). As a result, they were able to experience more positive emotions such as gratitude and happiness; this allowed participants to cultivate a greater sense of self-compassion and appreciation for the present moment, and has been found to allow life-coaching participants to come into contact with a sense of wholeness (Style & Boniwell, 2010). Importantly, participants reported a newfound sense of hope, in that despite struggles amidst their present circumstances, they are ready to feel more connected to the important people in their lives and to the world at large. Participants attributed this newfound sense of agency and belonging to an emerging sense of confidence in their own abilities, which has been attributed toward a more keenly-honed vision of the future and sense of control over their lives as a result of life coaching (Curtis & Kelly, 2013). Further, this new sense of confidence signals a shift toward a sense of mastery over the challenges that they face. Some even reported philosophical or spiritual insights, where their renewed hope for the future encompassed a sense of self-transcendence, connectedness and belonging with the loved ones in their lives. For participants completing the program, these changes lead to profound feelings of gratitude, inner peace, self-esteem, and joy.
The life coaching program in this study comprises a few key aspects that were experienced by participants as fostering greater self-understanding, self-efficacy, and emotional wellbeing. This approach draws heavily from approaches within positive psychology that emphasize the development of a ‘growth mindset’ in encouraging self-awareness, reflexivity, and resilience within the ways in which one adaptively responds to stressors and challenges (Dweck 2006, 2015). Additionally, the emphasis the Heart Freedom Method places upon revisiting emotionally salient memories is a staple of cognitive behavioral approaches that allow one to adaptively reframe negative or traumatic experiences as opportunities for personal growth, allowing one to come into contact with self-insight, authenticity, and self-actualization (Munroe et al., 2021; Steinberger et al., 2011; Yeung et al., 2016). Similarly, the Life Design session has been used in other contexts to support the professional and personal development of undergraduate students by using self-reflection exercises to foster their self-esteem in relation to their employability outcomes (Williams et al., 2022). Of crucial relevance to this approach is a central pillar of Life Design initiatives involving the identification of core psychological characteristics that underpin the development of an enterprising mindset that favors industriousness and resourcefulness that contribute toward one's self-efficacy in navigating career-related challenges (Clark et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2017).
Finally, the Demartini method used in this study asks participants to reflect on their most significant relationships as a means of fostering gratitude, which was a positive emotion widely reported by participants. Gratitude has been reported as being crucial to fostering connectedness between people, and is experienced upon receiving personal value from another's costly, intentional act (Algoe, 2012; McCullough et al., 2008). Reflecting upon significant relationships as a means of fostering gratitude has been shown to be successful in outcomes related to relationship satisfaction (Leong et al., 2020). Specifically, expressions of gratitude enhance feelings of being seen, heard and cared for and serve to strengthen the bond of the relationship to buffer against dissatisfaction and low commitment to one's romantic partner (Algoe et al., 2010; Gordon et al., 2012; Park et al., 2019).
The life coaching literature is limited in its study of life coaches’ characteristics and experiences. Although we are not aware of studies examining life coaches’ backgrounds, it is our experience that most life coaches have at some point been a recipient of life coaching themselves. Our results indicate that life coaches may themselves have many of the same concerns as the typical recipients of life coaching. These concerns range from feelings of inauthenticity, a lack of a satisfying relationship with others and the world at large, difficulties with emotion regulation, and career and health concerns. Clearly, such problems may not only get in the way of life, but also in providing life coaching. On the other hand, those who can successfully resolve such issues, may be especially apt at providing life coaching themselves. Findings from the literature indicate that the client–coach relationship is crucial to the outcomes of life coaching (Birnie, 2019; Boyce et al., 2010; Weinberg & Hausfeld, 2024). Coaches who are compassionate, empathetic, and genuine, can help their clients model such attitudes in their own lives. Indeed, such attitudes have been deemed necessary in therapeutic relationships in general (Hall et al., 2010; Høglend, 2014; Steel et al., 2018). In addition to this, coaches who themselves have histories of wrestling with such issues can provide their clients with the advantage of lived-experiences. We know from the broader literature that the match (or mismatch) between client and care-provider can significantly predict the success of the therapeutic relationship (Shir & Tishby, 2024; Sterling et al., 2001). This could be due to clients being more likely to feel understood when their care-providers are seen to more closely resemble themselves. The present findings would suggest that similar salutary effects are likely to be present in the client-coach relationship.
Despite the notable strengths of the present study, important limitations exist and must be taken into account. First, we used a one-time semi-structured interview as our primary method of data analysis. Semi-structured interviews enable the examination of participants’ experiences in their own self-narratives. However, such methods are limited in that they do not provide a quantifiable measure of improvement. Nonetheless, the present findings can be used by future studies to determine relevant scales that might be utilized in a quantitative study. Secondly, the present findings may be biased given the selection of clients who’ve decided to practice life coaching themselves. In other words, we have only sampled those who have had positive experiences with the program, so much so that they were willing to adopt it as their program of practice. Future studies would do well to recruit participants who have not yet completed a life coaching program, and track their experiences longitudinally.
Footnotes
Funding
This work has not received external funding.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. However, it should be noted that LJ is the director of the Center for Heart Living and has devised the Heart Freedom Method protocol.
