On February 6, 2024, the BBC published an article titled, the seedy underbelly of the life coaching industry. As a coaching company focused on ensuring that all our customers have transformative coaching experiences with quality coaches and a goal-focused, measurable coaching process, we find the BBC’s headline biased and unrepresentative,  and attempting to further only a negative narrative around coaching.

As with every profession, there are good and bad coaches, there are well-informed and less-informed clients. Although there are many ideas in the BBC article we agree with, we’d like to share a broader industry perspective. Our view is based on what we’ve learned from our experience working with our curated, quality coaches delivering life and career defining coaching experiences for our clients. Our mission – to activate, accelerate and elevate human performance by providing quality coaching to individuals, teams and organizations – defines us. We put our money where our mouth is by working as partners to excellent coaches whose mission is aligned with ours.

There are many ideas in the BBC article that we agree with:

• A life coach can help you succeed
• The market is sprawling, fragmented and unregulated with several different types of coaches to choose from
• The barriers to entry are low with no accepted universal standard

Bad coaches as well as other bad actors do prey on desperate individuals, but these stories are anecdotal. The industry challenges are much broader. They include a misunderstanding of a fragmented industry, finding a right fit coach, and the expectations of a coaching relationship.

We have met hundreds of qualified coaches, servant leaders who genuinely want to help others. When matched with the right coach at the right time, measurable results will follow.

The right coach is a personal choice

A good coach is not always the right coach for you. Not all coaches have the same experience, personality and style. Asking questions about a coach’s experience and qualifications is the first step. Even if the coach has the right credentials and experience, it still does not mean that they are the right coach for you.

Like any human relationship, you must have trust and connection in a coaching relationship. After all, you are going to be regularly working with the coach and doing hard work that only they are asking of you. If you don’t have trust and connection, how will you stay motivated to put in the effort?

Finding the right coach is easy through a trusted platform of vetted coaches

In a fragmented, unregulated market, finding the right coach is a process. But in a next day delivery environment, we struggle to dedicate the time and effort to find the right coach. Referrals don’t always find you the right experience or the right connection.

Centralized tech-enabled places, such as an online platform, is a safe space to find vetted coaches. These platforms streamline the process of finding the right coach allowing an individual to focus on personality and style fit. It also mitigates the risk of falling victim to a coaching scam, while providing an ease in finding another qualified coach in case a coach isn’t working out.

Coaching is a two-way relationship designed for those ready for introspection and behavioral change

While not all self-professed coaches are good coaches, not all clients have realistic expectations about what it means to work with a coach to achieve change and reach goals. Coachees must bring an open mind and take ownership of their engagement through dedication, practice and hard work.

In sports, coaches bring out the potential in their athlete, but the athlete still has to put in the time and effort. When coachees approach a coaching relationship not ready or in a position to allocate the time and effort to change their mindset and behavior, the process is ineffective. Coaches can lead you to water. They can’t force you to drink.

High-quality coaching leads to measurable results

When an individual works with the right coach however, the results can be amazing. ideamix coaching was born out of the belief that coaching, as a means of personalized adult learning, is the most effective way to identify what you want, make change, grow and achieve goals. However, the right coach at the right time makes a significant difference in the outcome.

We’ve created a platform that responds to the challenges of a sprawling, unregulated industry in order to help individuals and businesses use high-quality coaching to achieve their success. A diverse coach network with a range of experience, technical know-how, as well as soft skills to work with diverse clients underpins our platform. We’ve also streamlined the way an individual connects with qualified, experienced coaches. Our simple, yet structured matching process ensures you will find your right fit coach when you need them.

The BBC article “The seedy underbelly of the life coaching industry” by Kate Bishop published online on February 6, 2024.