In Critique of Life Coaches

What qualifies one to be a life coach? No seriously, what are the minimum basic qualifications that one needs to hold to be able to be another human being’s life coach? The answer to that question is an elusive one; ask 10 different people and you’re likely to get 11 different answers. Therein lies the shield of the ne’er-do-wells of that industry; because nobody can agree on what makes a life coach, anybody can pass themselves off as a life coach, including the snake oil salesmen. Those with bad intentions of either swindling the naïve out of their dollars-or worse-radicalizing others to an agenda can use dubious backgrounds to call themselves a life coach and begin spewing their doctrine.

              One less-discussed area of the industry is the term itself, life coach. The term implies that there is an objectively, singular correct way to live your life, reducing the vast ocean of human possibilities and experiences down to something binary like hitting a free throw on the basketball court. This is an arrogant term, and one should be suspicious of anyone who unironically refers to themselves as a life coach. To strawman the profession of life coaching, it is someone who claims to have life-all of life, in all of its breadth and complexity-all figured out and is going to save you from a life of what the coach views as mediocrity.

              Being charitable and assuming a life coach is legitimately interested in the betterment of their clients, their lack of specialization is unhelpful. Are you out of shape? A personal trainer is what you need. Are you a salesman that’s struggling to hit your quotas? A sales coach is the solution. Do you need some fashion pointers? A stylist is what you’re looking for. Sure, many self-proclaimed life coaches focus on these areas, as they are the most low-hanging fruit that marks potential students tend to look for. As soon as your issue veers outside of these realms however, the less prevalent life coaches become; a life coach typically can’t help you improve your drawing skills if you want a job making manga, nor can they help you improve your souffle baking technique. Any sort of application of niche skills is where the usefulness of a life coach usually ends. Essentially, a life coach is a pundit that takes your money.

              The life coaching profession is also an ethically dubious one. When students come to their life coaches with issues regarding self-esteem, self-confidence, depression, or similar issues, the life coach is all too happy to prescribe their unique brand of special sauce to attack the problem. However, when amateurs try to fix mental health problems, they run the risk of making things worse. If you wouldn’t trust a guy with only a steak knife and a YouTube education to perform heart surgery on you, then you shouldn’t let a non-psychologist offer you therapy.

              An overlooked aspect of the profession of life coaching is how predatory it often is. These self-proclaimed life coaches’ prey upon those most receptive to their huckster ways; those who feel directionless, jaded, lonely, and left behind by society or the traditional economy. The ticket to success and the life you want is merely a hefty payment away, or so these life coaches would have you believe. It doesn’t help that the coach is usually standing in front of a symbol of material wealth; an exotic sports car, a private jet, an elaborate home, or some other rented trinket. This holds particularly true for young men under the age of 30, as a lot of marketing in this realm tends to be aimed at that demographic, as Andrew Tate is the most recent example of this.

              If life coaches are truly so valued, then why is nobody seemingly able to identify who they would hire to be their life coach before they start shopping around for the services of said coach? If one goes into a transaction with no criteria of what a good buy versus a bad buy is, then the odds of getting duped increase dramatically. If an advanced degree in psychology or a medical degree with a residency in psychiatry doesn’t qualify one to be a life coach, then what does? Having a six-pack? Being a multi-millionaire at a relatively young age? Being famous? Seemingly anyone glorifying a vice can become a life coach.

              There exist a plethora of options out there to help with a problem one might have. Mental health counseling is becoming more and more prevalent in society, for those looking for help with depression, self-esteem, imposter syndrome, etc. A doctor or dietician can help one on the path to weight loss. If you’re going to pay for advice, make sure you get your money’s worth.