Ten reasons to use a life coach in 2026

Why use a life coach to help you overcome professional and personal challenges? Consider the ten reasons below.

Sometimes it can feel like a cliche. Life coaches are popping up everywhere. Everyone seems to know someone making a career shift and busily changing themselves and dreaming of transforming others. It's the ultimate remote job for the non-IT professional. Maybe it's too good to be true.

Are these Life Coaches some new-world spiritual salesmen peddling the latest version of "Let me help you make a million dollars or transform your life"? If they can make themselves rich, why should you have to pay them so they can earn money? Do they know some mystery recipe that unlocks the secret to life?

If you have read this far, you don't quite believe that. You may be stuck in a situation that you would like to move on from. You feel overwhelmed, but you don't know why. You are frustrated with where you are in life or at work. Maybe there is an impending life or career change. You are a budding writer, designer or astronaut (or whatever), and you seem unable to make a breakthrough. There is so much noise out there - books, podcasts, TV shows, social media; not to mention the busy hum of life. And all this without considering the priority we give to our family and friends.

It's difficult to step back from that and find clarity. Time and space to think are precious, and you want to dedicate time and make the best use of it to reflect. That's where Life Coaching comes in. A good coach helps you think through things and move forward.

My experience as a coach is that the process works. I come from a strong tradition of humans who believe that they can solve all problems in their heads. It’s a failing and a strength. It's powerful to learn that in a safe space to think with a trained professional providing a supportive structure, a client can make significant progress. Coaching can unlock incredible insights and achieve substantial breakthroughs.

I often find myself coming back to Alfred Brooks' 2019 article in the New Yorker Your Professional Life is coming (much) sooner than you think, not least because I love the graphic of a 50-year-old man looking down from the top of the career pinnacle by Luci Gutiérrez.

For me, this article articulates how we change and grow through life. Moments of genius are much more likely when we are young, but as we age, our intelligence becomes less creative and more structured. With time, our values and the things we find important change, and we may reach a place where we find ourselves reflecting on what we want to do for the rest of our lives. A coach can help guide us along the way.

There are, of course, caveats: you need to pick a coach whose style and experience are right for you. They should have appropriate training and follow approved ethics standards. You will need a strong, trustworthy connection with them, and they must truly listen to what you bring. If you are not sure or not comfortable, you can always change and look for someone else if it doesn't work out.

Ten reasons why you need a life coach in 2026.

1. In an increasingly complex and dynamic world, the volume of information is overwhelming, and we need help to make sense of it and make choices and decisions.
2. Personal development and growth are not something for school, college and your employer. It’s lifelong, and it’s for everyone. 
3. You use a personal trainer for your body. Why not for your mind? People who use a high-quality coach achieve better outcomes.
4. Sometimes we don't have the tools and insights to help us grow and learn. We can pay a professional to help us. 
5. We are competing with computers to be efficient and effective. What’s wrong with a bit of professional help to help you focus and be effective? 
6. Those around us are not always able to create a dedicated, personal, non-judgmental, safe, confidential space for us to think and reflect.
7. Change and growth take time and investment. A coach can help you break down barriers, move forward and speed up change.
8. A life coach is not a wizard who can magically touch your forehead and turn you into an astronaut, but they can support you to do more than you ever thought was possible.
9. I have seen people make profound life changes with the help of coaches (including me).
10. If you believe a coach can help and you bring positivity and openness to a session, they will.
11. (One more for free). Improved self-awareness builds your resilience to handle difficult situations by better regulating your emotions, making more conscious decisions and understanding what personal triggers you have and what mechanisms you use to cope.