Mo Shema estimates she’s spent about $10,000 on life, career, and parenting coaches over her lifetime. “I’ve benefited tremendously from it,” Shema, a brand marketer and mother of two living in Los Angeles (she prefers not to use her full name), told Yahoo!

But her career hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Early in her career, Shema’s then-employer paired her with a coach. It was a “really bad experience,” Shema says, and she felt she was doomed. “I felt like she wasn’t my coach, but the company’s coach. She didn’t really advocate for me.”

Years later, she found another career coach, and while that one wasn’t a good fit, the next one was. Since then, she’s sought help from various coaches for challenges ranging from communicating with her direct reports at work to resolving bathtime conflicts with her husband and children. How does she ensure she finds the right coach? “Reddit comments are helpful, but also a quick vibe check can tell you if they’re a good fit,” she says. “Is this person a bad fit? Do they truly meet my needs?”

It wasn’t work that prompted Emily Griffith to seek help from a life coach; it was sadness. She lost her father at the age of 19. His death occurred on a Sunday, but the next day, the family went to work and school as if it were a normal Monday. Seven years later, her mother and sister were diagnosed with cancer within weeks of each other, and Griffith’s unresolved grief began to boil over. “That set me on a journey of exploring various healing modalities,” she told Yahoo!

Therapy, shamanism, Reiki, yoga—Griffith tried it all. It was the combination of therapy and life coaching that helped her find a way through her pain. She credits her coaching with helping her “move forward.” She learned how to set boundaries, gain a fresh perspective on life, and gained the confidence to leave corporate America and start what she calls “an emotional intelligence business to help others channel that energy forward.” What was that business? Becoming a grief coach.

The Rise of Niche Coaches—and Some Caveats
According to the International Coaching Federation’s 2025 report, the coaching industry is valued at $5.34 billion globally, ranking it one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States. The low barrier to entry in the coaching industry undoubtedly plays a role. Because coaching is considered a consumer service—similar to personal training or coaching—rather than a healthcare service like therapy or psychiatry, there are no regulatory bodies to oversee this growing industry. The coaching industry, which began in the late 1970s with executive coaching to help people advance their careers, has expanded into more specific areas: life with ADHD, parenting, divorce, grief, and more.

Fortune 500 companies are also investing in coaching services to enhance their employees’ careers. Companies like Google, Salesforce, Hilton, and ButcherBox have partnered with companies like BetterUp, a talent transformation platform. After returning from maternity leave, Alayjah Watson used her company’s coaching services to help her balance motherhood and leadership roles at work; a few years later, when she took on a new role, she also received support from another career coach.

Fees vary widely; BetterUp’s single session starts at $109 per month. Shema paid one coach $800; another coach charged about $6,000 for 12 sessions over 12 weeks. She has also encountered coaches who charged as much as $25,000 for a few sessions.

While technically anyone can call themselves a “coach,” there are several organizations, most notably the International Coach Federation (ICF), that offer training certifications. “The ICF was founded to professionalize the coaching profession… and to develop standards and systems to support professional coaches, whether they’re life coaching, executive/leadership coaching, or all the other specialized areas that have emerged over the past 30 years,” Carrie Abner, ICF Vice President of Certification and Standards, told Yahoo!

But not all coaches hold these certifications, and not everyone considers them key when searching for a quality coach. “I don’t know if they’re certified,” Griffith said of the coaches she’s hired over the years. The Felt Write founder added that it’s important for coaches to listen actively, be non-dictatorial when working with clients, and have relevant life experience.

Psychotherapist Amy Morin has worked with clients who consulted with uncertified coaches. She told Yahoo! that the results vary. “I’ve worked with people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) where the coach helped them learn and practice specific strategies,” Morin said. These positive coaching experiences often involve more one-on-one training or in-home support, which therapists aren’t able to provide.