How Much Does Life Coaching Cost?

When people ask the question, "How much does Life Coaching cost?" they are usually referring exclusively to money.  While I'll address that in this blog, I also want to talk about the other valuable commodities that we invest in anything and everything we do in our lives (because I don't think we talk about them enough). Life Coaching is an investment in YOU - you will need to invest time, effort/energy, and money.  Let's talk about it. 
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Life Coaching: The Time Investment
Most coaching sessions occur one hour per week.  This can vary based on the client's needs, and possibly, on requirements that the coach has.  Some coaches require a certain level of commitment, and other coaches are more flexible in their approach.  
Outside of session time, you will need alone time for reflection and processing, time to do your homework/action steps, and time for increased self-care.  The amount of time that you spend on these things will determine the speed of your personal growth and the accomplishment of your goal.  Depending on your unique situation, and the work that you're doing within your sessions, this could be an additional hour a week, or several hours a week.  You can discuss this with your coach during your sessions. 

Live Coaching: The Energy or Effort Investment
The biggest cost that you pay to achieve anything in your life is your energy.  Each of us has a different level of core energy, and our life circumstances and level of health can also impact the amount of energy we have to spend on the various things we need to do in life.  While the "spoon theory" is lingo used for chronic illness, the concept can be used universally.  You have a limited amount of energy to spend every day, and you have to consciously and intentionally choose where you are spending that energy.  Any form of personal growth & development, including life coaching, is going to require you to spend energy.  At the beginning of a coaching relationship, the amount of energy you have, and how you spend that energy, is something that you should discuss with your coach. 

Life Coaching: The Money Investment
Life Coaching, like the exchange of any service, requires payment.  Life Coaches charge anywhere from $25/hour to $2,025/hr - there is a vastly wide spectrum of rates.  The most common rate is $150 - $250/hr.  Many coaches offer discounts for packages or sliding scale rates. You can discuss rates and packages with your coach during a complimentary session.  Remember, there is no shame or weirdness in talking about money - that is a limiting cultural belief system, and I recommend you don't buy into it.  Money is just another form of energy - and how much you have or don't have doesn't define who you are.  It's okay to talk bluntly about money with your coach.  

Remember, you are not paying for that single moment in time while you are working with your coach.  You are paying for all of the time they invested in education, training, certification, etc - to get to that moment and have the ability to coach you - and you are paying for all of your future moments that will stem from coaching with them.  The growth and discovery you make as a client will impact the rest of your life, and those future moments are the moments you are paying for.  If you live for another 50 years, that's 438,000 hours.  If a 3-month (12 hours/1 session per week) package with your coach facilitates a shift in you that impacts the rest of your life - that's a pretty good ROI.