After writing about trends in coaching for 2024, I wanted to understand what had taken shape in 2025. Last year was a complex year for many coaches I spoke with. Looking across industry data alongside practitioner experience, a clearer pattern began to emerge. 

The Coaching Industry 2025: Beyond the Boom—Seven Trends Reshaping Our Profession

Will AI replace coaches?

This was the question dominating conversations in 2024.

Here's what actually happened: AI didn't replace coaches (yet). It started supporting them. The revolution everyone predicted became something quieter and more practical. Where it’s been effectively applied, AI has become a helpful assistant for coaches, not a replacement of them.

But AI isn't the only place where 2025 got tricky.

Overall, the industry-level numbers tell us coaching is thriving. Global revenues grew 17% to USD $5.34 billion. Yet at the same time, many coaches report a very different lived experience. Economic pressure has been building, and confidence about future earnings has declined. While the global average annual coach revenue sits at almost USD $50,000, this masks a more complex truth. Revenue numbers vary by type of coach and by region, and of course, what we earn is not the same as what we take home.

So, how can coaching be growing while many coaches struggle?

This isn't contradiction. It's complexity. The way I see it is that our profession is maturing. The explosive growth phase has ended. We've entered a period characterised by greater structure, higher expectations, and more sophisticated buyers. This maturation brings pressure, but it also brings legitimacy, organisational integration, and clearer pathways for coaches who develop both their coaching capability and their professional infrastructure.

The seven trends that follow will help you navigate what's actually happening beyond the headlines.

Seven trends reshaping coaching in 2025:

1. Growth Complexity – The paradox of market growth with individual struggle
2. Buyer Discernment – Credentials as baseline, specialisation as requirement
3. Professionalisation – Business systems are no longer optional
4. Organisational Infrastructure – Coaching becoming embedded, not just purchased
5. Technology Normalisation – Integration rather than revolution
6. Professional Identity – What "coach" means when most of us do more
7. Regional Divergence – One profession, many realities

Together, these trends paint a picture of an industry moving from explosive growth into sophisticated maturity. Let's explore what 2025 reveals about where our profession is actually heading.

1. Growth Complexity: The Industry Paradox

For many coaches, 2025 was a challenging year. Not without opportunity, but marked by persistent pressure that, for some, intensified rather than eased. If you've been feeling this, you're not alone. Conversations across the profession reveal a common experience: despite continued claims that coaching is booming, building and sustaining a practice has felt harder than expected.

This disconnect matters because it highlights a widening gap between what the industry says and what practitioners experience.

At an aggregate level, the story appears positive. Global coaching revenue grew from USD $4.56 billion in 2023 to USD $5.34 billion in 2025, while practitioner numbers worldwide increased from 109,200 to 122,974 (a growth of approximately 54% since 2019). These figures fuel the "coaching is booming" narrative you'll see everywhere. And it is. Our industry continues to grow.

For new coaches, the boom narrative feels real. They're entering the profession with excitement and optimism - and the data supports their enthusiasm. In fact, 87% of coaches in their first year of practice expect their income to increase. They see the industry growth numbers, hear the success stories, and believe opportunity is abundant. At this stage, the individual experience matches the industry headlines.

But something shifts as coaches gain experience in the marketplace. In 2023, 73% of all coaches expected their income to increase. By 2025, that figure had fallen to 59% - the steepest decline in confidence recorded by ICF's Global Coaching Studies. Among practitioners with more than 10 years' experience, the outlook darkened considerably, with only 48% expecting revenue growth and close to 20% anticipating a decline.

What makes this particularly telling? These are seasoned coaches who understand the market. They've built practices, weathered economic cycles, and developed their craft. Yet their confidence has declined sharply. They've watched competition intensify, client acquisition cycles lengthen, and pricing pressures increase. The gap between new coach expectation and experienced coach reality has never been wider.

So what's actually happening here?

The 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study showed that more than half of coaches (53%) earned less than USD $30,000 annually from coaching. While the 2025 study no longer reports income distributions, we can make a reasonable inference: it is highly unlikely that median coach income increased meaningfully above the 2023 level, and it may well have declined.

Why? The average coach revenue actually decreased between studies, utilisation rates remained flat, and income optimism among experienced coaches fell sharply. The structural drivers behind income distribution - experience levels, client sponsorship, market positioning - haven't changed. And new coaches tend to pull the median down, not up. Put simply: up to half of coaches likely earn less than USD $30,000 from coaching annually. Additionally, this figure represents revenue, not take-home income after business expenses, adding further pressures.

The utilisation picture reinforces this. Coaches report working approximately 11-12 hours per week in direct coaching activities, a level largely unchanged from the 2023 study. While many coaches are part time, this suggests that many coaches are operating well below what could be considered a full schedule.

How should we interpret this?

Some view these patterns as evidence of growing competitive pressure or oversupply, with practitioner numbers increasing faster than many coaches' ability to secure consistent client demand. And there are structural factors that support this interpretation: coaching remains globally unregulated with relatively low barriers to entry; digital platforms have reduced friction while intensifying competition (and commoditisation); and coach training programmes continue expanding the supply of newly credentialled practitioners.

But the reality is likely more complex. The patterns we're seeing may reflect:

• Widespread underutilisation, with many coaches operating intentionally part-time, maintaining portfolio careers, or limiting client loads for personal, ethical, or capacity reasons—raising practitioner counts without implying unmet demand.
• Structural inefficiency in how coaching is delivered, as one-to-one, session-based models make it difficult for many practices to translate demand into consistently filled schedules.
• A mismatch between where demand is growing and how most practices are positioned, with increasing demand concentrated in organisational, enterprise, or platform-mediated contexts that many independent coaches are not set up to access.
• Income and utilisation inequality within the profession, where a smaller group of experienced, specialised coaches capture a larger share of demand, while many other practitioners experience low hours and variable income.
• Measurement effects that inflate apparent supply, as global counts include coaches who are newly trained, intermittently active, or minimally practising, even if they don't seek or require full-time client loads.

These explanations aren't mutually exclusive. They likely operate simultaneously, creating different realities for different practitioners, adding to the complexity of our profession.

What this means in practice: The vast majority of coaches (ICF 2025 data suggests well over 80%) now offer services beyond coaching, including consulting, training, and facilitation. For many, these aren't strategic revenue diversification - they're essential components of a viable income portfolio.

Key Trends:

• Global coaching revenue increased from USD $4.56 billion in 2023 to USD $5.34 billion in 2025, alongside a 13% increase in practitioner numbers
• Average annual revenue per active coach is USD $49,283, with wide variation by region, experience, and client type
• Up to half of coaches are likely to earn under USD $30,000 annually from coaching
• Coaches work approximately 11-12 hours weekly in direct coaching activities
• The vast majority of coaches (ICF 2025 data suggests well over 80%) now offer services beyond one-to-one coaching, including consulting, training, or facilitation
• Income confidence varies significantly by experience level, with 87% of first-year coaches expecting income growth compared with 48% of coaches with more than 10 years' experience

Key Takeaway for You:

• If your practice feels harder to sustain than the headlines suggest, you're responding to real structural conditions in the marketplace, not personal failure
• Plan for 18–36 months to build sustainable practice while maintaining other income sources
• Don't instantly expect to fill a full-time coaching schedule. Most coaches are building portfolio income that includes services adjacent to coaching (consulting, facilitating etc.)
• The market increasingly rewards specialisation and business sophistication alongside coaching competence

2. Buyer Discernment: Credentials as Baseline, Specialisation/Experience as Requirement

If you've been coaching for more than a few years, you've likely felt this shift. What differentiated you five years ago now barely gets you in the door. Many clients (especially organisations) have evolved from accepting "I'm a coach" as sufficient evidence to hire us, to requiring both credentials and specialisation, along with demonstrated expertise through track records and results.

As the marketplace for coaching has matured and as coach supply has increased, buyers have become more deliberate in their selection process. This shift is visible across both organisational and individual markets and reflects an increased familiarity with coaching rather than declining interest in it.

Credentials haven't lost relevance, but in many cases they have lost leverage. The ICF 2025 Global Coaching Study shows that approximately 70–80% of survey respondents hold an ICF credential. While this number may be influenced by who chose to respond to the survey, it suggests an important pattern: among practicing coaches visible in the profession, credentials have become standard rather than exceptional. This saturation has altered how credentials function. Rather than operating as a differentiator, they increasingly serve as a threshold condition—a baseline expectation that qualifies you for consideration but doesn't meaningfully distinguish you from other options.

What drives competitive differentiation now? Specialisation. Coaches working in contexts where buyers perceive higher contextual relevance or domain alignment tend to report higher average income than those offering more generalised services. Buyers are paying closer attention to background, prior experience, and familiarity with their industry, role, or challenges. From their perspective, this reduces perceived risk and increases confidence that the coaching will be applicable to their situation.

Specialisation shows up across multiple dimensions. Some coaches focus by industry (tech, healthcare, finance). Others focus by role (executives, entrepreneurs, emerging leaders). Still others focus by methodology (strengths-based, systemic, trauma-informed) or by outcome (resilience, leadership transitions, career pivots). The coaches thriving in this environment don't try to be everything to everyone. They own narrow, deep expertise that clients can clearly understand and value.

This creates real pressure if you're a generalist coach. Those who built practices on "I coach anyone on anything" are increasingly struggling to command premium fees or stand out in crowded markets. Meanwhile, coaches who clearly articulate "I help tech CTOs navigate their first year in role" or "I specialise in burnout recovery for healthcare professionals" are finding clients willing to pay substantially more. Clarity helps clients to find the coach they are looking for.

Key Trends:

• Among practicing coaches visible in the profession, credentials have become standard baseline rather than competitive differentiator
• Buyer selection increasingly reflects perceived relevance to context, role, or challenge
• Corporate procurement increasingly emphasises scope definition, outcomes, and evaluation
• Individual buyers increasingly compare coaches and positioning before engagement

Key Takeaway for You:

• Credentials are expected now, but they rarely set you apart on their own
• Buyers are trying to reduce risk, which means they're looking for relevant experience and specialised expertise
• If you're generalist now, choose specialisation based on existing client patterns or authentic expertise, not trends
• Build demonstrated expertise through case studies, testimonials, and content that proves specialised knowledge

3. Professionalisation: Business Systems Are No Longer Optional

What separates coaches who are building sustainable coaching businesses from those who are struggling? Increasingly, it's not just coaching competence, it's business sophistication. The coaches building durable practices treat their coaching as a business, with systems, processes, metrics, and professional development infrastructure that goes beyond coaching capability alone.

This professionalisation is showing up in several ways. Supervision, once considered optional by many coaches, is becoming an expected component of practice. Professional bodies increasingly mandate or strongly recommend it, and corporate buyers often assume their contracted coaches engage in regular supervision. Practitioners operating without professional oversight can face credibility constraints, particularly when competing for higher-stakes engagements. But professional credibility isn't just about supervision - it extends to how coaches approach their ongoing development.

For many coaches, continuing professional development (CPD) has evolved beyond merely something needed to renew a credential (compliance). The coaches who are thriving don't just meet the minimum requirements—they're investing in advanced training that genuinely develops their capability. You'll see them pursuing strengths-coaching certifications, learning trauma-informed approaches, studying neuroscience applications, or building their business development skills. The difference is mindset. If you're treating CPD as an administrative box to tick rather than a genuine developmental opportunity, you're placing yourself at a disadvantage in an increasingly sophisticated marketplace. Yet even excellent training won't translate into sustainable practice without the infrastructure to support it.

Practice management systems now form part of essential coaching business infrastructure. Outcome tracking, CRM systems, scheduling automation, contracts, and invoicing, support both scalability and professional credibility. Increasingly, those Coaches who are relying on ad hoc processes (spreadsheets and email) are encountering limitations as they try to scale beyond a handful of clients.

Building on this, business literacy itself has emerged as a further point of differentiation. Running a business requires an understanding of pricing strategy, acquisition costs, client lifetime value, and margins. What this means practically is that Coaches who think "I just want to coach, not run a business" are finding themselves underselling services and unable to scale.

In line with this, marketing practices have also placed demands on coaches to professionalise their approaches. With AI generated content, and a lot of noise in social media and the internet, just having a website or social account is no longer enough. Generic websites with vague value propositions convert poorly, while clear messaging, professional branding, and systematic lead nurturing are increasingly treated as baseline requirements. Those who view marketing as distasteful or beneath the coaching profession are struggling to maintain full practices, regardless of their coaching competence.

Here's what's important to understand: These developments don't diminish the relational core of coaching. Rather, they reflect a growing recognition that high-quality client work depends on practitioner sustainability, and sustainability requires systems. The coaches embracing this reality are building practices that serve both client transformation and practitioner wellbeing. Those resisting it are struggling increasingly to maintain viable practices.

Key Trends:

• Increased expectation among professional bodies and corporate buyers that coaches engage in regular supervision
• Higher reported investment by coaches in advanced training beyond credential maintenance requirements
• Widespread adoption of practice management systems, including scheduling, contracts, and outcome tracking
• Reported differences in pricing, margins, and delivery models associated with higher levels of business literacy

Key Takeaway for You:

• Coaching skill alone is no longer enough to sustain a practice. Business literacy is now essential
• Invest in business systems early (CRM, scheduling, contracts, outcome tracking). They create capacity for growth, not just administrative efficiency
• Treat supervision as professional support and development opportunity, not just compliance requirement
• Budget time and money for strategic professional development beyond credential maintenance. Advanced training in trauma-informed practice, neuroscience, or systemic approaches separates thriving from struggling practices

4. Organisational Infrastructure: Coaching is Becoming Embedded, Not Only Purchased

Many organisations are evolving their relationship with coaching. For many, coaching has moved from being a benefit purchased as and when it is needed to becoming part of the organisational infrastructure. Coaching is being built into how companies  approach employee (especially manager) development and leadership.

The distinction matters. The benefits of one-to-one coaching were traditionally accessed only by a limited group and subject to budget cycles. Infrastructure, by contrast, is designed into how an organisation operates. This represents a fundamental shift in how coaching is valued and delivered.

Because many organisations are no longer seeing coaching as exclusively for senior leaders, they're prioritising the development of internal coaching capability. This includes training managers in coaching skills, establishing peer coaching arrangements, and embedding coaching conversations into everyday managerial practice. Coaching, in this sense, is becoming part of the organisational operating environment and culture.

This approach is visible across major organisations. Google, for example, focuses on distributing coaching skills across the workforce through documented initiatives like its Coaching Corps, enabling coaching behaviours to be applied broadly rather than concentrated in a small number of formal engagements. Similar patterns are visible across professional services, healthcare, manufacturing, and the public sector.

What does this mean for external coaches? The implications are nuanced. Corporate coaching budgets haven't disappeared. They've become more strategic. Organisations still engage external coaches for executive transitions, complex leadership challenges, and specialist expertise not readily available internally. What has changed is the level of selectivity, with greater emphasis placed on alignment with organisational priorities, clarity of outcomes, and evidence of impact. You're no longer just competing against other coaches. You're competing against internal capability.

Alongside these shifts, group and team-based coaching formats have become more visible. Cohort programmes and team interventions allow organisations to support development across larger populations while building shared language and alignment. This creates different revenue opportunities for coaches who can facilitate group processes effectively.

Key Trends:

• Increased organisational use of internal coaching capability, peer coaching, and manager-as-coach approaches
• Reported expansion of internal coaching roles alongside continued engagement of external coaches
• External coaching most commonly applied to executive transitions, complex challenges, and specialist expertise
• Greater reported use of group and team-based coaching formats within organisational development programmes

Key Takeaway for You:

• If you're serving corporate clients, develop capability beyond one-to-one coaching: programme design, group facilitation, internal coach training
• Position for premium, specialised engagements rather than volume-based contracts
• Build ROI measurement into your services from the start. Corporate buyers expect outcome tracking as standard
• Consider how you might support organisations building internal capability, not just providing external coaching services

5. Technology Normalisation: Integration Rather Than Revolution

Remember all the concern about AI disrupting coaching? While there has been a lot of talk about AI replacing coaching (and some progress in this area), here's what actually happened. Technology in 2025 didn’t displace coaches. It augmented coaching workflows, enhancing client experience, and creating efficiency without replacing human connection. The fear and hype not been realised and instead progress has been made with a sharper focus on practical application.

AI and digital tools are increasingly being explored as part of coaching workflows, but their adoption and impact vary widely. While some practitioners and organisations report meaningful efficiencies and improved continuity, others remain cautious, uncertain, or still in early stages of experimentation.

Where progress is most visible is in workflow support. Coaches are using digital tools for preparation, documentation, and synthesis (summarising client notes, suggesting questions, identifying patterns across sessions). Post-session, AI helps with documentation and follow-up. Some platforms offer AI-powered progress tracking and analytics dashboards. While there have been some examples (and stories) of AI CoachBots, these have been met with varying degrees of success. Overall, the coaching conversation itself remains resolutely human. AI handles information processing, while Coaches provide presence, intuition, and relational depth that technology can't replicate (yet).

Several coaching platforms have emerged that demonstrate this integration approach. They provide AI-driven insights, micro-learning content between sessions, and practice recommendations while positioning explicitly as "supporting" human coaching rather than replacing it. The pattern is consistent: technology handles administrative burden and provides structure between sessions, while the coach provides the transformational relationship and adaptive expertise that clients actually pay for.

Virtual coaching platforms continue to evolve, moving beyond simple replication of in-person sessions. Integrated systems now combine scheduling, payments, documentation, and outcome tracking, although adoption and effective use vary considerably. Digital coaching tools (apps for goal tracking, habit formation, reflection prompts, and progress visualisation) are enhancing client engagement between sessions without adding coach workload. Coaches who initially resisted "adding technology" now recognise these tools increase client engagement and results when implemented thoughtfully.

One important caution has emerged around AI governance and ethics. The EU Artificial Intelligence Act affects coaching platforms and AI-enabled tools operating in the EU, particularly regarding transparency, data governance, and human oversight, though it does not regulate coaching or coaches directly. Alongside this, the ICF has published AI guidelines that reinforce similar principles for coaching practice: human accountability, informed client consent, data protection, and clarity about how AI is used to support (not replace) the coaching relationship. For coaches and organisations alike, understanding how tools handle client data and generate outputs is becoming increasingly relevant. This isn’t optional for coaches using AI-enabled platforms that serve European clients, or for those seeking to remain aligned with evolving professional standards.

Key Trends:

• Reported experimentation with AI and digital tools for preparation, documentation, and between-session support
• More frequent adoption of technology for workflow support than for direct coaching interaction
• Organisational investment in coaching platforms alongside variable levels of adoption and integration
• Increased attention to data privacy, transparency, and regulatory requirements in tool selection

Key Takeaway for You:

• Adopt technology selectively where it improves client experience or reduces administrative burden with clear rationale
• Focus on tools that support your coaching effectiveness, not those claiming to automate the coaching itself
• Develop basic AI literacy. Understand what AI tools you use actually do with client data and how they generate insights
• If using AI-enabled platforms serving European clients, understand data governance and transparency requirements

6. Professional Identity: What Does "Coach" Mean When Most Of Us Do More

You might be feeling this tension yourself. As coaching has professionalised in many ways, the boundaries around what "being a coach" actually means have paradoxically blurred. The vast majority of coaches are offering services beyond ‘just coaching’ (consulting, training, and facilitation). This creates both economic opportunity and the potential for professional identity confusion.

The blurring reflects a marketplace reality. Clients (especially organisational clients) rarely need only coaching. To achieve the change they are looking for, they need strategic thinking, which looks more like consulting. They need skill development, which requires training. They need team alignment, which demands facilitation. And they need ongoing support, which is where coaching fits. Coaches who rigidly maintain "I only coach" either have to find partners with these broad skills, or lose engagements to others who can. The market is rewarding versatility and the ability to serve clients' actual needs.

Yet this versatility creates definitional challenges. When you're consulting Tuesday, facilitating Wednesday, training Thursday, and coaching Friday, what are you? A coach? A consultant? A leadership development professional? The answer matters less for personal identity than for market positioning and client expectations. Clients need clarity about what they're purchasing and how you'll work together. Confusion about role creates confusion about value.

Some practitioners adopt explicit "coach-plus" positioning ("I'm a coach and consultant" or "I integrate coaching with training delivery"). Others maintain "coach" as primary identity while describing broader scope ("My coaching engagements often include strategic consultation and team facilitation"). The former creates clarity upfront. The latter risks confusion about what clients are actually getting and how much they should pay.

This identity negotiation extends to professional development and supervision needs. If half your work is consulting, do you need consultant training and supervision alongside coaching development? If you're facilitating complex team interventions, should you pursue facilitation credentials and specific skill building? Many coaches are operating without formal training in the "adjacent services" that now dominate their practice. They assume coaching skills transfer automatically. Sometimes they do. Often, they don't.

The economic pressure driving service diversification won't disappear. Few coaches are building sustainable practices from one-to-one coaching alone. The market structure and (potential) oversupply we explored in Trend 1 make that increasingly difficult. But the profession needs honest conversation about what we're becoming and how we maintain coaching's distinctive value while offering broader services. Without this conversation, "coach" risks becoming a generic term for "development professional" rather than representing a distinct methodology with its own integrity.

Key Trends:

• The vast majority of coaches (well over 80%) report offering services beyond coaching, including consulting, training, or facilitation
• Increased use of combined service positioning that includes coaching alongside adjacent modalities
• Reported variation in how practitioners describe their role and scope of work to clients
• Increased time spent by coaches in consulting, facilitation, or training activities relative to coaching

Key Takeaway for You:

• Be explicit about what services you offer and how they differ. Clients need clarity on what they're purchasing
• If offering services beyond coaching, invest in proper training rather than assuming coaching skills automatically transfer
• Consider whether your positioning emphasises coaching as primary methodology or positions you as integrated development professional
• Watch for scope creep. Saying yes to everything clients request without proper capability can dilute coaching's distinctive value

7. Regional Divergence: One Profession, Many Realities

Although coaching continues to develop globally, it is not happening uniformly. In 2025 regional divergence became more pronounced. What works in London doesn't necessarily translate directly to Dubai, Shanghai, or São Paulo. Economic contexts, regulatory environments, cultural expectations, and growth patterns vary dramatically, and these differences are intensifying rather than converging.

Income variation across regions is substantial. According to the ICF Global Coaching Study, North American coaches report average annual revenues of approximately USD $71,700, while Western European coaches average around USD $44,700 and those in Oceania around USD $55,000. In contrast, average revenues in Asia and Latin America sit closer to USD $28,000, with Eastern Europe lower still at just over USD $21,000. That's more than a threefold gap between highest and lowest earning regions. These differences reflect both cost-of-living variation and genuine differences in market maturity, pricing power, and buyer capacity. Fee structures that sustain North American practices would price most coaches out of many emerging markets entirely.

The ICF data also reveals diverging expectations about the future. Coaches in emerging regions (including the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia) report significantly higher optimism about future revenue growth than their counterparts in North America and Western Europe. This pattern suggests that while established markets show signs of maturity and saturation, other regions are still in earlier expansion phases where demand growth is outpacing practitioner supply.

Regulatory environments are also diverging. The EU AI Act, now being implemented, introduces stringent requirements for platforms serving European clients, demanding transparency, data protection, and algorithmic accountability. Meanwhile, North America maintains relatively light-touch regulation around coaching practice and technology use. Middle Eastern markets are developing frameworks aligned with regional priorities and values. Coaches operating across borders increasingly need to navigate multiple regulatory contexts simultaneously, which adds complexity and cost.

Cultural expectations further shape coaching practice. Western models often emphasise individual agency, personal goals, and direct communication, whereas many Asian and Middle Eastern contexts integrate coaching more tightly with organisational hierarchy, collective values, and indirect communication norms. What Western coaches might interpret as resistance or lack of clarity can be culturally appropriate professional communication. Coaches who assume Western models transfer universally risk creating cross-cultural misunderstandings that undermine coaching effectiveness.

Growth trajectories also vary markedly by region. The Middle East is experiencing rapid acceleration, supported by government investment and professionalisation initiatives. Asia-Pacific growth is driven by mobile-first delivery and localised coaching services. Meanwhile, North American and Western European markets show slower demand growth and intensifying competition within relatively stable client pools.

These regional realities affect coaches differently depending on their practice model. Those serving purely local markets navigate one set of norms and economics. They can specialise deeply in regional understanding. Coaches working globally must develop cultural intelligence and regulatory awareness across multiple regions. Digital delivery reduces some geographic barriers, but it doesn't eliminate cultural and economic differences in how coaching is understood, valued, and purchased across different parts of the world.

Key Trends:

• Substantial variation in average coaching income across regions: North America USD $71,700, Western Europe USD $44,700, Oceania USD $55,000, Asia and Latin America USD $28,000, Eastern Europe USD $21,000
• Coaches in emerging regions (Middle East, Africa, Latin America, parts of Asia) report significantly higher optimism about revenue growth than those in North America and Western Europe
• Differences in regulatory requirements affecting coaching platforms and data use across regions
• Regional variation in coaching approaches influenced by cultural norms around communication, hierarchy, and collective values
• Diverging growth patterns: emerging markets in expansion phase while North America and Western Europe show maturity and saturation

Key Takeaway for You:

• Research regional norms before serving new geographic markets. Fees, credentials, cultural expectations differ substantially
• Build flexibility into delivery and pricing models if serving global clients across different regional contexts
• Don't assume your local coaching model translates universally. Develop cultural intelligence for cross-regional work
• Track regulatory developments in regions you serve, particularly EU AI Act compliance for European clients

What It All Means: The Coaching Profession in Transition

I found this research fascinating and it deepened my understanding both of how my 2025 panned out, and of where we are as a profession. To me, these seven trends collectively reveal an industry in the middle of a sophisticated transition. The explosive growth phase that we have seen previously, where simply being a coach was enough to build a sustainable practice, has ended. As a profession I believe that we have entered a maturation phase characterised by underutilisation and competitive pressure, buyer sophistication, professionalisation requirements, organisational integration, technology adoption, identity negotiation, and regional complexity. This is what industry maturity looks like.

The paradox we opened with - industry growth alongside individual struggle - makes sense when understood through these trends. The industry is growing because organisations are embedding coaching as infrastructure, technology is expanding reach, and new markets like the Middle East are emerging rapidly. Individual coaches have been struggling because of multiple converging pressures: many coaches work below capacity (whether by choice or constraint), delivery models limit schedule utilisation, buyers are expecting both credentials and specialisation, and sustainable practice requires business sophistication many coaches lack or resist developing.

But here's what's important to understand: This isn't primarily an oversupply problem. It's a professionalisation challenge.

Yes, the marketplace may be oversupplied with generalist, undifferentiated coaches. But the total addressable market for coaching - the organisations and individuals who could benefit but don't yet know how to find, evaluate, or engage a coach - is vastly larger than the current market we're serving. The opportunity isn't smaller. It's simply that accessing it requires something different from us.

For years, being a good coach was enough. Relationship, presence, impact - these got us clients. The profession operated in what many have described as a "wild west" era where coaching skill alone could build a practice. That era has ended. The marketplace is now asking us to professionalise beyond being brilliant practitioners. It's asking us to become credible business professionals who can clearly articulate our value, demonstrate our expertise, and operate with the systems and sophistication that build trust.

Here's the shift that matters most: You need to be both the coach and the CEO of your practice.

Coaching mastery creates client transformation. Business mastery creates sustainable practice. Most coaches have invested heavily in the first while neglecting the second. This imbalance is what's creating struggle, not a lack of market opportunity. The coaches thriving in this environment haven't just become better coaches. They've become better business owners - clearer about positioning, more sophisticated about systems, more strategic about growth.

Looking back at our 2024 analysis, several patterns held and accelerated. Corporate coaching did become more essential - it's now infrastructure, not just necessity for many. Technology did transform delivery, though through practical integration rather than revolutionary disruption. Specialisation did intensify—it's now economically mandatory for premium fees, not just strategic wisdom. The patterns we identified proved accurate, though they evolved faster and more definitively than expected.

What surprised me most? The sharpness of the confidence decline among experienced coaches, the speed of regional divergence, and the extent of service diversification. These surprises suggest the profession is changing more rapidly than even close observers expected.

The coaching profession isn't dying or becoming obsolete. It's maturing. And maturity requires more from all of us - more clarity about who we serve and how, more sophistication about how we run our businesses, more professionalism in how we position ourselves and demonstrate value. The coaches who thrive in coming years will be those who master being both the coach and the CEO.

If you're pressed for time, here are the essential insights from this analysis. The patterns that matter most for your practice:

Key Points to Know

• Underutilisation Reality: Practitioner count increased 54% since 2019. Up to half of coaches likely earn under USD $30,000 annually from coaching revenue and average 11-12 hours weekly in direct coaching work. This pattern reflects complex factors including intentional part-time practice, structural delivery inefficiencies, and potential competitive pressure.
• Business Systems Essential: Sustainable practices require supervision, CPD, practice management systems, and business literacy. 'Just coach well' is no longer sufficient for economic sustainability.
• Specialisation Economically Mandatory: Coaches with specialised focus and contextual relevance report higher average income than generalists. Specialisation has become an economic requirement for premium fees.
• The Growth Paradox: Global coaching revenue grew 17% to USD $5.34 billion (ICF 2025), with average coach revenue at USD $49,283. Yet individual coach income expectations dropped from 73% to 59%, and most coaches work only 11-12 hours weekly. This reveals disconnect between industry-level growth and individual practitioner capacity utilisation.
• Credentials Now Baseline: Among practicing coaches visible in the profession, credentials have become a standard expectation—necessary for consideration but insufficient for differentiation.
• Professional Boundaries Blur: The vast majority of coaches offer services beyond coaching (consulting, training, facilitation), creating identity negotiation about what 'coach' means professionally.
• Coaching Becomes Infrastructure: Organisations are embedding coaching as capability through internal coaches, manager-as-coach programmes, and peer networks rather than purchasing all external coaching.
• Regional Realities Diverge: North American coaches average USD $71,700, Eastern European USD $21,000 (over threefold gap). Emerging regions report higher growth optimism than mature markets. Regulatory approaches, cultural models, and growth patterns vary significantly by region.
• AI Integration, Not Replacement: Technology has settled into practical workflow support (preparation, documentation, client engagement tools) rather than replacing human coaches. The feared revolution became useful augmentation.
• Technology Requires Governance: Data governance and transparency requirements affect AI-enabled coaching platforms serving European clients. Coaches using these platforms must understand data privacy and AI accountability.

Insights and Tips for Coaches

• Acknowledge the paradox: If you're experiencing economic pressure despite 'boom' headlines, you're experiencing real market complexity—not personal failure. Multiple factors (competitive pressure, delivery model constraints, intentional part-time practice) create challenging conditions for many coaches.
• Specialise strategically: Choose your niche based on existing client patterns, genuine expertise, or underserved market gaps. Generalist positioning is increasingly unviable for premium fees.
• Build business infrastructure early: Invest in CRM, scheduling systems, outcomes tracking, and proper contracts. These create capacity for growth and sustainability, not just administrative efficiency.
• Develop credential-plus-expertise positioning: Credentials are table stakes that get you considered. Demonstrated expertise through case studies, testimonials, and specialised content differentiates you competitively.
• Invest in professional development strategically: Go beyond compliance CPD to develop skills in trauma-informed approaches, business development, programme design. Capabilities that separate thriving from struggling practices.
• Clarify your service boundaries: Be explicit about what you offer beyond coaching and how services differ. Clients need clear understanding of what they're purchasing and how you'll deliver value.
• Budget realistically for sustainability: Plan for 18-36 months to build sustainable practice while maintaining other income sources. Expect portfolio income including services adjacent to coaching.
• Think beyond one-to-one delivery: Develop capability in programme design, group coaching facilitation, or internal coach training. Corporate buyers are increasingly seeking coaching systems, not just individual sessions.
• Adopt technology selectively: Use tools that genuinely improve client experience or reduce administrative burden. Avoid technology that complicates practice or claims to automate coaching itself.
• Develop cultural intelligence for global work: Research regional norms around fees, credentials, communication styles, and cultural expectations before serving new geographic markets.

Wrap Up

What patterns are you observing in your coaching practice? How are these trends showing up in your work? Share your experiences in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you're seeing on the ground. And if you found this analysis valuable, consider sharing it with fellow coaches who might benefit from these insights.

Contributing Author:

Dr Steve Jeffs is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), business and organisational psychologist, and leadership transformation expert with over 20 years of global experience. Before becoming a full-time coach, Steve led large-scale leadership assessment and development programs, organisational change initiatives, and cultural transformation projects across the Middle East, working with government bodies, multinationals, and high-growth businesses. His early career as a registered psychologist and management consultant continues to shape his pragmatic, systems-oriented approach to coaching and leadership.

Today, Steve serves as Director of Coaching at The Coaching Tools Company, where he brings together his expertise in psychology, strategy, and personal development to create practical, impactful tools for coaches and leaders alike. He is also the host and co-founder of The Coaching Edge Podcast, and co-Founder of The Guiding Matrix, a company dedicated to helping coaches grow sustainable businesses while expanding their leadership capacity. 

With over 5,000 coaching hours, Steve has worked with executives and teams in more than 20 countries, including in the UK, UAE, KSA, USA, Egypt, South Africa, and the Philippines. His coaching clients include leaders from organisations such as HSBC, Siemens, Roche Diagnostics, STC, Etisalat, Sanofi, and Dubai Holding. As one of the first MCCs in the Middle East, Steve has also trained and mentored over 1,000 coaches globally and continues to supervise coaches through their credentialing journeys.

Steve is a multi-award-winning coach, recognised globally for his work on leadership and innovation—including honours from the World Innovation Congress and CHRO Asia. He is co-author of Stuck No More: Practical Self-Coaching for Everyday Problems and Shift Up: Strength Strategies for Optimal Living, and is the creator of multiple strengths-based assessments and coaching tools, including the StrengthsMultiplier™. With a Doctorate in Leadership and a Master's in Organisational Psychology, Steve blends deep psychological insight with practical coaching to help individuals, teams, and organisations thrive.

Originally from Australia, Steve now lives in the UK having worked in the UAE for over a decade, bringing both global perspective and deep regional understanding to his work. When not coaching or creating tools, you’ll likely find him exploring deep caves or shipwrecks—he’s a certified technical diver and cave explorer who brings the same spirit of curiosity and courage to his coaching and leadership work.

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