Well-Being

How to Get Free Coaching

How to get a life coach for free when you don’t have the cash: four ideas for low- to no-cost coaching

By Carellin Brooks /

Credit: Flickr/

Even if you’re down to loose change, you can still get free coaching

While a coach is worth her weight in gold when you need help improving your life, here’s how to get one for free when paying is not an option

It’s the eternal dilemma. To improve your business, revitalize your work or otherwise make the changes that will lead to success, you need to invest in yourself.

But if you’re stuck in minimum-wage hell or have no cash at all, how can you get the coaching that – as I’ve detailed in my previous posts on how to choose a coach and what coaching can do for you – can improve your life?

Before you take out that payday loan, here are some ways to finance coaching you may not have considered.

Four Ways to Get Free Coaching

Barter. Like everyone else, coaches need shiatsu massage, haircuts, and fresh baked goods. They appreciate a weekend away at your cottage. Think of what you have to offer, and then make your coach of choice a deal.

Ask your employer. Some BC businesses are starting to offer coaching as part of their employee assistance plans. If yours doesn’t, but does pay for counseling, ask if you can have the same number of sessions funded. (It won’t hurt to tell your boss how a coach can improve your work).

Consider a counsellor coach. Some counsellors have branched out into coaching. Again, if your benefits will only pay for the former, see if the counsellor can coach you instead.

Find a student. Coaches in training sometimes need to build up a roster of clients to be certified, which can mean helping folks like you at low or no cost as they get established. Contact a coaching organization to see if this is the case, and if there’s anyone in your area who might need someone to coach.

Bottom line? Lack of funds shouldn’t stop you from getting the coaching you need and deserve. And while coaches will earn you back every penny of their fee – my own coach, Gwen Gnazdowsky, is certainly worth her weight in gold – if you’re between a rock and a hard place financially, don’t write coaching off as an impossible dream.