What Is Coaching? How It Works, Types, Benefits and How to Become a Coach

Coaching is a structured process of personal or professional development in which a coach runs sessions with a client, called a coachee, to turn goals into an action plan with follow-up.

It is not therapy or consulting: the coach does not diagnose or hand out ready-made answers, but asks questions that help the client find their own way.

According to the 2025 Global Coaching Study from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), there are 122,974 coaches worldwide, and the profession’s annual revenue reached about US$5.34 billion, up 17% from the previous study.

Below, we explain how a coaching process works, the main types, how much it costs, what research says about the benefits and how to work in the field, including turning your method into a digital product.

What is coaching?

The most widely used definition in the market comes from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the leading international body in the field: coaching is a partnership in a process that stimulates reflection and creativity, so that the client develops their personal and professional potential to the fullest.

In practice, the client sets the goal. The coach organizes the client’s thinking with questions, helps turn the goal into concrete actions and follows the execution, session by session. A coach does not treat mental health issues or teach a subject.

What is the difference between coaching and a coach?

Coaching is the development process; a coach is the professional who runs that process. Both words come from English: coach means trainer, and coaching is the training the coach delivers.

There is also a third term: coachee, the person who hires a coach and goes through coaching.

How did coaching come about?

The sense of coach as an instructor emerged around 1830 at the University of Oxford, as slang for the private tutor who “carried” the student through exams.

But the word is even older: a coach was a carriage, a name derived from Kocs, a Hungarian village where that type of vehicle was made, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. The metaphor still works today: a coach is someone who helps take a person from one point to another.

From 1861, the term also came to name sports trainers, who lead teams toward better results.

Over time, the same logic reached management and people development. The central idea of coaching remains the same; what changes is the context in which it is applied.

How does a coaching process work in practice?

A coaching process runs in regular sessions, in person or online, in which coach and coachee start from the current situation, define where the client wants to go and build an action plan to make that journey.

The coach uses techniques from fields such as Psychology, Business Administration and Neuroscience, adapted to each person’s goal.

From the current state to the desired state

The first phase is identifying the current state. Here, the coach leads a conversation to understand the client’s context: routine, challenges, strengths and what is holding them back.

This diagnosis helps the coachee see themselves more clearly. This is where self-knowledge starts to take shape and limiting beliefs that make change harder tend to appear.

Next comes the search for the desired state, that is, the goals the person wants to reach.

With both points clear, coach and coachee define together the paths, the intermediate goals and how progress will be measured.

How many sessions are there and how long does it last?

There is no standard number of sessions: the length of the process is agreed between coach and coachee at the start, according to the goal. Setting this agreement, with goals and ground rules for the relationship, is one of the core competencies the ICF assesses to certify coaches.

More sessions do not necessarily mean better results. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Positive Psychology by researchers at the University of Amsterdam found no significant relationship between the number of sessions and the effectiveness of coaching.

As a benchmark, practicing coaches spend an average of 11.6 hours per week on coaching and serve 12.4 active clients at a time, according to the executive summary of the ICF study. In practice, what matters is the clarity of the goal and the client’s commitment to the plan.

What happens between sessions

A good part of coaching happens outside the sessions. At the end of each meeting, the coachee leaves with tasks: trying a new behavior, reorganizing their routine, having a difficult conversation or measuring a result.

At the next meeting, the two review what worked and adjust the plan. This cycle of action and review is what sets coaching apart from a motivational chat.

Throughout the process, the coach acts as support and also as someone who holds the client accountable. The ultimate goal is for the client to learn to overcome their own obstacles and keep developing on their own.

What are the main types of coaching?

The main types of coaching are: personal, career, professional, executive, business or team, business-building and financial. What changes between them is the client’s goal and the coach’s specialization. The underlying methodology is the same.

When the question is what the 3 types of coaching are, the most common answer groups them into three contexts: personal (life, relationships and habits), professional (career and skills) and organizational (executive, business and team, usually hired by the company).

There is no single official classification, but this grouping helps you decide where to start.

Personal coaching (life coaching)

Personal coaching focuses on goals in private life, such as relationships, health, family life, emotions or finances. It is also called life coaching.

It helps the person gain clarity about what they want, build habits and improve their quality of life.

Important: when the issue involves emotional distress, the recommended path is therapy, not coaching.

Career coaching

Career coaching is aimed at people who want to plan their next professional steps: earning a promotion, getting back into the job market or changing careers.

The demand is high: in a LinkedIn survey reported by Exame in January 2026, 54% of Brazilian professionals said they planned to look for a new opportunity during the year, and 63% said job hunting had become harder.

Even people who do not yet know which direction to take benefit, because self-knowledge exercises help identify interests, values and skills.

Professional coaching

Professional coaching is aimed at people who want to sharpen their skills and perform better at work. The skills most often worked on are leadership, communication, negotiation, planning and productivity.

Often, the company itself hires this type of coaching to develop its employees.

Executive coaching

Executive coaching is aimed at leaders and managers, focusing on people management and decision-making skills. The coach, in this case, needs to know the corporate world well and the challenges of those who lead teams.

It is a segment that tends to require experience: among coaches with more than ten years of practice, 38% have executives as their main audience, versus 18% among those who have worked for less than a year, according to the ICF executive summary.

Because the coachee works with people who also manage people, the impact tends to spread across the organization.

Business and team coaching

Business coaching serves a company’s workforce, individually or in groups. A coach is hired to guide professionals in their development, which shows up in the results of the team and the organization.

It is a relationship where both sides win: the company develops its talent and the employee grows individually. That is why business coaching is also used in retention strategies. The ICF even has a specific credential for team coaching.

Business-building coaching (business coaching)

Business-building coaching is the segment for people who want to start a company or already have one and need to structure it. Opening and running a business requires specific knowledge and skills that differ from those of a traditional job.

The audience is large: in 2025 alone, Brazil opened 5.1 million companies, a record, according to Agência Sebrae. On the professional side, business coaching is the specialty of 80% of coaches with more than ten years of practice, according to the ICF. This figure measures the area of practice, not the client profile, which is why it coexists with the percentage of coaches who mainly serve executives.

The goal is to help entrepreneurs make decisions with more clarity, organize priorities and start the journey better prepared. If you are just getting started, see also how digital entrepreneurship works.

Financial coaching

Financial coaching guides a person in organizing their financial life: controlling spending, building a reserve, distributing income better and planning goals.

It is a topic many people never learned at school, and delinquency shows how big the demand is: about half of Brazil’s adult population has overdue bills, according to Serasa Experian indicators. In August 2026, that was 84 million people.

Keep in mind that a financial coach does not replace a certified professional when it comes to investment recommendations.

Coaching, therapy and mentoring: what is the difference?

The main difference lies in who provides the answers and in the type of issue addressed. In coaching, the answers come from the client, guided by questions. In therapy, the focus is emotional and psychological health. In mentoring, the answers come from the mentor’s experience. In consulting, a specialist diagnoses the problem and recommends solutions.

Coach and psychologist: what is the difference?

A psychologist is a health professional, with a university degree and registration with Brazil’s Regional Council of Psychology (CRP), qualified to assess and treat emotional issues. A coach works with goals and does not provide treatment.

Law 4,119/1962 in Brazil defines functions exclusive to psychologists, such as psychological diagnosis, as noted by the Federal Council of Psychology. According to the CFP guidance note on coaching, someone without CRP registration who uses techniques exclusive to psychology during sessions is practicing the profession illegally.

A psychologist can work as a coach, as long as they follow the profession’s Code of Ethics. And if your issue involves anxiety, grief or depression, see a psychologist.

Coaching and mentoring: which one to choose?

Coaching and mentoring are often treated as synonyms, but they have different purposes. Coaching helps people take action: move from where they are and pursue a goal based on their own potential, without the coach needing to have lived the same path.

Mentoring, on the other hand, is led by someone with more experience, who has walked a similar path and guides someone just starting out. The mentor shares what they learned in practice and suggests paths.

In short: if you need clarity and an action plan, coaching makes more sense. If you need to learn from someone who has already gotten where you want to go, mentoring is the way. In practice, many professionals offer both: 49% of coaches also do mentoring, according to the ICF.

What is coaching for and what are its benefits?

Coaching helps a person move from where they are to a specific goal, with more clarity about the path and more consistency in execution. This applies to career, business or personal life goals.

In the process, the coach helps identify strengths and areas for improvement, make use of the skills the person already has and develop the ones that still need work.

The benefits are backed by research. The meta-analysis by Theeboom, Beersma and van Vianen, from the University of Amsterdam, found positive and significant effects of coaching across five groups of outcomes, detailed below.

Better performance and skills

Coaching helps develop practical skills and improve performance on concrete tasks, such as leading a team, negotiating or organizing a work routine. It is the most sought-after benefit in professional and business coaching.

Greater well-being

Participants’ well-being also improves in the studies analyzed. Part of this effect comes from work on emotional intelligence, which helps people recognize and manage their own reactions day to day.

Better ability to handle pressure

Coaching improves how a person faces pressure and stress, what psychology calls coping. Having a clear plan and someone tracking progress tends to make problems more manageable.

More positive attitudes toward work

Job satisfaction and commitment increase after the process. Not by chance, companies are among the main buyers: according to the ICF, more than half of coaching clients worldwide have the process sponsored by their employer.

More focus to reach goals

The largest measured effect was on goal-directed self-regulation, that is, the ability to set objectives, track your own progress and adjust behavior. In practice, it is what gets the plan off the paper.

What research still does not answer

The evidence is positive, but it has limits. The meta-analysis authors themselves point out that research on coaching effectiveness is advancing more slowly than the practice’s popularity, and that many studies measure different outcomes and have little theoretical grounding.

Many studies were also carried out in organizational settings. So it is best to see coaching as a support tool, not a guarantee of results.

An important caution: the result depends on the coachee’s commitment. The coach guides and supports, but the client is the one who carries out the plan.

Is coaching a regulated profession in Brazil?

No. Coaching is not a regulated profession in Brazil: there is no law setting mandatory training, a professional council or registration to work as a coach. Brazil’s Federal Council of Psychology itself acknowledges, in a 2019 note, that there is no specific legal regulation for the practice.

There were attempts to change this. Bill 5,554/2009, which proposed regulating the profession and creating federal and regional coaching councils, was shelved by the Chamber of Deputies at the end of the legislative term, in 2011.

In 2019, a popular suggestion to criminalize the activity reached the Senate. The rapporteur proposed shelving it: according to Agência Senado, the understanding was that an unregulated activity cannot be criminalized, but those who invade the field of regulated professions must answer for it.

What this means in practice: anyone can present themselves as a coach. For those hiring, assessing training and experience makes all the difference. For those who want to practice, a recognized certification is the main sign of credibility.

How to choose a good coach: 5 precautions before hiring

To choose a good coach, assess training, experience with your type of goal and the chemistry in the first conversation. Whether you want to change a behavior pattern or develop a skill, these precautions help you avoid mistakes.

1. Check training and certification

Ask where the coach trained and whether they hold any recognized certification. Prefer institutions with a track record in the field that adopt a code of ethics.

2. Tell membership apart from training

Being a member of an association is not the same as having training. Value the school that trained and certified the professional, not just the organizations they belong to.

3. Consider experience with your type of goal

There are coaches with different levels of experience and specialization. The most experienced tend to charge more, so it is worth balancing the investment against the complexity of what you want to solve.

4. Have an initial conversation before committing

A first conversation, in person or by video, shows whether there is chemistry between you. Notice whether you feel comfortable and whether the coach understood what you are looking for.

5. Confirm that your need is for coaching

If what you are facing involves emotional distress, coaching is not the right service. A good coach recognizes that limit and refers you to a psychologist when needed.

How much does a coaching session cost?

There is no official price list for coaching in Brazil: each professional sets their own rate, per session or per package. As an international benchmark, practicing coaches charge an average of US$234 per one-hour session, according to the executive summary of the ICF study.

The price rises with experience. In the same study, Baby Boomer coaches, mostly with more than five years of practice, charge an average of US$270 per hour, versus US$193 among Millennials.

In practice, the price of a process varies according to:

• the format, since individual sessions cost more per person than group meetings;
• the length, that is, how many sessions are planned and what is included between them;
• the professional’s experience and certification;
• the type of coaching, because processes for executives and companies involve more preparation and follow-up.

Before committing, ask the coach to explain how many sessions are planned, what the format is and how progress will be measured. This makes it easier to compare proposals.

How to become a coach: training, certification and first clients

To become a coach, the most common path is to complete coaching training at a recognized institution, accumulate practice hours with clients and, if you want an edge, pursue an international certification, such as those from the ICF. Since the profession is not regulated, none of these steps is required by law, but all of them count when it comes to winning clients.

Many people passionate about human development found in coaching a way to start their own business. Beyond study and specialization, what sustains the career is a genuine desire to help people and dedication to the work.

Do you need a college degree to be a coach?

No. There is no specific degree requirement to work as a coach in Brazil. Still, many professionals come from fields such as Psychology, Business Administration and Human Resources, and there are short courses and postgraduate programs on the subject.

Which coaching certifications have international recognition?

The International Coaching Federation credentials are the best known in the world and have three levels: ACC, PCC and MCC. Each level requires more hours of specific training and practice with clients, plus mentoring and performance assessment, according to the ICF.

Requirements may change, so check the updated rules on the ICF website before choosing your training.

Good training goes beyond the certificate. It provides the theoretical and practical foundation that stays with the coach throughout their career, which is why it is worth choosing institutions with a track record and a code of ethics.

How much does a coach earn?

A coach’s income varies widely and depends on the niche, experience and service model. As a global benchmark, practicing coaches earn an average of US$49,283 per year from coaching, according to the executive summary of the 2025 Global Coaching Study.

Experience is the factor that weighs the most: those with more than ten years of practice earn an average of US$69,721 per year, with a higher hourly rate, more clients and more weekly hours of service.

The same study shows that 59% of coaches expect to earn more the following year. The expectation comes mainly from winning more clients (60%) and more sessions (51%). Only 37% expect to raise their hourly rate.

Advantages and challenges of a coaching career

Being a coach combines autonomy and purpose, but requires business management from day one, since anyone working independently enters the world of entrepreneurship. Among the advantages most cited by people in the field are:

• autonomy to run your own business and choose who you work with;
• the possibility to work from home, serving clients by video call;
• flexible hours, since you build your own schedule;
• purposeful work: helping people reach goals that matter to them.

The challenges also have to be counted:

• variable income, especially in the first months, until you build a client base;
• constant prospecting: the training course gives you the tools, but does not bring clients;
• distrust from part of the public, precisely because the field is not regulated;
• schedule limits: in one-on-one work, income depends on how many sessions fit in the week.

How the coaching profession is changing

The profession is becoming more demanding and more digital. For 73% of coaches, clients and organizations expect the professional to hold a certification or credential, and 47% already use digital platforms, mainly for virtual sessions, according to the 2025 Global Coaching Study. The trend follows the growth of distance education in Brazil, which has accustomed people to learning and being served by video.

Coaches are also diversifying: 60% offer training, 57% do consulting, 55% work with facilitation and 49% offer mentoring. And Latin America is among the most optimistic regions, with 66% of coaches expecting to increase revenue next year, above the global average of 59%, according to the ICF executive summary.

For those starting out, certification, online presence and formats that go beyond the one-on-one session count more and more.

How to win your first clients

The first clients tend to come from a well-defined niche, a consistent digital presence and referrals. Even with good training, gaining ground takes strategy, because it is business management, not just technique, that sets a coach apart from a successful entrepreneur.

Choose a niche

Focusing on a specific niche helps you grow faster and speak to the right audience. Over time, it also makes it easier to build authority online on the topic you work in. To narrow it down, see what a micro-niche is.

Study the market before defining your offer

Learn about trends, observe how other professionals position themselves and do market research. This helps define price, format and the differentiator of your offer. It also helps to understand digital market best practices.

Build a consistent digital presence

Have social media profiles and, if possible, a website or blog, with a strategy for each channel. Post often, talk to your audience and invest in personal branding to be remembered.

Take care of the experience of existing clients

Satisfied clients are a coach’s main source of referrals. Build a relationship of trust, deliver what was agreed and follow results closely.

How to sell coaching on Hotmart

Anyone who thinks Hotmart is only for selling recorded courses is mistaken. On Hotmart, an all-in-one platform for creators, you can also sell one-on-one coaching sessions, group programs, mentoring and communities, with scheduling, payment and delivery organized in the same place. If you are new to this, see how to sell digital products and how Hotmart works.

You bring the method. We bring the tools to sell, get paid and follow your clients, with no monthly fee to start. Since a good part of sessions already happen by video, coaching fits well in the digital world. For those who already have a method and results with clients, it is one of the most direct forms of becoming a digital creator.

More than 200 thousand businesses use Hotmart, according to the platform’s official fees page, and digital product sales across Hotmart Company platforms have passed US$10 billion since 2011, according to a March 2024 press release from the group.

Which coaching formats can you sell on Hotmart?

On Hotmart, you can sell coaching in four formats, alone or combined. Each one fits a different moment in your business. Take a look at the guide to types of digital products to compare options.

You can build a product ladder: a course as an entry point, a community to keep the relationship going and one-on-one coaching as the highest-value product. Extra materials and in-person events, such as meetups and talks, can also complement the offer. See how Hotmart Club works for members areas, how subscription products keep revenue recurring, and this guide on how to sell online courses. To record your lessons, learn about creating online video courses.

How to start selling coaching on Hotmart in 4 steps

To sell coaching sessions on Hotmart, you create your account, register the product as an Online Service, set up sessions and price and publish. The process does not require any recorded lesson.

1. Create your Hotmart account, for free.
2. Register the product in the online consulting services format, which includes mentoring and coaching with one-on-one sessions.
3. Set up the session types, the available times on your calendar and the price of each session or package.
4. After the product is approved, promote the sales page on your social networks, by email or with the help of affiliates.

The Online Service format is available for Brazilian accounts. To get started, follow the step-by-step guide to create your Hotmart account.

Why sell coaching on Hotmart?

You only pay when you sell

There is no monthly fee or sign-up fee. Hotmart charges a percentage of each approved sale (9.9% in the initial tier, plus a fixed amount per sale), and conditions improve as revenue grows, according to the official fees page.

Scheduling, payment and delivery in one place

You set your hours, and the client books and pays in the same journey, with automatic payout. There is no need to reconcile a spreadsheet, a payment link and a scheduling app.

A checkout built to convert

The Hotmart checkout accepts more than 40 payment methods, in 22 currencies, with automatic translation. According to Hotmart, the page loads in under 1 second and is built for traffic spikes.

Installments and complementary offers

With Hotmart Installments, your customer pays in installments and Hotmart guarantees your payout. The Order Bump, in turn, lets you offer a complementary item at the time of purchase, such as an exercise workbook or an extra session.

Automatic sales recovery

Customers who start a payment and do not finish it receive automatic reminders, at no extra cost.

Affiliates promoting your work

You can open your program to affiliates, who promote your sessions or course and earn a commission only when they sell. This way, your reach grows without raising your promotion costs.

Security and support for you and your clients

Hotmart is regulated by Brazil’s Central Bank, offers support seven days a week and also supports your clients, according to the official fees page. Invoice issuing can also be automated within the platform.

An example of someone who followed this path is Paula Abreu, one of the first entrepreneurs to work with online coaching in Brazil. She started in the field of Law and, after being laid off, created her own digital business, Escolha Sua Vida.

Time to put your method into practice

Coaching is a development process with method, goals and follow-up. For those hiring, the key is to choose a prepared coach and show up ready to carry out the plan.

For those who want to practice, the foundation of a career is training, practice and a clear niche. And if you already have a method that works, it can reach many more people than fit on your calendar.

On Hotmart, you create your account and register your coaching, mentoring or course offers with no monthly fee. The fee only applies when a sale happens. Create my free account