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Impactful Coach
Episode 33Becoming a coach46 min

Coach-Trainer-FAQ: A Masterclass in becoming a coach with Lucy Higgins

with Lucy Higgins, Life Coach

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Show notes

On this 'Making of a Coach', Tobi meets Lucy Higgins to unpack real "Frequently Asked Questions" from aspiring coaches wanting to become a coach.

Drawing on her work training cohorts of new coaches at Animas in the UK and her own practice, Lucy digs into client acquisition strategies, whether to niche, and the true timeline of coaching business building. They also explore coaching pricing models, the balance between directive and non‑directive work, why supervision matters and when ICF/EMCC accreditation helps (and when it doesn’t).


Key Learnings:

  • Define a precise client avatar and map “Hell Island to Heaven Island” outcomes; choose outreach where those clients already are (e.g., LinkedIn, events), then prioritize referrals - practical client acquisition strategies to become a coach who consistently books calls.
  • Run an 80/20 split: 80% delivering, 20% building; set up simple systems early (e.g. Calendly or similar tools for scheduling) to compound your coaching business building.
  • Calibrate fees to client segment and outcomes, then review quarterly; consider sliding scales and raise rates as evidence and confidence grow - your working “coaching pricing models.” If you target corporates or platforms, evaluate ICF/EMCC accreditation requirements first.


Resources:


Episode Chapters:

00:00 Teaser: Hell Island To Heaven Island

00:02 Why This Coach‑Trainer FAQ Episode

00:10 Client Acquisition Strategies: Avatar, Channels, Referrals

00:13 Coaching Business Building Timeline And Buffer

00:15 Should I Niche Or Be The Niche?

00:17 Selling As A Helper, Not A Salesperson

00:19 Coaching Pricing Models And Sliding Scales

00:25 Systems That Save Time: Calendly, Xero, SEO

00:36 Directive vs Non‑Directive Coaching

00:40 Coaching Accreditation: ICF, EMCC, AC

Transcript

Full transcript, edited for readability. Every timestamp jumps the video to that moment.

Lucy Higgins: I think you need to get super clear on who it is you want to help. Think about who is your ideal client, and then create a client avatar. So by that I mean, where do they live? What do they do for a living? And then, importantly, what is the problem that they want solved? And I call that Hell Island. So imagine your client is on Hell Island. What does Hell Island look like? What's the problem? And then, what is the outcome that they want as a result of the coaching? And I call that Heaven Island. So what does that look like? Imagine you put them on a boat and they go from Hell Island to Heaven Island. And you think, right, what does that boat journey look like? Tobi: When I started with the Making of a Coach, I wanted to build a resource that helps you with all these questions beyond the actual session. I wanted to tackle questions like, how do I find clients? Should I niche my coaching practice? How much can I actually charge? How long will this whole business building process take me until I can live from it? And when I met today's guest, Lucy, for our prep conversation, she said that she actually has an FAQ, a frequently asked questions list, with exactly these kinds of questions. She has this list because, next to her own career coaching practice, she also trains coaches at Animas, a large academy in the UK. So on this episode we dig into these frequently asked questions, tackling question by question, on the one hand on business aspects, Tobi: but later also on the actual practice and the coaching conversation. I try to tame my curiosity today and not go too much into sidetracks. So what came out of this is a super information dense episode with a really authentic and relatable Lucy. So let's get started, firstly by getting to know Lucy a bit.

Read the full transcript

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