Importance of Qualifications and Regulation in the Life Coaching Industry

1min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The speaker shares a personal experience of working with a co-chair in the life coaching industry, highlighting the variability in the quality of life coaches. The lack of regulation in the industry allows for individuals who may not be the most qualified to take advantage of clients or push for quick fixes. The speaker emphasizes the importance of qualifications and industry regulation to ensure that clients receive quality and ethical service.

Read the full transcript here.

Why does it seem that many people read self-help books with no intention of actually doing what the books prescribe? Why are self-help books often less clear than it seems they ought to be? What are self-help books actually designed to do? Why do self-help authors continue to write as though their ideas will help everyone when it seems fairly obvious that no single self-help book has ever been a global panacea? Should self-help advice differ based on the gender of the receiver? How does life coaching differ from self-help? How does therapy differ both from life coaching and from self-help? Should therapists fire their clients once the clients' problems have been solved? Should therapists give homework? What are the best and worst ideas commonly found in self-help books?

Kristen Meinzer is a culture critic, podcaster, and author. She cohosts the podcast How To Be Fine (Apple Podcasts, Instagram), formerly called By The Book, which looks at the good and the bad of the wellness industry. She also cohosts the podcast The Daily Fail, which does comedic close readings of the tabloids. Additionally, Kristen is a frequent contributor on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Further reading: