So You Want to Be a Life Coach: A Real Talk Guide for Brisbane Women
It started with a thought in the shower. Maybe I could help people. Maybe I could turn everything I’ve survived into something meaningful. But right after that came the questions. Who am I to coach someone? How do you even become a life coach? Is there a right way? A wrong way? Or just a million voices shouting different paths?
If you’ve ever had this internal back-and-forth, know this you are not alone. Especially if you’re a woman in Brisbane, juggling life, emotions, family, and that deep sense that there is more waiting for you. Becoming a life coach is not just a career move. It’s a call to purpose. But let’s break it down without the fluff.
What Is a Life Coach, Really?
Forget the Instagram versions. A life coach is not someone who shouts quotes into a ring light. At its core, life coaching is about guiding others to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. But here’s the real kicker — most coaches walk this path because they’ve walked through something hard themselves.
In Brisbane, I’ve met women who became life coaches after losing a loved one, going through burnout, recovering from divorce, or feeling like they no longer recognised the woman in the mirror. And instead of letting that pain define them, they chose to use it to help others.
How to Become a Life Coach (Without Losing Yourself in the Process)
There is no government licence required to be a life coach in Australia. But don’t let that make you think anyone can just wake up and be one. The best coaches are trained, ethical, grounded, and always learning.
If you are serious about becoming a life coach, here is what you do need:
- Self-awareness: If you’re not doing your own inner work, you’ll struggle to hold space for others. Coaching starts with you.
- Training: Look for ICF-accredited or well-respected programs. In Australia, check out Beautiful You Coaching Academy or the Life Coaching Institute of Australia.
- Practice: Coaching is like muscle memory. The more you coach, the better you get.
- Mentorship: Find a coach who can coach you. Learn from those walking the path.
You do not need to be perfect. You do not need a psychology degree. But you do need to care deeply and know how to listen.
Choosing a Life Coach Certification That Feels Right
From your kitchen table in Camp Hill to a café in Paddington, you can study to become a coach today thanks to life coach certification online programs. But not all are equal.
Here’s the rule I live by: If the program doesn’t care about you becoming a safe, ethical, and heart-led coach, walk away. You’re not just buying a certificate. You’re learning how to hold someone’s soul in your hands. That matters.
Good programs teach you how to:
- Create goals with clients
- Listen without fixing
- Ask the questions that shift lives
- Handle tears, silence, and real emotion
And they help you build your business too – because purpose and profit can coexist.
Why Brisbane Women Are Choosing This Path
There is a quiet wave happening. More and more women in Brisbane are leaving corporate burnout, stepping out of roles that drain them, and saying yes to something that finally feels like their own.
They want to work with other women. Hold space without judgment. Share what they have learned. Build a life that allows time for their children, their health, and their hearts.
Becoming a life coach is not always easy. But it is always real. And when you work with the right mentor or community, the journey becomes less lonely and more alive.
The Real Question: Why Not You?
You’ve helped friends through their darkest nights. You’ve built people up when you were falling apart. You’ve listened without rushing to fix. That is coaching.
So maybe you’re already a coach at heart. And maybe it’s time you stop doubting that.
Start Now, Not Perfect
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.
Ask yourself, what would it mean if I followed this calling? What would my mornings feel like if I woke up to do something that feels deeply mine?
If this speaks to you, maybe it’s time. Not just to learn how to become a life coach, but to become the kind of woman who owns her story and helps others do the same.
Ready to Begin?
If you’re serious about becoming a life coach and want to learn the mindset, tools, and strategies of heart-led coaching, reach out to Sultan at coachingbysultan.au. He mentors women in Brisbane who are ready to create change from the inside out.
Author Bio: Written by Amy Sullivan, a Brisbane-based wellbeing writer and mother of two who helps women reclaim their purpose by becoming transformational life coaches.
