Coaching Was Never Supposed to Be Cookie-Cutter
Why I'm rethinking my rates, questioning industry norms, and choosing accessibility over business as usual.
I've been in the coaching industry for about seven years.
For much of that time, I've been navigating some pretty profound personal growth and change. I came into this space because I was hungry for movement. I wanted to understand myself, create something different, and become the woman who could hold the vision I had for my life.
Coaching offered something that really resonated with me: action.
Not just talking about the future you want, but getting accountable to it. Not just identifying your patterns, but being willing to confront them. Not just dreaming about change, but exploring what you're willing and unwilling to do to create it.
Since hiring my first coach, I've earned multiple certifications, spent thousands of hours in the coaching space, sat on boards, attended retreats, hosted retreats, and participated in more personal development than I can probably keep track of.
I've invested in myself in ways I'm incredibly grateful for. I've also invested in ways that came with a lot of pressure. And that's where I want to start.
I've spent the money, too.
I've taken out loans. I've overcharged my credit cards. I've paid more than I probably should have for programs, experiences, and opportunities I believed would help me grow.
Some of those investments brought an immediate return. Others gave me tools, perspective, relationships, and lessons that I still carry with me.
I don't regret the value of the work I've done. But I also won't pretend those investments came without consequences.
There were times I put myself in a tight financial spot because I believed in the potential of what I was buying. Times I was managing the pressure of the investment while also trying to implement what I'd learned and make the investment worth it.
And here's the thing: I can believe in personal development, value my coaches, appreciate what I've learned, and still question whether the way we sell coaching always serves the people buying it.
Because I don't think meaningful growth should require financial chaos. I don't think someone should have to put themselves under immense financial pressure to prove they're committed to their future. And I certainly don't believe the amount of money someone can spend determines how serious they are about changing their life.
Sometimes, the most responsible decision a person can make is to say, "Not right now." That doesn't mean they're not committed. It means they're paying attention to their reality.
And that matters, too.
Coaching isn't about someone else having the answers.
I have a bone to pick with this industry.
Coaching isn't cookie-cutter.
It isn't a formula that works the same way for everyone. It isn't about a coach handing you their opinions, telling you what worked for them, or convincing you that their version of success is the one you should pursue. And it isn't about creating dependency on the person who's supposed to be helping you grow.
Coaching is about creating a safe, supportive space for you to explore what is right and true for YOU.
It's about asking questions that help you see what you couldn't see before. It's about getting curious about the beliefs, fears, and patterns influencing your decisions. It's about helping you recognize your options, clarify your values, and make choices that align with the person you want to become.
A coach can challenge you. A coach can hold you accountable. A coach can help you recognize when your actions aren't aligned with your stated goals.
But a coach shouldn't need you to become a copy of them.
Their job isn't to convince you that they know your life better than you do.
Their job is to facilitate a process that helps you develop greater awareness, trust your own judgment, and take responsibility for your choices.
That's the work I believe in.
Somewhere along the way, things got confusing.
I've watched the coaching industry evolve into something that can sometimes feel a lot like a sales machine.
People enter the industry looking for support. They become coaches. They hire coaches to build their coaching businesses. Those coaches hire other coaches.
High-ticket offers become the norm in some corners of the industry. Success starts to look a certain way. And the message can become that if you're serious about your growth, you'll find the money.
I understand that running a business costs money. I understand that coaches have training, experience, expenses, and families to support. I believe coaches deserve to be paid well for their work.
This isn't an argument against making money.
It's an invitation to question the idea that one business model, one price point, or one approach is the right fit for everyone.
Coaching isn't a uniformly regulated profession, and the industry can be difficult for consumers to navigate. Credentials, training, experience, and ethical standards vary. That makes clarity and transparency even more important.
People deserve to understand what they're paying for, what coaching can and cannot offer, and whether the person they're working with is qualified to provide the support they're seeking. And they deserve to make those decisions without being pressured into believing that saying no means they're choosing to stay stuck.
A person's willingness to invest in themselves should never be measured solely by their willingness to spend money.
Here's the reality of my own life.
Right now, I pay around $175 for a counseling session and about the same for coaching. Both have been valuable to me as I've navigated difficult experiences, worked through challenges, and made plans for my future. And both are significant expenses.
That's roughly the cost of a week of groceries and fuel in my world.
Add in heating costs, hay, caring for my ranch, improving the property, supporting my family, and investing in my other business, and I have plenty of moments when I look at the bills and wonder how I'm going to make everything work.
I know what it feels like to believe in something and still have to ask whether it fits into the budget. I know what it's like to want support while also knowing that there are other responsibilities that need your attention. And I know I'm not the only one.
People are trying to build businesses, raise families, navigate relationships, recover from difficult experiences, and create better futures while the cost of simply living continues to demand more of their income.
They still have goals. They still have dreams. They still want to grow.
But sometimes, coaching and other forms of support simply aren't in the budget.
I don't think those people should be written off as uncommitted.
And I don't want to build a business that forgets what real life looks like.
So I'm making a change.
For a while, I've been looking at my coaching rates through the lens of the industry.
What is the market charging? What is my experience worth? How do I value my time? How do I create a sustainable business?
Those are fair questions. I still believe they're important. But I realized I was missing another question.
How do I want people to experience working with me?
I want people to feel supported, not pressured. I want them to feel empowered to make their own decisions, not convinced that they need me to tell them what to do. I want them to be able to explore coaching without feeling like they're stepping into a sales funnel that ends with a contract they aren't sure they can afford.
And I want my business to reflect the values I talk about.
So I'm lowering my rate to $166 per session.
Not because I'm less qualified. Not because my experience is less valuable. Not because I'm not worthy of charging higher rates.
I'm doing it because I want to make my work more accessible to the people I want to serve.
I want someone to be able to book a session without committing to six months of coaching. Without being pressured to buy a package. Without needing to justify why they're not ready to spend thousands of dollars on their personal development.
One session. One conversation. One opportunity to explore what's happening in your life and what you want to do about it.
If you want to continue, we can talk about that when the time comes.
If one session is what makes sense for you, that is enough.
You get to decide.
This is what being in my purpose means to me.
I love coaching.
I believe in its ability to help people develop self-awareness, identify their choices, challenge their assumptions, and move toward the lives they want to create. I believe accountability matters. I believe we have to be willing to participate in our own growth. And I believe that sometimes the most powerful thing another person can offer us is a safe space to hear ourselves think.
But I also believe that the way we offer support matters.
If my purpose is to help people reconnect with themselves, trust their own knowing, and create a future that feels aligned with who they are, then I need to consider how my business practices support that purpose.
For me, that means questioning the norms. It means being honest about money. It means making decisions based on the people I want to serve, not just the expectations of an industry. And it means remembering that accessibility doesn't diminish the value of the work.
Sometimes, it makes the work possible.
I don't have every answer. I'm still growing, still learning, still navigating my own life, and still figuring out what it means to build a business that supports both my purpose and my reality.
But I know this:
I don't want someone to have to abandon their financial peace to find support for their personal growth.
I want to meet people where they are. Not where I think they should be. Not where the industry says they need to be. And not where they have to pretend to be to qualify for support.
Where they actually are.
And if coaching makes sense for you, I'd love to be part of your journey.
My rate is $166 per session. No contracts. No sales pitch. Just a space for you to explore, get curious, and decide what comes next.
When and if it makes sense for you.
XO,
Karissa
