A brutally honest, evidence-informed take from 25 years inside the coaching profession

In 1946, on remote Pacific islands, something hauntingly human unfolded. After WWII ended, Indigenous communities continued building bamboo airstrips, wooden control towers and coconut headphones, recreating every ritual they’d seen during wartime, hoping the cargo planes would return.

They had all the forms. They lacked only one thing: Results.

Nobel physicist Richard Feynman called this “cargo cult science”, practices that mimic the appearance of rigour but lack the substance. No feedback loops. No accountability. Just ritual.

Now, look at our industry.

We’ve built beautiful bamboo airstrips. We wave palm fronds like landing signals. We chant “powerful questions” into bamboo mics. But the planes? Still not landing.

Let me be clear here: I’m not here to mock coaches. I’m here to wake them up.

Because I’ve been where you are. I’ve collected certifications. I’ve used the jargon. I’ve posted the sunset quotes. And I’ve sat across from clients, wondering: “Am I actually helping?”

Is the coaching profession is at a crossroad?

We can keep performing rituals. Or we can become real professionals.

This isn’t about tearing down. It’s about building up on evidence, expertise, evolution, integration and impact.

Let’s begin.

The Real Problem: We’ve Confused Activity With Value

The coaching industry has mastered looking professional while often failing to be professional.

We’ve turned coaching into a ritual performance:

• Collecting certifications is like Pokémon cards
• Attending events where everyone asks, “What’s your niche?” while secretly having none
• Using the same wheel-of-life diagrams, vision boards and values assessments like sacred relics
• Repeating incantations: “I hold space.” “I create awareness.” “I ask powerful questions.”

And then we wonder why our calendars are looking empty.

If you removed all your credentials from your bio, would anyone still hire you?

That’s not a dig. It’s a diagnostic.

Clients care about: Can you help me solve a specific, urgent problem, better than anyone else?

Not your ICF, whatever “C”. Not your NLP diploma. Not your “Certified Energy Alchemist” badge.

It’s your ability to deliver results.

Certifications: Is it Tools or Talismans

I believe in coaching credentials. I’m an ICF PCC. I supervise and mentor coaches.

Certifications matter when they represent real rigour, ethics and competence.

But too many coaches treat them like magic wands. “I’ll get my xCC and then clients will come.” “I’ll add trauma-informed training and I’ll be credible.”

No.

Certifications are inputs. Clients pay for outputs.

And here’s the data:

• The median coaching income is under $50K (ICF, 2020).
• Over 70% of certified coaches work part-time or earn below $20K/year.
• Most coaches quit within 2–3 years.

You can have ten certifications and zero clients and I’ve seen it.

So ask yourself: Are you building expertise? Or are you procrastinating with paperwork?

There’s a difference.

The Clone Factory: Why Everyone Sounds the Same

Go to any coaching conference. Listen to ten coaches describe their work. Chances are, they’ll sound identical.

Same language. Same frameworks. Same vague promises of “transformation.”

It’s like a convention of cover bands, playing the same three songs, in the same key.

This isn’t coaching. It’s script-following.

And clients are smarter than we give them credit for. They can smell generic from a mile away.

Would you go to a doctor who says, “I help people get healthier”? Or a lawyer who says: “I do general law for people with problems”?

No. You’d want a specialist.

So why do we expect clients to pay premium fees for generalist coaches?

The most successful coaches I know aren’t the ones with the most letters after their name. They’re the ones who’ve gone deep on a specific issue, for a specific group with a proven method.

• Executive presence for technical leaders
• Decision fatigue in healthcare professionals
• Career transition for midlife women in tech
• Resilience under regulatory pressure in finance

That’s expertise. That’s value.

Generalists trade time for money. Experts trade value solutions.

The “Fake It Till You Make It” Lie

Social media has turned coaching into performance art.

Coaches post about “six-figure months” while living on savings. Share “client breakthroughs” that sound suspiciously like certification case studies. Use stock photos of luxury offices they’ve never stepped into.

Authenticity is the foundation of trust. And trust is the only currency that matters in coaching.

When you’re performing successfully, you’re not building it. You’re avoiding the hard work of earning it.

And worse, you’re lying to yourself. You’re so busy curating the illusion that you never develop the reality.

Feynman said: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”

So stop. Be honest. Where are you overclaiming? Where are you underdelivering?

That’s where growth begins.

What Actually Works? The Science of Change

Let’s get scientific here. Because real coaching isn’t magic. It’s applied behavioural science.

So what does evidence-based change look like?

✅ What Works (Backed by Research):

• Specific, measurable goal setting (Locke & Latham, 1990)
• Feedback loops & progress tracking (Bandura, self-efficacy theory)
• Accountability systems (Gollwitzer, implementation intentions)
• Breaking change into small, repeatable steps (BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits)
• Cognitive restructuring (CBT, ACT models)
• Social support & relational safety (attachment theory, neuroscience)

🚫 What Doesn’t (Despite the Hype):

• Visualisation without action
• Affirmations without behaviour change
• “Mindset shifts” without skill development
• Generic “purpose finding” without context

This isn’t about being closed-minded. It’s about professional responsibility.

If we claim to help people grow, we owe them methods that work; not just ones that sound good.

The Measurement Crisis: Beyond “Feel-Good” Metrics

Ask most coaches: “How do you measure success?”

And you’ll hear:

• “They had a breakthrough!”
• “The energy shifted!”
• “They found their purpose!”

Lovely. Meaningless.

Real professionals measure outcomes, not vibes.

So here’s the test: Could an outsider observe the change you claim to create?

If not, you’re in cargo cult territory.

Real coaching metrics look like:

• “Client increased proposal win rate from 30% to 65% in 90 days.”
• “Reduced decision-making time by 40% using structured frameworks.”
• “Improved team psychological safety score by 3 points on a validated scale.”
• “Client launched product 2 months ahead of schedule after clarity coaching.”

No jargon. Just results.

The Business Model That Actually Works

Most coaches follow this model:

1. Get certified
2. Build a website with stock photos
3. Post daily on LinkedIn about “mindset”
4. Wait for clients
5. Panic when none come
6. Get another certification
7. Repeat

This isn’t a business. It’s a hope-based revenue strategy.

The strategic model is different:

1. Identify a high-urgency problem (e.g., onboarding failure in scaling startups)
2. Develop deep expertise in solving it
3. Define your ideal client with precision (not “entrepreneurs” – “Series A tech founders struggling with delegation”)
4. Create a repeatable process with measurable outcomes
5. Charge based on value, not time
6. Build systems that scale beyond your calendar

This isn’t coaching. It’s consulting-grade problem-solving enhanced by coaching skills.

And yes, it commands 3–5x higher fees.

The Integration Imperative

The future of coaching isn’t “pure coaching” vs. “consulting.” It’s integration.

The most impactful coaches I work with blend:

• Coaching skills (active listening, powerful questions)
• Subject matter expertise (leadership, change, strategy)
• Business acumen (pricing, positioning, marketing)
• Measurement rigour (KPIs, feedback loops)
• Technology & systems (CRM, automation, content that converts)

They’re not just facilitators. They’re strategic partners.

And clients pay for partnership, not just conversation.

Your Way Forward: From Ritual to Results

So how do you escape the cargo cult?

Step 1: Brutal Honesty

• What problems can you actually solve?
• What expertise have you earned, not claimed?
• What results can you prove?

Step 2: Strategic Focus

• Pick one problem.
• Serve one audience.
• Master one outcome.

Step 3: Build Real Systems

• A repeatable coaching process
• A feedback loop (surveys, KPIs, testimonials with metrics)
• A business model that scales (group programs, digital products, retainers)

Step 4: Lead With Value, Not Jargon

Consider this instead of coaching-speak:

“I help technical founders delegate effectively so they can scale without burning out. My clients reduce time in operations by 50% within 90 days using a proven 6-step framework.”

That’s not coaching. That’s a promise.

And that’s what clients buy.

The Future of Coaching: From Cult to Craft

We don’t need more coaches. We need more professionals.

Coaches who:

• Measure what matters
• Specialise with pride
• Charge for value, not time
• Build businesses, not just practices
• Serve clients, not the coaching echo chamber

The bamboo airstrips won’t bring the planes. Only real results will.

So stop performing. Start producing.

The profession doesn’t need more certifications. It needs more courage, clarity and competence.

And if that makes you uncomfortable? Good.

Discomfort is the first sign of growth.

The planes aren’t coming. But you?

You can build an airplane.

Your Move. If this hits a nerve or a dream, then let’s get to work. I work with a small number of coaches each quarter who are ready to stop performing and start producing. Who wants to trade certification hoarding for client results? Who are tired of the echo chamber and ready to build something that matters.

🔑 Here’s my offer: Reply with the word “RUNWAY” and I’ll send you my 90-Day Practice Transformation Blueprint: a step-by-step guide to clarifying your niche, packaging your expertise and building a practice that scales beyond your calendar.

Plus, claim your complimentary 30-minute Business Clarity Call. No sales pitch, no unicorn. Just honest feedback on where you are, where you could be and whether you’re truly ready to leave the cargo cult behind.

Yes, it takes courage. But owning your practice wasn’t built for the comfortable. It was built for the committed.

And I? I’m no cargo ship. I’m the one handing you the tools to build your airplane.