How do you become a coach (and actually make it work) without having it all figured out first?
If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to be a coach, but I’m not sure I’m qualified… and also I have no idea how the business side works,” this conversation is for you. Megan and Danna sit down with Ben Fox to unpack what it really looks like to grow into coaching, build credibility (even when you’re young), and create a sustainable path that doesn’t require perfection, a polished brand, or seven social platforms.
Ben shares how he went from calling himself a broad “life coach” at 25 (boldly, as one does) to becoming a career transformation coach working with people navigating big professional pivots. A big theme is that coaching skill isn’t the same as industry expertise. Listening, reflecting, and helping someone move forward are transferable skills, and in many cases, the thing that makes someone a great coach is less about knowing the “right answers” and more about being able to hold space and ask the right questions.
Then we get into the part most new coaches quietly dread: marketing. Ben doesn’t sugarcoat it, but he does make it feel doable. He talks about focusing on one platform (LinkedIn, in his case), using consistent outreach, and understanding the funnel. Not everyone responds, not everyone is your client, and that’s normal. The goal is reps, clarity, and a system you can keep doing when you’re tired, busy, or doubting yourself.
Finally, the conversation zooms out to a freeing reminder: you can be a coach without being a full-time entrepreneur. Megan reflects on realizing that solo entrepreneurship wasn’t the right fit, while coaching still absolutely is. You can coach in a corporate job, in your community, inside a larger organization, or as a contractor. The question isn’t just “How do I become a coach?” but “What version of coaching actually fits my life, values, and nervous system?”
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Chapters
00:00 — Intro: rebooting Becoming a Health Coach + why Ben’s story matters
01:45 — Ben’s coaching identity: life coach → career transformation coach
03:45 — Age vs credibility: earning trust when you’re young
07:10 — Do certifications matter (and what programs can really give you)
10:00 — “Just go coach”: learning by doing and getting comfortable sucking first
12:00 — Finding a niche: from scattered marketing to a clear focus
15:30 — First paying clients: why charging changes everything
20:45 — The marketing mindset shift: LinkedIn outreach + consistency
24:15 — One platform wins: why omnichannel made Ben miserable
29:00 — Rejection rates and funnels: what conversion can look like
32:10 — “Who Not How”: hiring help to learn marketing and business
34:30 — Coaching as a contractor: tradeoffs of “just showing up to coach”
38:00 — Ben’s current offer: 1:1 package + building community
39:30 — One piece of advice: how do you know you want to be a coach?
41:00 — Megan’s reflection: coaching without entrepreneurship + experiment first
47:00 — Biggest myth: you don’t need expertise to be a great coach
Becoming a Health Coach provides resources and inspiration for anyone interested in becoming a health coach. Recorded and Produced in Switzerland. Member of the SwissCast Podcast Network.
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