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I believe the coaching community has taken on many new directions. Coach U seems to be moving in more of a corporate direction. I often tell people they are the Harvard of coaching school. Coachville seems to be focused on this new " community" concept, which involves building communities for each successful coach at the coachville site. I am still not sure how this will work, but I am sure in time Dave Buck will clarify his vision.

Life Coach College sees the future in personal, face to face coaching. LCC recently started a new coaching program aimed at massage therapist, reflexolgist and other natural health care professionals.

Another player in the coaching community is Chris Barrow. Chris is an excellent speaker in person. He spoke at the Coachville "future of coaching" conference in May 2003. He was offering a "coaching gym" to the dental profession in the UK. He found his concept so profitable, he started offering a coaching gym to coaches who wanted to make more money in less time. Unfortunately for Chris and his family, they were suddenly deported from the USA and at this time, are still barred from returning to their home in the states.

The Life Coaching profession seems to me to be in a time of growth and discovery. This is no different than the Chiropractic profession was 30 years ago and the Massage profession was 5 years ago. Similar, the Reflexology profession is now, where the Life Coaching profession was 8 years ago. Some coaching organizations are focusing on credentials, others on legislation while Life Coach Marketing and the US Life Coach Association is focusing on helping coaches make a living.

So you can see, the profession has taken many different directions since Thomas passed away. Although there seems to be a place for everyone's ideas and concepts, I personally feel the future of Life Coaching is going to be offering our services as a Life Coach in person, as face-to-face coaching. This is why it is a natural to combine the natural health community with the coaching profession.

Another concept Life Coach Marketing instituted several years ago is the Health Life 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 week personal growth programs. These programs have proven to be extremely successful over the past few years. Allowing coaches to build up their practice at a reduced rate while they perfect their coaching skills.

The future of Life Coaching is exciting. I see coaching becoming as common as getting a massage or seeing a chiropractor. The future will depend on the creative methods coaches use to market their practice. Simply telling all your friends and then waiting at home for the phone to ring, is no longer a viable means to build a coaching practice.

To learn more about life coaching, visit The Coaching Process or Master Life Coach.