What is a Coaching Niche and how do you find it?

Or to put it another way, what flavour of coach do you want? (to find or to be). A friend reached out to me in search of a life coach who specializes in working with people who have ADHD. My first suggestion was that he consider a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. He said that both were already in play and a coach was someone they wanted to work in tandem with the others.

I put the word out in a few WhatsApp groups where fellow coaches hang out, not sure what to expect. My efforts to help find an ADHD coach for a friend opened my eyes to the power of having a coaching niche. It also brought alive the possible need to offer a combination of coaching and mentoring to support neurodivergent individuals.

I was pleasantly surprised with the number of coaches who came forth from my network with the capacity to support a client with ADHD. Some were open to sharing that they worked with people who had special abilities but not specialised in ADHD while others had done a course in just this area.

I am still a firm believer that a coach for all seasons and reasons can work. It is not necessary to know a particular industry or space to be able to support a client effectively. However, it is also extremely likely that knowing an industry or having a deeper understanding of a subject (ADHD) for instance will equip a coach with added capacity to support the client. However, I would also like to add a cautionary note, that ADHD and other mental health conditions can only be effectively treated by a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist not through coaching exclusively.

There is an old saying in the world of communication that goes “write what you know”. I feel it extends well into the world of coaching too, “coach what you know”. I believe my journey of finding a niche to specialise in is an ongoing process. I started off working with leaders from my world of public relations. As word of mouth helped me expand my client base this expanded to include people from the wider media and advertising industry. Then I went to explore the entrepreneurial ecosystem, manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries. A horizontal area that emerged more by accident than by design was my work to support women leaders.

Currently, the way I articulate my niche is that I am a “What Next?” Coach. What more? What less? What else? Are all part of the answer to “what next?”. Embracing change and being the author of it is important. When a person reaches that point in their life where they are actively seeking a change for any reason, I would love to support them on that journey of transition and transformation. Typically, this seems to fit the “40 under 40” brigade who often reach this particular turn in the road in their lives in their 40s. When you realise “what got you here - won’t get you there” I am the perfect coach for you.

If you are looking for a coach or looking to specialise as a coach, take your time to explore. Your niche exists and there is a set of clients/coaches looking for someone just like you. Find yourself and they will find you. What flavour of coach do you want to find or be?

Picture courtesy - https://unsplash.com/@varpap