What to Look for in a Christian Life Coach (And How to Know When You’re Ready for One)
There was a season in my life when I had every reason to feel confident.
I was leading in a nonprofit organization at a high level. I was on pastoral staff at my church. I was regularly getting invitations to speak and lead worship. I was the girl other people came to when they needed wisdom, direction, or a steady support. On the outside, everything looked like it was working. To some degree, it was.
But on the inside? I was exhausted, second-guessing myself constantly, and quietly wondering if I was really cut out for any of it. Imposter Syndrome with a side of burn out, anyone? Ahem.
It was hard. Really hard. And, I didn’t need someone to tell me to pray more. I was praying. I didn’t need a productivity hack or a new system. I had plenty of those. What I needed was someone who could help me understand why I still felt stuck, even with all the faith, all the tools, and all the experience I had.
That’s when I started to understand the real power of coaching. And it’s why I became one.
What is a Christian Life Coach, Really?
It’s a fair question. There tends to be a lot of confusion around this. Christian life coaching isn’t therapy, though it can be deeply healing. It’s not mentorship, though it often involves accountability, wisdom and guidance. It’s not a Bible study, though Scripture and faith are central to the work.
Christian life coaching is a future-oriented, faith-forward partnership that helps you get clarity on where you are, who you’re becoming, and how to move forward with intention and courage — all within the context of your relationship with God. It helps you answer some important questions like Where do I want to be? And How do I want to show up?
A good Christian life coach doesn’t tell you what to do. She listens, asks the right questions and gives you honest feedback where you need it. She walks alongside you as you discover the answers God has already placed within you.
It’s not about fixing you. It’s about helping you become more fully you, the version of you who understands who she is in Christ and what she’s called to do.
Who is Christian Life Coaching For?
In my experience, the women who benefit most from Christian life coaching are those who are:
Leading at a high level but running on empty. You’re capable, competent, and deeply committed, but the gap between how you’re showing up and how you want to show up is getting wider. You suspect the problem isn’t your circumstances. It’s something internal that needs to shift.
New to leadership and quietly wondering if you belong. You stepped into a role you worked hard for, but instead of feeling confident, you feel exposed. The learning curve is steeper than expected, the weight of responsibility is heavier than you imagined, and a voice in the back of your head keeps whispering that maybe you're not cut out for this. You are. And coaching can help you find your footing from the inside out.
Stuck in cycles of overthinking and self-doubt. You know what God has called you to. You can articulate your vision clearly. But somewhere between clarity and execution, your brain gets in the way. The “what ifs” are loud, the second-guessing is constant, and you’re tired of it.
Longing for more than just coping strategies. You’re surviving, not thriving. And you don’t want to just manage the overwhelm. You want to understand it, address it at the root, and build a different way of leading, one rooted in peace, not pressure. A way that’s life-giving and sustainable.
Ready to invest in yourself. You know you're worth the effort, and you're ready to fully invest yourself in the work of transformation. Coaching isn't passive. The women who thrive in a coach-client partnership shows up honestly and fully committed to growth.
If you feel seen after reading the list, you’re in the right place.
What Makes Faith-Based Coaching Different
Not all life coaching is created equal. And for Christian women, that matters.
Faith-based coaching doesn’t treat your spiritual life as a separate category from your professional or personal life. It considers all of it together, taking a “whole person” approach. Your relationship with God isn’t a compartment. It’s the foundation.
That means in coaching conversations, Scripture isn’t just something nice to consider. It’s the perspective from which we examine everything else—your thoughts, your identity, and your calling. Romans 12:2 tells us we are “transformed by the renewing of our minds” and that transformation is both a spiritual reality and, as decades of neuroscience research now confirms, a biological one.
When faith and brain science hold equal weight in coaching, something powerful happens. Old patterns don’t just get managed, they get replaced. And the woman who shows up on the other side isn’t a better version of who she was. She’s a truer version of who God made her to be.
What to Look for in a Christian Life Coach
If you’re considering working with a Christian life coach, here are four things worth paying attention to:
Credentials and training: Coaching is an unregulated industry, which means anyone can call themselves a coach. Look for someone with reputable, recognized certifications — ideally from organizations like the International Christian Coaching Association (ICCA) or the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). Both require hours of training in professional coaching methodology and faith-based care. Those are the two certifications I hold, because I wanted a foundation that takes both the craft of coaching and the integration of faith seriously.
Real-world experience: The best coaches have livedexperience in their areas of expertise. Ask about their background, not just their training. Where they’ve led, served, and struggled. A coach who has sat in the same seat her client occupies brings a different kind of understanding than one coaching purely from theory. My background includes serving as a nonprofit Chief Operations Officer, a pastoral staff member, and an educator, which means I’ve navigated the exact tension my clients face: the call to lead, and the very human cost of doing it well.
Alignment on faith: Your coach should have a solid theological foundation and not just use faith language. Faith-based is something more than a nice label. It means, he or she genuinely and intentionally integrates Biblical truth into the coaching process. Don’t be afraid to ask how they use Scripture, whether they pray with clients, and what role the Holy Spirit plays in their work. The answers to those questions will tell you a lot.
Chemistry: A coaching relationship is deeply personal. You need to feel safe, seen, and respected. Most coaches offer a discovery call for exactly this reason. Take advantage of it. The dynamic you feel in that first conversation is a reliable indicator of how the coaching relationship will feel.
How I Work with Women as a Christian Life Coach
At The Purpose Project, I work with Christian women, primarily leaders in their late 20s through mid 40s, who are navigating the tension between their calling and their capacity.
My approach combines the truth of Scripture with what we know from neuroscience about how the brain works — because God designed both, and both matter in the transformation process.
Two frameworks guide the coaching work:
The FOCUS | REFLECT | REFINE Framework helps women cut through mental noise, examine what’s driving their behavior, and build new patterns of thought and action rooted in their God-given identity.
The Awareness | Alignment | Action Framework is at the heart of Leading Brave, my signature 8-week group coaching program that guides women through a three-phase journey where they gain clarity, confidence, and courage in life and leadership.
If you’re reading and find yourself leaning in, that’s usually a signal worth following.
Feel the Nudge? Let’s Talk.
The best next step is a conversation. A discovery call is a no-pressure opportunity to share what you’re navigating, ask any questions you have, and get a feel for whether coaching is the right next step for you.
Valerie Gibson Jones is a certified Christian life and leadership coach and founder of The Purpose Project specializing in the Bible + Brain approach. She works with Christian women leaders who are ready to stop overthinking their calling and start walking in it. Get to know Valerie at thepurposeproject.us/meet-valerie.
