EP 289 - Top Coaching Niches That Will Explode in 2026 (+ How To Find Your Unique Niche)

If you're wondering what the top coaching niches are for 2026, or are wanting to start your coaching business with the most profitable niche possible, this episode is for you! In this episode, I'm breaking down the top coaching niches in 2026 that are growing fast and how to start your coaching business in 2026 with a coaching niche that feels both aligned and profitable. You’ll learn where new opportunities are opening, which niches are thriving, and how to find the perfect niche that aligns with you.

Whether you’re a new coach or a woman over 50 ready for your next chapter, this video will help you see what’s possible and where to focus your energy to build a profitable coaching business in 2026 and beyond! 

Here's what we'll cover: 

- The most profitable and in-demand coaching niches for 2026

- Why the coaching industry in 2026 is still growing stronger than ever

- How to choose a niche that feels authentic, aligned, and sustainable

- Why women over 50 are thriving in the coaching space

- Simple steps to start your coaching business with confidence

Coaching is changing in 2026 and it's evolving - not slowing down. Your story, your experience, and your message are exactly what clients are looking for in 2026. 

Ready to attract more coaching clients from your niche in 2026? Register for our upcoming LIVE workshop here: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/workshop

Free Resources for coaches:

- Free Masterclass to Grow Your Coaching Business: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/masterclass

- Canva Workshop: https://coaching.debbieshadid.com/register

Tools I recommend for coaches:

- Flodesk (email marketing): https://flodesk.com/c/DEBBIESHADID

- Descript (video editor): https://get.descript.com/cj4n2vzke4vu

Connect with Debbie:

Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbieshadid/

🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Life Coach Business Building School

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/life-coach-business-building-school-with-debbie-shadid/id1502118085

If you find this episode helpful, make sure to subscribe for more videos to help you grow your coaching business: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6RS8kQGMLJqJrK9uKdjtg 

Disclaimer: Some of the links shared in this description are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools and resources I use and trust to support your coaching business.

Let’s connect!

• Website: https://www.debbieshadid.com
• Instagram @debbieshadid
• Subscribe on YouTube

#DebbieShadid #LifeCoachBusinessBuildingSchool

Transcript

0:00

If you are wondering whether 2026 is too late to start a coaching business, I'm gonna tell you today is the best day to start your coaching business. Don't wait until 2026 get started now. It is absolutely not too late. In fact, the coaching industry is exploding. New niches are opening up, and more and more people than ever are hiring coaches. if you've been thinking about becoming a coach or if you are at a stage in your life where you're like, I am ready for something more. Being a coach might be the very thing for you. I believe the biggest opportunities are waiting for us in 2026, and you need to start getting ready today. My name's Debbie Shaddid I've helped over 10,000 coaches not only build, but grow successful, profitable boutique style coaching businesses. Let's start with what's happening in the coaching industry right now. The global coaching market is valued at 6.25 billion, yeah, $6.25 billion. It is projected to grow to 7.35 billion by the end of 2025. You guys, we only need a fraction of that for you to be a successful coach. Here in the US life coaching alone is expected to double by 2033 from 1.47 billion to over $3 billion worth of life coaching. I'm so excited about that. All niches are growing, Health and wellness coaching is projected to almost double from 20 billion in 2025 to nearly 38 billion by 2034. So why do I think there's growth? people are craving clarity, purpose, and direction. People want fulfillment. People want freedom. People want transformation. For you guys that are over 50. You are at a place in your life where I know you're like, okay, I need to do something that's more meaningful. I've given so much time to everybody else, and there are so many people starving for connection, for purpose, and they really want Not just live each week and each day doing their job, but to do something that is really meaningful. And that's why I think coaching is exactly what you need to be doing in 2026. Let's talk about the five fastest growing niches in 2026. First of all, health and wellness. I just mentioned that, but how many of you guys are hearing constantly about menopause, about perimenopause, about post menopause, about weight loss, about aging, about ADHD, about mindset, About feeling better, regaining your energy, all of those things and more, think about how many sub niches there are in that. Not just hormones, but also thyroid and gut health and all kinds of things. People are working to manage stress more than ever. They want to sleep well. There is opportunities in every one of those niches, and here's the deal, practically every woman in that age group wants to lose weight too. this is a huge opportunity for women that are 40, 50 and beyond. People are thriving and living big lives for a long time, which means there's lots of opportunity for you guys who are wanting to coach in wellness and health. the second fastest growing niche is career and all types of business coaching. I spent my career coaching women in business. For the first 17 years, I coached women in all kinds of businesses. They were mostly brick and mortar businesses. People who were in wedding, types of professions, whether they were photographers, restaurants, caterers, floors, all of those. Everybody needed that kind of help. Now I'm focused on online coaches only. But every business in the market needs help. Marketing is changing faster than ever. AI plays a huge role, people need that kind of coaching. And when it comes to career coaching, people are not retiring at 60 or 65. I know that I'm 61 and I feel like I'm just getting started. So people are working a long time, which means there is a need for more people to help women and men recreate themselves to help them learn how to put themselves out there. even doing interviews and resumes, all of that has changed. So there is massive opportunity. If you are thinking about career coaching or any type of business coaching, I can tell you that I have built something really special here, helping women with their coaching business, and there's a huge opportunity for you if you wanna help somebody in any other kind of business. The third fastest growing niche. Is life and mindset coaching. I love life coaching. I love mindset coaching. I always work with a coach, and I'll tell you that midlife mindset space is exploding. Millions of women, are reevaluating their purpose. People want to feel fulfilled. They want to know that. The work they've done all these years that the caregiving that they're currently doing, That sandwich generation I'm in that like caring for older family members and my grandkids who are downstairs right now, I'm right in that messy middle of taking care of both women are craving the kind of support those mindset shifts. They want to know how can I make a difference? How can I do what I know I'm meant to do? many of us have that God-given calling, We've been, putting it down as we've taken care of everybody else and we're like, no, it's my time. this is where confidence clarity and emotional freedom coaching come in. Who doesn't wanna help somebody have more confidence, get more clarity, and to really step into all that they are meant to be. So life and mindset coaching is not saturating. It is evolving and growing faster than ever. Alright, number four, fastest growing niche for 2026. Relationship and communication coaching. In this post pandemic world, people are craving connection. I see this all the time. chances are you're just like me. We're working from home. We're on Zoom calls all day long and there is nothing better. For me then to go to a retreat and connect with women in person, and I know people are craving that. So I can see why this is the fourth fastest growing niche. Relationship coaches, communication coaches, dating coaches. I'm always so grateful that I'm married and don't have to be in the dating scene. But if I was in the dating scene, I would want to hire a coach to help me figure out how to navigate this new online world for dating. People want to have authentic, really deep, meaningful relationships. So midlife, this is the place that women are saying, I want to build a deeper connection. I wanna have more meaning in my relationships. helping other people reconnect that's an incredible niche to have. Communication, we all need better communication skills. if you are interested in relationship or communication. This is your year. The fifth fastest growing niche is all around leadership and career. And I'm talking about in the job career, not helping somebody get a career, but that career and leadership coaching. I heard this statistic about jobs being eliminated and how so many people are now doing three or four people's jobs right in the same amount of time Every week. More and more people have had more responsibilities, so leaders and executives, they need to know how to help their workforce. In the past few years, I've worked with human resource coaches and lots of leadership coaches, and I know this is needed, this niche is growing from 103 billion in 2025 to 161 billion by 2030. I tell you, these numbers are shocking to me. That is 9% yearly growth rate. If you are interested in helping people with their career, navigate their career, be better leaders. I tell you what, you've got an incredible experience. if you've worked in corporate, if you've managed teams, if you have a deep understanding of leadership dynamics, this niche is an incredible niche for you. There's lots of potential. If you are gonna build your coaching business, I wanna encourage you to follow, click the bell, get reminded, subscribe, so you know what episodes are coming up. I'm always teaching about how to grow your business. And I'm sharing marketing strategies and so much more. Plus you guys, there's lots of links in the show notes right below this episode where I share free trainings my favorite tools and lots of things that you will need for your coaching business. Now, I know I've named a lot of great niches, but I will tell you the most successful coaches, they step into their own niche identity. I teach this inside of the business building boutique, and I help women figure out. what's the transformation that you have had in your life, either personally or that you've helped somebody else have, or a career experience that you have? That is worth helping somebody else with. That's the first thing to really know the story yourself, to have had the transformation, have that lived experience, and then of course any certifications you have, personal development around That is ideal. Then the second thing is to really know how to get somebody that resolved, and again, if you have had that transformation, I can promise you, you actually already know how to get somebody there. From your own experience, you are your best testimonial, and I'm gonna bet chances are you've been helping people all along with this very thing. And the third part of this is that you have to know where to find your people. And guess what? If you are the transformation, if you are your niche client, the one that has had the transformation that you would be coaching around, guess what? You already know where to find him because you know where you live online, where you're active online, what social media platforms, what your activities are in your town, where you're shopping. All of those things are important because in the end, we need to be able to find our people. Your ideal niche is your niche. It's not just something random. It's not one of those that's trending. If it is, then fantastic jump in there in any of those ones I've described, but otherwise, really assess what value you bring and I can almost guarantee that you already know what your niche should be. when it comes to answering those questions, if you said, my niche is obvious, then guess what? You're gonna be able to sell with ease. It's going to feel natural and easy, and all the marketing that I teach It's just part of business, the social media, all that. It's gonna be easy for you because you already know what to talk about. Okay, Let's talk about mindset, because right now you might be thinking, wait a minute, there are already too many coaches, I wanna let you in on something that you should not forget because you're a coach or because you're interested in, let's say, weight loss. I'm gonna bet you're following a lot of weight loss people either on YouTube or on Instagram or on Facebook. You have engaged with their stuff. And I can tell you this, YouTube or Instagram or whatever platform is doing its job because it's showing you more of the same. don't be disillusioned by the fact that it looks like the market is oversaturated because the algorithm is showing you what you seem to be interested in. there are so many people. now listen, I want you to think about the people down your street and I'm looking down my neighborhood street right now and thinking none of the people I know that live on my street or anywhere in my neighborhood work with coaches. Do you actually know anyone besides your coaching friends who work with coaches? I'm gonna bet the answer's no. And here's the deal. You know what that says? There's massive opportunity. Think of that. How many people you know and none of 'em are working with coaches. That means there is that much opportunity available. So the market is not saturated. Competition is good. In fact, I would encourage you to start seeing your competition as marketing for you. The more awareness that people have of coaching that's available to them, the more understanding that they have or the value of coaching. The more likely they are to hire you. collectively, all of us as coaches, have one job to teach the world, about the value of coaching, to help people have a level of respect, Now, I'm not saying coaches are therapists, but just in that same way where somebody would hire a therapist. And pay them a good amount of money. I want coaches to be valued the same way because I know for sure the transformation that comes from coaching. It is priceless. I see so much opportunity. It's not disappearing, it is not oversaturated. Catch those stinking thoughts that are coming up, that are keeping you from building your business, keeping you from putting yourself out there. It's all a lie. There is so much opportunity. There's room for you. For your story and your unique approach. I want to remind you that all of us could learn the same coaching process. Every one of us could, but all of us have our own life experiences. All of us have our own set of thinking opinions and perspectives which means every one of us would be coaching in a slightly different way. even if you look at your coach certification, you say, oh my gosh. There are so many women doing this one thing, it doesn't matter because you, my dear one, are unique and individual and you will call in your own people. if you're ready to go from just being a life coach, or if you just want to get started, like reinvent yourself starting today. Don't wait till 2026. Start today. If you wanna become a profitable entrepreneur. Then I wanna invite you to join us inside the business building boutique. We teach people, we tell people, we show you every step of what it is to build that boutique style, that beautiful, elevated professional business that is a business built on your terms where you can have freedom and flexibility and consistent income. How amazing does that sound? I'll share the details in the show notes where we can connect. I just hope that you really heard me say. How much coaching is growing because I am so excited about the opportunity. there are five incredible niches that I just touched on that we know are the fastest growing for 2026, but I also just reminded you that you, my dear one, you actually hold the power. To have the perfect niche for you because it is your story of transformation. Have a beautiful day. I cannot wait to connect with you. Make sure you check the links in the show notes because there's lots of great ways for you to get started with free trainings. I hope to meet with you at one of my live trainings very soon. Have a beautiful day. Bye-bye.