Life coaching as a profession isn’t as old as it may seem. The concept of coaching people on their mindset, purpose, relationships, and other areas that don’t necessarily relate to business started around the 1980s. With the rise of the self-help movement, many of the life coaches who started their careers a few decades ago grew into internationally known icons later on, as authors and speakers. Others have risen to the top of the industry at an early age as influencers through social media platforms.

Here are some of the best life coaches today (in no particular order) who impact lives around the globe with their work. We’ve gathered some of the most well-known coaches who not only write and speak about their coaching philosophy but actually work with people personally, to help them achieve their dreams.

The Best Life Coaches Who Are Also Bestselling Authors

These coaches work in various fields, from relationships to wealth creation. They’ve acclaimed international fame through their revolutionary views in their area of expertise, that they then published in a bestselling book.

Esther Perel

Esther Perel is a Belgian psychotherapist and the bestselling author of the books Mating With Captivity and The State of Affairs. Her provocative views on sex and relationships have inspired new perspectives on marriage and infidelity, and her viral TED talk received more than 10 million views online. She’s one of the most well-known couples therapists in the world.

Rich Litvin

Rich Litvin is the co-author of the iconic book Prosperous Coach, who runs a leadership consultancy for world leaders, based in Los Angeles and London. His clients include Olympic athletes, Presidential candidates, Hollywood film directors, Special Forces operatives, and serial entrepreneurs. Rich is also the founder of The Four Percent Club, a private club for the top 4% of the world’s most extraordinary consultants and coaches.

Steve Chandler

Steve Chandler is the author of 30 books that have been translated into over 25 languages. He’s been coaching for more than 20 years and has been named “the most powerful public speaker in America today” by the media. He’s also the creator of the Coaching Prosperity School, where he helps coaches build a strong practice and create their dream clientele.

Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor is a Canadian self-help author who identifies himself as a philosopher. He’s best known for his New York Times best-selling book You Were Born Rich and as one of the speakers on the internationally acclaimed film The Secret.

Michael Neill

Michael Neill is an internationally renowned transformative coach and the best-selling author of five books, including The Inside-Out Revolution and The Space Within. His books have been translated into 17 languages. He’s been a coach for over 25 years, and he also works as an adviser to celebrities, CEOs, and royalty.

Tony Robbins

Anthony Robbins is perhaps the most famous American author, coach, and speaker in the world today. His seminars have impacted over 50 million people from 80 countries and have been turned into a Netflix documentary film called I Am Not Your Guru. His most known books are Unleash The Giant Within and Money Master The Game.

Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma is the author of the #1 International Bestseller: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. He’s a consultant amongst rockstars, royalty, billionaires, and celebrity CEOs, who was named one of the world’s top five authorities in his field. He has had clients from NASA, Microsoft, Nike, and Yale University.

The Best Life Coaches Who Are Also Top Educators

Besides their coaching practice, these professionals are the instructors of major educational programs in the space of personal development and coaching businesses.

Ajit Nawalkha

Ajit Nawalkha is the former Co-Founder of the #1 Transformational Platform, Mindvalley and the Founder of Evercoach, the world’s largest educational platform for coaches. He’s an instructor on Evercoach himself, helping coaches start and grow their coaching businesses. He’s also the author of the books Live Big and The Book of Coaching.

Marisa Peer

Marisa Peer was named the #1 British Therapist by Tatler and Men’s Health magazines. She’s spent 30 years working with clients, including royalty, Hollywood actors, Olympic athletes, CEOs, and political leaders. She’s a hypnotherapist and the creator of the technique called Rapid Transformational Therapy. She teaches her signature methodology to coaches around the world, and she has two programs on Mindvalley: Uncompromised Life and Rapid Transformational Hypnotherapy for Abundance.

Christine Hassler

Christine Hassler is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, master coach, podcast host, and TV host. She has appeared as an expert on the Today Show, CNN, ABC, CBS, and FOX. She’s a member of Northwestern University’s Council of 100 and the Young Entrepreneur Council. Her course Unleashed on Evercoach is one of the most searched-for programs for coaches online.

[ Read: Real Coach Reviews: Christine Hassler’s Unleashed by Evercoach]

Jason Goldberg

Jason Goldberg is an award-winning entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker, international bestselling author, a former rapper, and transformational coach. He has coached hundreds of individuals, groups, and businesses in the areas of mindset, impact, and abundance. His popular course, Creating Transformations, teaches coaching professionals how they can launch their first online course.

The Best Life Coaches Who Are Also Influencers

Influencers and life coaches often have something in common: they have a lifestyle and philosophy that they’re not just preaching, but living. This is how they inspire us. Here are some of the biggest influencers today who are also coaching professionals.

Nora Dekeyser (@noradekeyser)

Nora Dekeyser is a former matchmaker, turned relationships and dating coach, mentor, speaker, and author. She was rated as a top Female Life Coach in 2020 and was featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and ABS News. With more than 16,000 followers on Instagram, she promotes self-love and helps singles create healthy and fulfilling relationships.

Alyssa Nobriga (@alyssanobriga)

Alyssa is licensed as a Clinical Somatic Psychotherapist, coach, speaker, entrepreneur, and is an Instagram influencer with over 100,000 followers. She’s the Founder and CEO of The Institute of Coaching Mastery, a coaching certification program that helps leaders become masterful facilitators and run successful businesses.

Alyse Parker (@alyse)

Alyse Parker is a Certified Health Coach and a YouTuber with over 684,000 subscribers and 100 million views to date. She’s worked with hundreds of women through her retreats and coaching programs, to help them build confidence in themselves.

Eva Redpath (@evaredpath)

Eva Redpath is a Co-Active® Life Coach, Award-Winning Wellness Leader, Host, and Keynote Speaker. She’s recognized as Canada’s first Nike Master Trainer and an Equinox Signature Program Presenter. She’s also an influencer with an almost 24,000 strong follower base on Instagram.

Rebecca Lynn Pope (@rebeccalynnpope)

Rebecca Lynn Pope is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of multiple global six and seven-figure businesses and brands. She is also an author, motivational speaker, the Founder of the Abundant Life Path Coaching Certification, and an Instagram influencer with almost 60,000 followers.

[ Read: How Much do Life Coaches Actually Make? (And Are You Undercharging?) ]

How To Choose The Best Life Coach For You

Although these coaches (and many more) have achieved extraordinary success in their careers, choosing a life coach is deeply personal and it’s not just dependent on publicity and fame. At the end of the day, you have to work with someone whose story you resonate with, someone who shares your values, and of course, someone you have the budget for. It’s not about finding the most well-known author or the coach with the most certifications (though these achievements are great proof of their expertise), it’s about opting for someone you feel is right for your needs.

There are websites like Evercoach or ICF where you can find a database of coaches with their professional details in order to pick one who suits you. You can also ask around among your friends, to see if they had any positive experience with a coach and ask them to refer them to you. Think through your pros and cons, but don’t overthink it: if you have a hunch someone’s right for you, they probably are.

How To Become The Best Life Coach In Your Niche

One of the attributes of successful coaches, like the ones we listed above, is that they never stop learning. Throughout their career, they continue to seek out new educational programs, certifications, and mentors who are a few steps ahead of them. They do anything to create a massive impact in the lives of their clients, and they’re ready to become a student over and over again, in order to continue growing.

The other thing that makes them the best is that they don’t settle. They always work on growing their coaching business and challenging themselves with bigger clients in their niche. Some of the names we listed in this article have worked with athletes, celebrities, and even royalty. In other words, with people who probably carry the biggest aspirations and struggles in the world on their shoulders. It’s being ready to challenge themselves and having the humility to work with such powerhouses that made them the brilliant coaches that they are.

If you’re a coach yourself, apply your own methodology and set bold goals for yourself in your field. Instead of chasing publicity, be determined to solve bigger challenges with every client you meet, and commit to always learning. If you do that, success is guaranteed to follow.