The coaching industry is changing - but not how you think

from the kennel Oct 23, 2025

Authors: Dawn Isaac and Raatha Ganesh

Most event sponsors use the mic to sell.
We used ours to listen.

At ICF Hong Kong’s 15th anniversary, we ditched the pitch deck and asked six sharp questions instead.

Then we shut up and handed the mic to 86 coaches.
The responses weren’t polite noise.

They were a raw signal.
Some were bold. Some were hesitant.
But nearly all were hungry - for something better.

This wasn’t a survey.

It was a pulse-check.
And what we heard might just be the clearest signal yet of where coaching is headed next.

🦴 Here’s the chew toy version of what we learned:

So, what’s driving coaching demand right now?

Q1: What’ll spark the biggest increase in coaching in the next 24 months?

Organisational transformation → 41%
AI-enabled coaching → 33%
Career development → 15%
(Side mentions: cost, regulation, geopolitics)

🐾 Signal:
People don’t hire a coach when the satnav’s working. They call in reinforcements when the road’s closed and Google Maps has a meltdown. Coaching demand spikes during chaos. Good news for coaches. Bad news for stability.

Is AI going to eat your lunch?

Q2: Will AI increase or decrease demand for human coaching?

Increase → 50%
Stay the same → 33%
Decrease → 17%

🐾 Signal:
AI’s not the villain in this movie. Most saw it as a sidekick, not a saboteur. That said, adoption isn’t universal. Some markets are sprinting ahead (hi, Europe), while others are still at the “Hmm, let’s wait and see” stage (looking at you, Asia).

Early adopters might win big - but only if they tune in to the cultural beat.

What makes coaches irreplaceable?

Q3: Which uniquely human skill will be most valuable in an AI-enabled world?
Themes: empathy, trust, authenticity, asking better questions.

🐾 Signal:
This is where humans win. Machines don’t do nuance, vulnerability or that weird eyebrow raise when you ask, “And what’s really going on for you?”
Research backs it too (cheers, Siegfried Greif): adaptability, presence and reflection still matter. More than ever.

Are clients and coaches on the same page?

Q4: As a client, what capability are you building right now?

Leading/working through change → 33%
Personal presence → 7%
Resilience → 7%
Managing relationships → 6%

Q5: As a coach, what capability are you building?

Leading/working through change → 50%
Managing relationships → 24%
Personal presence → 10%

🐾 Signal:
The Venn diagram overlaps nicely. Change leadership and relationship-building are top of the list for both camps. This is a big chance for coaches to gut-check their offers - are they aligned with what clients really want?

Is coaching undervalued or just warming up?

Q6: Pick your reality:

Coaching is undervalued and underfunded → 65%
Coaching is about to boom → 27%
Coaching is at risk of becoming commoditised → 8%

🐾 Signal:
Apparently, we’re feeling a tad undervalued as coaches, but many see the growth ahead. Weird? Not really. The opportunity’s real - but only if coaches learn to speak the language of outcomes, impact and business value. No more hiding behind abstract “transformation.” Show receipts.

So what now?

The room was clear on this:

The future of coaching is human - but not tech-averse.
It’s ripe with opportunity - but not immune to dilution.
And it’s time for coaches to move from “nice-to-have” to “business-critical.”

We left buzzing - one paw in the future.

Now it’s your turn to move.

To walk our talk, we’re offering 15% off all coaching packages (6+ hours) booked before 8 Dec 2025.

Because coaching doesn’t belong on the sidelines.

It belongs at the strategy table.

Ready to book?
Drop us a line at [email protected] and talk to us directly:

Dawn Isaac (GM, Hong Kong)
Raatha Ganesh (GM, Singapore)

Paws for Thought:
The future of coaching won’t be handed out.
It’ll be earned - one honest conversation, one bold question, one uncomfortable truth at a time.

Ready to earn it?