Is Coaching Worth The Cost?

It depends. But here’s what to think about first

At least once a week, someone asks me — either directly, or indirectly through the soft suggestion of a raised eyebrow:  

"Is coaching… really worth it?"

And honestly? Fair question.

Because it’s not a small purchase. You’re not picking up a guided journal or downloading a free checklist. You’re paying a human to sit down with you and help you see more clearly. For a lot of us — especially women with neurodivergent minds and non-linear working lives — coaching can sound like yet another thing we’re supposed to buy into to become better, faster, more sorted versions of ourselves.

So today, I want to look at it properly. Plainly. No hype. Just the truth.

Is coaching worth the cost?  

It depends.  

Let’s have a look at why.

1. Coaching is not a miracle cure

Let’s begin by demystifying this straight away: coaching won’t change your life in a 90-minute session.  

It can absolutely support transformation — but not in the way it’s sometimes sold. If you’re imagining someone turning up with a wand and prescribing a 12-step solution to your entire business overwhelm, sadly, that’s not coaching. That’s marketing. Often loud, often £££.

Coaching done properly is slower.  

Softer.  

Often quieter than expected.

It's about creating a space to think clearly, feel supported, and make decisions — not based on what you think you should do, but on what actually works for you.

For neurodivergent women especially, this can feel like a revelation. When your brain is swept up in spaghetti-thoughts, or you’ve spent years trying to implement advice that simply isn’t made with your wiring in mind, a calm, focused coaching conversation can feel like a deep exhale.

But it’s not a magic trick. It’s a process. Which leads us nicely to...

2. The right coach matters more than the right method

There are hundreds of coaching styles out there — mindset, strategy, trauma-informed, somatic, creative, unconscious reprogramming. And while some of those are brilliant, the truth is, the person delivering it matters far more than the label.

And for those of us who are neurodivergent — especially if you’re autistic, ADHD, or both — the wrong coach can genuinely do more harm than good.

That’s not dramatic. That’s lived experience for many.

Some signs that a coach likely won’t be a good fit:

- They speak only in high-energy, abstract language

- They assume your struggle is mindset-based, rather than capacity-based

- They have one method and insist it’s universal

- They don’t ask how you best communicate or process

- They push actions that feel entirely unsustainable

The right coach, on the other hand, listens for your rhythms. They notice how your nervous system responds. They ask useful questions, but they never bulldoze or override. They’ll simplify, not escalate. They won’t shame you for needing to lie down after a group call.

And if that support helps you actually do the thing you’ve been circling for years? Well, then it might be very worth it, indeed.

3. Can you afford not to?

This isn’t said lightly. Coaching is an investment, and for many self-employed women, especially during quieter months, it can feel indulgent — even irresponsible.

But it’s sometimes worth flipping the question:

- What does it cost me to stay stuck?

- What’s the financial impact of yet another quarter spent unsure, paralysed, or overwhelmed?

If you’ve been circling the same challenges — patchy income, unclear offer, persistent burnout — for more than a season or two, you might not need more information. You probably need support. Or structure. Or a quiet, regulated space to notice what the real block is.

Yes, that costs something. But it’s also worth asking what not changing might be costing you — financially, emotionally, energetically.

Much of this comes down to timing. Which isn’t something most people take into account.

4. It depends where you are in your business  

Coaching at the wrong time? Feels like flossing a broken tooth. Uncomfortable. Occasionally painful. Too soon.

In the very early stages of a business, you might not actually need a coach yet. You might need a calm workspace. A peer group. A quiet month to map things out in your own time.

But once you’re up and running — even messily — and you know you’re capable of more if only you had the right container, that’s when coaching gets interesting.

It’s particularly valuable when:

- You’re charging too little but don’t know how to shift it

- You’re endlessly producing content but it's not landing

- You’ve developed a strong practice or offer, but the business side feels overwhelming

- You repeatedly reach burnout (and then crash your plans)

- You’re craving alignment but don’t know what that actually looks like

For neurodivergent women, it’s the difference between simply surviving your business… and building one that actually supports you.

5. Good coaching pays for itself – eventually

Let’s be realistic — coaching should lead somewhere. Tangibly.

It might be that after a session, you finally feel brave enough to raise your prices. Or you stop offering something that drains you. Or you write a piece of content that draws the right client in for the first time in months.

Sometimes, results are immediate. Sometimes they’re slower — weeks, months. But you start noticing a sense of clarity. Less noise. Fewer panic scrolls. More rest between bursts of work. Better focus. Better decisions.

That doesn’t mean you need endless coaching forever. The aim is not to become dependent.

A good coach should help you move forward, not trap you in a loop.

6. You're allowed to choose quietly

And finally, this: you don’t have to rush your decision. I know there’s a whole industry designed to get you to “buy now” — timers, urgency, “only three spots left.” But if you need to sleep on it, that’s not resistance. That’s discernment.

Ask questions. Sit with it. Trust your gut.

If a coach makes you feel safe, understood, invited in just as you are — no performative energy, no pressure — you’re probably in the right place. If they’re clear, honest, and open about how they work? Even better.

And if they say: “There's no obligation” and genuinely mean it?

Keep their number. That says a lot.

So… is it worth it?

If you're tired, overstimulated, overly DIY-ing everything, and running in fifty directions at once?

If you crave clarity, simplicity, and the tiniest bit of encouragement from someone who gets where you are?

Then yes.

Coaching — the right kind, with the right person, at the right time — might be one of the most worthwhile investments you can make in your business. Not because it changes you. But because it helps you run your business in a way that’s actually compatible with your brain.