The 15 Best Books that Life Coaches Must Read

As a life coach, there’s always room for continuous personal self-improvement — no matter where you are in your career. Whether you’re aiming to grow your business, enhance your professional skills, build stronger relationships, or develop new tools to help your clients, continuous learning is key to becoming an impactful coach.

This journey of constant growth doesn’t have to feel overwhelming! There are numerous ways to keep learning and evolving outside of your coaching sessions. And no, we’re not suggesting reading random internet articles during your precious downtime.

So, what can you truly do to elevate your coaching practice? One of the best places to start is by immersing yourself in the wisdom of those who have already excelled in the field. And there’s no better way to do that than by diving into the best books for life coaches. In this blog post, we will discuss a selection of the top books on coaching handpicked by Simply.Coach to empower and inspire professional life coaches like you.

Why Life Coaching Books are Essential

Books are more than just a source of knowledge. They’re a bridge to understanding your clients better and unlocking your full potential as a coach. Here’s how:

Focus Area	Description	Example Book
Building Expertise	Introduces proven models and frameworks to apply in coaching sessions for effective client guidance.	Co-Active Coaching
Encouraging self-reflection	Inspires embracing vulnerability, helping connect with clients on a deeper level.	Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Practical Guidance	Provides templates, exercises, and tools for immediate implementation in coaching practice.	Various of these listed coaching books
Growing Your Business.	Teaches authentic client attraction and retention strategies without aggressive marketing.	The Prosperous Coach

From mastering powerful questioning to understanding the psychology of motivation, these books provide deep and actionable insights. Reading these top 15 books is like having a mentor by your side, guiding you toward becoming a more impactful coach.

The 15 Best Books for Life Coaches to Read

Imagine you’re meeting a client who feels stuck, unsure of their next move. You dig deep, ask powerful questions, and guide them toward clarity. But where do you turn when you need inspiration, fresh perspectives, or strategies to refine your craft? The answer often lies in the pages of a great book. Whether you’re seeking practical techniques, insights into human behavior, or a boost for your own mindset, these 15 books are like having a seasoned mentor right at your fingertips.

Here’s the ultimate list of must-read books for every life coach, complete with key details, overviews, and actionable takeaways.

1. Co-Active Coaching

“Co-active Coaching” provides valuable insights for life coaches like you. It introduces the transformative co-active model, which emphasizes collaboration and balance between coach and client. This nurtures a dynamic partnership, leading to profound and effective coaching outcomes.

The book offers tools and techniques to enhance coaching skills, ensuring you can effectively support and empower your clients. Focusing on the synergy between action and mindfulness, “Co-Active Coaching” helps you create meaningful and lasting client transformations.

Author: Henry Kimsey-House, Karen Kimsey-House, Philip Sandhal, and Laura Whitworth
Price: $23 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (1,198 ratings)

It’s packed with exercises and real-world examples that help you create meaningful coaching relationships.

Why it’s a must-read:
It provides actionable strategies for empowering your clients and fostering responsibility, making it a staple for coaches at all levels.

2. The Coaching Habit

“The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier is an invaluable resource for life coaches and leaders. This book focuses on the power of asking the right questions for deeper, more effective conversations. 

Stanier introduces seven essential questions that can transform your coaching style by encouraging clients to think more critically and independently. The practical strategies and real-life examples in “The Coaching Habit” will help you enhance your coaching sessions, making them more impactful and engaging.

Author: Michael Bungay Stanier
Price: $9.89 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (15,553 ratings)

By saying less and asking more, you’ll hand over the power to your clients to uncover their own insights and solutions, leading to more meaningful and lasting change. Its focus is on boosting curiosity.

Why it’s a must-read:
Its advice is perfect for coaches looking to create impactful conversations that lead to real, lasting change.

3. The Prosperous Coach

“The Prosperous Coach” is a highly respected book in the coaching community due to its timeless wisdom. It teaches the reader how to build profoundly transformative client relationships and cultivate an abundant mindset.

The book offers practical strategies for attracting high-paying clients without relying on traditional marketing methods. By emphasizing the power of meaningful conversations, you will organically develop a thriving coaching practice that centers around serving and providing value—a must-read for a Life Coach like you.

Author: Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin
Price: $45.59 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (2037 ratings)

Chandler and Litvin challenge traditional marketing approaches, highlighting authentic relationships over tactics.

Why it’s a must-read:

It’s an invaluable guide for you as a coach if you want to grow your business sustainably while making a profound impact on your clients.

4. Becoming a Professional Life Coach

“Becoming a Professional Life Coach” is a resource for aspiring and experienced coaches alike. This book provides a detailed roadmap for mastering the art of coaching, from essential skills to advanced strategies. It also explores the ethical considerations and emotional intelligence needed to build real, trust-based relationships with your clients.

What sets this book apart is its comprehensive approach to coaching as a profession. Whether you’re looking to refine your techniques or work toward certification, it offers actionable advice grounded in real-world experience. 

Author: Patrick Williams and Diane S. Menendez
Price: $35-49.95 (Hardcover)
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (370 ratings)

This book addresses both the technical and emotional aspects of coaching, equipping you with the tools to create impactful client transformations while maintaining a strong ethical foundation.

Why it’s a must-read:

It’s a complete resource for you as a life coach if you’re aiming to elevate your practice and achieve professional certification.

5. Thinking Fast and Slow 

One of the bestsellers, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” discusses the complexities of human thought processes. This book explores cognitive biases and how they influence our decisions, helping us understand the dual systems of thinking: the fast, intuitive System 1 and the slow, deliberate System 2.

Kahneman’s research provides practical knowledge that can improve your coaching techniques, allowing you to help clients recognize and overcome their biases. This book is an essential tool for fostering more rational and informed decision-making both for you and your clients.

Author: Daniel Kahneman
Price: $13.55 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (44,997 ratings)

This book delves into the psychology of decision-making, revealing how intuitive and analytical thought systems shape behavior, allowing life coaches to identify cognitive biases and guide clients toward more rational and informed choices.

Why it’s a must-read:
Reading “Thinking, Fast and Slow” is valuable for you as a life coach. You’ll learn how these cognitive biases affect your clients’ decision-making and behavior.

6. Coaching for Performance

This influential book introduces the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will), a widely used framework that helps coaches like you to guide clients toward clarity and actionable outcomes. Its structured approach enables coaches to unlock potential and drive measurable change in life or business settings.

Author: John Whitmore
Price: $19.96 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (2196 ratings)

The book equips readers with measurable strategies to elevate performance improvement and self-awareness, making it a valuable resource for coaches at any level.

Why it’s a must-read:
“Coaching for Performance” offers actionable insights and tools to level up your coaching practice and ensure you can effectively help clients set and achieve meaningful goals.

7. The Life Coaching Handbook

“The Life Coaching Handbook” is a complete guide that is fundamental for new and experienced life coaches. This book covers a wide range of topics, providing a solid foundation in the principles and practices of life coaching.

It is designed to present you with the tools and techniques necessary to build a successful coaching practice and efficiently support your clients in achieving their goals.

Author: Curly Martin
Price: $20.49 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (570 ratings)

This guide is perfect for you if you’re a new coach starting your practice. It covers communication strategies, ethical considerations, and tools to help you build a successful coaching business.

Why it’s a must-read:
It’s a practical resource for creating a solid foundation as a life coach.

8. The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching

“The Heart of Laser-Focused Coaching” is a practical guide for mastering the art of asking impactful questions and listening with intent. This book emphasizes uncovering core challenges, enabling coaches to facilitate meaningful breakthroughs for their clients.

Franklin’s methods focus on creating lasting change through precision and understanding, equipping coaches to handle complex client scenarios effectively.

Author: Marion Franklin
Price: $19.95 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (914 ratings)

It enhances your ability to facilitate breakthroughs and create lasting change for clients.

Why it’s a must-read:
This book enhances your ability to help clients navigate complex issues, empowering you to create deeper connections and lasting change through targeted, effective coaching techniques.

9. The Art of Somatic Coaching

“The Art of Somatic Coaching” is a book that delves into the power of body awareness in coaching, presenting tools and practices that integrate physical, emotional, and mental growth. This book introduces somatic techniques that help clients build resilience, self-awareness, and holistic well-being, enabling transformative personal and professional development. 

Author: Richard Strozzi-Heckler
Price: $17.32 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (187 ratings)

This book explores the integration of body awareness into coaching, offering tools to help clients achieve holistic growth.

Why it’s a must-read:
It introduces innovative approaches through neuroscience and psychology for enhancing client self-awareness, making it an essential resource for coaches focused on personal and professional development.

10. The Coaching Manual

“The Coaching Manual” is a highly-rated resource that gives you clear, actionable advice as a coaching professional. This book focuses on the essential skills you need for meaningful conversations that inspire growth and change. Its robust framework is designed to help you refine your approach at any stage of your career.

Author: Julie Starr
Price: $21.54 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (205 ratings)

With its straightforward guidance, this manual enables you to engage in impactful coaching sessions, making it a vital addition to your professional toolkit.

Why it’s a must-read:
This guide provides practical insights for developing conversational skills that drive real results, ensuring your effectiveness and relevance as a coach.

11. The Power of Full Engagement

“The Power of Full Engagement” takes you through a transformative journey to achieving peak performance by managing your energy holistically. This book is engaging for life coaches like you, as it offers insights into balancing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy to maximize productivity and well-being.

The authors underline the importance of energy management over time management. They provide actual ways to help you and your clients build routines that support sustained high performance and recovery.

Author: Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
Price: $10.49 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (1518 ratings)

Learning these principles will authorize you to guide your clients towards more tangible and fulfilling lives, ensuring they can engage fully in all aspects of their work and personal lives.

Why it’s a must-read:
It equips you with strategies to align your client’s intrinsic motivation with their desired outcomes.

12. Barking Up The Wrong Tree

“Barking Up The Wrong Tree” offers a thought-provoking perspective on success, challenging commonly held beliefs. Barker uses scientific research and compelling stories to shed light on the truths and myths behind success.

As a life coach, this book can be valuable to your learning. It provides deeper insights for guiding your clients and encourages reflection and examination of the traits often associated with success, like hard work, networking, and persistence.

Author: Eric Barker
Price: $12.94 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (4,694 ratings)

Barker’s insights can empower you to support your clients in developing more realistic and effective strategies for reaching their life goals. This book is a useful tool for any coach dedicated to nurturing authentic success and personal development in their clients.

Why it’s a must-read:
“Barking Up The Wrong Tree” debunks success myths with science and stories, helping life coaches guide clients toward practical, authentic growth.

13. Atomic Habits

“Atomic Habits” is an excellent book on habit formation, making it a valuable read for you as a life coach. Through the book, an outline for building good habits and breaking bad ones is shared using actual strategies grounded in psychology and neuroscience.

Understanding the concepts in “Atomic Habits,” you can help your clients develop mindful habits that align with their aims and values. The author’s insights on how to make habits obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying will load you with the tools to steer your clients toward lasting personal growth and success.

Author: James Clear
Price: $15 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.8/5 (134,518 ratings)

The book emphasizes the power of small, incremental changes and how these “atomic habits” can lead to remarkable results over time.

Why it’s a must-read:
It’s a goldmine and a vital resource for any coach dedicated to helping clients transform their lives through the power of consistent, positive habits.

14. Daring Greatly

“Daring Greatly” presents the power of vulnerability and how embracing it can transform your relationships, career, and self-worth. The book challenges common misconceptions about vulnerability, showing it as a strength rather than a weakness. Through relatable anecdotes and research-backed insights, the author guides readers on taking courageous steps toward authenticity and connection.

Author: Brené Brown
Price: $9.11 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (30,345 ratings)

As a coach, understanding the principles in this book can help you inspire clients to overcome fear and shame, fostering stronger bonds and personal growth. Brown’s framework for building trust and resilience equips you with tools to help others unlock their full potential.

Why it’s a must-read:
It provides applicable guidelines for cultivating meaningful connections and boosting courage in both personal and professional settings.

15. Mindset

“Mindset” is a book that explores fixed and growth mindsets. It highlights how adopting a growth mindset can lead to greater success and resilience, while a fixed mindset can hinder personal development and achievement.

Reading the principles in “Mindset,” as a life coach, you can better help your clients shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This shift enables them to embrace challenges, persist through setbacks, and see effort as a path to mastery.

Author: Carol S. Dweck
Price: $11.50 (Paperback)
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (17,000+ reviews)

Dweck’s insights provide you with knowledge to assist your clients unlock their potential and achieve lasting personal growth.

Why it’s a must-read:
It’s a blueprint for helping clients reframe challenges and unlock their potential.

Recent Must-Reads for Modern Coaching Insights

Stay ahead in your coaching journey with these cutting-edge books, which offer fresh plans of action and perspectives to enhance your practice.

“The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins

This book focuses on letting go of controlling others and improving happiness through personal empowerment. It’s a practical advisor for supporting your clients in building autonomy.

“Belief” by Dr. Jo Lukins

Drawing from experiences with elite athletes, this book sheds light on plans that drive resilience and self-confidence for overcoming self-doubt and achieving growth.

“The Coaching Habit” by Michael Bungay Stanier

This book emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions to help your clients unlock their potential. It’s packed with practical strategies that encourage a coaching style focused on empowering clients through simple, effective conversations.

These additions provide tools to refine your coaching approach and inspire life-changing client outcomes.

Conclusion

The right resources can make all the difference in your journey to becoming an exceptional life coach. Whether you want to enhance your communication skills, develop a coaching methodology, or build a thriving business, there’s a book for you.

Keep exploring and expanding your reading list because each book is a step toward mastering your craft and making a significant impact in the lives of others.

Great coaches never stop learning. These books are your roadmap to mastering your craft, inspiring your clients, and growing your practice. Start your journey today—one page, one insight, and one transformation at a time.

Simply.Coach’s Life Coaching Software provides you with the right features, tools, insights, and community support to thrive as a coach. Sign up for a free trial or schedule a demo to see how it simplifies session management and helps you put your new knowledge into action!

Happy reading!

FAQs

Q. What are the best books on life coaching?
Ans. The best books on life coaching include a mix of resources on communication, mindset, and business strategies. Notable mentions are The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier, The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler, and The Life Coaching Handbook by Curly Martin. These books provide actionable insights and tools for coaches at any stage of their journey.

Q. Which book is considered the best life coach book for beginners?
Ans. For beginners, The Life Coaching Handbook by Curly Martin is a highly recommended read. It’s an excellent starting point that covers the essential skills needed for coaching, including building rapport with clients, setting goals, and understanding the coaching process.

Q. Can life coaches benefit from reading business books?
Ans. Yes, business books are incredibly beneficial for life coaches. Titles like The Prosperous Coach and Business Made Simple by Donald Miller can help you learn how to market your services, build a client base, and grow your coaching practice effectively.

Q. What are the top life coaching books to improve client relationships?
Ans. If you want to improve client relationships, books like The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier and Co-Active Coaching by Henry Kimsey-House are essential. They offer proven strategies to strengthen communication, trust, and rapport with clients.

Q. How do I integrate new coaching techniques into my practice?
Ans. Start by selecting one or two techniques from the books you read. Test them with your clients, observe their reactions, and gather feedback. Gradually refine your approach and tailor the techniques to your unique coaching style and client needs.

Q. How do I know which life coaching books are best for me?
Ans. The best way to choose life coaching books is to look at your current challenges and areas of growth. Whether you need to improve your communication skills, expand your business knowledge, or refine your coaching techniques, there are books tailored to every aspect of life coaching.

Q. How can I implement the GROW model from “Coaching for Performance”?
Ans. The GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) is a framework for structuring coaching sessions. Start by helping your client set clear goals, analyze their current reality, explore possible options, and commit to actionable steps. Simply.Coach can help you digitize this process, making it easier to schedule sessions, track client progress, and follow up smoothly.