If you’re thinking about being a parenting coach so you can help create a more peaceful, compassionate, and loving world, this guide can help you. Many people assume that a parenting coach is someone who already has all the answers (or at least needs to act like they do), and who gives advice about how to raise children. They might also worry about becoming a parenting coach when they, themselves, are not a “perfect” parent with “perfect” children.

You might be surprised to learn, however, that giving advice isn’t a parenting coach’s primary role or objective. Furthermore, no one expects you to be perfect (phew)! We’re all just doing the best we can, and that’s true for parenting coaches, too. 

The thing is, a good parenting coach doesn’t pretend to have a one-size-fits-all answer for every family’s unique situation. To the contrary, they’ll work with you to help you discover your own best way to parent. They’re there to help you find peace – not to tell you what to do. 

That’s a refreshing shift, isn’t it?

This paradigm shift is certainly good news for you if you’re considering becoming a parenting coach. You don’t have to know all the answers, because as luck would have it, every answer that’s “right” will differ, family by family.

Moreover, good parent coaching is parent-centric. Rather than being focused solely on the child and their behavior (as if the parent is an unrelated entity!), a parenting coach works to understand the dynamics of the adult/child relationship – and empower the parent to heal, problem solve, and assess situations from the inside out. 

In this article, we’ll cover not only what a parenting coach does, but also five unexpected surprises you might not realize often come with this work.

What Does a Parenting Coach Do?

A parenting coach takes several steps to help ensure they’re supporting parents effectively. For instance, effective parenting coaches will do the following:

• Complete a researched-based parenting coach certificate program

• Learn the latest science about child development, brain and attachment research, and other important topics related to parenting optimally

• Focus on empathy, active listening, and supporting their clients in the ways they’re needed most, not forcing on a particular “agenda”

This article describes more detail of what a parenting coach does. 

It’s much more than that, however. Becoming a parenting coach also transforms you – the coach – from the inside out, in wonderfully meaningful ways. Here’s more of what you can expect. 

5 Things to Know about Being a Parenting Coach

1. You naturally expand your problem-solving skills

You may be surprised to learn that when you’re exposed to lots of different clients and unfamiliar situations, your own creativity and problem-solving skills increase. You’ll surprise yourself by coming up with ideas you’d likely not have considered before, for yourself and for the clients you support. 

This creativity lends itself to greater flexibility, which is hugely beneficial to you and those around you. 

2. You’ll increase your capacity for personal growth

As your creativity grows, so does your capacity for personal growth. Some relationships actually become easier, even if they seemed fine beforehand. You’ll find yourself in tune with a deeper level of introspection and connection with others. From there, healing and new patterns can evolve in your life. 

3. Your curiosity will grow

As we grow in these ways, we become more naturally curious about the world and the people around us. In some ways, as a parenting coach, we’re invited to explore how much we don’t know – and this is actually a very good thing. 

We stop defaulting to the ways we’ve always thought about or done certain things. We replace judgment with open-mindedness and compassion; we embrace a new level of comfort within the uncertain. We open our hearts to infinite possibilities, all stemming from the seed of our innate curiosity and wonder.

4. Your relationships with others may improve

When we embrace this newfound level of open heartedness, we may find a deeper sense of peace within ourselves, and more grace for others. 

By embodying this greater sense of inner peace, we’re able to share it more naturally with our clients and in our everyday encounters. We can witness transformations we hadn’t even considered within the realm of possibility. 

5. You’ll learn to accept yourself on a deeper level

We may find ourselves healing in all sorts of ways we didn’t realize were awaiting a new level of calm and gratitude – and of deeper acceptance of ourselves. 

We move from being our own worst critic, as the adage goes, to holding space for ourselves; for learning to love ourselves in whole new ways.

All of These Small Transformations Improve our Coaching – and Profoundly Change the World for the Better

If you’re wondering what qualities make a good coach and how any of this relates to working with clients, you’ll be amazed at how inner work can lead to incredible transformation. Every step forward we take internally broadens our ability to support others with compassion, empathy, and deep connection. 

From here, you can subtly yet profoundly change the hearts of your clients, and therefore, help create a more peaceful, compassionate, and loving world. This is no hyperbole. You really can make an incredible impact.

What Do Parenting Coach Jobs Entail?

Whether you choose to be an online parenting coach or offer in-person sessions, one of the great benefits of parenting coaching is incredible flexibility. 

• Do you like working 1:1 with parents you know personally? Great. You can do that.

• Do you prefer working with people outside of your social circle? Perfect. It’s fair game.

• Is group coaching more your thing? Fantastic. 

• Couples coaching? Totally possible.

You can do any of these, or whatever combination of them, feels right for you. You can also shift your approach when necessary. Parent coaching can be as fluid or fixed as you’d like it to be.

Furthermore, you can set your own schedule, decide how many clients you want to take, and set your own rates. Few other jobs offer this incredible amount of flexibility.

How Do You Become a Parenting Coach?

You’ve already completed step one. You’re here, and you’re curious!

From this point forward, it’s smooth sailing. You can explore getting your parenting coach certification here. If the process resonates with you, you’ll begin your journey by speaking with our Director of Admissions and then completing coursework with one of our Master Trainers.

You’ll have plenty of hands-on work, including a practice client, to help you feel at ease with the journey of being a parenting coach. You’ll be empowered to truly make a difference in the world around you, one heart at a time – starting with your own. 

Meet Your Author, Sarah R. Moore

Sarah R. Moore is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting and a Master Trainer for the Jai Institute for Parenting. As a certified gentle parenting coach who's studied directly with some of the world's most respected psychologists, neuroscientists, researchers, and advocates for children, she’s a regular contributor to international parenting magazines.

With readers on six continents, she's also a frequent guest on podcasts and parenting summits. She offers a popular series of mini-courses, webinars, and FREE expert interviews. Additionally, she's the Editor for Pregnancy Magazine. She’s currently writing a book that will be released next year. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.