A life coach is a type of wellness professional who helps people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment. Life coaches aid their clients in improving their relationships, careers, and day-to-day lives.

Coaching is a relatively young formal field, but it has roots in many older disciplines. It draws on areas such as the human potential movement of the 1960s, leadership training, adult education, personal development, and numerous areas of psychology.

Life coaching formally emerged during the 1980s and grew in popularity throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Some of the earliest life coaches focused on life planning, but the field eventually grew to encompass other life areas, including relationships, finances, careers, health, and overall well-being.