This report does not predict a single future. Instead, it presents multiple scenarios that highlight both barriers and opportunities shaping access to coaching worldwide. Drawing on global insights, futures-thinking methods, and creative storytelling, we invite you to explore what coaching could become and how today’s actions shape tomorrow’s outcomes.
The future is not fixed. Join this journey, expand your foresight, and help shape coaching’s role in a changing world.
May this report challenge, inspire, and guide you, as a coach, leader, or change-maker, as we navigate an era of transformation together. #StrongerTogether.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Setting the Stage
This opening section introduces futures thinking, the core theme of expanding access to coaching, and the global context influencing the profession today.
Inside you will find:
- A welcome letter from the ICF Thought Leadership Institute
- Tips for applying futures thinking as you read
- Your role in shaping the future of coaching
- An executive summary of key report highlights
Use this section to set your intention. Ask yourself: how might you apply futures thinking to expand access and impact in your coaching practice?
Scanning for Drivers of Change
Five powerful forces are reshaping the future of coaching access. This section explores each driver of change, highlighting the challenges and opportunities they create for coaches and the industry.
Inside you will find:
- Five global drivers of change
- Collaborative ecosystems
- Economic disruption & evolving work
- Technological acceleration
- Globalization & cultural intelligence
- Regulation & trust in expertise
- How each driver influences coaching
- Key challenges and opportunities ahead
Notice which drivers already affect your world. Consider how you can adapt early and help clients prepare for opportunities emerging from these shifts.
Four Scenarios for the Future of Coaching
What might coaching look like in 2036? This section explores four plausible futures shaped by technology and collaboration, offering a framework for reflection and planning.
Inside you will find:
- How key variables shape scenarios
- A futures-ready framework for exploration
- Four scenarios:
- Global Coaching Commons
- Digital First, Human Optional
- Local Roots, Human Touch
- Digital Divides
- Signals of emerging change across markets
- Future Coach and Future Client personas
- Reflection questions to continue your futures journey
Reflect on which future feels most challenging or inspiring. Use scenarios as spaces to test ideas and imagine the role you want to play in shaping the future of coaching access.
Your Turn: Transforming Insight into Impact
This section translates foresight into action. It offers practical guidance for evolving your practice, organization, or institution in ways that align with global trends.
Inside you will find:
- Five ways to evolve your coaching practice:
- Foster collaboration and co-learning
- Advance systemic well-being
- Use tech to deepen human connection
- Design culturally resonant practices
- Embrace diverse pathways to excellence
- Implications for educators, organizations, and industry leaders
- A collective call to action
Choose one shift to start today. Even small changes can ripple outward into larger systemic impact when practiced consistently and shared with others. How can you help increase coaching access to foster a profession that is inclusive, innovative, and adaptable to change?
Terms, Timelines, Tools
This section provides context, tools, and resources to ground your futures thinking and continue exploration beyond the report.
Inside you will find:
- Glossary of key terms
- A 30-year timeline of coaching’s evolution
- Global market dynamics across established and emerging contexts
- Research methodology and process
- Recommended frameworks, tools, and futures thinking resources
- Full list of contributors and experts
Return to these tools often. They can anchor your learning, extend your foresight practice, and support stronger conversations about coaching’s evolving role.