Why AI Can’t Replace Coaching : A Public Service Announcement
Lately, artificial intelligence tools have become more popular in every corner of life, even in coaching and therapy. While AI can be useful for brainstorming or organizing information, I want to raise an important caution: AI cannot replace the human relationship at the heart of real coaching and therapy.
Here’s why........
When clients come to me, they’re often struggling not because of their actual circumstances but because of the stories and narratives they’ve built around those circumstances. For example:
- “I’ll never get ahead.”
- “I’m the only one who can do this right.”
- “If I slow down, everything will fall apart.”
These thoughts feel true in the moment, but they are often the very source of suffering.
A powerful part of coaching is having someone hold space for you without judgment and then challenge the thoughts that keep you stuck. The experience of having someone not believe your thoughts can create separation from the cause of the suffering. A skilled coach doesn’t just listen and nod; they reflect, question, and offer new perspectives that open the door to relief.
AI, however, is not trained to do this. At best, it repeats and affirms the stories you tell it. If you pour your worries, frustrations, or limiting beliefs into an AI tool, chances are it will give those thoughts back to you, packaged in slightly different words. That may feel validating for a moment, but in reality, it can keep you circling inside the same painful narrative. In some cases, it may even make the suffering worse.
This matters because the goal of coaching isn’t simply to feel heard, it’s to experience transformation. Transformation happens when your patterns are interrupted, when your perspective is expanded, and when you’re shown that you don’t have to keep believing the thoughts that create pain. In my opinion, as a licensed therapist and triple-certified coach, only a human with training, compassion, and the ability to help the client separate circumstances from thoughts can do this.
So consider this your public service announcement: if you are looking for genuine relief, growth, and change, seek out a real human coach, not AI.
AI can draft a grocery list, organize your calendar, or even generate a pep talk. But it cannot hold an objective space for your emotions. It cannot challenge your stories with wisdom and compassion. It cannot walk beside you through your transformation.
If you’re struggling, don’t settle for a machine that mirrors your pain back to you. Reach out to someone trained to help you break free from the very narratives that keep you suffering. Because you deserve more than temporary validation, you deserve real relief, real growth, and the human connection that makes lasting change possible. I am taking a few clients for transformation in Q4. Please reach out if you would like to end the year strong together.