Whats the difference between consulting & coaching?

One of the questions I’m commonly asked is:

What’s the difference between coaching, consulting, mentoring, therapy, and counseling?

So today, I want to answer that — but in a slightly different way.

Let’s imagine a simple image.

In this image, there are two people sitting at a table.
One is the coach.
One is the client.

On the table between them is a box. That box represents a problem, a dilemma, a challenge, a goal, or a dream.

Now here’s the question:

Who is the coach, and who is the client?

One person is focused on the box — the problem itself.
The other person is focused entirely on the person sitting across from them.

The person focused on the box is the client.
The person focused on the human being is the coach.

And this is the key difference between coaching and consulting.

Consulting vs Coaching

In consulting, the consultant is primarily interested in the problem.

The more information you give a consultant about the problem, the easier it is for them to solve it — because the consultant is responsible for the solution. They analyze, advise, and tell you what to do.

That’s consulting.

Coaching is very different.

A coach is not focused on fixing the problem directly.
A coach is focused on the person.

As a coach, I’m interested in helping the client access their inner capabilities, their inner resources, and their potential — so that they can approach the situation in a new way.

Very often, when that happens, the “problem” either dissolves completely or becomes much easier to handle.

Coaches Don’t Need to Be Experts in the Problem

As a coach, I don’t need to be an expert in the specific challenge my client is facing.

If you’re a consultant, mentor, or trainer, you absolutely need expertise in the subject matter.

But coaching is different.

What a coach does need to be an expert in is:

• Asking the right questions

• Knowing what to listen for

• Recognizing where a client is stuck

• Helping the client access insight, clarity, and direction

Coaching is not a “soft skill.”

It requires a very high level of awareness, precision, and presence.

Helping someone connect with resources they didn’t even know were available to them is a fine art.

Coaching Works at Deeper Levels

In our training at Academy for Coaches, we go much deeper into this.

One of the frameworks we teach is what we call the Six Levels of Existence.

These include:

• Identity

• Beliefs & stories

• Values

• Capabilities

• Behavior

• Environment

At the foundation of everything is identity — who we believe we are.

If someone believes “I am a chef,” they naturally behave like a chef.
If they believe “I used to be a chef,” their behavior changes.

Everything flows from identity.

As a coach, you become skilled at helping clients explore these deeper levels — not just the surface issue they arrive with.

And when someone shifts at the level of identity or belief, what happens to the problem?

Very often, it simply loses its power.

I’ve seen clients come into sessions with what felt like enormous obstacles — only to realize, sometimes within minutes, that the obstacle was created by a belief or story they’d never questioned.

That’s the power of coaching.

The Core Difference

So if we simplify it right down:

• A consultant is interested in the problem

• A coach is interested in the person

That’s the fundamental difference.

Invitation

If you feel drawn to coaching — if something in you resonates with helping people step into the best version of themselves — we run a live orientation masterclass every week.

It’s a space where you can:

• Learn what professional coaching really is

• Ask questions directly

• Explore whether this path is right for you

You’ll find a link somewhere near this video.

If it’s for you, you’re very welcome to join us.
If not, that’s perfectly fine too.

Until next time, I’ll see you soon.