What coaching is, and what it is not
Coaching is a structured conversation aimed at what you want to do next. A coach does not hand you answers or a plan from a template. They ask the questions that get you to your own, then hold you to what you decided. It is practical: you should leave a session with something you have actually resolved, not just a good feeling.
It is not therapy, and it is not mentoring. Therapy works with the past and with treatment. A mentor gives you their playbook. A coach works with your present and your judgement. If a session strays into territory that belongs with a therapist, a responsible coach will say so.
Life coaching or executive coaching
The distinction is about subject, not method. Executive and leadership coaching works on how you lead: making decisions without full information, holding your judgement under pressure, and the gap between how you think you land and how you actually land. Life coaching works on the shape of your life outside the job title, a transition that has stalled, a decision that keeps getting deferred.
Most people arrive certain they need one and discover the two are harder to separate than they expected. That is normal, and the same coach can hold both. If you want the full format and pricing, see the coaching page.
What coaching costs in Dubai
One-to-one coaching in Dubai generally runs from around AED 400 to AED 800 a session, rising with the coach's credentials and experience. Packages usually carry a modest discount, and most reputable coaches offer a free first call so you can judge the fit before committing.
Kintsugi Dubai rates, shown as a reference point.
How to choose a coach
- Check for a current ICF credential (ACC, PCC or MCC). It is the clearest sign of supervised training and logged client hours in an unregulated field.
- Use the free first call as a real test of fit, not a sales call. You should feel understood, not sold to.
- Ask what happens between sessions. Good coaching creates accountability, not just an hour that feels nice.
- Be clear on confidentiality. What is said in a session should stay between you and your coach.
- Ask whether they coach in the language you think in. In Dubai that often means Arabic as well as English.
A note on Kintsugi
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold so the seam stays visible instead of hidden. It is the idea this practice is built on: what happened to you is not something to disguise. For most coaching clients it stays an idea. For some, the coach brings the physical craft into the work, because repairing something with your hands makes an abstract conversation about failure concrete in a way talking rarely does. You can read more about what kintsugi is or, for teams, the corporate sessions.