In coaching, we talk a lot about finding your niche. It’s often recommended that coaches identify a specific client group to work with. In many ways, this is a marketing decision — it’s hard to speak to everyone without becoming just another voice shouting into the wind.
When your message is tailored to a particular group, it lands differently. It speaks directly to them, in their language, in their world. It also allows you, as a coach, to bring your own background and experience into the work. Most coaches come from rich professional backgrounds before qualifying as coaches — and that depth of understanding matters.
With this in mind, I joined a workshop this week called Nailing Your Niche, hosted by The Coaching Revolution. I went in feeling fairly confident — educators and parents, that’s my space. That sounds niche enough, right?
Apparently not.
I was gently told that “parents” isn’t a niche. A niche needs a who — ideally a job title — and a what. Parenting could be my what, but how could I narrow down my who, I wondered? Anyone can struggle with parenting!
Then it hit me — maybe my niche should be teachers who are struggling with parenting. That’s a niche. It has a clear who and a clear what. And yes — it feels narrow. But that, I was reassured, is the point. A niche should feel like a tight doorway, not a wide-open field. It invites the right people in.
Next, we explored what might be keeping those people awake at night. That part came easily. As teachers, we spend our days supporting young people — giving every last shred of patience and compassion in the classroom. So when we come home, it can be hard to give even more. And harder still when we feel we don’t have the answers for our own children.
Sometimes, the strategies we’ve learned and shared in education don’t seem to help in the face of the people we love most. That’s a painful place to be.
As teachers, we’re expected to have the answers. To know how to support children with any problem. But as parents, we have to admit that sometimes… we don’t. And that it’s okay to ask for help.
So — are you a teacher who’s finding parenting hard?
What would help you feel more confident, more supported, more understood?
And if you’re a coach — have you niched down this far? Does it feel too tight, or just right?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.