We Are Starving for Information

The Information Practices of Life Coaches

Abstract

Life coaching is an emerging and ambiguous new profession. This study examines the information-rich worlds of three life coaches living in Toronto, Canada. Utilizing semi-structured interviews, in conjunction with Sonnenwald et al.’s (2001) Information Horizon Interview technique, this exploratory research offers a window into life coaches’ information exchange practices (Stebbins, 2001). The central research query guiding this study is: What are the information sources that life coaches rely on? The study yields both qualitative and quantitative findings, which were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis. First, it reveals that on their journeys to becoming life coaches, participants relied heavily on the insights of other life coaches. Next, life coaches share how they collect, share, and create resources for their clients. Finally, life coaches demonstrate how they utilize resources in many mediums and from many origins. This report adds to a burgeoning area of interest in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS), as it builds on recent dissertation research published by Klein (2022) about the information seeking practices of life coaches. Ultimately, this report diverges from Klein’s by introducing an alternative theoretical framework with which to make sense of life coaches’ information practices. Instead, it likens life coaches’ information practices to Willson’s (2021) “bouncing ideas” theory, whereby life coaching entails a back-and-forth exchange of ideas, questions, and goals that ultimately generates new information.