Forbes Riley On The Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching

The world of coaching is undergoing a seismic shift, with emerging trends set to redefine its boundaries and possibilities. From digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence to the growing emphasis on mental health and the global rise of coaching cultures within organizations, these developments are reshaping the landscape of personal and professional growth. As we navigate through these changes, understanding the forces that drive the future of coaching becomes paramount. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Forbes Riley.

Forbes Riley, often heralded as the “Queen of Pitch,” has revolutionized sales through her dynamic approach in infomercials and live home shopping, generating over $2.5 billion over her illustrious career. A renowned specialist in pitching, Forbes Riley now captivates and motivates audiences globally, sharing stages with icons such as Les Brown, Tony Robbins, and Deepak Chopra. Her pivot to coaching has empowered millions, helping them unlock their potential to pitch with confidence.

Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share your “origin story” with our readers? How did you begin your coaching journey, and what challenges did you face in the early days?

I’ve always loved teaching and coaching, but I was resistant to teach my signature pitch training, because I knew how valuable it was. When I was in my early 40s in Los Angeles, I had given my agent a contract to negotiate for $100,000 for my pitching services just for one day! The clients loved me, but they wanted somebody less expensive and younger. Mind you, I was just 40 in Hollywood, where that’s classed as really old! So my agent’s “good news” was that they wanted someone else, but wanted me to “teach” her my pitching secrets — I not only politely declined, but vowed NEVER to teach anyone what had taken me a lifetime to develop.

Then, during COVID. My then 17 year old daughter came to me and said, “Mom, you should really teach people how to pitch, Zoom is such a viable platform to reach people, but not having to leave home”. I told her I wasn’t interested. She replied, “You know you’ve made a lot of money. You’ve raised great kids who’ve had awesome vacations, private schools, but if you don’t teach other people to do this, you won’t leave a legacy”. Bam! That was a massive lightbulb moment for me. Four years later, we have a client teaching base with over 28,000 active students and helping entrepreneurs around the world.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

When I think of success as a business leader, the first trait I believe is crucial to have is endless curiosity. This drives you to read, to watch videos, to meet new people, to hear stories, to attend seminars and to always put yourself out there because you’re just curious. Curious about how other people achieved success and curious about how life works. Curious what success means, curious how you’re going to get there. I love that trait.

Integrity is the second trait. That simply means you say what you’re going to do and you do what you say you were going to do. And that allows you to build a very formidable reputation. People who are not honest with themselves and other people just don’t succeed. Being successful takes hard work. It takes dedication, perseverance, acting on your decisions and following through.

The third leadership quality is empathy. To understand what drives people, this includes people like you and people who aren’t like you to, so you can nip problems in the bud. I run a training called BREAKthru which is basically allowing people to shatter their limiting beliefs rooted in their past, so they can write a much more robust, profound future. The level of empathy that enables me to do this coaching, comes from financial challenges growing up and witnessing how my parents, who were both children of immigrants, navigated the world. My mom was a bit of a hoarder because she was afraid of losing everything. She grew up in a one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, her father a butcher and her mom ran the numbers. She was an only child, very beautiful, but very scared of the world because her parents kept telling her how scary the world was. She met my dad who was a mechanic from a really good family, who didn’t like my mother because she was my very bad family. So they eloped and started a magical family, sharing a life in Long Island, New York. But they played a very small game. My dad cared about our family, nothing else mattered, but he didn’t have many friends and wasn’t very social.I learned at a very early age to feel what other people were feeling, to be present and to be as helpful as possible because that seemed to be the way to be successful in life.

The cornerstone of my success rests on curiosity, integrity, and empathy. My endless curiosity drives my continual learning and networking, allowing me to stay ahead of industry trends. Integrity has been key in building trust and a strong reputation — committing to what I say and following through. Lastly, empathy, developed from personal hardships, enables me to connect deeply with clients, facilitating more impactful transformations.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

One quote that deeply resonates with me is, ‘Life happens for you, not to you.’ This perspective has been crucial to help me navigate both personal and professional challenges. It reminds me that every obstacle is an opportunity to grow and that our reactions define our journey more than the circumstances themselves.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

One of the most exciting projects I’m working on now is my first TED Talk, focusing on giving yourself permission to succeed and not falling into limiting belief traps set for you by other people.

Additionally I have a feature film coming out called Black Creek, which is a revenge story with undertones of the dangers of sex trafficking PLUS its written by a woman. The film is like The Expendables for martial arts and all the greats have come together to support the writer/producer, Cynthia Rothrock. She plays the heroine and I play the bad girl. We shot the action filmed, 1890s Western in Tucson, Arizona, at one of those old wild west towns. We got to wear fabulous period costumes and had a whole lot of fun, shooting guns, riding horses and doing fight scenes in the dirt.

I also have three different television series coming out, 60 Day Hustle, Two Minute Drill and Office Hours, all airing on different networks; I get to use my pitching skills and my judging skills. They are a little bit like American Idol meets Shark Tank for entrepreneurs. All three of them are very different and I love being part of them.

Lastly, I have a new book on the horizon called Pitch Secrets A to Z- How To Be Successful Without Sounding Salesy. We are aiming for the New York Times Best Seller list, so the whole world can embrace the concept of being able to pitch anything and everything they want in life.

Without saying any names could you share a particularly memorable success story from your coaching career?

A particularly memorable moment was when a once-timid student harnessed the power of effective pitching to secure major funding for her startup. Witnessing her transformation from uncertainty to commanding confidence underscored the profound impact of mastering the art of persuasion. I also coach a trauma healing training called, Breakthru and have witnessed the healing of so many people from sexual, mental and emotion abuse. Its hard to move forward in business is you’re stuck in the past and your struggle with behaviors of procrastination and self-sabotage. Anyone seeking to breakthrough limiting beliefs is welcome and invited… probably the most profound and impactful aspect of my coaching.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about coaching. How has your approach to coaching evolved over the years, and what personal learnings have you applied to your own development?

In the old days when I would coach or teach, it was always in person. Then this crazy thing happened during COVID where Zoom exploded. As someone who spent her entire life on television, selling through TV, going on home shopping and QVC and talking to or encouraging up to 85 million people to buy products, Zoom was like coming home for me.

But I don’t think that most people understand that your Zoom box is a lot like television, how you talk to people through it is vitally important and most people don’t have a handle on that. So, I think that’s why we, as a business, are so successful. I have clients ranging from Sri Lanka to Singapore, from Antarctica to Ireland. And it’s cool to have a global audience that can meet with you all at the same time.

How do you incorporate feedback into your coaching practice to continuously improve?

I love feedback as long as it’s constructive, it’s integral to my practice. I always think it’s important to compliment somebody, before getting into the nitty gritty. I’m known as a very hardcore, hard-hitting, direct-to-the-point coach, I don’t stand for fluff. I don’t need to make you feel good, this is not sports in the 80s where all of a sudden everyone has to have a participation award. There are winners and losers, there are people who practice their craft and excel and there are people who don’t show up to do the homework. At some point I choose not to work with those people. I’m willing to kick people out of my training if they’re not willing to do the work, because the only thing I can get back in life is my time.

Can you discuss an innovation in coaching that you believe is currently underappreciated but has the potential to significantly impact the field?

The innovation I see having the biggest impact in the coaching field is Zoom. We have the ability to connect with people anywhere and at anytime. You can witness somebody at home in their surroundings which is very powerful. Also I think Canva is an amazing tool that helps coaches create marketing assets even if they don’t have much graphic design ability. So between Zoom and Canva I’m grateful that we’re alive in this century.

In what ways can coaching address the evolving mental health needs of diverse populations in a digitally connected world?

I don’t really see the difference between digital and real life. We make judgements about people whether we are seeing them in a bar or in a Zoom box. When we are in an online coaching setting, we sit in a room and get to know a huge range of diverse people from around the globe. I love community, I have students from every country and even though some of my trainings are at night in the US meaning it’s three and four am in the UK, it doesn’t matter, people still show up as we are all very committed to supporting each other.

I think the biggest thing about mental health is if you feel isolated, with a digitally connected world, you can connect with someone anytime, anywhere. There’s always somebody willing to talk to you and hang with you.

How do you foresee artificial intelligence and machine learning transforming the coaching industry in the next decade?

I think artificial intelligence should freak us all out. I think it’s going to take away all of the menial jobs that we don’t want to do. I am enamored with Chat GPT, how fast it can create articles, songs, poetry, screenplays and books. So I think we need to be very mindful. However, the human factor in coaching is what I believe is the most important, when you can talk to somebody and see who they are and really coach them. One of the biggest issues in the coaching world is that everybody thinks they’re a coach. I don’t understand these companies that start certifying coaching after six weeks. For me being a life coach or a business coach, requires you to have some success and experience under your belt. You also have to have an understanding how to teach other people. Coaching is a responsibility and it’s not right for everyone.

What role do you believe ethical considerations and privacy concerns will play in the future of coaching, especially with the increased use of digital platforms?

In terms of privacy, everyone needs to be very mindful about what they are saying in public because it’s always out there. We need to be very specific about what you share. One of my coaching programs is called BREAKthru, which focuses on emotional healing from trauma, and you need to be aware that what you say, somebody may repeat. If you don’t want the world to know that the details of your trauma, don’t share it. But I believe that healing comes with a sense of honesty and that we need to stop caring what other people say. Unfortunately there are a lot of trolls behind the computer screen, who feel the need to tear people down.

Could you list and briefly explain “Top 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Coaching” based on your experiences and insights? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

1 . Live Coaching Over Recorded Courses: One significant trend I’m excited about is the shift from pre-recorded courses to live coaching sessions. Engaging with clients live, using platforms like Zoom, allows you as a coach to see their reactions and adapt your approach in real-time. This immediate feedback is invaluable. For instance, during a recent live session, I noticed a client’s puzzled expression when discussing a concept. This cue led me to adjust my explanation on the spot, which helped clarify the client’s doubts instantly — a clear win that wouldn’t have been possible with a recorded course.

2 . The Power of Pen and Paper: Despite our digital advances, I still advocate for using traditional materials like manuals, pens, and notebooks in coaching. Writing things down creates a direct pathway between the hand and the brain, embedding information deeper into memory. I remember teaching a workshop where participants noted their thoughts and plans by hand. Weeks later, many shared that the act of writing helped solidify their goals and strategies, making the insights from the session more actionable and memorable.

3 . Utilizing Breakout Rooms: Another trend enhancing coaching is the use of breakout rooms in digital platforms like Zoom. This feature allows participants to engage in smaller, more intimate groups, fostering peer-to-peer learning and deeper personal connections. For example, during one of my programs, I divided participants into breakout rooms to discuss their challenges. This setup not only encouraged mutual support and learning but also built a community feel that extended beyond the training sessions.

4 . Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is transforming coaching by enabling quicker research and providing data-driven insights and affirmations that can personalize the coaching experience. However, we must use this tool wisely to maintain authenticity and avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism. In one session, I used AI to quickly gather data on

market trends relevant to a client’s industry, which we then analyzed together. This real-time data integration made the session more relevant and impactful, demonstrating AI’s practical benefits in coaching.

5 . Global Access to Expert Coaches: The final trend reshaping coaching is the increased accessibility of expert coaches through the internet. Previously, finding a specialized coach could be as cumbersome as flipping through the Yellow Pages without much success. Now, platforms like LinkedIn and other social media allow anyone to connect with expert coaches globally. A client once shared how they found my profile online and reached out, which led to a transformative coaching relationship that might never have been possible in the pre-digital era.

How do you envision the integration of coaching within organizational cultures changing the landscape of leadership and employee development?

As companies start to really see the benefits of a coaching culture, they’re weaving coaching right into the fabric of employee development. This approach enriches the workplace, making a space where continuous improvement, leadership growth, and personal development are part of the daily routine. Such a shift doesn’t just bump up individual performance — it propels the whole organization forward.

In our fast-moving business world today, embedding coaching into the core of a company’s culture is key. This does more than just sharpen skills — it reshapes how leaders function and amplifies employee growth. Picture a workplace where every chat and meeting is a chance to learn and grow. That’s the reality when coaching touches everything we do.

Leaders are now evolving from traditional boss roles into coach-like figures fostering a workplace vibe where feedback flows freely, sparking openness and fresh ideas. Coaching is tailored to fit each individual’s unique skills and ambitions, helping not only with reaching company goals but also with fulfilling personal aspirations, which boosts engagement and motivation across the board.

Bringing coaching into the heart of a company’s everyday practices isn’t just a temporary fad. It’s a smart strategy that sets businesses up for success in a complicated world by encouraging constant learning and adaptability. This approach helps companies do more than just get by — they actually thrive by fully tapping into their employees’ abilities.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the coaching industry today, and how might we overcome it?

I think the biggest challenge that everybody thinks they can coach and that it’s a fast way to make a buck. These self-proclaimed, often unqualified coaches are lacking adequate experience or credentials and dilute the quality of the coaching people can experience. This could be overcome by enhancing industry standards and requiring certification to help ensure quality and efficacy in coaching, maintaining its integrity and trustworthiness

It’s really important that when you’re seeking out a coach that you really scrutinize their credibility and talk to people who have coached with them to see how much impact they’ve had.

What is one long-term goal you have for your coaching practice, and how are you working towards it?

My long term goal is to 200x my database. Currently we have 28,000 active students… I’d like to see 2.68 million within a year of people who are up leveling, putting into practice all that they have learned and making an impact to their circle. I’ve devoted my entire life to providing people with the skills to pitch, connect, communicate, build confidence, and I don’t want to limit it to a small group. It’s time to explode around the globe. I still teach live almost every Sunday in a class called Pitch Secrets Masterclass. I highly encourage people to spend two hours with me and

see how it will change their life and I’m still doing this live as I believe that ‘live’ is the ultimate form of communication. You can also go to www.ForbesRiley.com to learn a little bit more about me, I’m on all the social media platforms AND go to www.freegiftfromforbes.com and make sure that you grab what I call my one-minute-to-millions template if you want to make an impact.

How can our readers continue to follow your work?

Readers can follow my work through at www.ForbesRiley.com and join my LIVE and 100% interactive www.PitchSecretsMasterclass every Sunday. Additionally, they can find me on all major social media platforms where I share insights and updates about my upcoming projects and coaching tips.

Thank you for offering such valuable insights into the future of coaching. We look forward to seeing your work continue to reach new heights, and we wish you continued success.

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator, and launched and leads an online leadership development community which can be downloaded for free for iOS and Android.