114 Expert-Approved Coaching Discovery Call Questions

by Welly Mulia - February 20, 2025

Discovery calls are the foundation of a successful coaching relationship.

the first call with a new coaching client is key

They help you connect with potential clients, understand their unique challenges, and determine if you’re the right fit to guide them toward their goals.

Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of questions to ask in your coaching discovery session. Feel free to bookmark this page if you find it useful.

Chronological Questions to Ask in a Discovery Call (22 Qs)

1/ Warm-Up and Rapport Building

active listening for a great discovery call

Purpose: Create a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and establish initial trust.

What inspired you to explore coaching?
(This question invites the client to share their motivation and sets a positive tone.)
How did you hear about me/my services?
(This helps you understand how they found you and builds context.)
What’s one thing you’re proud of achieving recently?
(This question fosters positivity and helps the client feel comfortable.)

2/ Understanding the Client’s Current Situation

Purpose: Gain insight into the prospective client’s challenges and current state.

ask open ended questions and use intake forms

What specific challenges are you currently facing?
(This opens the door to discussing their pain points.)
How long has this been going on?
(This provides context for how serious their challenges are.)
What do you think is holding you back from achieving [specific outcome]?
(This encourages self-reflection and helps identify obstacles.)
How does this challenge impact your daily life or work?
(This question uncovers the emotional or practical toll of their struggles.)

3/ Clarifying Goals and Desired Outcomes

Purpose: Identify what the client wants to achieve and their definition of success.

If we succeed, what will change in your life/work?
(This question focuses on tangible outcomes.)
What does success look like to you?
(This allows clients to articulate their vision in their own words.)
If you could wave a magic wand, what would your ideal outcome be?
(This invites creativity and helps uncover deeper desires.)
What is most important in your life right now that coaching could help with?
(This narrows down priorities and aligns coaching with their values.)

4/ Assessing Readiness and Commitment

Purpose: Determine if the client is ready for coaching and willing to invest effort and money.

Why is now the right time for you to seek coaching?
(This establishes urgency and readiness.)
On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you to achieving your goals?
(A measurable question that gauges commitment level.)
Are you ready to invest time, energy, and money into making changes?
(This sets expectations about effort required for coaching success.)

5/ Exploring Fit and Expectations

Purpose: Ensure mutual compatibility and set expectations for the coaching relationship.

What are you looking for in a coach?
(This clarifies whether your style aligns with their needs.)
How do you want me to challenge you during our coaching sessions?
(This sets boundaries around how they prefer to be pushed or supported.)
Are there any specific qualities or approaches that are important for me as your coach?

6/ Building Trust and Addressing Concerns

Purpose: Establish safety, trust, and transparency in the relationship.

What needs to happen for you to feel safe working with me?
(This builds trust by addressing emotional safety upfront.)
Are there any non-negotiables or boundaries I should be aware of during our work together?

7/ Envisioning the Future

Purpose: Help the client imagine what success looks like after working together.

If we were to work together, what would you hope to accomplish by the end of our sessions?
(This creates a clear vision of outcomes from working together.)
Where do you see yourself in six months or a year after working on these goals?
(This encourages long-term thinking beyond immediate goals.)
How would achieving your goals impact your life overall?

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Intent-Based Coaching Discovery Call Questions (38 Qs)

1/ Rapport-Building Questions

What’s one thing you’re proud of achieving recently?
What inspired you to explore coaching?
How do you typically like to connect with others?
How did you hear about me/my coaching services?

2/ Uncovering Pain Points

What specific challenges are you currently facing?
How long has this been going on?
What have you tried so far to address this?
What do you think is holding you back from achieving [specific outcome]?
How does this challenge impact your daily life or work?

3/ Assessing Readiness

Why is now the right time for you to seek coaching?
What have you tried before, and why didn’t it work?
Are you ready to invest time and energy into making changes?
On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you to achieving your goals?

4/ Aligning Expectations

How do you want me to challenge you during our sessions?
What does a successful coaching relationship look like to you?
Are there any specific areas where you’d like extra support or guidance?
How do you prefer to receive feedback or be challenged?

5/ Ethical Qualification

If we determine I’m not the right fit, would you like referrals to other coaches?
Are there any non-negotiables or boundaries I should be aware of during our work together?

6/ Trust-Building

What needs to happen for you to feel safe working with me?
How do you typically respond to feedback or constructive criticism?

7/ Client History

Have you worked with a coach before? If so, what was that experience like?

What worked well (or didn’t) in past coaching experiences?
Have you sought help for this challenge before (e.g., therapy, mentorship)? If so, what were the results?

8/ Goal Clarity

If we succeed, what will change in your life/work?
What does success look like to you?
If you could wave a magic wand, what would your ideal outcome be?
What is most important in your life right now that coaching could help with?

9/ Motivation and Accountability

Why is achieving this goal important to you now?
How do you typically hold yourself accountable for your goals?
What motivates you when things get tough?
How will we know if we’re making progress in our sessions together?

10/ Fit Assessment

What are you looking for in a coach?
Do you feel comfortable sharing openly during our sessions?
Are there any specific qualities or approaches that are important for me as your coach?

11/ Future-Oriented Questions

If we were to work together, what would you hope to accomplish by the end of our sessions?
Where do you see yourself in six months or a year after working on these goals?
How would achieving your goals impact your life overall?

–

Niche-Specific Coaching Discovery Call Questions (54 Qs)

1/ Life Coaching

Focus: Personal growth, fulfillment, and overcoming life challenges.

What inspired you to seek life coaching at this moment?
Which areas of your life feel most fulfilling right now? Which feel unbalanced?
What’s holding you back from living the life you truly want?
If we succeed, how would your day-to-day life look different?
What habits or patterns do you want to break or build?
How do you typically handle setbacks in your personal growth journey?
What does success mean to you in your personal life?

2/ Health and Wellness Coaching

Focus: Physical health, fitness, and overall well-being.

What are your top three health goals right now?
How do these goals align with your long-term vision for your health and wellness?
Can you describe a time when you felt at your healthiest? What was different then?
What’s been the biggest challenge in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for you?
How does your current environment support or hinder your health goals?
What resources or tools do you think you need to achieve your health objectives?
How will achieving these goals impact other areas of your life (e.g., relationships, work)?

3/ Career Coaching

Focus: Career advancement, transitions, and professional fulfillment.

What are your short-term career goals? Your long-term aspirations?
What has been the most fulfilling role or project in your career so far, and why?
What challenges are you currently facing in your career progression?
How do you define professional success for yourself?
What skills or strengths do you want to leverage more in your career?
Are there any fears or concerns about making changes in your career path?

4/ Executive Coaching

Focus: Leadership development and organizational impact.

What are your current responsibilities as an executive or leader?
What leadership challenges are you currently facing in your role?
How do you want to grow as a leader over the next six months or year?
What feedback have you received about your leadership style that you’d like to address?
How do you manage stress and maintain balance as a leader?
What does success look like for you as an executive within your organization?

5/ Business Coaching

Focus: Business growth, strategy, and entrepreneurship.

What inspired you to start or grow this business?
What is the biggest challenge currently holding back your business’s growth?
How would solving this challenge impact your business in the next 6–12 months?
Who are your ideal customers, and how well are you reaching them right now?
What systems or processes do you feel need improvement within your business operations?
Where do you see your business five years from now, and what’s stopping you from getting there sooner?

6/ Financial Coaching

Focus: Money management, financial literacy, and achieving financial goals.

What are the top three financial goals you’d like to achieve through coaching?
How would achieving these goals improve your quality of life or reduce stress around money?
Do you currently follow a budget or financial plan? If so, what’s working well and what isn’t?
Are there any specific financial habits you’d like to develop or change (e.g., saving, investing)?
How does money typically influence decisions in other areas of your life (e.g., relationships, career)?

7/ Relationship Coaching

Focus: Building stronger personal relationships and resolving conflicts.

What brought you to relationship coaching today—what’s the main issue you’d like help with?
How would improving this relationship affect other areas of your life (e.g., happiness, stress)?
Can you describe what a healthy relationship looks like to you personally?
Have there been any recurring patterns or conflicts in this relationship that you’d like to address?
How do you typically handle conflict or difficult conversations in relationships?

8/ Mindset Coaching

Focus: Shifting limiting beliefs and fostering mental resilience.

What mindset shifts are most important for achieving the changes you’re seeking in life/work?
Can you share examples of limiting beliefs that have held you back recently?
When faced with challenges, how do you typically approach problem-solving or self-motivation?
If we succeed together, how would your thoughts and behaviors look different day-to-day?

9/ Nutrition Coaching

Focus: Healthy eating habits and personalized nutrition plans.

What are the top three nutrition-related goals you’d like to achieve through coaching (e.g., weight loss, energy)?
Can you describe a typical day of eating for yourself—what’s working well and what isn’t right now?
Have there been any past attempts at changing eating habits that worked temporarily but didn’t last long-term?
Are there any specific dietary restrictions or preferences I should know about before we begin?
How does food currently affect other aspects of your life (e.g., mood, energy levels)?

10/ Leadership Coaching

Focus: Building leadership skills and team management capabilities.

In what areas of leadership would you like to grow (e.g., communication, decision-making)?
How would improving as a leader impact both your team’s performance and organizational culture?
Have there been any recent leadership challenges where you’ve felt stuck or unsure how to proceed?

Wrapping Up…

The discovery process in a call is a powerful tool for building trust, understanding client needs, and setting the foundation for a successful coaching relationship.

(thanks to Imgflip for the memes)

By using well-crafted, intentional questions tailored to each stage of the call—whether it’s building rapport, uncovering challenges, clarifying goals, or assessing readiness—you can create a meaningful and productive conversation that resonates with clients.

Tip: For better results, you can also send a pre-session questionnaire before the call.

successful outcome from relevant questions

Moreover, customizing these questions for specific coaching niches—such as life coaching, health and wellness coaching, career coaching, or leadership coaching—ensures that the dialogue feels relevant and impactful. Each niche has unique challenges and aspirations, and aligning your questions to address those specifics demonstrates your expertise and builds confidence in your ability to help.

Ultimately, the success of a discovery call lies in creating a safe space where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to take the next step toward their goals.

With this comprehensive list of questions, you’re equipped to guide conversations that not only uncover what matters most to your clients but also position you as the coach who can help them achieve their desired transformation.

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