20/10/2025
Why People Donât Want to Pay for Services Like Life Coaching and Warrior Camps â and Why That Needs to Change
In a world where personal growth, healing, and empowerment are more accessible than ever, itâs surprising how often people hesitate to pay for transformative experiences like life coaching or warrior camps. Instead, they look for free sessions, discounted offers, or quick motivational videos online â hoping to get the same results without the investment.
But beneath this resistance lies something deeper than ânot having money.â Itâs a mix of perception, psychology, and cultural conditioning that shapes how we value growth, change, and self-development.
1. We Donât Value What We Donât Understand
Unlike tangible products â a car, a phone, or a meal â life coaching or a growth camp offers something intangible: transformation.
You canât âseeâ confidence, self-worth, or healing before you experience it. That makes it harder for many to measure or justify the cost.
People ask: âWhy should I pay thousands for someone to talk to me?â
But they miss that coaching isnât just talking â itâs structured transformation. Itâs about breaking patterns, facing inner battles, and creating sustainable change that free YouTube videos or one-time events rarely achieve.
2. The Culture of Free Has Changed Expectations
We live in a world of free downloads, free webinars, and motivational content everywhere. Social media influencers, self-help podcasts, and âquick fixâ reels give us the illusion that transformation is free and easy.
So, when a coach or organization offers a paid program, many subconsciously compare it to the free content theyâve consumed online â without realizing the difference between information and transformation.
Free content can inspire you.
Professional coaching transforms you.
3. The Fear of Facing Ourselves
Letâs be honest â paying for a life coach or a warrior camp isnât just a financial investment; itâs an emotional one.
It means admitting, âI need help.â
It means committing to change.
And change is uncomfortable.
Sometimes, people say they âcanât afford itâ when what they really mean is, âIâm scared of what I might uncover.â
Free feels safer â because it requires less commitment and carries no accountability. But growth requires both.
4. The Legacy of Scarcity Thinking
Many of us grew up in communities where survival was the focus. Investing in emotional wellness or self-discovery wasnât seen as a necessity â it was a luxury.
This scarcity mindset teaches us to spend on what we see (food, transport, clothes) and to avoid spending on what we feel (growth, purpose, healing).
Itâs why people might easily spend R1 000 on a weekend out but hesitate to invest R1 000 in something that could shift their mindset and future.
5. Weâve Been Hurt by âFake Helpâ
Letâs be fair â there have been too many âcoachesâ and âhealersâ who overpromised and underdelivered.
When people feel manipulated, disappointed, or taken advantage of, they become cautious. They start believing âItâs all a scam,â even though there are credible, trained coaches doing life-changing work with integrity.
Rebuilding that trust will take time â and it starts with transparency, professionalism, and clear results.
Changing the Narrative: Growth Has Value
The truth is: when people pay, they pay attention.
Free services may attract crowds, but investment creates commitment. The moment we put value on our growth â financial or otherwise â we begin to treat it with the seriousness it deserves.
If we want to raise stronger, healed, and more grounded individuals and communities, we need to start shifting how we view personal development.
Itâs not a luxury. Itâs an act of leadership.
Final Thought
Life coaching and warrior camps arenât just services; theyâre sacred spaces for transformation, healing, and awakening.
They deserve to be valued â not because of what they cost, but because of what they change.
The real question isnât âWhy should I pay for this?â
Itâs âWhat is it costing me not to?â
Credit Alwyn Burger