20/10/2025
Why People Don’t Want to Pay for Services Like Life Coaching and Warrior Camps — and Why That Needs to Change
In a world where personal growth, healing, and empowerment are more accessible than ever, it’s 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 — hoping to get the same results without the investment.
But beneath this resistance lies something deeper than “not having money.” It’s a mix of perception, psychology, and cultural conditioning that shapes how we value growth, change, and self-development.
1. We Don’t Value What We Don’t Understand
Unlike tangible products — a car, a phone, or a meal — life coaching or a growth camp offers something intangible: transformation.
You can’t “see” confidence, self-worth, or healing before you experience it. That makes it harder for many to measure or justify the cost.
People ask: “Why should I pay thousands for someone to talk to me?”
But they miss that coaching isn’t just talking — it’s structured transformation. It’s 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 “quick fix” 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 they’ve consumed online — without realizing the difference between information and transformation.
Free content can inspire you.
Professional coaching transforms you.
3. The Fear of Facing Ourselves
Let’s be honest — paying for a life coach or a warrior camp isn’t just a financial investment; it’s an emotional one.
It means admitting, “I need help.”
It means committing to change.
And change is uncomfortable.
Sometimes, people say they “can’t afford it” when what they really mean is, “I’m scared of what I might uncover.”
Free feels safer — 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 wasn’t seen as a necessity — 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).
It’s 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. We’ve Been Hurt by “Fake Help”
Let’s be fair — there have been too many “coaches” and “healers” who overpromised and underdelivered.
When people feel manipulated, disappointed, or taken advantage of, they become cautious. They start believing “It’s all a scam,” even though there are credible, trained coaches doing life-changing work with integrity.
Rebuilding that trust will take time — 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 — financial or otherwise — 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.
It’s not a luxury. It’s an act of leadership.
Final Thought
Life coaching and warrior camps aren’t just services; they’re sacred spaces for transformation, healing, and awakening.
They deserve to be valued — not because of what they cost, but because of what they change.
The real question isn’t “Why should I pay for this?”
It’s “What is it costing me not to?”
Credit Alwyn Burger
