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The U.S. personal growth market is worth $12 billion, and most market segments have recovered since the pandemic, with the exception of commercial weight loss programs and in-person seminars. Operations have returned to normal and companies have implemented a hybrid delivery model of in-person and virtual services. Several market segments have prospered, as Americans read more books, listen to more audiobooks and use more personal coaching services and smartphone apps. Motivational speakers are still in demand.
70% of the market consists of female consumers, and Millennials and Gen Z are emerging as a new and younger generation of customers. Personal growth clients want a better return on their investment, want more practical outcomes, and are holding providers accountable.
This report is the only comprehensive business analysis that exists of the U.S. self-improvement market, since 1994. This study examines the market for “self-improvement” or “personal growth” programs and products that seek to improve us physically, mentally, financially and spiritually.
Analysis of the market for: books, audiobooks, motivational speaking, public seminars, workshops, holistic institutes, personal coaching, commercial and medical weight loss programs, self-improvement apps, Internet courses, training organizations and more. Nature of the business, $ value/growth and status reports/outlooks for each market segment. Includes the effects of the pandemic on all market segments.
The study analyzes market segments and structure, the market’s $ size/growth (2003-2028 forecast), latest trends, latest survey findings of trade associations (ICF Coaching, Audio Publishers), the shift to Internet delivery of content, customer demographics. Includes 18 in-depth profiles and incomes of top motivational speakers (Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Phil McGraw, Brian Tracy, Suze Orman, Robert Kiyosaki, Tim Ferriss, Mel Robbins, Robin Sharma, Gary Vaynerchuk, many others), top 100 speakers list, and more.
In-depth competitor profiles for:
Nightingale-Conant, Hay House, Landmark Worldwide, Skillpath, National Seminars Group, Fred Pryor/CareerTrack, Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie Associates, Franklin-Covey, Sandler Training, Holistic Institutes, Robbins Research, The Chopra Center, Noom, Headspace, Calm, and Internet program experts.
FREE with purchase: A "done-for-you" PowerPoint presentation covering the market's characteristics, structure, $ size, growth drivers, forecasts, and key operating metrics.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Study Scope & Methodology- Explanation of where the information came from: “primary” & “secondary” sources: methodology, definition of the self-improvement market, scope of the research
- Highlights of ALL chapters--Discussion of market nature & definition, characteristics, major developments of past two years, avg. customer profile, why demand exists for programs, customer demographic profile.
- Findings of interviews with market insiders: technology trends, marketing methods.
- Changing of the guard: older gurus retiring and dying, who will replace them?
- Effects of the pandemic: How the market pivoted to virtual delivery of services, recovery
- Trends: focus on Millennials, apps emergence, shortage of female experts, Internet’s larger role, Creator economy, hybrid learning, mental health integration,
- Market Size & Growth, Segments: Table/Discussion of total market size, growth rates, outlook (2003-2024, 2028 forecasts), estd. $ size of major segments: motivational speakers, seminars, holistic institutes, self-improvement books, audiobooks, personal coaching, apps, weight loss programs
- Market Segment Outlooks & Status Reports: discussion of mkt size/growth and characteristics/trends for: Motivational speakers mkt., Personal coaching market, Holistic institutes & training organizations, self-improvement books mkt., Audiobooks mkt., public seminars, Weight loss programs, apps mkt. (personal growth, weight loss mkt., meditation)
- $ Size of the self-improvement mkt. 2016-2028 Forecast, by mkt. segment
- Estimated Size of the U.S. Professional Speaking Industry: 2005-2028 F
- Estimated Value of U.S. vs. Global Coaching Industry ($ millions): 2006-2028 F
- The Leading Public Seminar Competitors: 2018-2023
- Holistic Institutes & Training Companies Revenues: 2016-2024 F
- Estimated U.S. Retail Sales of Audiobooks, SI audiobooks: 2009-2028 F
- Size of the weight loss programs market: commercial & medical plans: 2017-2028 F
- Size of the Total U.S. Weight Loss Market: 2020 - 2028 F
- Discussion of number of professional speakers in the U.S., avg. earnings, estimated income for the top speakers (table) - from speaking engagements, books, consulting, training, list of top speakers’ bureaus, how speakers operate
- Effects of the pandemic, how speakers shifted to virtual services, effect on earnings
- Industry trends: what clients want, services mix is changing, more coaching, virtual events
- Demand factors: what meeting planners want, top speaking topics
- Industry size/growth: 2020, 2023 & 2027 growth forecasts
- “State of the Speaking Industry: 2024, 2023 Reports” - major findings, extensive industry metrics
- NSA and Espeaqkers.com discussion of industry trends, speaker demographic profile
- Highest paid motivational speakers ranking
- Avg./high yearly earnings of motivational speakers, % from products/speaking/other services
- Overview/size of corporate training market
- Size of the total professional speaking market: 2005-2028 F
- Estimated annual income of the top 19 speakers: 2016, 2020, 2022, 2024
- The World’s 50 Most Popular Motivational Speakers
- List/ranking of top 101 self-improvement experts, compiled by Self-Improvement Online, In-depth profiles of top self-improvement experts/celebrities - descriptions of their organizations, biographies, revenue estimates when available, products/services offered, books authored, speaking fees, consulting, specialties, headquarters address, websites, for...…Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Joel Osteen, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, Brendon Burchard, Brian Tracy, Tim Ferriss, Dr. Phil McGraw, Mel Robbins, Robin Sharma, Robert Kiyosaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Gary Vaynerchuck, Malcomb Gladwell.
- Definition & summary of the market, number of active coaches in U.S., worldwide, coaching specialties, differences between coaching and consulting, corporate vs. personal coaching, most common myths about coaching, phone coaching
- Status report of the market, topics in demand, corporate vs. consumer customers
- Findings of interview with ICF President: mkt. trends, growth, outlook, status
- 2025 major trends/findings of survey by Coachinggenie.com, analysis of group coaching
- Coaching metrics: Avg. annual earnings, fees, no. of clients, outlook, extensive operating ratios
- 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study - Major Findings, PricewaterhouseCoopers Survey data, consumer attitudes & awareness of coaching services, extensive metrics, no. of coaches and earnings by region, client profile, coach demographics, etc.
- Results of 2020 ICF consumer awareness study, why people use coaches, why they don’t, their objectives, by sex, age
- Profile of coaching users, by generation
- Market $ size and projected growth, 2008-2024, 2028 estimates & forecasts
- Market Segments: types of coaches (life, health, business)
- Estimated Value of U.S. vs. Global Coaching Industry: 2006-2028 F ($ millions)
- Status of book buying in 2024 - Why book sales soared during the pandemic
- Data from NPD Group (NPD Bookscan) and StatShot Annual Report
- Discussion of recent self-help bestsellers, no of titles published, the importance of a book for gurus
- Self-improvement book market statistics, buyer profile (Gitnux.com data)
- List of bestselling self-improve. books in 2022-2025, bestsellers by genre, e-books
- Summary of “new age” bookstores mkt.: chains vs. independents, how many in the nation, products sold, growth, customers, specialties. estd. sales, share of sales by major topic
- Marketdata and Simba Information $ estimates of size of self-improvement books mkt., 2003-2024, 2028 F, the major book distribution channels.
- Forecasted top-selling personal growth topics
- Discussion/analysis of the diet books market, buyer demographics, what makes a bestseller, $ mkt. value
- Market status and growth (2011-2028 forecasts), strong unit sales growth in 2020-2024, buyer demographics, popularity rank for 14 topics, where audiobooks are purchased, segments, total audiobook sales vs. share for SI audiobooks, major competitors.
- Latest 2025 APA consumer survey results on market growth, audiobook formats, sales trends, comparisons to earlier surveys, NPD Group survey findings, digital audio growth
- Consumer spending on audiobooks - discussion
- Audiobook Buyer Demographics
- Latest audiobook user surveys by Consumer Electronics Assn., APA, etc. (frequency of use, no. bought, where listened to, etc.) - why Marketdata estimates differ from APA’s
- Self-improvement audiobooks mkt. size vs. total spoken audio mkt.
- Estimated U.S. Retail Sales of All Audiobooks & self-improvement audiobooks: 2009-2028 F
- Leading publishers address list
- Company profiles: Nightingale-Conant, Audible.com, Centerpointe Research Institute.
- Nature of the market, status and 15 U.S. centers’ philosophies, course offerings and prices, enrollments, growth since 1960s, nonprofit/for-profit status, specializations, estd. & actual revenues/budgets, workshop topics in demand, mkt. size and 2023 forecasts.
- Status of the market: pandemic devastates most facilities, recovery since then
- Analysis of revenue growth of institutes vs. training organizations
- Holistic Institutes
- Descriptive profiles and background, sample courses, no. attendees, for leading facilities: Omega Institute, Esalen Institute, New York Open Center, Oasis Center, Naropa, Option Institute, Wainwright House - 2018-2023 financial statements/budgets/expenses by type
- Training Organizations
- Franklin-Covey Co. - profile, history, training/consulting, retail business, financials: 2008-2024
- Sandler Training - profile, services, history, estd. revenues, no of franchises
- Dale Carnegie Training - profile, services, history, estd. revenues, no of franchises
- Toastmasters International - profile, services, history, actual revenues
- Hay House - profile, services, history, estd. revenues.
- Company Revenues: Holistic Institutes vs. training Organizations: 2016-2024
- Address List of top holistic centers in the U.S., estd. attendance
- Discussion/analysis of large group vs. small group seminars, difference in cost structure, profitability, fees, individual speakers doing public seminars, mkt. size and status report, why this is a difficult model to make profitable, estd. mkt. size., IRS Form 990 fiscal 2016-2023 actual revenues/expenses/profit statements)
- Competitor Interview: Landmark Worldwide: market status report, trends
- Analysis of the Speed reading market, main players.
- The Leading Public Seminar Competitors: Revenues for 2018-2023
- Fred Pryor/CareerTrack (Park University)
- Learning Strategies Corp.
- Skillpath Seminars (Graceland Univ.)
- National Seminars Group (Rockhurst Univ.)
- Landmark Education
- Success Resources America (formerly: Peak Potentials)
- Websites: Discussion & summary of the market, leading websites
- Websites: Competitor Profiles: ConsciousOne.com, BeliefNet.com, Success.com, ThirdAge.com (History, description of services/content, ownerships, estd. revenues)
- Internet Mastery Programs & Courses: description/what they teach, focus, top names: Jeff Walker, Ryan Deiss, Callan Rush, Russell Brunson, Daniel Hall, Glen Dietzel, Eben Pagan, Jay Boyer, Steve Harrison, Mike Koenigs,
- Apps Market: key players in the weight loss apps market (Noom - company profile), the top apps for weight loss
- Apps Market: Meditation Apps: Market size, Company Profiles: Headspace, Calm, online meditation courses, websites
- Major SI apps, by user base, revenues
- Lists: Top self-help blogs, magazines, top personal growth apps.
- Self-improvement Websites, Ranked by Traffic: July 2025
- Summary/status of the industry in 2024-- recent and emerging trends, Marketdata forecasts, why GLP-1 drugs are dominating the market and killing commercial diet companies
- 2023-2025 Performance of leading commercial, medical, online chains (Medifast, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers - public & private companies)
- Discussion of major industry trends & developments of 2024 & 2025
- Change in dieter behavior since the pandemic
- Status Report of Commercial Weight Loss Programs Market
- Status Report of the Medical Weight Loss Programs Market
- Discussion and $ size of the digital (virtual) weight loss market
- Marketdata estimates of the 10 major segments of the diet industry, $ values (2006 to 2028 F)--diet soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, health clubs, commercial programs, medical programs by type, low-cal foods, retail meal replacements, diet pills, diet books, etc.)
- Comparative $ size of commercial vs. medical weight loss programs markets
- Revenues of commercial diet centers, market share of top chains (2017-2024).
- The Largest U.S. Weight Loss Companies & Brands, By Sales: 2024
- Revenues of the commercial weight loss chains: 2006-2028 F.
- Census Bureau statistical snap of commercial diet centers: 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, 2022
- Number of Medical Clinic Chain U.S. Locations
- ( Names, addresses, phone, key contacts at relevant trade groups, journals, periodicals in the field, surveys, reports)
Companies Mentioned
- Audible
- Calm
- Dale Carnegie Associates
- Franklin-Covey
- Fred Pryor/CareerTrack (Park University)
- Hay House
- Headspace
- Holistic Institutes
- Landmark Worldwide
- Learning Strategies Corp.
- National Seminars Group
- Nightingale-Conant
- Noom
- Sandler Training
- Skillpath
- Success Resources America (formerly: Peak Potentials)
- Toastmasters International
- The Chopra Center
- Robbins Research
