Damia El Hamouli: “Coaching is undergoing major change, between managerial transformation, digital excesses, and the rise of AI”

The practice of coaching is still marked by confusion, a lack of regulation, and the rise of oversimplified discourse.

At a time when artificial intelligence is entering practices of self-reflection and advice, the coach’s profession is being led to redefine itself around its essential value: the human relationship. Explanations with a coaching expert.

Is the use of coaching changing in Morocco? How do Moroccan companies still perceive this practice?

Coaching is gradually establishing itself in the Moroccan professional landscape, driven by changes in work, the evolution of management models, and growing attention to human dynamics within organizations.

Until a few years ago, many companies associated coaching with support reserved for executives or crisis situations. Today, organizations are beginning to understand that performance issues are also human issues: leadership, communication, team engagement, change management, and adaptability.

Morocco is currently going through a managerial transition phase. Many organizations still remain marked by fairly top-down hierarchical models, while the new generations expect more listening, cross-functionality, and meaning.

Coaching is precisely supporting this evolution in managerial attitudes. But there is still confusion between professional coaching, motivation, and personal development. Yet coaching is not an inspirational speech: it is a structured process aimed at developing autonomy, clarity, and decision-making ability.

Do you observe specific needs among Moroccan entrepreneurs or executives?

Yes, and these needs reflect quite well the current tensions in the professional world. Among entrepreneurs, I often observe strong pressure linked to constant responsibility. Many evolve in demanding environments, with little space to step back strategically.

Behind the image of success, there is often decision fatigue, isolation, and difficulty moving away from day-to-day operations.

Among executives and managers, the issues are more centered on relational leadership. Many have been trained to produce results, but not necessarily to manage complex human dynamics: conflict, engagement, feedback, or change management.

We are also seeing an increasingly strong search for coherence. Many high-performing professionals are now questioning their relationship to work, success, and personal balance.

The coaching sector sometimes suffers from a lack of regulation. Is this a real problem?

Yes, it is a real issue. The term “coach” now covers extremely different practices, with very variable levels of training, experience, and methodology.

The problem is not only the absence of legal regulation, but also the public’s lack of understanding of what professional coaching really is and the criteria that make it possible to assess the seriousness of an approach.

Professional coaching, however, requires a strong ethical framework, significant personal work, supervision, and real mastery of the accompanying stance. This also involves rigorous training, recognized certifications, and ideally accredited pathways that guarantee a certain level of professional standards.

Supporting individuals during periods of transition or vulnerability involves considerable responsibility.

The challenge today is therefore to succeed in distinguishing the real quality of support from simple media or digital visibility.

Do certain promises, such as “changing your life in a few weeks’’, worry you?

Indeed, the phenomenon is worrying, because these promises contribute to a very simplified vision of human change.

We live in an era that values immediacy: quick results, quick transformation, quick success. This logic has also taken hold in certain discourses around coaching.

Yet lasting transformations require time, clarity, and sometimes discomfort.

Coaching can produce powerful awareness, but it cannot be sold as a universal miracle solution. I think it is important to bring nuance back into these subjects and avoid oversimplifying complex human realities.

Have social media also amplified or encouraged certain excesses? Are we seeing excessive commodification of well-being and personal development?

Social media has democratized access to important topics such as mental health and personal development, and that is positive.

But it has also encouraged excessive simplification. Today, complex subjects are sometimes reduced to a few sentences designed to generate engagement.

We are indeed witnessing a form of commodification of well-being, where human vulnerability can become a marketing product.

The risk is turning personal development into permanent consumption of inspirational content without any real deeper work.

What impact do Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn have on the way coaches do their work?

These platforms have profoundly changed the visibility of the profession. Today, a coach often has to be at once an accompanier, a content creator, and a personal brand. This can be a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and share knowledge, but it also creates pressure for permanent visibility.

The danger is when real competence comes after the ability to capture attention. It is important to distinguish influence from support. Having an audience does not necessarily mean having the skills to support deep human transformations.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, some people are already using conversational tools to ask for advice and support. Is this a revolution?

Yes, it is a major transformation, and it is already underway. AI makes access to reflection, certain resources, and forms of clarification much more immediate. Many people now use these tools to structure their ideas, gain perspective, or put into words what they are experiencing.

I think we should view this with lucidity rather than fear.

AI can be an excellent tool for introspection, learning, or preparation between coaching sessions. It can help formulate relevant questions or open avenues for reflection. But it does not replace the human relationship.

Can AI replace some functions of the coach or become a complementary tool rather than a competitor?

I think certain functions could indeed be partially automated: goal structuring, certain reflection exercises, follow-up, or access to resources.

On the other hand, what gives coaching its depth remains deeply human: the quality of presence, fine listening, reading emotions, silences, or resistance.

Coaching is not limited to asking questions. It is also a human alliance and the ability to create a space of trust where the person can see themselves differently.

In my view, AI will not replace coaches, but it will force professionals to return to the essentials: their real human value.