Research Article
Open access
Published on 19 March 2025
Download pdf
Zhu,Y. (2025). FASSLING: Revolutionizing life coaching services with AI. Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory,3(1),1-14.
Export citation

FASSLING: Revolutionizing life coaching services with AI

Yujia Zhu *,1,
  • 1 Sofia University

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/3049-5458/2025.21663

Abstract

The life coaching industry has experienced significant growth, yet traditional models face challenges related to accessibility, affordability, and quality inconsistency. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into life coaching presents a transformative opportunity to democratize personal development and mental well-being services. This study explores FASSLING, the first and only unified emotional and life coaching support bot available on the official ChatGPT store, designed to provide free, unlimited, 24/7 multilingual emotional and coaching support. By addressing systemic barriers such as financial constraints, limited access to qualified coaches, and coaching biases, FASSLING introduces an innovative approach that enhances scalability, personalization, and inclusivity. FASSLING is designed to safeguard all aspects of life, assisting individuals in navigating career decisions, emotional well-being, relationships, personal growth, and self-mastery. The study examines AI’s ability to mitigate unconscious bias, improve client engagement, facilitate proactive coaching interventions and other related functions. While AI-driven coaching tools like FASSLING offer unprecedented accessibility and consistency, concerns regarding ethical AI use, data privacy, and emotional intelligence limitations remain. The research argues for a hybrid coaching model, where AI complements human coaches rather than replacing them, ensuring a balanced approach to holistic personal development. This paper contributes to the evolving discourse on AI in coaching by offering insights into its benefits, challenges, and future implications for the coaching industry.

Keywords

AI Coaching, FASSLING, ethical AI, digital health, virtual safe space

[1]. Jarosz, J. (2016). What is life coaching? An integrative review of the evidence-based literature. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 14(1), 34–56. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/c8c5109a-e29e-4a70-b85e-bb2f2db40e54/1/vol14issue1-paper-03.pdf

[2]. Ünal, S. (2017). Yeni̇ bi̇r meslek alani olarak yaşam koçluğu ve yaşam koçluğunun topluma sunumu. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 8, 489–509. https://doi.org/10.9761/JASSS7183

[3]. Aboujaoude, E. (2020). Where Life Coaching Ends and Therapy Begins: Toward a Less Confusing Treatment Landscape. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(4), 973–977. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620904962

[4]. Walker, T. (2021). Coaching is growing up : How a pluralistic perspective might help (pp. 187–203). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315114514-13

[5]. Grant, A. M., & Cavanagh, M. (2004). Toward a profession of coaching: Sixty-five years of progress and challenges for the future. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 2(1), 1–16. http://ijebcm.brookes.ac.uk/documents/vol02issue1-paper-01.pdf

[6]. Brennan, D. (2008). Coaching in the US: trends and challenges. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 1(2), 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521880802346238

[7]. Ko, Y. S. (2014). Understanding the Coaching Industry. 18, 13–31. https://doi.org/10.17548/KSAF.2014.12.18.13

[8]. George, M. (2013). Seeking Legitimacy: The Professionalization of Life Coaching. Sociological Inquiry, 83(2), 179–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/SOIN.12003

[9]. Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė, I., Pukienė, A., & Saccone, C. (2023). Coaching as a tool for unlocking learning potential. 89–96. https://doi.org/10.59476/mtt.v1i19.590

[10]. Martinez, J. (2016). Life Coaching and Therapy: Possibilities in Dual Practice. https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1631&context=msw_papers

[11]. Kulyk, O., op den Akker, R., Klaassen, R., & van Gemert-Pijnen, L. (2014). Personalized Virtual Coaching for Lifestyle Support: Principles for Design and Evaluation. Advances in Life Sciences, 6(34), 300–309. https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/6947898/lifsci_v6_n34_2014_21.pdf

[12]. Zhu, Y. (2024). FASSLING: Transforming Emotional and Coaching Support through Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation. Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory, 2(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.54254/3049-5458/2024.18639

[13]. Bachkirova, T. (2024). Why Coaching Needs Real Intelligence, Not Artificial Intelligence. Philosophy of Coaching. https://doi.org/10.22316/poc/09.2.02

[14]. Hamadeh, S. (2023). Are artificial intelligence and co-active life coaching the future designers of nutrition and fitness matters? Journal of Autonomous Intelligence, 6(2), 608. https://doi.org/10.32629/jai.v6i2.608

[15]. Jelodari, M., Amirhosseini, M. H., & Giraldez‐Hayes, A. (2023). An AI powered system to enhance self-reflection practice in coaching. Cognitive Computation and Systems, 5, 243–254. https://doi.org/10.1049/ccs2.12087

[16]. Diller, S. J., Stenzel, L.-C., & Passmore, J. (2024). The coach bots are coming: exploring global coaches’ attitudes and responses to the threat of AI coaching. Human Resource Development International, 27(4), 597–621. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2024.2375934

[17]. Castro, O., Mair, J. L., Salamanca-Sanabria, A., Alattas, A., Keller, R., Zheng, S., Jabir, A., Lin, X., Lim, C. S., Santhanam, P., van Dam, R. M., Car, J., Lee, J., Tai, E. S., Fleisch, E., von Wangenheim, F., Car, L. T., Müller-Riemenschneider, F., & Kowatsch, T. (2023). Development of “LvL UP 1.0”: a smartphone-based, conversational agent-delivered holistic lifestyle intervention for the prevention of non-communicable diseases and common mental disorders. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1039171

[18]. Nuriyeva, S. G. (2022). Development of “LvL UP”, a smartphone-based, conversational agent-delivered holistic lifestyle intervention for the prevention of non-communicable diseases and common mental disorders. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/k5cnm

[19]. Haug, S. (2023). Predictors of Youth Accessibility for a Mobile Phone-Based Life Skills Training Program for Addiction Prevention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20146379

[20]. Yousuf, H., Reintjens, R., Slipszenko, E., Blok, S., Somsen, G. A., Tulevski, I. I., & Hofstra, L. (2019). Effectiveness of web-based personalised e-Coaching lifestyle interventions. Netherlands Heart Journal, 27(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12471-018-1200-7

[21]. Mao, A. Y., Chen, C., Magana, C., Caballero Barajas, K., & Olayiwola, J. N. (2017). A Mobile Phone-Based Health Coaching Intervention for Weight Loss and Blood Pressure Reduction in a National Payer Population: A Retrospective Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 5(6). https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.7591

[22]. Hoof, C. (2017). The virtual personal health coach: Technology and data analytics join forces to disrupt preventive health. IEEE International Workshop on Advances in Sensors and Interfaces, 233. https://doi.org/10.1109/IWASI.2017.7974258

[23]. Toh, S. H. Y., Lee, S. C., & Sündermann, O. (2023). Mobile Behavioral Health Coaching as a Preventive Intervention for Occupational Public Health: Retrospective Longitudinal Study. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e45678. https://doi.org/10.2196/45678

[24]. Ammentorp, J., Uhrenfeldt, L., Angel, F., Ehrensvärd, M., Carlsen, E. B., & Kofoed, P.-E. (2013). Can life coaching improve health outcomes?--A systematic review of intervention studies. BMC Health Services Research, 13(1), 428. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-428

[25]. Owen, J., & Rodolfa, E. (2009). Prevention through Connection: Creating a Campus Climate of Care. Planning for Higher Education, 37(2), 26–33. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ831272

[26]. Goldstein, A. B., Oudekerk, B. A., & Blanco, C. (2023). From Prevention Science to Services: Identifying Paths to Sustainable Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions. Psychiatric Services, 74(6), appips20220641. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220641

[27]. Choudhury, P. K., Kumar, A., & Gill, A. S. (2021). Who all access private coaching in higher education and how much do they spend? Evidence from India. Journal of The Asia Pacific Economy, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860.2021.1954302

[28]. Ng, S. C., Chuah, H. Y., & Nungsari, M. (2022). A voice for the silent: uncovering service exclusion practices. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(7), 991–1005. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-10-2021-0368

[29]. Makanjuola, A. B., Granger, R., Pisavadia, K., & Edwards, R. T. (2023). Is lifestyle coaching a potential cost-effective intervention to address the backlog for mental health counselling? A Rapid Review. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.20.23284835

[30]. Spelt, H., Tsiampalis, T., Karnaki, P., Kouvari, M., Zota, D., Linos, A., & Westerink, J. H. D. M. (2019). Lifestyle E-Coaching for Physical Activity Level Improvement: Short-Term and Long-Term Effectivity in Low Socioeconomic Status Groups. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 4427. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH16224427

[31]. Huang, B., Willard-Grace, R., De Vore, D., Wolf, J., Chirinos, C., Tsao, S., Hessler, D., Su, G., & Thom, D. H. (2017). Health coaching to improve self-management and quality of life for low income patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 17(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12890-017-0433-3

[32]. Saurman, E. (2016). Improving access: modifying Penchansky and Thomas’s Theory of Access. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 21(1), 36–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1355819615600001

[33]. de Klerk, J. J. (2016). Morality on the Executive’s Couch: Ethical Perspectives on Coaching Psychology, Theory and Praxis (pp. 97–118). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31012-1_5

[34]. Flett, M. R., Sackett, S. C., & Camiré, M. (2016). Understanding effective coaching : Antecedents and consequences (pp. 156–169). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315689210-12

[35]. Kruger, F., & Terblanche, N. (2024). The coaching flipside: Factors underlying unsuccessful workplace coaching interventions and the implication for human resource development. Human Resource Development Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21548

[36]. Schermuly, C. C., Schermuly-Haupt, M.-L., Schölmerich, F., & Rauterberg, H. (2014). Zu Risiken und Nebenwirkungen lesen Sie …–Negative Effekte von Coaching. Zeitschrift Fur Arbeits-Und Organisationspsychologie, 58(1), 17–33. https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089/A000129

[37]. Marshall, M. K. (2006). The Critical Factors of Coaching Practice Leading to Successful Coaching Outcomes. https://aura.antioch.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1688&context=etds

[38]. Lawrence, P., & Moore, A. (2018). Coaching in Three Dimensions: Meeting the Challenges of a Complex World. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781351233118/coaching-three-dimensions-paul-lawrence-allen-moore

[39]. Judge, L. W., & Smith, A. (2023). Unveiling Ineffectiveness: Exploring Indicators of Failed Coaching Education Systems. Sports Innovation Journal. https://doi.org/10.18060/27612

[40]. Kühl, S. (2006). Coaching zwischen Qualitätsproblemen und Professionalisierungsbemühung Thesen zur Entwicklung des Coachings. Organisationsberatung, Supervision, Coaching, 13(1), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11613-006-0008-2

[41]. Gray, D. (2011). Journeys towards the professionalisation of coaching: Dilemmas, dialogues and decisions along the global pathway. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 4(1), 4–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2010.550896

[42]. Hullinger, A., & DiGirolamo, J. (2020). A Professional Development Study: The Lifelong Journeys of Coaches. (pp. 8–19). https://researchportal.coachfederation.org/Document/Pdf/3496.pdf

[43]. Casey, A., & Cope, E. (2023). Coach experiences of formal coach education developed by national governing bodies: a systematic review. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2230235

[44]. Santos, F., Silva Cardoso, A., Pereira, P., & Strachan, L. (2021). Coach Training Within the Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Potential Pathways. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 570706. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.570706

[45]. Krasilshchikov, O. (2015). Contemporary Issues in Coach Education and Learning: Coach Education: A Review. International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health, 1(6), 100–104. http://www.kheljournal.com/archives/2015/vol1issue6/PartB/1-6-10-525.pdf

[46]. Mikava, N. (2024). Effectiveness of health coaching AI applications for non-communicable diseases’ management: impact on behavior change. Agora International Journal of Economical Sciences, 18(2), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.15837/aijes.v18i2.6951

[47]. Hutsol, K. (2024). Artificial intelligence as a resource for developing personal life competence in the context of war in Ukraine. Міждисциплінарні Дослідження Складних Систем, 24, 97–114. https://doi.org/10.31392/iscs.2024.24.097

[48]. Diller, S. J. (2024). Ethics in digital and AI coaching. Human Resource Development International. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2024.2315928

[49]. Plotkina, L., & Ramalu, S. S. (2024). Unearthing AI coaching chatbots capabilities for professional coaching: a systematic literature review. Journal of Management Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd-06-2024-0182

[50]. Terblanche, N. (2024). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coaching: Redefining People Development and Organizational Performance. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863241283919

[51]. Bachkirova, T. (2024). Why Coaching Needs Real Intelligence, Not Artificial Intelligence. Philosophy of Coaching. https://doi.org/10.22316/poc/09.2.02

[52]. Fulmer, R., & Zhai, Y. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Human Growth and Development: Applications Through the Lifespan. The Family Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807241282331

[53]. Rode, A., & Rode, Y. S. (2024). The use of artificial intelligence in developing autogenic training for psychophysiological state correction in high-risk professionals to prevent functional impairments. Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences, 2, 89–96. https://doi.org/10.30525/2592-8813-2024-2-12

[54]. Fingerhut, J., Reddy, L. A., Lekwa, A., & Dudek, C. M. (2024). Implementation of paraprofessional behavior support coaching: A study of behavior concerns and interventions used in elementary schools. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23256

[55]. Hillman, J., Lochtie, D., & Purcell, O. (2024). Black students’ experiences of coaching and mentoring in higher education: a case study. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmce-01-2023-0011

[56]. Roux, I. (2018). Coaching as support for postgraduate students: A case study. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, 7. https://doi.org/10.4102/SAJHRM.V16I0.939

[57]. Gunn, S. L., Sellers, T. P., & Lignugaris, B. (2017). Application of Coaching and Behavioral Skills Training During a Preschool Practicum With a College Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Clinical Case Studies, 16(4), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534650117692673

[58]. Adelaja, A. O., Abikoye, B. E., Nezianya, M. C., Amosu, O. R., & Ayodele, O. F. (2024). Harnessing AI for personalized financial coaching: A pathway to financial inclusion and empowerment for women in the United States. World Journal Of Advanced Research and Reviews, 23(2), 1356–1367. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.23.2.2491

[59]. Gedrimiene, E., Celik, I., Kaasila, A., Mäkitalo, K., & Muukkonen, H. (2023). Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enhanced learning analytics (LA) for supporting Career decisions: advantages and challenges from user perspective. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12277-4

[60]. Kumar, N., & Singhal, D. (2024). Empowering Mental Well-being: AI-guided Self-Recognition and Support. International Research Journal of Computer Science, 11(05), 465–470. https://doi.org/10.26562/irjcs.2024.v1105.06

[61]. Abed, M. N., & Venkateswaramurthy, N. (2024). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generated Health Counseling For Mental Illness Patients. Current Psychiatry Research and Review, 20. https://doi.org/10.2174/0126660822277500240109050359

[62]. Chen, Z. (2022). Artificial Intelligence-Virtual Trainer: Innovative Didactics Aimed at Personalized Training Needs. Journal of The Knowledge Economy, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-022-00985-0

[63]. Terblanche, N., Molyn, J., de Haan, E., & Nilsson, V. O. (2022). Comparing artificial intelligence and human coaching goal attainment efficacy. PLOS ONE, 17(6), e0270255. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270255

[64]. Leon, M. (2024). Leveraging Generative AI for On-Demand Tutoring as a New Paradigm in Education. International Journal on Cybernetics & Informatics, 13(5), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijci.2024.130502

[65]. Fegade, M., Bandpatte, P., Medar, N., Mahajan, D., & Wagh, V. (2024). Review Paper on “Jarvie: AI-Driven Mental Health Companion.” Indian Scientific Journal Of Research In Engineering And Management, 08(10), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsrem37982

[66]. Mak, C. (2024). Enabling Leaders to Cultivate Awareness and Manage Unconscious Bias Continuously. 160–182. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003469551-7

[67]. Subhadarshini, S., Nayak, A., Biswal, S. N., & Choudhury, S. (2024). The Future of Performance Management: Leveraging Ai for Better Feedback and Coaching. Journal of Informatics Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i2.649

[68]. Zhu,Y. (2025). Revolutionizing simulation-based clinical training with AI: Integrating FASSLING for enhanced emotional intelligence and therapeutic competency in clinical psychology education. Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory, 2, 38-54.

[69]. Eyo-Udo, N. L., Apeh, C. E., Alagbariya, B. B., Udeh, C. A., & Ewim, C. P.-M. (2025). Review of ethical considerations and dilemmas in the field of AI and machine learning. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation, 6(1), 827–834. https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.1.827-834

[70]. Shrestha, A. K., & Joshi, S. (2025). Toward Ethical AI: A Qualitative Analysis of Stakeholder Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2501.13320

[71]. Hwang, J. (2024). Ethics of artificial intelligence: Examining moral accountability in autonomous decision-making systems. World Journal Of Advanced Research and Reviews, 23(3), 3192–3198. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.23.3.2884

[72]. Goel, P. K. (2024). Ethical and Privacy Considerations in Artificial Emotional Intelligence Deployment. Advances in Computational Intelligence and Robotics Book Series, 405–426. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6806-0.ch022

[73]. Sagar, K. V. D., Shende, T., & Jaiswal, A. (2024). The Ethical Algorithm: Human Values in Autonomous AI. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i06.32275

[74]. Ibrahim, S. M., Alshraideh, M., Leiner, M., AlDajani, I. M., & Bettaz, O. (2024). Artificial intelligence ethics: ethical consideration and regulations from theory to practice. IAES International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 13(3), 3703. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijai.v13.i3.pp3703-3714

Cite this article

Zhu,Y. (2025). FASSLING: Revolutionizing life coaching services with AI. Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory,3(1),1-14.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Journal:Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory

Volume number: Vol.3
ISSN:3049-5458(Print) / 3049-5466(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).