This paper responds to calls for an increased evidence base for coaching practice by exploring the contribution that career research and theory could make to this field. The paper summarises three small-scale studies focusing on career change undertaken by post-graduate students enrolled on an MSc in Career Coaching at a university in London. The studies explore the experiences of three groups of people who have recently changed career direction: female Black African entrepreneurs, academic research scientists moving to industry and people choosing a career in careers. The findings of the studies highlight the role of meaning and values, and the influence of others on career choice. The studies show too how the participants wrestle with subjective notions of career success, and that the impetus to make a career change comes from both a disenchantment with one situation and an attraction towards another. The paper concludes with some suggestions for coaching practice.