Academy Professional Coach Training Program
Sustainable Career
We support you to build a sustainable career
Thriving
How to thrive in your career and empower others
Empowering Others
So they can be proud of the life they are living
What is Coaching?
Coaching is
Creating a space in which your client gets access to their own wisdom and their own answers for their life.
Empowering your client with tools and skills to observe their stopping points and move beyond them.
Supporting your client to show up in a way they are proud of when they encounter life’s inevitable challenges.
Energizing. Something you look forward to.
Coaching is not
Giving your client answers from your life experience, needing to “have your life figured out.”
Giving prescriptive, tactical advice to help solve your client’s problems.
Trying to prevent your client from encountering difficulties or challenges.
Exhausting. A lot of hard work.

Meg
— From crisis counselor trainer to ontological coach.
What led me here
I was working as a trainer for crisis counselors when my boss suggested we incorporate an ICF coaching modality into our crisis intervention model. I began searching for coaching programs and interviewed 5 different ICF schools. When I had my initial conversations with Josh on the ACE team I could tell there was something unique about the program. The fact that I left that introductory conversation feeling empowered, energized, and supported is what swayed me to go with ACE. Then when I took my first course (Mastering Life’s Energies), it was such a transformational and moving experience I signed up for the next course. That course was just as amazing and I kept signing up for courses until I finally realized I wanted to be trained as a professional coach.
What I learned
- I was able to see how I had been projecting my own worries and doubts onto people who (surprise! surprise!) aren’t very supportive. Learning this freed me up to see how to be with people in a way that allowed their true essence to shine through.
- I used to be very focused on building empathy. The coach training program helped me reconsider the role empathy plays and got me more interested in building compassion, which is about seeing who another person really is in their heart.
- “Clarity, Focus, Ease, and Grace” is a common catchphrase around the ACE community and it isn’t just a catchy line, it is something I now have a felt sense and understanding of.
- I have learned to distinguish between my worries and my voice of wisdom in a way that makes things move forward more efficiently and effectively.
How I applied it
When I was first trained in crisis intervention I was trained by paramedics who taught me that they never run onto the scene of any accident. Paramedics are trained to walk because if they run 1) they are more likely to miss important details and information 2) it is harder to work at peak effectiveness when ramped up. They need to be the calmest person in the room to be most effective. This principle of slowing down to speed up applies to the progressive candidates, democracy nerds, service providers, and crisis counselors I now support. Coaching helps make this “slowing down” a learnable skill. The folks I serve are often tired and strained by the urgency of the change they are seeking. I help them shift from fear and nervousness to resilience, creativity, and ease. As a result, they have breakthroughs around responding to the urgent needs of our times without feeling rushed and anxious, all while still responding more efficiently and effectively.
My Impact
When I first introduced coaching tools to the crisis counselor team, our long-time crisis line counselor said to us, “this seems too simple, but I trust you so I will give it a try”. His next shift he applied the coaching principles and tools to his crisis calls and he came away from that shift beaming from ear to ear and saying to our team, “I didn’t know crisis counseling could be this easy, and I didn’t know I could enjoy this work this much.”
Experience our approach
Chat with our team to experience what it’s like talking to an ontologically-trained coach. They will support you to clarify your vision, answer any of your questions, and help you see if this program is the right fit for you.
Watch Maria’s TED Talk on how to access your own voice of wisdom using a simple process.
Your questions answered
Will this program prepare me for ICF credentialing?
Our Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) qualifies you for your Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential, and fulfills all educational requirements for your Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential – for which you will qualify upon gaining 500 hours of coaching experience. We also provide twice the mentor coaching hours required for the Master Certified Coach (MCC) Credential by the ICF.
Do you provide business support during and after the program?
A major portion of your training with us is focused on helping you build a successful business. We think of it like this: we’re only successful in our mission if you’re successful in yours. It doesn’t do the world any good to train a lot of coaches if they aren’t out there making an impact in people’s lives.
Our program includes extensive training, mentorship, and peer support to enroll paying coaching clients. After graduation, if you wish to receive further support on your business, we offer an advanced business-building program that you can enroll in.
Is this for people that already have training and experience in coaching or other methods of support?
Yes, it can be a great fit. We’ve had many coaches and trainers come through our program who are already trained and certified in other models. We’ve had many trained coaches who join our program say to us, “this was the missing piece.”
Does working with people with companies in an internal position count towards the coaching hours needed for graduation?
Yes! Many of our coaches aren’t interested in starting a private one-on-one coaching practice. Instead, they want to use coaching skills within an organization as part of their role. To count toward your graduation, the sessions must explicitly be for coaching (vs. supervising or mentoring). Your mentor coach will support you to set up these sessions in a way that works for you and the people you are coaching.
Has the program always been online? Does being online affect the effectiveness of the program?
Our programs are now fully online. By bringing together our more than 20 years of experience leading groups and years of leading remote classes, we have crafted a powerful, engaging, and truly transformational experience. There are ample opportunities to interact not just with your course leaders, but also with your fellow participants, so you have a rich experience of connection and community.
Here’s what folks are saying about our online programs:
- “This was by far the best Zoom experience I’ve ever had.”
- “Before the class I was concerned about the amount of hours on Zoom. However you all provided great breaks, stretching, and good amount of interaction to make it super doable and still very effective.”
- “This worked better that I could have ever imagined. I loved the interaction, the breakout sessions, being able to share in a very supportive space. I think this was done with the utmost care and consideration.”
- “Feeling peoples energies shift over Zoom was powerful. High level of engagement, vulnerability, and trust by everyone.”