How can I become a Certified Life Coach?

1) Get coaching fit

Become a model coach by working with an Accredited Mentor Coach, or if you are not sure if you are ready for that commitment yet, or have scored below 90 on the Clean Sweep Program™ then we recommend that you get your own life in order first in the Coach Yourself to Success Online course, or for minimal investment start with the international best-selling book Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips to Accomplish Your Personal and Professional Goals which is a great primer for new coaches and a useful coaching reference book for established life coaches.

2) Get the best life coach training.

If you enjoy working with a life coach, then the next step is to get professional life coach training at an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program. For a full list of accredited coaching programs please go to the ICF website at www.coachfederation.org. To help you narrow down this extensive list, I personally recommend either CoachU.com or Coachville.com as two of the most comprehensive life coach training programs and I like that you can take their coach training courses by phone anywhere in the world.
Learn more about your professional coach certification by clicking here.

3) Practice your coaching skills.

Once you are enrolled in coach training, then you will immediately begin to practice your new skills on “guinea pig” clients. Grab any acquaintance that is willing and start coaching them. After you have coached 100 people you will feel a level of mastery and confidence and have a track record of successful results behind you.

4) List yourself with various life coaching directories so clients can find you.

Once you are enrolled in an ICF accredited coach training program, then you may be able to list yourself as a “coach in training” for various coaching directories. This will help you get exposure to new clients and you can offer coaching for free or a deeply discounted rate in order to get practice, which is what you will need now more than anything. Do NOT quit your day job! It took me two years to complete my coach training at CoachU and develop my skills sufficiently to become a full-time coach. I kept my full-time job at Chase Bank in the meantime so that I could enjoy the process and not worry about how to pay the rent in New York City. If you have already quit, then get a part-time job to support yourself while you develop your life coaching skills. It can take five or more years to develop a full coaching practice.

5) Enjoy the process!

It takes years to become a Master Certified Coach (the highest ICF credential). Don’t rush it, but keep on developing your skills until you get there.