So you want to be a coach?
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Do you need training to be a reputable coach? The majority of people get into coaching because they want to help people and becoming a coach is one way of doing this. There are a lot of shiny websites and coaches talking the talk to get you to sign up to their often expensive programs. The landscape and choices are huge, who is reputable, which course will give you value for money, which one is accredited, how is it accredited, which coaching course should I choose?
Can you call yourself a coach with a two-day training weekend? I think not. The International Coaching Foundation (ICF) and The Association of Coaching (AC) are two recognised associations and standards to look out for. The Optimus Coach Academy is accredited to the ICF and is one of the coach training centres that are trying to change the unregulated coaching landscape.
If there is one piece of advice I would give you is to do your due diligence. Speak to people who have done the course, check the qualifications you come out with, how much hands-on coaching and support is included in the programme, is it a one-off cost, do you have to spend more money to become a fully accredited ICF coach?
These are the questions I asked before I joined Optimus Coach Academy.
My career took a back seat when I had children. It was my choice to take a step back so I could be around my children and my husband could build his career. I started working part-time as the right-hand woman to 7 figure company founders close to home. The work didn’t light me up but we had bills to pay. During this time I had aggressive breast cancer and it was when I was having my head shaved that I made a promise to myself, one day I would do something for me. I had been sleepwalking through life.
When my children left home to go to University I decided it was my time. I needed to find something that stretched me, a challenge, pushed me out of my comfort zone. A course with Techpixies on social media ignited the fire that had been smoldering for a while. I suddenly saw women everywhere doing great things. I wanted to be one of them. I was a social media manager, learned email marketing and funnels, managed and created FB Ads, learned WordPress, and built my website. My business was taking off and I was fully booked. Covid 19 happened. It was a time for me to re-assess my journey and where I wanted it to go. I felt stuck.
I invested in a coach. It was through this coaching that I decided I wanted to be a coach, to change lives and make an impact.
I searched for coaching courses, I started speaking to people and soaking up the knowledge and reviews on coaching qualifications and spoke to past students of the programmes. It was a minefield. I saw shocking examples of coaches with a weekend of training, taking people’s money and claiming to change lives. Integrity is important to me and I didn’t want to go down that route.
I spoke to past students from other coaching programmes. One thing that stood out for me was that once you had paid for the course you sometimes had to pay out more money to be accredited to the ICF. This could get expensive.
I stumbled upon Optimus Coach Academy and got in touch with Ruth Kudzi. She was new to my world and so I asked to speak to students who had done her programme. Every single one of them was positive, with no exception. I decided this was the course for me. The deciding fact was that with this course you are accredited from the outset. This course gives you the diploma (ACTP), and you work towards getting the coaching hours to become an ACC, PCC and MCC coach, all through the ICF. If you want to work with corporates they will look for ICF accreditation.
Doing the course gives you the tools, techniques, and skills to stand out and enhance your impact as a coach which in turn boosts your ability to coach with confidence.
It helps you stand out in a crowded market and gives you the pre-requisite qualification to coach in the corporate sector or the public service arena.
It is structured, well planned, and continually evolving into a better experience for students. Ruth genuinely cares about her students.
You have weekly calls with triad coaching practice and observation with your cohort as well as business coaching and additional mentoring throughout the course.
DISC training is included which you can offer as a service and you have access to business modules to help you build your coaching business.
At the end of the successfully completed course, you will have over 100+ hours of coaching to qualify for the well-respected ICF qualification and you will be well on your way to changing lives and making an impact.
I am already changing lives, my clients are nailing their marketing strategy, scaling their businesses, getting unstuck and out of their own way in their lives and businesses, and getting renewed optimism and motivation to succeed in their lives and businesses, whatever that means for them.
The Optimus Coach Academy has been by far one of my best investments. The coach training area is a minefield and I wish I had had this perspective when I was looking for a course. I hope this article goes some way to help you with your decision if you are deciding to be a coach.
If you have any questions about the course or want to find out more do not hesitate to get in touch. I am always happy to chat and will tell you what to look out for and the questions to ask even if you decide not to go with Optimus, at least you will have options. You can book a chat here: https://calendly.com/hilarythomson/30min
If you are coaching curious you can join the Optimus coaching week beginning on 21 November 2021. Click here to register*: https://join.optimuscoachacademy.com/coaching-week-november?fpr=hilary57
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*this is an affiliate link. I endorse this course 100% and do not promote anything I don’t believe in. I am always happy to chat for your peace of mind.