360-degree learning
Coach, be coached, and observe coaching. You develop as a coach from every angle, inside the safety of a learning community.
Since2016
Leadership is a skill. Few of us were ever taught how to do it.
Programs start monthly
Certified Leadership Coach
ICF-approved coach education · 21 modules · Live online
ICF Level 1Monthly start dates
Welcome
You became the unofficial coach.
People save their big questions for you. A "got a minute?" at your door turns into an hour, and you make the time.
You've been coaching for years without calling it that. Running the one-to-ones, mentoring new managers, talking a friend through a career change. You figured it out as you went, because nobody ever trained you on the soft skills of leadership. And some days you wonder: am I actually doing this right?
Training settles that question. Six months from now, you'll know what you're doing and why it works: better questions, longer silences, feedback people can actually use. And you'll have a credential to back it up, wherever you lead.
The Certified Leadership Coach Program is ICF-approved, 6 months part-time, and live online, in a cohort capped at 17. You'll practice coaching every week and be mentored by coaches who do this for a living.
It's time to make it official. Instinct got you this far. Method and a credential take you the rest of the way.
Coaching is the language of influence.
90
ICF coach education hours
6
Months, part-time
10
Mentor coaching hours
300+
Five-star Google reviews
4,000+
Graduates
- How to ask questions that help people think differently.
- How to offer feedback with skill.
- How to create trust in high-stakes conversations.
- How to notice your own assumptions and blindspots.
That is the skill of coaching. Learn it once and it follows you everywhere: into the boardroom, the team huddle, the kitchen table. You become the person whose conversations people remember, because they left feeling capable and clear.
The details
Program at a glance
| Program | Certified Leadership Coach |
|---|---|
| Format | Live virtual training, on Zoom |
| Length | 21 modules, 1 per week |
| Breaks | Mid-way integration week + applicable holidays* |
| Classroom access | Program duration plus 3 months |
| Weekly class | 2 hours live |
| Coursework | About 3 to 4 hours per week |
| Coaching practice | About 2 hours per week |
| ICF coach education hours | 90 (ICF Level 1) |
| ICF mentoring hours | 10 (7 group + 3 individual) |
| Designation earned | CA Certified Leadership Coach |
| Community membership | Influencer Membership, included for 6 months |
| Start dates | Monthly (exception: July and December) |
| Tuition | $7,400 plus applicable taxes |
| Payment plans | Up to 5 payments |
* Breaks follow the statutory and civic holidays of Ontario, Canada, where Coach Academy is based. Every class is recorded, and missed classes can be made up. We respect the holidays our students celebrate around the globe. Tuition is valid for 2026 and subject to change.
Successful completion
- 90 hours of coursework
- 10 ICF mentoring hours (7 group, 3 individual)
- 30 practical coaching hours completed
- 10 hours being coached
- ICF Performance Evaluation (optional)**
** The ICF Performance Evaluation ($600) is optional, and therefore not included in tuition. Your Admissions Coach will walk you through it.
What you achieve
- Graduate a CA Certified Leadership Coach
- Qualify for ICF Level 1 Credential (ACC)
- Certificate of completion for 10 ICF Mentor Hours
- 6-month membership in a world-class global community
The curriculum
What you'll learn
In 21 modules, you'll practice the fundamentals behind professional coaching conversations, applied to the way you lead. You'll learn how to:
- Ask questions that help people think differently
- Offer feedback with skill
- Create trust in high-stakes conversations
- Notice your own assumptions and blindspots
- Listen for meaning, values, and patterns beneath the words
- Learn reliable coaching frameworks and strategies
- Engage skillfully in difficult conversations
- Coach toward goal success, backed by science
- Work with team and group coaching dynamics
- Grow emotional intelligence and leadership presence
- Stay agile and coach people through change
- Understand the ICF Core Competencies
How you learn
Live coaching + feedback
Coaching demonstrations, group coaching, peer coaching, and observations, both in class and in community.
Unlimited peer coaching exchanges
Unlimited access to a global network of peers working toward ICF credentials, ready to practice coaching with you every week. This is our best kept secret and most valuable feature.
Tools, research, and tutorials
Ongoing development, research, and resources embedded in the classroom and the community, supplemented by monthly live events and workshops as part of your membership.
You'll leave a different leader, colleague, friend. The people around you will feel it first.
The program flow
From orientation to a lifetime of learning
21 weeks, one conversation at a time. The full week-by-week outline is in the program overview.
Step 1 · Get Ready
Orientation
CA team members will set you up for success.
Step 2 · Jump right in!
Immediate community access
Join the conversation and meet peers from across the globe.
Step 3 · Settle in
Classroom access
Student orientation begins! Prep for your first class and meet your classmates.
Step 4 · Weeks 1 to 4
Introduction
The foundations of the coaching conversation, the evidence behind coaching, and the PERFORM™ framework.
Step 5 · Weeks 5 to 14
Frameworks and strategies
Listening, awareness, metaphors, and coaching teams, groups, and cultures, with group mentoring woven through.
Step 6 · Weeks 15 to 21
Application, capstone and mentorship
Growth, resilience, group mentoring, ICF Core Competencies presentations, and your capstone project.
Step 7 · Graduation
The support continues
Your program ends. The support does not. A team stays behind you.
Step 8 · A lifetime of learning
Keep growing
CCEs, community, and membership carry you forward.
The ICF pathway, explained
From your first class to a globally recognized credential
Coach Academy programs are accredited by the International Coaching Federation, the gold standard in coaching worldwide. Here is exactly how the pathway works.
- 1
Complete the program
21 modules, live classes, coursework, and real coaching practice: 90 ICF Level 1 coach education hours, 10 mentor coaching hours, 30 practical coaching hours, and 10 hours being coached.
- 2
Graduate a CA Certified Leadership Coach
Your Coach Academy designation, backed by documented hours and evaluated practice.
- 3
Complete ICF Performance Evaluation
Successful completion of ICF required evaluation process, offered by Coach Academy. Additional fees apply.
- 4
Apply for your ICF ACC credential
Your certificate of completion from Coach Academy and successful completion of evaluation meet the requirements for ICF Level 1 (ACC) application. Apply on ICF site.
- 5
Keep growing, for life
Levels 2 and 3 and continuing education keep your credential moving toward PCC and MCC, with a community that grows with you.
One Academy, a lifetime of learning
Level 1
Certified Leadership Coach
Level 2
Professional and advanced training
Level 3
Mastery-level training
CCE
Continuing education
Beyond the classroom
A vibrant community, included
Learning continues between and beyond classes with 10+ live events every month.
- Clubs and keynotes
- Unlimited coaching exchange
- Live coach demos
- Case study clinics
- Coaching skills labs
- Q&A with Coach Academy Founder
- And so much more to enrich your learning
Your Influencer Membership is included for the duration of your program.
Why Coach Academy
We are different
Rigorous training, human delivery
Built for people who take this work seriously. The curriculum is grounded in ICF standards, evidence-informed practice, and 50,000+ hours of curriculum design, mentoring, and facilitation since 2016.
The PERFORM™ coaching model
Our CA Coaching Framework PERFORM™ delivers consistent, structured, powerful conversations. World-class, experienced facilitators bring real-world examples, and mentor coaches at the highest level.
Small cohorts, real practice
You'll learn live, beside people who lead in companies, non-profits, schools, healthcare, and communities around the world. Classes are capped at 17 for engaged learning and discussion.
A boutique learning experience
Our programs strive for the academic excellence of the Ivy League and deliver with the care and diligence you would expect from a world-class institute. Our motto is "unexpected hospitality". Your experience is curated, like a five-star boutique hotel.
They say that when the student is ready the teacher will come. When I decided to pursue formal training in coaching, I found a home with CA. From the engaging workshops and professional, supportive mentoring, I gained powerful tools and knowledge that have strengthened my confidence in walking this path. My experience was also enriched by a wonderful community of coaches, at all stages of their journey, and opportunities to learn from specialists in the field. It was life-changing.
Shari Lash · Graduate
The founder
Nathalie Blais, MCC
Founder & CEO, Coach Academy
Nathalie Blais is the Founder and CEO of Coach Academy and an ICF Master Certified Coach whose work focuses on how people think, connect, and lead. Her central idea is both simple and disruptive: connection is a skill.
Blais holds a Master's degree in Psychology from Harvard and has logged more than 50,000 hours in facilitation, learning design, research, and education development. She is the architect of multiple ICF-accredited coach education programs, a TEDx speaker, and has trained thousands of leaders and coaches worldwide.
Watch her TEDx talk: Connection matters more than curriculumQuestions
What people ask before they call
Is this program ICF-approved?
Yes. Coach Academy is an approved partner of the International Coaching Federation, and this program qualifies for 90 ICF Level 1 coach education hours, the education requirement for the ACC credential.
I'm a leader. Is this program for coaches?
Both live here. Some students coach the people they already lead, in companies, non-profits, schools, and communities. Others build a professional practice coaching leaders and teams. The skills are the same, and cohorts are richer for the mix.
Can I do this while leading full-time?
Yes. The program is designed for working leaders. You'll attend 2 hours of live class each week, with about 3 to 4 hours of coursework and about 2 hours of coaching practice you can fit around your schedule.
What is the ICF, and why does it matter?
The International Coaching Federation is the world's largest coaching body and the gold standard for coach credentials. Its credentials (ACC, PCC, MCC) are recognized across industries and borders, and organizations increasingly ask for them when they hire coaches.
What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?
Mentoring shares experience: a mentor is further down your road and tells you what worked for them. Coaching is a different skill: asking, listening, and evoking awareness so people find their own way forward. Leaders need both. This program trains the coaching skill, and teaches you when to use each.
I've coached for years without a credential. Will this be too basic?
You'll be in good company. Many students arrive with decades of experience and no formal fundamentals. The program gives structure to your instinct, and stretches it: students of the Academy speak of unlearning, more than learning.
What if I never call myself a coach?
Some graduates never hang a shingle. The coaching stays in how they run meetings, one-to-ones, feedback, and the hard conversations. The skills travel wherever you lead.
What about the ICF credential after the program?
You'll graduate with 90 coach education hours, 10 hours of mentor coaching, and your practice hours documented. That is the education pathway toward the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential, and we'll walk you through the application.
Will my organization sponsor my tuition?
Many of our students are sponsored by an employer, a non-profit board, or a professional development fund. An Admissions Coach can give you what you need to make the case: the program outline, the hours, the credential, and an invoice for your organization.
What if I miss a class?
Life happens, and the program is built for working adults. Every class is recorded, and missed classes can be made up.
Start with a conversation
What happens when I fill out this form?
Fill out the form to set up a call with an Admissions Coach, or view program overviews and get more information. Either way, no pressure. All of our Admissions Coaches are graduates of our programs. They will be able to answer all your questions from first-hand experience as alumni of Coach Academy.
Cohorts start monthly · All classes live and online
| Program | Certified Leadership Coach |
|---|---|
| Next program starts | August 27, 2026 |
| Class time | Thursdays at 12:00 PM ET |
| Format | Live, virtual |
The first life to change is yours.