360-degree learning
Coach, be coached, and observe coaching. You develop as a coach from every angle, inside the safe sanctuary of a community of practice.
Since2016
Turn the instinct people already trust into a certified profession.
Programs start monthly
Certified Life Coach
ICF-approved coach education · 18 modules · Live online
ICF Level 1Monthly start dates
Welcome
You've been the person people come to.
For perspective. For steadiness. For the conversation they can't have with everyone else.
Coach Academy helps you turn that instinct into professional coaching skill. The Certified Life Coach Program is an ICF-approved, 5-month, live online program for people who want the confidence, credibility, and practice to coach well.
You're the person people trust with what is important to them. Career questions. Relationship questions. Life questions. The messy middle of change.
Coach training gives that instinct a method. Structure, ethics, practice, mentoring, and a credential that give you the confidence and integrity to make this a profession.
The first life to change is often your own.
80
ICF coach education hours
5
Months, part-time
10
Mentor coaching hours
300+
Five-star Google reviews
4,000+
Graduates
How to listen without interrupting.
How to ask questions instead of giving advice.
How to use silence and pause to connect more deeply.
How to make others feel more capable and resourceful.
That is the skill of coaching. Coach Academy gives you the strategies to have the kind of conversations people remember, because they felt seen, heard, and respected.
The details
Program at a glance
| Program | Certified Life Coach |
|---|---|
| Format | Live online training, on Zoom |
| Length | 18 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 4 to 5 hours per week |
| Coaching practice | About 1 to 2 hours per week |
| ICF coach education hours | 80 (ICF Level 1) |
| ICF mentoring hours | 10 (7 group + 3 individual) |
| Designation earned | CA Certified Life Coach |
| Community membership | Influencer Membership, included for 6 months |
| Start dates | Monthly (exception: July and December) |
| Tuition | $5,900 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
- 80 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 Life 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 18 modules, you'll practice the fundamentals behind professional coaching conversations. You'll learn how to:
- Listen for meaning, emotion, values, and patterns
- Ask questions that create clarity
- Create trust and safety
- Stay present when emotions or silence show up
- Use clean language that respects the client's meaning
- Recognize assumptions, judgment, and the urge to give advice
- Break through limiting thoughts and language
- Discover the magic of metaphors to clarify thinking
- Support clients as they move from awareness to action
- Practice proven approaches to change and well-being
- Understand the ICF Core Competencies
- Build confidence through practice, mentoring, and feedback
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.
You'll leave different. People around you will feel it.
The program flow
From orientation to a lifetime of learning
18 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 3
Introduction
Settle in and build the foundations of the coaching conversation.
Step 5 · Weeks 4 to 9
Frameworks and strategies
The THRIVE™ coaching framework and the core skills, practiced every week.
Step 6 · Weeks 10 to 18
Ethics, application and mentorship
Integrate the ICF Core Competencies through group mentoring and live practice.
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
18 modules, live classes, coursework, and real coaching practice: 80 ICF Level 1 coach education hours, 10 mentor coaching hours, 30 practical coaching hours, and 10 hours being coached.
- 2
Graduate a CA Certified Life 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 Life 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 want confidence and credibility. The curriculum is grounded in ICF standards, evidence-informed practice, and 50,000+ hours of field work.
The THRIVE™ coaching model
Our CA Coaching Framework THRIVE™ delivers consistent, structured, powerful conversations. World-class, experienced facilitators mentor coaches at every level.
Small cohorts, real practice
You'll learn live, beside people from across the country, and world. Our students are leaders, educators, healthcare practitioners, HR professionals, wellness practitioners and more. 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.
Coach Academy has changed my life for the better. The course facilitators are excellent, and the course content is beyond what I could have ever imagined. I love that through the pursuit of helping others by becoming a life coach, I am learning more about myself and becoming a better person in the process!
Jillian Best · 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 programs are accredited by the International Coaching Federation, and this program qualifies for 80 ICF Level 1 coach education hours, the education requirement for the ACC credential.
Do I need a certification to become a life coach?
Coaching is an unregulated industry, and anyone can use the title. Certification is how you stand apart. An ICF-accredited education tells clients and employers that you trained to a global standard, follow a code of ethics, and practice what you teach.
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.
How long does it take to become a certified coach?
This program runs 18 modules over about 5 months, part-time. You graduate with the education and mentoring hours required for the ICF ACC application. The ICF also asks for 100 hours of coaching experience, which many students build during the program and in our community after it.
Can I do this while working full-time?
Yes. The program is designed for part-time study: 2 hours of live class each week, about 4 to 5 hours of coursework, and 1 to 2 hours of coaching practice you can schedule around your life.
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.
What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist?
Therapy assesses, diagnoses and prescribes, and therapists are certified and accredited by geographic regions. Coaches are thinking partners, trained to evoke awareness, challenge perspective, listen for what is not said, and clarify goals. Coaches do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Qualified coaches understand the difference and are trained to recognize the line between therapy and coaching.
I've helped people informally. Does that count?
Many people call themselves coaches. Training gives you the tools, frameworks, ethical standards, and research-backed strategies to build credibility and confidence.
Is this only for people who want to start a coaching business?
Some students become professional life coaches. Others bring coaching skills into leadership, education, HR, healthcare, consulting, and parenting. Every graduate says the first life to change is their own.
Can I really make a living as a coach?
Yes, and it takes what any profession takes: skill, credibility, and consistency. Certification opens doors with clients and organizations, and our community, continuing education, and Business Start-Up program exist to help graduates build practices that last. Your Admissions Coach will give you an honest picture.
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 Life Coach |
|---|---|
| Next program starts | August 25, 2026 |
| Class time | Tuesdays at 6:30 PM ET |
| Format | Live, virtual |
The first life to change is yours.