Life Coach Training Frequently Asked Questions
I have been considering several life coach training programs. What does this course offer that might help me decide if it is a match to my intentions?

This program:

  • Is founded on holistic principles, recognizing client and coach as whole persons, honoring the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of each person’s life.
  • Offers an extraordinarily high degree of teacher-student contact, each training is capped at approximately 24 participants.
  • Is taught directly by Alan Cohen rather than by assistants or trainees. With the exception of a few stimulating guest presenters, you will learn directly from the founder.
  • Includes a strong in-person element, a four-day training retreat in Hawaii. You will be interacting with other students physically present rather than simply online.
  • Builds a strong support community of peers. Many graduates stay connected with each other after the program, offering each other friendship, support, feedback, and resources to further the application of life coaching principles, practices, and success.
  • Enhances the personal growth of the coach. Students gain significant awareness of their own self and life while gaining skills to help clients.
I do not intend to become a professional life coach. Instead, I would like to use life coaching skills in my current profession. Would the training still be appropriate for me?

Many students who participate in the program do not plan to become a professional coach. Our graduates include corporate executives, medical professionals, psychotherapists, attorneys, school teachers, yoga teachers, massage therapists, and energy healers, for example, who deepen or expand their practice by applying the skills taught in the training.

I wonder if I could be qualified to be a coach. I am still working on my own issues. How can I justify putting myself in a position to coach others?

Great question! You do not have to be an enlightened spiritual master to coach. Your intention and desire to help others puts you in the perfect position to coach. Most coaches-in-training face some doubt about their ability to become a coach. This program clearly and directly addresses and helps offset any sense of unworthiness or lack of confidence. Building skills and self-assurance are among the most crucial elements of the training.

I like the idea of coaching, but I don’t know how I would build my coaching business.

This program will give you lots of information and guidance about how to build your coaching business. You will also meet and learn from some graduates who have successfully built a coaching practice.

I am not sure if I should leave my current job entirely and dive into coaching, or make a more gradual transition.

You can do it either way. We will help you attune to what would work best for you, and support you on the path that you feel guided to follow.

I either have no coaching-related experience, or I have had training or certification in other programs. Would either of these situations be a barrier to my success in this program?

There are no previous experience or credential requirements for this program. Just a sincere desire to learn coaching skills and put them into practice. Some of our students have coaching certificates from previous trainings, and wish to expand their repertoire of skills and/or incorporate a holistic approach to coaching. Each student begins from the place where he or she stands, and advances to higher skill levels.

Am I too (young) (old) to start coaching?

Certainly not! Participants in our programs span age ranges from early twenties to late sixties and beyond. Age matters not in coaching. Skill, intention, presence, and service supersede years, few or many.

I live in a foreign country or distant place from where the program’s in-person retreat will be held. Do I have to attend the retreat to participate in the program?

The in-person retreat is one of the most important elements of the training, reported by many students as a highlight of the course. At the in-person training, you will connect with your peers and enjoy many interactive skill-building sessions. For that reason we require all participants to attend in person. We have had students come from Australia, Europe, Asia, and many places around the globe, to their satisfaction and delight.

Do I have to stay onsite for the retreat? What is the estimated cost of the accommodations and meals during the in person training?

We ask that all participants stay onsite for the retreat. There you will connect with the other students and be immersed in an atmosphere conducive to mastering life coaching principles. Many of the teachings are deepened in conversations during free time and over meals. We enjoy a natural environment creating a sense of mutual support and camaraderie. We have found that commuting from another accommodation can be distracting and incongruent with the purpose of the retreat. The cost of lodging per night at the retreat center is approximately $100 shared lodging – $330 private accommodations including tax, and the meal plan is less than $100 per day for three meals, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Please note that participants are responsible for all of their travel related expenses, accommodations, and meals. 

Can I bring my family to the in-person retreat?

Due to the size of the retreat center and the personal nature of conversations among participants during and outside the training sessions, we ask that only students in the training reside at the retreat center. Some students have travelled with their family to Hawaii, and the family stays at a nearby hotel, enjoying their own vacation while the student participates in the training.

How much time is required to get my certificate?

Over a period of six months:

  • Attend at least 12 of 14 75-minute webinars
  • 40 Online coach training course lessons, approximately 30 minutes each
  • 1 Four-day in-person residential retreat (plus travel)
  • 1 One-hour personal coaching session with Alan Cohen
  • 20 Fifty-minute practice coaching sessions, plus reports for 10 of them (20 minutes per report)
  • 5 One-hour Coaching Room online programs for you to attend live or watch a video, and write a brief report on (10 minutes each)
  • Final exam, approximately two hours
What time of day do the webinars occur?

The webinars occur at 5:00 PM Pacific Time, 6:00 PM Mountain, 7:00 PM Central, and 8:00 PM Eastern time, U.S. time. Click here to determine what time the webinars occur in other time zones. We regularly have students participate from Europe, where the webinar time is late at night. These students, while making an extra effort, report very positive results. Webinars, once per week, are 75 minutes in duration, are recorded and downloadable.

How do I get onto the webinars?

You can access the webinars via computer, mobile device, or telephone. Our platform is Zoom.

When is the next training scheduled?

The training begins each September and each January.

Can this program help me clarify what client population I would like to coach?

This program will help you identify any niche population you might serve. Some specific kinds of clients and themes previous graduates have gone on to work with include: women, relationships, teens, career choices, life transitions, patients of a particular challenge, parenting, business, entrepreneurism, and many more. If you do not wish to identify a niche population, you can certainly coach anyone.

What follow-up do you offer to graduates?
  • Advanced holistic life coach training webinar series
  • The Coaching Room, a free online weekly coaching forum open to the public
  • Discounts for participation in related programs
  • Most groups have ongoing connection via social media and regular meetings guided by your peers. Many develop life-long relationships, having ‘found their tribe.’
  • Occasional informal reunions of graduates
Do I have to a participate in the certificate program?

Nearly all the participants participate in the certificate program. While you are not required to do so, the shared commitment makes the program extremely powerful. The program does not lend itself to casual participation. If you are not in the certificate program, your sincere and consistent involvement is still called for.

What can I ultimately do with my life coach training and/or certificate?
  • Become a full-time coach
  • Coach part-time
  • Incorporate coaching skills into your current career
  • Apply your training to seminar leadership and consulting
  • Join with other coaches to form a consortium or share business
  • Use the skills more casually in your personal and family relationships
  • Enjoy the benefits toward your personal and spiritual growth
When can I start earning money as a coach?

Some students begin to receive payments from appreciative clients as early as the third month of their training program. What you charge your clients, when, and how you set up your payment structure is up to you. The training includes guidance in this area.

Is there anyone for whom this program is not appropriate?
  • Individuals who seek to use the program as therapy rather than to gain skills to become a life coach. While we are all in the process of personal growth, this program is not a substitute for therapy or counseling
  • Anyone whose only intention is to get a coaching certificate
  • Anyone whose only intention is to make money through coaching
  • Anyone who has previous coaching experience and/or certification and believes that they already know all there is to know about coaching
Is there a payment plan available, do you offer scholarships or trade?

We will work with individuals on a payment plan. Our policy is that the tuition must be paid in full prior to the start date, so if a payment plan is the best option for you we suggest that you apply several months in advance of the start date.

We do not offer scholarships or trade. We observe that students who are motivated find the finances to take the training. We also want to inculcate a model of abundance so you can receive payment for your coaching services.

Is this program accredited by the International Coach Federation?

This program is not affiliated with the ICF or any other similar body. The unique nature and content of the program, founded on holistic principles, may or may not fall within the guidelines set by other organizations, and in many cases goes beyond them. This program stands on its own merit of high integrity, underscored by the results it generates. If you feel that getting certified by an affiliated program is important to you, we encourage you to join one. If you would value a unique training that will change your life and the lives of your clients, this program offers that. For most coaching clients, getting results from their coaching experience is a more crucial criterion than the organization that approved the coach. We invite you to consult your intuition as to what life coach training program is most appropriate for you.

Is there any other way I can find out more about the experience this program offers?

You will get a stronger sense of the material and energy of the course by reading one or more of Alan Cohen’s books, particularly: The Master Keys of Healing; I Had it All the Time; and/or Dare to be Yourself. See books.

Once you have applied and been accepted into the program, we will be able to put you in touch with one or more graduates who will share their experience with you and answer any questions

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