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We asked our graduates why they had decided to train with The Coaching Academy, and they came back with six key responses. Perhaps some of these ideas ring a bell with you?
1. Ethical Standards
Just as in the field of counseling, coaching remains an unregulated profession, and with no internationally agreed regulatory body in place in this comparatively new discipline, The Coaching Academy has taken the lead in establishing an ethical framework within which the profession can develop. All coaches qualifying with The Coaching Academy are asked to join with our tutors, staff and associates in subscribing to our Code of Conduct – key points that guide all our activities. As The Coaching Academy’s graduates make up 80% of the UK’s practicing coaches, it is easy to see that our Code of Conduct is the most meaningful point of reference on ethical standards within coaching today.
The Coaching Academy’s Code of Conduct
All staff, tutors, graduates, associates, members, fellows and licencees of The Coaching Academy must agree to follow this code of professional conduct:
- Always conduct themselves to the highest level of ethics, integrity, accountability and responsibility.
- Treat all clients and potential clients with absolute dignity, confidentiality and respect as free and equal individuals.
- Maintain the good reputation of the profession in general and The Coaching Academy in particular.
- Respect the absolute right of the client’s confidentiality except as expressly permitted by the client or potential client in writing or as required by law.
- Recommend different coaches or resources when these will be more appropriate to the client’s needs.
- Refrain from offering professional information or advice that they know to be confidential, misleading or where the accuracy is beyond their competence to assess.
- Endeavour to enhance public understanding and acceptance of professional coaching.
- Share skills and experience with fellow members and associates of The Coaching Academy to further increase the body of knowledge, skills and competencies of such parties.
2. Quality of the trainers
If you want to train to be a coach, the best people to learn from are those who are already successfully coaching. Lesley Matile and her team of trainers all run successful businesses as personal and business coaches. Our trainers include some of the best coaches in the UK – which means they can act as great role models for your own future practice. Some of the coaches you will meet when training with us first encountered The Coaching Academy as curious delegates on our introductory Certificate in Personal Coaching weekend course. Perhaps like you they wondered if coaching could give them impetus in finding a whole new personal and professional life. Now they run coaching businesses with clients across the world. Why not follow the same path?
3. Quality of the training
If you are looking for a cutting-edge qualification that is internationally recognised as the gold standard, our diplomas are just what you are looking for. Why not send a strong signal that you are a professional coach with a professional attitude? Our coach training model has been developed over eight years of research and feedback, and we aim to continually improve and update our courses to meet the changing needs of our coaches and the profession. Our training is successful for many reasons, including the quality of the materials, the ongoing support you receive while you train, the motivational live study days you will attend and the community of fellow students and coaches you will join. Our training courses have been developed in consultation with professional coaches and students of coaching and we are convinced they are the best available anywhere.
4. Depth of knowledge and experience
Our students know that a diploma from The Coaching Academy is not an entry level qualification. Anyone who has attended the introductory Certificate in Personal Coaching weekend course will understand that they have dipped a toe in the waters of coaching but no more. In terms of your development as a coach there is no substitute for the in-depth training offered by The Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching, or one of our three other diploma courses. It simply isn’t possible to meaningfully train as a coach just from reading a book, no matter what some might suggest. Our model of training is a mixture of live study, live assessed coaching, as well as home study. You gain real hands-on experience of coaching as you train. The depth of knowledge you will gain on our diploma courses means your professional ability will stand up to the closest scrutiny from any future potential client. You will be the best possible personal coach because you have studied in a way that immersed you in the subject. If you want to simply read a book and then tell yourself you are a coach, that’s fine. But you will be cheating yourself – and crucially you will be cheating your clients too.
5. A serious educational investment
Clients are prepared to pay significant professional fees to the right coach. But for that money they expect to meet a coach who has invested more than a couple of hours in their own education. Taking an entry-level course in coaching is simply not going to cut it in the professional world. When dealing with a coach, professional clients expect to meet someone who has done more than merely scratch the surface of the coaching discipline. When someone decides to undergo professional training as a coach, they are opening up a whole new personal and professional world. As a coach you become one of a few professionals who can command high fees, work internationally (over the phone from your home office if you wish) and still achieve a work/life balance. Our students agree with The Coaching Academy’s philosophy that the benefits of training as a professional coach are such that investing seriously in this education is 100% worthwhile.
6. Personal reward
The financial rewards of working as a performance coach can be considerable but The Coaching Academy and its students know that the personal benefits are even more significant. You have the freedom to work whenever you want to, wherever you want and with whoever you want. You can work face-to-face or over the telephone, you can travel or stay at home, you can work with one client at a time or many. Ultimately you are in charge of your own destiny. And what’s more you can help shape the futures of your clients in a positive way too. You really can turn your passion for people into your profession. We believe you will never find a more satisfying career. Our coaches report that when they help others to improve their lives their own personal success blossoms too.
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Professional training can never be replaced by the trial and error approach. The Coaching Academy has distilled the best practice from hundreds of professional coaches and created a coaching system that works wherever you live in the world with whoever you coach. All you do is combine the system with your own personality, skills and experience and you create a winning formula.
When you are trained by professionals you become a professional. If you are trained by amateurs, that is where you will remain!
All of The Coaching Academy’s trainers practice what they teach – they are all professional coaches with years of experience, successful businesses and clients who come back again and again. If you want to be in the same position, why not join us on The Certificate in Personal Coaching and begin to change your life!
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At The Coaching Academy we know that people like to learn in different ways. Some study best at home, using DVDs and manuals, while others enjoy the reward and inspiration given by live training days. None of our competitors use the range of training methods that we do. The following are crucial elements of our Diploma training courses:
- Live training with trainers who are themselves working successfully as coaches
- Course materials including manuals, CDs and DVDs
- Live assessed coaching practice to guide you through your growth as a coach
We don’t believe you can learn to be a coach just from reading a book. Or from attending a quick after-work seminar for that matter! If you are serious about training as a coach, The Coaching Academy is the right organisation for you.
The course starts as soon as you register.
You are given access to the password protected members area of the website and to its online resource centre.
You can then join our international online community, with over 1000 members at any one time. Chat with other coaches on the same course and learn from the more experienced hands.
You also have access to our Virtual Seminars – telephone conference calls where an informative and entertaining talk is delivered every fortnight right into your handset. We’ve even recorded 25 hours worth of past Virtual Seminars for you to download to your iPod and play at your leisure.
Watch out for the postman!
The day after registration our courier will deliver to you a huge package of training materials. Your living room floor will be covered with DVDs, CDs and manuals as you sift through the exciting array of multi-media resources. But don’t worry. You won’t be daunted as we have produced a “Quick Start” for you. Just follow the clear instructions and you will know exactly what to do.
Slot the training into your busy schedule.
99% of our Diploma students work full-time and find no time challenge with taking the qualification. Indeed the recent trend is for most people to do more than one diploma course. Because we have taken a multimedia approach you can read the training manuals on the train, watch the DVDs at home and take part in the Virtual Seminars from the office – learn in whatever way suits you.
People find that the live training days at Latimer House become a sea of tranquility in otherwise busy lives. All look forward to the boost of energy and motivation it gives them for the coming month.
How long does it take to qualify?
We don’t impose a deadline on you finishing the Diploma, you can fit the training in around your own life and complete the qualification at your own speed. Anything from six to eighteen months is typical.
Between each live training day there are assignments to be completed based on course materials. Complete those assignments, attend the live training days and let one of our assessors listen to you coach a practice client on three occasions and with a little bit of help from us you have done all that is needed to complete your qualification.
We pledge we will do everything we can to help you complete your diploma. Everything!
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For our Certificate in Personal Coaching weekend The Coaching Academy uses a range of venues right across the country. Please check course dates and venues here.
Once you have decided to study for one of our Diploma courses, why not join us at our luxury conference venue. You will soon be ready for your first live training day at Latimer House in Buckinghamshire. Why Latimer House? The location is accessible, the parking free, the disabled facilities convenient, the food excellent, the bedrooms reasonably priced and the bar and lounge convivial. The duty staff know us well and always pay attention to our guests – and that means you. You can now attend live training days in Manchester too.
Let us know which day you would like to attend (dates at least six months in advance are shown on our website) and we’ll take care of the rest. The Diploma qualification consists of six of these days, with one running every month. They are all different, all unique, with a variety of trainers and small numbers – a maximum of sixty in a room designed for over one hundred. The interactivity and sense of community are such that you might not want to leave at 5.30pm!
Latimer Place, Buckinghamshire
   
  
Wychwood Park, near Crewe
   
 
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The syllabus is the most advanced in the UK. We believe it eclipses anything offered elsewhere, and that any coach undertaking this level of training will stand head and shoulders above anyone who has attended a lesser programme. The course has been designed by professional coaches.
Our courses are accredited or endorsed by a range of organisations including The Open College Network (OCN), The Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC) and The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).
Beware of courses “accredited” by “coaching bodies”. There is no such thing as a governing body, standard-setter or “guardian” of the profession. They are all self-appointed and quite often accredit the courses run by the owners of the “independent body”! The Coaching Academy qualifications are independent, academic and widely recognised.
For more information on accreditation and regulation of the coaching industry,
visit our resources section here.
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We offer a Solid Gold Guarantee on the quality of our training, something no other training company in our field does. As a student with us on one of our diploma courses, you have the following personal promise from our CEO Peter Ryding:
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“If this Diploma course isn’t absolutely outstanding we’ll give you your money back and pay you £1000 for your time!”
We know that our Diploma courses are the best available – not just in the UK but worldwide. After eight years of research and development, and the feedback of more than 13,000 clients, we know that the content and standard of training is 100%.
If you are deliberating over whether The Coaching Academy is the best training provider out there why not gain confidence from our Solid Gold Guarantee?
Take the course, and decide afterwards if it was everything you expected. If not, we’ll give you your money back – no deductions – and pay you £1000 for your time. Our Solid Gold Guarantee gives you the confidence of knowing you are spending your money without risk. If you enjoyed learning new skills on our introductory weekend and have been inspired to learn more about coaching, the next step is easy. Enrol onto a diploma course with The Coaching Academy and receive the best possible training together with the comfort of knowing this investment in your future is secure.”
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Training in coaching skills is an investment of your money, time and reputation… so it’s always good to know that other people have been there before you… and can highly recommend the courses.
Below, you’ll also read some Case Studies and Success Stories from coaches who have turned their dream of coaching into reality – we think you’ll find them inspiring.
Click on the names below to read their case study:
Penny Freeston
I attended the weekend course and started the ball rolling by making a tick-chart of dates of teleclasses, coaching sessions each week to keep to. After the book critique in August, I worked on the thesis between September and November, then took a week's holiday before I started to type the first draft.
Highlighting quotations in my textbooks saved me hours of searching for lost quotes. After Christmas, I kick-started the written exam by tackling it like a jigsaw puzzle – I did the easy bits first and left the most challenging till last by which time I had nearly finished and couldn't give up!
All this gave me the confidence and knowledge I needed to book the practical sessions with an assessor coach in February. Imagine my amazement when I passed everything with Distinctions when I had only hoped to scrape through!
I then started marketing myself and now have fee-paying clients and a coaching column in a London newspaper. I spent time re-organising large files into lots of individual ones so that I can refer to things quickly and save time. My last five clients have come from completely different sources so my advice is spread your net wide and see what happens! The extraordinary thing is that when I did the weekend course the timing didn't seem right – I couldn't see my way to doing any of this because of my teaching and writing commitments but once I got started I actually took on more teaching and writing and some very exciting creative projects as well.
Coaching has really given me the confidence and energy to 'dance with life' in so many ways. Now that I am qualified I am enjoying NLP classes, virtual circles and live demonstrations to keep up the momentum. Coaching really is a way of life! Thank you to The Academy for all your support.
"I'd like to reassure anyone who is wondering how they could fit in the study to their busy lives, that I work almost full-time from home, am married with one daughter still at home, another living round the corner frequently bringing our grandson to visit and an 88-year-old mother-in-law who moved in with us two years ago!" |
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Jo Black
I've been actively marketing my practice and it has really started to pay off. After having some business cards printed, I joined a business networking group. It was a great way to help me hone my marketing message and increase my confidence. I've received six excellent referrals so far, two of which have turned into clients. I gave a 10-minute talk on coaching to the group and from that have been asked to go along to a local accountant's firm to give a talk there.
I personalised one of the press releases provided by The Coaching Academy and sent it off to my local paper who decided to use it and interview me for a full-page feature. I had several enquiries on the back of it and I now have some brilliant publicity information to include in my enquiry pack.
I've set up a simple website and have started publishing a newsletter/ezine.
"I've had a good sign-up response from it and an enquiry. The thing I've learned with marketing is that it has to be a regular thing and it will build its own momentum. I'm now honing my niche and know that this helps to clarify my message even more and allows me to target my marketing more specifically." |
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Rebecca Crosbie
I had never been able to confidently use the telephone and although I have always found this "silly" about myself, was stubborn and prone to a tantrum or two when faced with a call! I am a confident person who loves meeting new people, but I always dreaded a ringing phone. I would pass on my responsibilities to others, ignore the constant ringing, switch everything to my machine and even lie and concoct reasons why I couldn't take my calls!
This may seem trivial, but to me this was my mountain and I was starting to behave in a manner I knew was not the real me. My coaching session enabled me to realise that I maybe once did have a valid reason for my issue (I was deaf for a period of my life) but actually a lot of my problem was habit. I came up with my plan of action and realised after my session, that I had NEVER told anyone about my misery with the phone before, and had never challenged my behaviour!
Within a week, I bought my new phone with headset for my coaching practice, upgraded my mobile, took my calls and even made some! It became easy and my relationships changed as family and friends now hear from me regularly. Today, my training is fun as most of it is on the phone, my anxiety has left, my confidence has soared and I am expecting my phone company any day now to let me know I am their customer of the month!
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Hetal Shah
I went on the January 2003 weekend and soon after I started coaching paying clients and after completing with my first client I received this feedback from his wife:
"He remains motivated and focused, and with it a far nicer person to live with because he's actually enjoying what he's doing. I have to say that I think you have really helped him to make the transition from being stressed-out and miserable to a well-motivated happy person, for which I thank you!"
| "It really is a great feeling to get feedback like that, especially when it's from the partner of the client! It's given me so much confidence as he was my first client. It made me realise how powerful coaching is and how far reaching its effects can be." |
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Usha Nair
Prior to my involvement in life coaching, I had a successful City career for 20 years. I held various roles whilst employed, however, the most recent was as a manager responsible for the development and performance of staff in the Customer Relationship environment.
I was unfortunately (this should now be fortunately) made redundant. After the initial shock, I started to reassess my life and what was important to me. I am a single mother and my greatest pride is having brought up my two children on my own for the last 13 years. Balancing family life, especially as a single mother, with a very demanding and challenging job was at times extremely difficult. However I survived – well I did until I was made redundant - then financial worries kicked in.
I knew then that I never wanted to be in this position again (being made redundant and feeling vulnerable and financially insecure) so I investigated a number of options that would allow me to do what I loved and provide me with a reasonable income. Through my discussions with various people and the use of the Internet, I discovered life coaching. I therefore made a decision to pursue my dream and build a career utilising my greatest strength – the development and coaching of others to maximise their potential.
With all this in mind, I knew I needed to learn all about coaching as quickly as possible and be confident enough to launch my practice.
I contacted The Coaching Academy and enrolled on their Coaching programme. Unfortunately, the earliest training weekend was not due to be held until 28th/29th June. Due to my financial constraints and my availability to train I placed a special request with The Academy to receive the work modules prior to the weekend. I immediately tackled the workbooks and assignments. Prior to attending the weekend I had completed assignments one and two.
The weekend provided me with further information and skills and was a great opportunity to network with other coaches. I met a number of people who I am in regular contact with.
Once back from the weekend, I completed the final assignment and was assessed on my practical coaching sessions.
"I launched my practice on 7th July - One2One Coaching – and signed up my first paying client in my first week. I was confident to launch my practice prior to receiving my accreditation as I had completed all of my assignments and had received positive feedback on my practical skills." |
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I am still developing my client base and have sown a number of seeds to both increase my exposure and my revenue:
- Written an article for a magazine and my local newspaper. Waiting for confirmation from the editors of its publication
- In the process of finalising relationships with two well-known health clubs in the City and one local health club.
- Scheduled to present a "Motivational and Inspirational " session to the Enterprise Club of my local Chamber of Commerce.
- Possibility of holding "Motivational and Inspirational" sessions with the local Chamber of Commerce Business Advisors and Mentors.
- In discussion with a recruitment agency in the City to provide my services to their candidates (confidence, self-esteem and self-belief).
- In discussion with the local Education Business Partnership to provide my coaching services on a freelance basis.
I am aware that some of these opportunities may not be successful. However, I believe that you need to be positive and prepared to try anything. I am continually looking at new ways to raise my profile to ensure that I succeed. I am also a member of different networking groups.
My key drivers during the study period and even now have been to provide financial security for my children, my passion for coaching and my stubbornness to succeed.
I am now a fully qualified coach doing what I enjoy with a number of exciting challenges ahead of me.
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Sharon Gaskin
I've been marketing my practice for about three months now and things are beginning to happen! The first thing I did was to think long and hard about a niche and I came up with the idea of Career Coaching for Women, a subject very close to my heart as a working mum of two small children. I set up my company, gave it a name (the result of several brainstorming sessions with friends), Female Futures, and set up a website. I also persuaded four other coaches, all Coaching Academy-trained to come on board with me as associates.
Since then, I have found several clients through the website and I'm getting a good response to the Tips sheets. Our company is on several women's and parenting sites as a link. I am running a workshop for a prominent women's association in September and have been approached by a new magazine aimed at working mothers to possibly run a Questions and Answers feature every month. And I've also been on BBC local radio!
"I'm really feeling positive about future business, even though it's early days. However, as I think has been said before, marketing is hard work and you have to be prepared to be persistent and not give up too easily!" |
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Lorraine Thomas
The Parent Coaching Academy
Lorraine Thomas is the UK's leading Parent Coach as featured in The Sunday Times, The Times, The Daily Mail, The Independent, on the BBC and ITV's This Morning. She is also a regular contributor to the national magazine Practical Parenting. She is the Chief Executive of The Parent Coaching Academy, a pioneering organisation working with parents who are motivated, passionate and committed to being the best parents possible.
Lorraine and her team of professional Parent Coaching Academy coaches support parents as they make major decisions about family life and develop creative ways to solve family problems. The Parent Coaching Academy works with parents of children of all ages in the UK, USA and Europe on all family issues.
It also runs a successful programme working with cutting-edge employers committed to developing initiatives to support parents in the workplace.
Lorraine is a working mother, with three young children, who is well aware of the challenges facing all parents and she knows from her own personal experience how coaching can transform people's lives.
She gave up a career as a successful television executive to qualify with The Coaching Academy and become a Parent Coach and establish the UK's first Parent Coaching Academy.
Lorraine has a first-class Honours Degree in Education from Cambridge and is accredited with Distinction by The Coaching Academy. She is a qualified teacher who has worked extensively with parents. She is also committed to contributing to the voluntary sector.
The Parent Coaching Academy is committed to supporting the pioneering national charity Parentalk and works in association with it on a range of initiatives. The Parent Coaching Academy and Parentalk are committed to inspiring parents and supporting them in the most rewarding, challenging and important job that they will do in their lives.
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Kenneth Attwell
I spent most of my working life in retail but it was never really me. When I left my job to become a life coach I thought it was my ideal job. I qualified with The Coaching Academy in 2003 and subsequently attended numerous courses including Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and a seminar with Anthony Robbins.
I quickly learnt that the term "life coach" can mean many different things to people and I soon realised that to be successful I would need to niche myself. First I tried weight loss, phobias and stopping smoking but I soon discovered that the latter was the most popular. I use a combination of NLP, TFT and coaching (I also stress to my clients that, if it does not work, they will get a full refund) and, as I am an ex-smoker, I know what it is like to give up. I really want to be the very best at what I do. I have read lots of books on smoking and attended different stop-smoking workshops as a 'smoker' just to see what they were like and spoke to people that had stopped smoking to find out what methods they used.
I have been doing it full-time since August 2003. I joined the Business Networking International (BNI), which I would suggest every coach should do, and subsequently found someone to do my website, business cards and flyers. The business has really taken off now and I have even been featured in the national press recently.
As far as I am aware, there are a very few dedicated "stop smoking" coaches around, which is very hard to believe as there are over 12 million smokers in the UK, 70% of whom wish to give up. My business is going so well now that I very rarely do one-to-one sessions but hold workshops for two or more people and run stop-smoking workshops for corporate clients.
I feel the keys to being a successful coach are 1) niche yourself 2) believe in yourself and your abilities and 3) be the very best!!!
"Finally, I would just like to add that I have picked up a brand new C Class Mercedes, before that I was driving an 'M' reg Vauxhall Corsa. This is due to my successful coaching practice. If I can make it happen so can you!" |
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It is very important to us at The Coaching Academy that we constantly ask our students for feedback on the course they have attended. That means if any single aspect of the course, venue or training is not what our students expect, we can quickly address it. In practice we find most courses run extremely smoothly. For an idea of the value and learning our students have gained, read on!
“I would recommend this course to anyone who not only wants to make a difference to others’ lives, but also those who are looking to improve their own personal development.”
Lynda Saddington
“Funny, informative and hugely inspiring.”
Yvonne Castle
“Motivational, good for learning from others and for having the opportunity to tap into the wisdom and experience of the trainer.”
Lilian Smith
“This is only my second weekend and I have already gotten more value than I had ever imagined.”
Ken Koehler
“Mind blowing! You never fail to inspire me to improve my own performance as a coach.”
Julie Hughes
“Excellent. I found that all my learning was falling into place at a steady pace.”
Imelda Smith
“Excellent. Very practical insights into sales and marketing from the tutor who (only a few years ago) was in the same position as myself and demonstrated how it can be done.”
Chris Brown
“The Coaching Academy is a progressive organisation that is completely customer oriented and great value for money.”
Roger Dawson
“The sessions were brilliant, very good communication, clear, informative and funny. An extremely well-run course with all the information and help provided to get you started as a coach.”
Gill Adamson
“Gave me all the tools that I need to make me a successful coach.”
Sid Mofya
“Outstanding in every way.”
Bruce Caswell
“High quality, well paced training delivered with energy. The trainer is passionate about sharing the experiences she has gained to benefit others.”
Diana Maughan
“Very good use of practical exercises to demonstrate and imbed learning.”
Jackie Wright
“Brilliant! Encouraging! Confidence building! Packed with a plethora of tools and tips that are not only interesting but useful.”
Andrea Cox
“Very inspirational. Just what I needed to take this part of my business forward.”
Maria Deacon-Viney
“Fantastic! Very well presented. I feel very energised, and ready to start my business. Now!!”
Mark Wright
“The Coaching Academy is a brilliant organisation for would-like-to-be coaches. The course is structured very well. The support and training materials are very professional and the trainers are all excellent, fantastic role models.”
Gloria Evelyn
“Inspirational. Loads of energy and knowledge presented in an uplifting and professional manner.”
Jan Morgan
“Some incredibly useful tools and techniques that have educated, enlightened and raised my skills level.”
Jo Turner
“Very impressed by the tutors’ knowledge, enthusiasm and genuineness. I found their style and personality an ideal fit with the content.”
Rebecca Waechter
“The tutors were inspiring, filled me with confidence and made me feel like I can do it. Great fun.”
Toni Jux
“The trainers are excellent, inspiring and patient with us all. Thanks for everything.”
Karen Webster
“This course has given the kick start I needed to start my coaching practice.”
Geoff Fieldhouse
“I have loved every minute. It was fascinating, exciting and empowering.”
James Saidman
“Excellent practical skills to apply to real life.”
Tracey Cain
“Congratulations. Opened my eyes to the possibilities for me as a business coach.”
Nicole Cook
“Really inspiring. I’ve learnt loads.”
Tilly Hardick
“Lots of information – fast-paced – enjoyable. Crisp and to the point.”
Julia Tolton
“A very enthusiastic and energetic approach. Fast moving, and informative.”
Jan Morgan
“A brilliant learning experience. Great to listen to someone with so much experience.”
Berni Albrighton
“Excellent. Really made us tackle the difficult questions and topics that we face with selling our services to business.”
Tina Dulieu
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The Solid Gold Guarantee 