Coaching for Transformation
In 2010, I completed the Leadership that Works’ Coaching for Transformation (CFT) coach training program. Upon graduation, I designed and opened my coaching practice and have been coaching ever since.
My practice has evolved and niched in many ways, but the foundational principles I learned and experienced for myself in the CFT program continue to influence my work in the world.
The Coaching for Transformation™ curriculum is based on 20 years of research and experience and field-tested by some of the most successful coaches in the world. It goes beyond theories and models and trains you on how to work with clients holistically and on a deeper level.
You learn how to coach the whole person: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s the only coach certification program that emphasizes cultural awareness and social change. Graduates coach people to make the kind of changes that the world needs now.
The following aspects of the curriculum, excerpted from the CFT website, are what I believe make it a transformational coaching program – for me and my clients!
Depth and Heart Connection
Embrace the shadow · Connect to intense emotions and needs · Know when to make a referral
Most coaching programs avoid intense emotions. The assumption is: “That’s for therapists.” We disagree. Intense emotions point to what’s most important. In this coach training program, you dive deep into the healing process.
As a masterful coach, you get to draw from a variety of modalities to help your clients break through limiting beliefs, honor all parts of the psyche, and step into their power. As a trauma-informed coach, you’ll know when to hold silence, when to interrupt, and when to make a referral to a therapist.
Transformational coaching stands on the shoulders of the human development field, psychology, soul work from indigenous cultures, and philosophies of the East. No other program offers such an interdisciplinary approach to transformational coaching.
Whole Person Transformation
Alignment with body, mind, spirit · Acknowledge the essence of the soul · Deep transformation
Traditional coaching focuses on getting clients to take action. But how do they know what action to take? You’ll learn to help clients align their inner and outer worlds so that when they move into action, it’s grounded in the clarity and authenticity that comes from within.
Transformational coaching teaches you how to bring your body, mind, spirit, and soul into alignment before you take action. Then you help your clients do the same.
We often hear graduates say, “I expected the program would be transformational for my clients, but I didn’t know it would be so deeply transformational for me.”
Your life will change, and there’s no going back to the status quo.
Self-Discovery and Social Change
Transformation for individuals, organizations, communities, and society · Expand your impact
Most coaching focuses on the individual. Not a bad place to start. But what about systemic change? Yes, coaching helps clients create a better life, but we can go far beyond that.
Clients get stirred at the soul level and their passion for creating a better world is unleashed. This is not business as usual. Coaching is life-changing and world-changing work.
At Leadership that Works, we’re committed to changing the demographics of the coaching profession by making coaching available to under-resourced communities. Our faculty have deep roots in multicultural awareness and attract participants from many different communities and backgrounds. We look for creative ways to bring coaching to people who traditionally don’t have access to coaching—the social sector, upstart nations, communities of color, LGBT, and more.
During this program, both coaches and clients:
Make big changes
Take big risks
Go boldly toward creating the world they want to live in
You and your clients can expect to take responsibility for strengthening your relationships, your communities and your organizations. Coaching for Transformation graduates are serious about making the world a better place. You will awaken your gifts and inner wisdom in service of personal transformation and global evolution.
Diversity and Cultural Awareness
Honor diversity and inclusion · Tackle the issues of power and privilege · Address oppression
The ability to coach people of different cultures and identities is vital in today’s multicultural world. We’re the only coach training organization that teaches you how to integrate cultural awareness and social justice in your coaching.
Our programs aren’t for the faint of heart. You’ll learn how to practice cultural humility by taking a hard look at your own power, privilege, rank and culture. You’ll learn to honor your clients’ worldviews and unique experiences. You won’t just listen empathically. You’ll support your clients to resist, eradicate, and replace oppression. First at the personal level, then in their relationships and then in their organization or community. And you’ll learn these skills from teachers who walk their talk, who wrestle with tough challenges and create fresh solutions on a daily basis.
Widely known as leaders in the field of cultural awareness, our faculty train coaches to support the kind of changes that the world needs now. Our students come from diverse communities and backgrounds. They work on some of the most pressing issues of our times and come from more than 30 countries on 6 continents.
CFT coaches use these 5 pathways to alignment to support deep transformation:
Exploring Needs and Values – Help your clients become conscious of their underlying needs so that their core values snap into focus. This awareness provides a blueprint for making decisions. When clients become aware of what motivates them, they create energized, values-driven action plans.
Experiencing the Moment – Whether they are facing daunting obstacles or cool opportunities, invite your clients to experience the present moment. As they honor the intuitive wisdom of their bodies, explore their emotions, and embrace resistance, they can connect with their authenticity and life force before moving into action.
Expanding the View – When your clients hold limiting beliefs, you can help them explore and embody a wide range of viewpoints. This playful approach helps clients release disempowering viewpoints and embrace new possibilities – and new ways of being.
Envisioning the Future – Discover new methods of visioning that help your clients awaken. Learn how to open new possibilities by engaging the right brain, visualizing, and creating a more compelling future.
Embracing the Shadow – Explore multiple parts of the psyche and embrace their positive intent. Working with your clients’ inner world inspires them to honor all of who they are—and connect to the deep reservoir of wisdom known as the Self.
Ready to take your next step?
