So you want to enroll in a coaching certification… but there are so many to choose from! 

What factors should you consider to know whether a program is the right fit for you – and whether it will help you become the very best coach you can be? 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the options, this article will help you get clarity. 

We’ll begin by touching on the practical aspects of choosing the right program, like whether or not it fits your learning style and goals, or whether it teaches you business skills. 

While these practical aspects are an important part of the decision making process, the most important thing when choosing the right coaching certification program is to find one that feels like a heart-led, intuitive YES to you. 

Here are some important distinctions and questions to consider as you search for the perfect coaching certification to fit your needs: 

1. What do you want your EXPERIENCE to be?

In a nutshell, there are two basic structures for coaching certification programs – self-study or live & guided. Each structure has its pros and cons, and within each there is a broad range of depth of content & teaching styles. 

In order to choose the structure (and ultimately the program) that’s best for you, begin by considering what you want your experience to be. One way to do this is to think about WHY you are getting certified as a coach. Are you looking to have a certification you can put on your website, mainly for the sake of credibility, so you can begin your coaching career right away? Or are you looking for an immersive experience where you will truly deepen your coaching skills and learn frameworks to help you transform lives? 

If you already feel confident in your coaching skills and you’re simply looking for some added credibility, a self-study program might be good for you. These programs also work well for people who enjoy studying alone and absorb information easily in an intellectual learning style (with less hands-on practice, guidance and support). 

On the other hand, if you truly want to develop coaching mastery and feel 100% confident in your ability to transform lives, you might be a better fit for a program that is live & guided. These programs often take longer to complete and will involve more in-the-field, hands on practice and learning, rather than a focus on just theory and information. 

If you’re anything like me, finishing a self-guided program can feel nearly impossible! I need something live to show up to in order to feel excited and enthusiastic about what I’m learning. And I’ve worked with so many coaches who feel the same way. 

That’s why we designed our Aliveness Mastery® certification program to have so much live support – our students are placed in a small group with no more than 10 people and each week, they get on LIVE calls with our coaches to learn coaching frameworks and concepts that have been developed by master coach Gigi Sage over the past 35+ years. 

Plus, each student is paired with a one-on-one inspiration mentor who is with them for the duration of the program, to help them stay on track with their goals both within the program as well as in their coaching business. 

This program is a great fit for the coach who wants the opportunity for lots of practice and who learns best in an environment of high touch support, guidance, and feedback.

2. Do you want support & coaching to GROW YOUR BUSINESS too?

Being a successful coach means not only having the skills to support your clients and transform lives. It also requires you to learn the skills of business and marketing so you can find and retain incredible clients. 

Some coaching certification programs focus primarily on coaching skills, while others give you a comprehensive education in both the skills and the business side of being a coach.

Depending on your professional background, you’ll need to decide whether or not you want support to learn how to grow and run your coaching business. If you feel confident in your ability to grow your coaching business and find & enroll clients, you will likely do well with a certification that focuses primarily on coaching. On the other hand, if you’re new to business and you want more comprehensive support, you’ll be best suited to a program that covers both business skills and coaching skills. 

That’s why our Aliveness Mastery® coaching certification includes a complete business coaching program – included in your tuition – for the full 9 months. The Business Bootcamp is designed to support you in growing your business, or starting a new business. It will help you clarify your message, grow your online presence, and find & enroll clients. If you’re already an entrepreneur, it will support you to create your next-level brand, stand out online, and convert more of your leads into sales.

Not an entrepreneur? Already mastered these topics? The bootcamp is totally optional. You can feel free to complete only the modules that apply to you – and jump into the coaching calls whenever you need support around business, marketing or sales.

3. Is your own PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT important to you?

Most seasoned coaches will tell you that part of being a great coach is being someone who is invested in your own growth and transformation along the way. By doing your own inner-work, you expand your capacity to support your clients through their growth and healing. 

When it comes to a coaching certification program, you can choose a program that will focus only on teaching you coaching and/or business skills – or you can choose one that will ensure you apply the skills and frameworks you learn to your own life first, so you can experience the transformation firsthand, before you use them with clients. 

In the Aliveness Mastery® coaching certification program, our teaching style is highly experiential. We don’t have tests or ask you to memorize ideas. Instead, we give you concepts to practice with our mentors and to take out into your own life, and we assign projects that allow you practice your coaching in teaching in the real world. 

As a result, our students don’t just learn how to be coaches – they actually begin a powerful transformation process that creates changes in their life first, and then ripples out into the work they bring to the world. In this program, you’ll learn the skills to become a great coach, but you’ll also learn to create a life that brings you alive in the process! 

As you take each of these factors into account and consider how to choose the right coaching certification for you, remember that this decision needs to come from your heart and your own inner-knowing. 

It’s important to think things through and consider all of the options, but at the end of the day the program that will be best for you is the one where you resonate with the trainers, you feel aligned with the mission and the vibe of the company, and you’re excited about what you’ll learn and how you will grow through this experience. 

Remember, do your research but then go with your gut. 

Your deeper self knows what’s right for you!