CLCC = Credentialed Life Coach Collective
ICF Level 1 accredited coach training, your own inner work done alongside the skill, and the business foundation to actually open your practice. (Without becoming the kind of coach you’d roll your eyes at.)
YOU are “that person.”
You’re the one people call. Friends, coworkers, the person who “just needs five minutes.” More than one person has told you after a good talk, “You should do this professionally!”
You’ve thought about therapy, but don’t want to take on years of school and thousands of dollars in debt.
So you’ve considered coaching. You’ve bookmarked programs, listened to the podcasts, maybe read the books. And every time you get close, the same question stops you:
“What if I spend the money, do the work, and turn out to be just another person who calls themselves a coach?”
It’s great that you’re asking that question, and we’ve got an answer—one that doesn’t require you to be certain about anything before you begin.
The reality for a lot of future coaches right now…
You’re already doing a version of this work, untrained and unpaid. People open up to you. You listen well. And you honestly don’t know whether what you’re doing helps them or just feels nice.
The industry makes you suspicious, and for good reason. Weekend certificates seem shady (they should). “Six figures in six months” sounds too good to be true (it is). Programs that turn out to be a video library with a badge at the end. You don’t want to become that, and you’re not sure how to avoid it.
You can’t tell good training from good marketing. Every program calls itself accredited, transformative, life-changing. From the outside, they all sound the same.
You think you have to be sure, first. Sure you’ll be good at it. Sure you’ll get clients. Sure this is the path.
So you wait. Waiting feels safer than being wrong. But waiting is also a decision, and it’s one you keep stalling in, without ever getting the information that would let you decide for real.
You learn coaching the way it actually works: the human first, then the technique.
Most coach training programs focus only on teaching coaching technique. CLCC brings in the human—you, the coach—behind the technique.
First, you learn what happens inside you when a session gets real, when the client is frustrated and stuck and when he silence stretches. Your instinct is to fix, rescue, or advise.
If you haven’t worked with your own fear and self-doubt in those moments, no technique will hold. So doing your inner work isn’t an extra at CLCC. It’s built into the curriculum.
Then you build the skill, mapped to the latest ICF Core Competencies, through live practice and feedback on your actual coaching.
Then you build the business foundation, so you leave able to practice, not just holding a certificate.
Nine months, January through September. About 10 hours a week, including four live hours with your cohort, and everything else scheduled when it works for you. Intentional cohorts with a 1:10 instructor ratio, because coaching can’t be learned in a crowd.
Hi, I’m Kate Swoboda, and here’s why CLCC exists.
When I first started as a coach, I took one of those randomly propped up coach training programs. Then later, when I tried to get my ICF Credential? I learned that the program hadn’t ever been ICF-Accredited, so my education wouldn’t be accepted as-is and it was on me to fill in the gaps. That program didn’t help me with marketing training so that I could actually make money doing this, or helping me to have the confidence to actually find clients.
CLCC was built with that in mind. We’re Level 1 ICF-Accredited—meaning, unlike the predatory programs out there, we’re not calling ourselves “Accredited” when all we have are a few approved CCEs or Continuing Coach Education units. Our grads can apply for their ICF credential as soon as they finish our training + their practice hours.
I also built CLCC around courage + community. You need to grow your own self-confidence to do this work. It’s what equips you to handle the hard moments, and you need a supportive community. That’s why
I’ve been coaching since 2006—20 years! I’m hold a PCC from the ICF and have a Masters in Psychology. I’m the author of The Courage Habit (New Harbinger Publications) and host of the Your Courageous Life and Craft of Coaching podcasts.
Most coach trainers can’t tell you this part: I’m trained in how adults actually learn. I am a psych professor and have an Instructional Design certification from Duke University.
CLCC isn’t a set of recorded lectures with a quiz at the end. It’s designed so that skill gets built through practice, feedback, and reflection, which is how coaching skill really develops.
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Kate Swoboda, Director of Training - PCC, MA Psychology
Kate Swoboda has been a life coach since 2006. She is an ICF-credentialed coach, a certified HR professional, head of the CLCC® program, and creator of YourCourageousLife.com. She’s also author of The Courage Habit, endorsed by New York Times best-selling authors and named a "top book on habits" by BookRiot. She was named a "Top 10 Coach to Watch" by LA Weekly. Kate hosts the Craft of Coaching podcast and the Your Courageous Life podcast.
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Valerie Tookes, Lead Coach - PCC, MA Integrative Nutrition
Valerie is an ICF-credentialed coach and has a graduate degree in integrative nutrition and helps people to embrace the bodies that they are in, both through 1:1 coaching + traveling the world to host retreats.
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Maribeth Thomas, Lead Coach - PCC, BA Psychology
With a background in corporate, Maribeth brings a unique blend of human performance, wellness, and leadership experience to her work as a coach. She partners with clients to build resilience, deepen self-awareness, and create meaningful, lasting change.
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Kim Kimball, Lead Coach - PCC, DPT
Kim Kimball is a somatic coach with more than 8 years of experience who guides her clients through identity transitions. She has coached through private practice as well as through organizations.
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Mona Rose Alhabshi, Assistant Coach
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Nicole Miller, Assistant Coach
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Rhona Parry, Assistant Coach
CLCC: ICF Level 1 accredited coach training for people who want to coach with skill, depth, and courage, not scripts or cookie-cutter fluff.
ICF Level 1 accreditation, not CCEs. All training hours that count toward your ICF credential. The International Coaching Federation is the credentialing body for this profession, and you can verify our accreditation on the ICF’s own website.
Live cohort practice. Four live hours a week, where you coach, get observed, and get feedback. (P.S. Nobody has ever learned to coach well by just watching a video about coaching.)
Mentor coaching, included. You receive private coaching, yourself, from our facilitators.
Your own inner work. Built into the program, because the coach you are shapes every session you run.
Business foundation. The Coaching Blueprint marketing program, sample contracts, and client-facing materials, all included.
A community. Most coach training programs end and then…you’re on your own. We want your cohort to become your professional circle, well past graduation.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Our curriculum includes all of the ICF Core Competencies, and we additional weave in themes of somatic coaching, narrative coaching, and person-centered techniques. Modules are taught live and touch on real challenges that coaches face and how to work through them.
BUILD REAL TRUST—YOUR WAY :: Your first client sits down and you reach for the script: “So, what are your goals?” You sound like a coach. You don’t sound like you. Trust isn’t built by nailing the opening. It’s built when the client can tell a real person is paying attention. Develop your own coaching style and co-create a strong relationship from session one.
FACILITATE DEEP, LASTING CHANGE :: Week three, your client was on fire. Week seven, they show up apologizing for “falling off.” Fading motivation isn’t the coaching failing. It’s often where the real coaching starts. Help clients clarify what they want, stay accountable to themselves, and make changes that hold.
NAVIGATE SELF-DOUBT—YOURS AND THEIRS :: Mid-session, your client goes quiet, and a voice in your head says: A real coach would know what to do. That voice is the same pattern your clients bring. Learning to work with yours is how you learn to work with theirs. Coach through resistance and fear without trying to fix, and stay present instead of spiraling.
UNPACK INTERNAL NARRATIVES :: “I’m just not a disciplined person,” your client says, like it’s a fact about the weather. Handing them a nicer sentence won’t change it. Getting curious about where the story came from will. Help clients examine and shift the beliefs running their lives, without forced positivity.
WORK WITH THE PAST, RIGHT HERE IN THE PRESENT :: They’re talking about their boss, and suddenly they’re talking about their father. Is this still coaching? We don’t split “therapy = past, coaching = future.” What rises in a session usually belongs there. Hold space for what surfaces, without pathologizing the past or getting stuck in it.
HOLD SPACE FOR EMOTION—ETHICALLY :: Your client starts crying, and everything in you wants to make it stop. Emotion usually means something real is happening. Knowing when it calls for a referral is a learnable skill. Coach through grief, anger, fear, and joy, with clear protocols for when to refer out.
COACH ON REAL-LIFE ISSUES: HEALTH, MONEY, AND RELATIONSHIPS :: They came in to talk about a career move. Twenty minutes later, it’s about money, a marriage, or a doctor they keep avoiding. These aren’t side topics. They’re where patterns show up most clearly. Help clients unhook from long-standing habits, and know where coaching ends and referral begins.
THE LIVE SESSIONS
We start with a live retreat weekend, then meet for live sessions two times a week while training is in session from January through May. All calls have a short, mid-way break.
Lesson Calls: Thursdays from 3:30-5:30pm, Pacific Time
Field Work + Practicum Calls: Saturdays from 10am-noon, Pacific Time
Get the full call schedule, here.
WHAT DO WE DO ON CALLS?
Each week has a topical theme, and on the call we’ll do coaching demonstrations, skill drills, answer questions, give feedback, complete on-call exercises. We weave elements of narrative, somatic, and strategic coaching alongside our person-centered focus.
HOW MANY HOURS EACH WEEK?
We’ve surveyed our grads on this, and they’re busy working professionals like you. They tell us you need about ten hours each week. Four of those hours are the Thursday/Saturday live calls, and the remaining six are for practice sessions, reading, journaling, homework, and can be scheduled however you like.
WHAT’S YOUR COMPLETION RATE?
You’re probably wondering this because you’ve started things and not finished them, before—which is a common fear of our participants when they begin, too. We have a 98% completion rate, and not because it’s easy. Per ICF Accreditation requirements, our students complete a final portfolio coaching call and assessment, which is reviewed by our credentialed staff, to ensure that the call integrates all of the ICF Core Competencies, and 50 coaching practicum hours.
THREE REASONS WHY CLCC EXISTS
One. We train the coach, not just the technique. Your own work with self-doubt and building your confidence is part of the program, because a coach who hasn’t done that work can’t reliably hold space for a client doing theirs.
Two. It’s built to last. CLCC has run since 2014. Our curriculum is aligned with the ICF Core Competencies and reviewed every year. Our completion rate is 98%.
Three. The business piece is included, not an upsell. Marketing training, the Coaching Blueprint® program, and client materials are all in tuition. No surprise fees halfway through. You’ll also get invites to alumni events.
HOW TO TELL GOOD COACH TRAINING FROM SLICK MARKETING
Before you choose any coach training, check these:
Is the Level 1 accreditation verifiable on their website, or do they only have CCEs?
Is the curriculum more than the ICF competency names relabeled as modules?
Will someone actually watch you coach and give you feedback?
Is mentor coaching included, or is it a separate bill later?
What’s the completion rate, and will they tell you?
Are their instructors themselves actually ICF credentialed?
They’ll dance around these answers, while we’ll answer every one of these on the record: Verifiable Level 1 accreditation, real curriculum that goes beyond just the ICF Core Competencies, observed practice and ongoing feedback, 10 included mentor hours, 98% completion, and ICF credentialed Lead facilitators.
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Kahea Pacheco
“There is so much care put into everything that’s done — I felt seen, invested in, and that the Leadership Team and other trainees were right beside me every step of the way, supporting me to grow into the truest expression of myself, as a coach and as a person.”
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Sandy Engbretson
“CLCC has completely changed my life! The experiential nature of the program has helped me use what I have learned in the weekly lessons to not only make me a better coach but a better person as well! I am so thankful I stretched way outside my comfort zone and signed up for this course; It's by far the best decision I've ever made!”
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Loha Raphael
“Becoming a part of the CLCC family has been one of the best decisions of my life. I have transformed my life as a woman, a coach, a friend, a daughter, a citizen, a colleague – pick a relationship and my life has changed. In truth, it’s not that the people in my life have changed but rather I have expanded.”
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Dona Bumgarner
“I joined the CLCC program to learn to be a coach and how to start a business, and the program delivered these skills in spades. But that wasn’t the best stuff I got out of these last few months. More importantly, my life has shifted in some profound ways. I’m stronger, clearer, more confident in all areas of my life.”
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Nariah Broadus
I chose CLCC because of its unique mix of holistic coaching training guidance, and the opportunity to spend the better part of a year with a cohort of talented women who were similarly interested in developing themselves as coaches, but also as people. I could not have imagined all the ways I would personally be stretched and challenged --and supported--in my own growth. I leave not only feeling more confident as a coach, but feeling energized by the tools I take with me to shape and define my life.
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Molly Larkin
I am so grateful I followed my inner sense of "YES!" and signed up for the CLCC. I had been researching coach training programs for several years but none of them quite fit. The CLCC has far exceeded my expectations in every way. I have been deeply challenged, supported, trained, guided and inspired every step of the way. Life will never be the same!
Your Investment
Here’s everything included:
ICF Level 1 accredited training that meets standards for your ACC with the ICF after graduation
Live hours every week with your cohort and faculty
10 hours of Mentor Coaching
Marketing Training that covers both beginner and advanced marketing skills.
Sample contracts and client-facing materials that you can adapt for your unique coaching practice.
The CLCC Pre-Session Jumpstart coursework, with immediate access when you enroll.
To begin:
1: Review our Schedule to confirm the dates work for you.
2: Fill out an application to join our next cohort.
3: Get started with coaching skills using the CLCC Pre-Session Jumpstart course, before we begin in January
2027 Cohort Tuition
Tuition: $5,750
Deposit to register: $1,000
Remaining balance: $4,750, paid off in monthly, interest-free installments of $339.29
As an experienced coach, I wasn't sure how much I would get out of CLCC. Kate and the philosophy seemed to really resonate, but did I actually need more training? Now, at the end of the program, I can tell you that my investment was 100% worth it, and I was blown away by these aspects: the deep educational components about psychology and neuroscience, the practical and effective exercises you can use immediately with clients, and the hands-on love and support you get from the entire program team and cohort. Kate and the CLCC Leadership Team walk their talk, and are devoted to equipping you with the tools and knowledge to be a marvelously skilled practitioner. If you're not sure, take this as your sign: you aren't getting a better value coaching training program anywhere else on the planet. --Lisa Lewis
ON THE FENCE?
We get it; this is a commitment.
You don’t have to be certain to begin.
Many of the coaches who’ve graduated from CLCC didn’t know, when they enrolled, whether they’d coach full-time, part-time, or inside the job they already had. Most of them came in with some version of fear: what if I spend this money and don’t learn anything?
Certainty isn’t the entry requirement. Willingness is. The certainty comes from doing the work, the same way it does for your clients.
If you’ve been carrying this question for a while, we hope you’ll ask us questions: support -at- TeamCLCC -dot- com .
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
— Carl Jung
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Bree Overly
Not only have I learned how transformative coaching can be from the coach’s perspective, I have also experienced the transformative power of coaching from the client’s perspective. I know how important and powerful the work is from both sides, which makes me a better coach, and a more confident, fulfilled person. The leadership of CLCC are amazingly talented, and the work they have done to create a holistic, experiential program that not only teaches skills but also creates community is unique and life changing. I have benefited so greatly from the connections I have made with my fellow cohort members. They are kindred spirits, and the connections are deep and life affirming.
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Sally DeArmas
I'm not sure I can accurately articulate all the ways in which I've benefited from being a part of CLCC. It has been mind-blowing! I am taking away that I felt loved, cared for, and supported from the get-go at the retreat, and that continues today. I have never in my life felt more advocated for or corroborated with in such a tender, affirming place and from such beautiful people. It actually makes me wonder how I didn't know it was possible to feel accepted and appreciated so fully. I have felt challenged by the curriculum as a new coach in a very 'good way'; like when you have a really sore muscle that needs to stay limber, but yikes, it doesn't feel the best when it is moved or massaged, (and also it 'feels so good'!=). It has felt AMAZING as well as liberating to stretch myself fully! The confidence that Kate, as well as the Lead and mentor coaches, have had in me is exactly what I needed to step out and show up as my most courageous deliberate self. I am proud of how I have grown personally and professionally making me feel as if I am not the same person as when we started CLCC in January, but a much better version of myself now. I am equipped with the tools needed to contribute to my life as well as the lives of others in a way that is impactful and meaningful, something I have desired for as long as I can remember. I will also say that I am deeply honored to know the leadership team, my CLCC peers, and to be walking this Oh-so-glorious, deeply moving journey with all of you. I will always feel like you are my people, and I am yours.
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Kim Romain
I received such an amazing breadth of training through CLCC. From where I stand today, I recognize how much I have deepened my skills through in-session practices as well as through our field work calls, in addition to having an opportunity to learn how to focus my coaching on the whole person vs. the problems clients identify with, creating long-term, systemic change in their lives. But, I think my greatest takeaway from my time at CLCC is the opportunity to do so much inner-work for myself, as well. For me, this comes from deeply wanting and needing to feel a part of something bigger than myself, to step out of my comfort zone of doing it all for and by myself. Over this time with CLCC, I have been able to lean into the larger community, both as a client, as as a friend. Thanks to my time with CLCC, I feel like I have an extended family, a true team, I can call my own. Although I've heard others say this before, I never really understood its true meaning until my time with CLCC. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and am excited about where this journey is going to lead us all to next.