It’s so easy
Are you ready for it?
Here’s how to become a life coach in Canada…
Call yourself one!
Canada has no restrictions or regulations in place for the Life Coaching profession. Anyone can become a Life Coach by calling themselves as such.
The Life Coaching profession isn’t alone as this is also the case for other professions such as Nutritionists, Personal Trainers and Health Coaches—and any other type of coach for that matter.
A Better Question Might Be—How Do I Become a Life Coach That Can Transform Lives?
Since anyone, aged 2 yrs+ can call themselves a Life Coach, how to become one probably isn’t the best question to be asking.
Sure, anyone can become a Life Coach—but not everyone can transform the life of another in ways they couldn’t have imagined without walking the road of transformation themselves and then coaching another to do the same.
This takes personal dedication to the craft of coaching yourself. Evolution into a transformational presence—a catalyst for deep change in another.
This my friend, cannot be done through a course from Udemy. You need live interaction with real-world coaches, offering you valuable coaching, feedback, and practice.
I have recommended a valuable resource toward the end of this post as a place for you to start.
On to the informal regulations of Life Coaching.
The International Coach Federation
There is a regulating body called the ICF (International Coach Federation) attempting to regulate the coaching industry. However, their accreditation is not recognized by any country as a legitimate licensing body.
Because of this, the Life Coaching industry remains unregulated. It’s not mandatory anywhere in the world to be an accredited Life Coach.
Is Accreditation Recommended?
There is an ongoing debate about this. In the end, there are valid points to argue on both sides.
Getting certified through an ICF accredited Life Coach program does generally indicate the certification quality meets a certain standard.
For example, no accreditation is given to Life Coach certifications that don’t include a live teaching component. I 100% agree with this.
Coaching is not something one can learn by watching hours of video and all of a sudden know how to coach another. It takes practice, lots and lots of practice. First, you learn to coach yourself, then you learn to coach another, through practice.
Core Competencies
Any Life Coach Certification that is accredited by the ICF must teach what the ICF calls the Core Competencies.
These 11 core competencies are also debated by coaches. I can understand this because different types of coaches require different approaches.
For example, I believe Holding Space should be a core competency for any coach, especially a Life Coach, but it’s not.
It’s Your Choice Whether to get certified
Whether you want to learn the art of Life Coaching through an accredited program or not is ultimately up to you.
Would I recommend calling yourself a Life Coach without any high-quality training or practice? Absolutely not.
I surely wouldn’t want to be coached by someone who has no training or received their training from a low-quality certification like what you can find on Udemy.
Do Your Research and Find a reputable certification
Take some time to discover exactly what type of coaching approach you want to take. Make sure it resonates with you.
For example:
I wrote a long detailed post comparing 6 amazing online Life Coach Certification programs and each of the programs offers a slightly different approach.
Some Recommended Programs
Coach Training Alliance
A very well-rounded program that predominantly takes an inside-out approach.
More info: Coach Training Alliance Review
Natural Wellness Academy
A very well-rounded program that predominantly takes a more spiritual approach with a dose of hypnosis.
More info: Natural Wellness Academy Review
Universal Coach Institute
The most affordable program of the bunch predominantly takes a traditional approach based on the ICF Core Competencies and being solution-focused.
More info: Universal Coach Institute Review
Have Questions?
Feel free to reach out to me here.
I’d love to help you find your way.
Hey, I enjoyed this post very much. I love the way you described yourself as well. I get social media can be bothersome and energy-sucking.
I wanted to know how to be certified as a life coach, I want a good programme of course. I would prefer self-study as I have a full-time job. I am residing in Trinidad at the moment and will be moving back home to Toronto soon, sort of wanted to get certified before I move next year. I have been searching online for the entire day and I am a bit overwhelmed with all the options. If you can please give me a top three that wont break my bank account.
Hey Melissa!
Glad you enjoyed the post! Toronto misses you!
I get the overwhelm, it can be daunting with all the options out there. Analysis paralysis I think they call it.
If you haven’t already, check my post comparing online life coaching certifications
It’s a great place to start as it also helps understand the different variables to consider, including some you may haven’t thought of.
Let me know what you think once you’ve gone through that post 🙂