The Vancouver Life Coaching Community

Coaches are are scattered across the Lower Mainland from West Vancouver to Chilliwack. British Columbia's West Coast is a hot-bed for life and business coaching and although the community is quite diverse in geography there are organizations like the Vancouver ICF that help bring the community together. Lets dive into an overview of the local community and how you can get involved!

Vancouver Chapter of the International Coaching Federation

The Vancouver branch of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) encourages both members and non-members to attend monthly meetings where they discuss wide-ranging issues related to life coaching. These meetings are both networking and speaking events about coaching topics including executive coaching, business coaching and leadership coaching. Meetings are scheduled monthly from September to June. ICF Vancouver also hosts socials, workshops and promotes coaching success through the Prism Awards and Coaching Awareness Week.

The ICF of Vancouver has over 200 active members in such specialties as life coaching, executive coaching, business coaching and career coaching. Trained and certified coaches may specialize in one niche, however you will find that a professional coach can help your with most of your personal and professional goals regardless of their specialization. All ICF Vancouver coaches have diverse training and backgrounds and professional designations.

So how can you get involved?
Getting involved with the Vancouver ICF is actually pretty straightforward. Just call them up! Although you will probably have a better response if you are an ICF certified coach (more on that in a moment) anyone can go to the monthly meetings, suggest topics of discussion and help guide the direction of the chapter. Chapter officials are elected annually by the membership. Currently the Vancouver chapter has over 200 members. Do any of those members stand out from the others?

Top Vancouver Coaches

Two local coaches stand out for being amongst the cream of the crop. First, 2007 Coach of the year Steve Mitten. Steve is a force in the local coaching community having served as the ICF President in 2005 and is always at the top of people's minds when it comes to top coaches in the area. His background is in entrepreneurship have brought two separate companies to the IPO stage and as such is widely regarded as a top business coach in addition to his established skill set as a life coach. Steve has achieved the highest possible level of ICF coaching certification and is a Master Certified Business and Life Coach.

One of his top counter parts in Vancouver is the widely regarded Julia James. Julia was a nominee for the 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year Award and in 2008 was awarded the BNI Master Networked Award. In addition, Julia has the rare credentials of being both an ICF certified coach in addition to her Coaches Training Institute (CTI) certification. Still not enough for you? Julia and her coaching team conduct coaching in English, German, French and Spanish!

Vancouver Coaching Schools

Now that you know a little more about Steve and Julia perhaps its time to head out there and get the training to join them in the local coaching ranks! There are several options in the Lower Mainland Area and although not all of these schools have the same reputation (some are just newer than others) all have proven to be quite popular amongst coaches starting out. Here is a quick overview of the programs available at Coaches Training Institute, Erickson College and Royal Roads University.

Coaches Training Institute (CTI)
Its no wonder that CTI is a very popular training option amongst prospective Vancouver coaches. Doubling as the world's largest coaching school, CTI is a power-house in the industry and its no different in Vancouver. Every year, CTI runs at least two programs to train local coaches in its Co-Active coach training module. The sessions are usually held at a Downtown Hotel. For all the details, contact CTI direct at 1-800-691-6008.

Erickson College
With a campus near Downtown Vancouver, Erickson is the most notable training facility in the city. Classes are also offered online to people not able to make it to the actual campus. The focus with Erickson is on leadership training and they have received high praise in this regard. To find out more about Erickson call 1-800-665-6949.

Royal Roads University
Although Royal Roads is located near Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island, it has proven to be another decent option of Lower Mainland individuals looking to successfully complete their life coach training. At Royal Roads, the focus is on executive training and most people who take this program have at least several years of real-world business experience. Its a good option if you are looking to complete a more formal training program by an accredited university. For all the information please contact Royal Roads at 1-800-788-8028.

Vancouver: An Active Coaching Community
As you have probably noted, with many training options, successful coaches and an active ICF branch Vancouver is a hotbed of life coaching. There are also many opportunities for newcomers and established community veterans to increase their involvement in the community. It is up to you, the coach, to get as involved as you choose!

With a campus near Downtown Vancouver, Erickson is the most notable training facility in the city. Classes are also offered online to people not able to make it to the actual campus. The focus with Erickson is on leadership training and they have received high praise in this regard. To find out more about Erickson call 1-800-665-6949.

Royal Roads University
Although Royal Roads is located near Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island, it has proven to be another decent option of Lower Mainland individuals looking to successfully complete their life coach training. At Royal Roads, the focus is on executive training and most people who take this program have at least several years of real-world business experience. Its a good option if you are looking to complete a more formal training program by an accredited university. For all the information please contact Royal Roads at 1-800-788-8028.

Vancouver: An Active Coaching Community

As you have probably noted, with many training options, successful coaches and an active ICF branch Vancouver is a hotbed of life coaching. There are also many opportunities for newcomers and established community veterans to increase their involvement in the community. It is up to you, the coach, to get as involved as you choose!

Jesse Heaslip is a Business Coach and Coaching Community Relationship Manager at Noomii.com. Noomii is a coaching resource center for the Vancouver life coaching and San Francisco life coaching communities amongst other cities across North America. If you are a life, business, career or executive coach, Noomii can get you more clients.