I’m officially an Associate Certified Coach (ACC)!
✨🎉 I’m officially an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the ICF! 🎉✨
And I am pausing to celebrate!
What is an ACC?
The ACC stands for Associate Certified Coach. This is a credential offered through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), which is the largest governing body in the world of coaching.
You may or may not know, but coaching is not a regulated industry. So the ICF set out to define and standardize Values, Ethics, and Best Practices for all coaches. Not all coaches who go through training receive this credential, and not all training programs adhere to the ICF Standards. So what exactly does an ACC mean?
✅ It’s an official credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the global standard for professional coaching.
✅ The ACC requires completion of at least 60 hours of professional coach training accredited by the ICF, coaching clients outside of a training program for at least 100 hours, receiving 10 hours of mentor coaching from a qualified coach, and a passing score on both an oral and written ICF exam.
✅ It means I’ve been trained in coaching ethics, active listening, powerful questioning, and client-centered practices.
✅ It reflects deep commitment - not just to coaching, but to the integrity of this work and the transformational impact it has.
So when you hire a coach who has a credential from the ICF, you are hiring a coach with a “global symbol of excellence, integrity, and commitment to the highest professional standards,”(from the International Coaching Federation website).
Why does this celebration matter?
This marks the FINAL major milestone I wanted to complete this year.
When I left my corporate role at the beginning of May, the goals I set out to complete in 2025 were:
✅ Decompress and recover from burnout
✅ Move into coaching full time
✅ Complete 100 hours of coaching
✅ Apply for the ICF ACC exam
✅ Launch a podcast
✅ Pass the exam to get my ACC credential
Before becoming immersed in the world of coaching, I would have added a goal to the list every time I completed one. And if I had somehow not added more pressure to myself, I would have finished the exam and immediately thought, “It’s only September. Keep moving forward!”
It would be easy to fall into that mindset, to discredit the journey that brought me here, and avoid spending time with deep gratitude for myself and the hard work I put in. I could tell myself that it wasn’t that hard, that it doesn’t mean much, that I got lucky with the questions given to me in the exam and that’s why I passed, that studying wasn’t challenging enough for the celebration to be worth it, etc.
And it IS true that final step in this journey was a multiple-choice exam that I prepared for while having the flexibility to build whatever study schedule I wanted over the past month.
But the 120+ hours of coach training, many of the 100+ hours of client coaching, all mentor sessions, and deep inner work needed to be successful at this point was done while holding down a full-time job and performing at a high level.
So, I am slowing down to celebrate both the achievement and the near year and a half journey that got me here.
I talk about this often on my podcast, but taking the time to celebrate your achievements, big and small, before moving onto your next goal is crucial to building inner confidence, recognizing self-worth, and being present. All of these things lead to greater satisfaction and less burnout, two things that I’ve learned are strongly held musts when it comes to my career.
Reflection: I encourage you to think about how amazing the things you’ve accomplished actually are. What are all of the milestones that brought you to that point? How did you directly and indirectly contribute to your success in that moment? What did you learn along the way? What does that growth mean to you?