What Is an Executive Coach?
An executive coach works with business leaders to help them thrive as the best version of themselves—both personally and professionally.
Where life coaching has a more personal focus, executive coaching strives to help clients achieve heightened fulfillment within today's rapidly-changing work environment, in addition to striking an ideal balance between career and everyday life.
Create a culture of collaboration and innovation within their organization
Balance work and personal life
Reduce workplace burnout individually and across the organization
Discover passions, drivers, and motivators to improve work engagement
Increase confidence to better create a purpose-driven team
Navigate corporate politics workplace conflicts with integrity
Increase emotional intelligence and self-awareness to leverage their strengths more effectively
Do Executive Coaches Need to Be Certified?
Earning your executive coach certification is the best way to establish a solid foundation and ensure you're both mentally and emotionally equipped to help clients achieve the life and career they desire. Whether you earn your certification through executive coach courses online or in person, you'll unlock the skills needed to assist clients in reaching and living out their professional aspirations. This also helps you grow your executive coaching practice by differentiating you from competitors and making you more attractive to prospective clients.
Do Executive Coaches Need to Be Certified?
Earning your executive coach certification is the best way to establish a solid foundation and ensure you're both mentally and emotionally equipped to help clients achieve the life and career they desire. Whether you earn your certification through executive coach courses online or in person, you'll unlock the skills needed to assist clients in reaching and living out their professional aspirations. This also helps you grow your executive coaching practice by differentiating you from competitors and making you more attractive to prospective clients.
CPC
Master the coaching fundamentals
ELI-MP
Become certified to administer the ELI Assessment
COR.E
Specialize in one of four in-demand niches
Earn 3 Industry-Recognized Certifications
Included in iPEC's ICF-accredited Coach Training Program are three proprietary, research-backed certifications designed to differentiate you within today's coaching industry: Certified Professional Coach (CPC), Energy Leadership Index® Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), and COR.E® Dynamics Specialist.
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Establish the foundational skills and tools needed to help progress your clients from functional to thriving
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Facilitate conscious energy shifts and sustainable change
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Connect those around you to their own inner purpose and passion, so they can achieve their outer goals and desired actions
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Gain a better understanding of how someone experiences the world around them
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Help people understand how they show up energetically, especially when under stress
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Add an externally validated, statistically reliable tool to your toolbox to win over even the biggest skeptics
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Elevate your coaching business or career growth to the next level
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Specialize in one of four growing, in-demand fields
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Gain access to incredible, ready-to-use tools and content for individual clients or the teams you lead
Each of these certifications provides something unique and infinitely valuable on its own, but their power is greatest when combined throughout the course of the complete iPEC Coach Training Program. Each certification represents a critical step on the journey to unlocking your full potential as an executive coach—and as a human being.
Master the coaching fundamentals
- Establish the foundational skills and tools needed to help progress your clients from functional to thriving
- Facilitate conscious energy shifts and sustainable change
- Connect those around you to their own inner purpose and passion, so they can achieve their outer goals and desired actions
Become certified to administer the ELI Assessment
- Gain a better understanding of how someone experiences the world around them
- Help people understand how they show up energetically, especially when under stress
- Add an externally validated, statistically reliable tool to your toolbox to win over even the biggest skeptics
Specialize in one of four in-demand niches
- Elevate your coaching business or career growth to the next level
- Specialize in one of four growing, in-demand fields
- Gain access to incredible, ready-to-use tools and content for individual clients or the teams you lead
When you complete the iPEC Coach Training Program, in addition to three certifications you’ll also earn:
67 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification
70 Credit hours toward HRCI recertification
120 Credit hours toward Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential recertification
When you complete the Coaching Fundamentals module, in addition to a Coaching Fundamentals certificate you'll earn:
27 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification
27 Credit hours toward HRCI recertification
If you love helping teams and leaders reach their potential and you’re excited at the idea of making a cultural impact in the workplace, executive coaching certification could be a perfect fit for you.
As an iPEC-trained COR.E® Leadership Dynamics Specialist (CLDS), you’ll master how to help leaders at every level build teams that collaborate better and innovate more (i.e., exactly the skills that business leaders need to thrive in today's work environment). You’ll also deepen your ability to recognize and shift common stress factors, energy drains, and challenges—both in others and yourself.
As an iPEC-trained COR.E Leadership Dynamics™ Specialist (CLDS), you’ll master how to help leaders at every level build teams that collaborate better and innovate more (i.e., exactly the skills that business leaders need to thrive in today's work environment). You’ll also deepen your ability to recognize and shift common stress factors, energy drains, and challenges—both in others and yourself.
We’ve worked with some of the top organizations in the world, including:
Learn to Help Leaders Navigate Common Challenges and Gain In-Demand Skills, Including:
Mastering how to lead, inspire, and influence others to create a culture of collaboration and innovation
Reducing workplace burnout—for themselves or their organizations at large
Discovering their own passions, drivers, and personal motivators to feel more engaged in their work
Increasing confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome so they can build a purpose-driven organization and culture
Navigating corporate politics, internal workplace conflict, and competition with integrity
Fostering strategic creativity and communication to increase their organizational impact and revenue
What You’ll Achieve With iPEC’s Executive Coach Certification
iPEC’s Coach Training Program gives you everything you’ll need to be a successful certified executive coach.
In Phase One of the program, you’ll:
Core Energy Coaching™
In Phase One of our Executive Coach Training Program, you will experience the transformative Core Energy Coaching™ curriculum through three live modules, in addition to learning about Energy Leadership® and the role it can play in your overall development.
Our proprietary Core Energy Coaching™ methodology takes a step beyond traditional coaching, offering a proven path for understanding the true cause of your clients’ challenges and then working with them to create sustainable transformation. Founded on more than 10,000 hours of research and application over 30 years, this is the ideal foundation of business coaching in the industry today.
Core Energy Coaching™
In Phase One of our Executive Coach Training Program, you will experience the transformative Core Energy Coaching™ curriculum through three live modules, in addition to learning about Energy Leadership™ and the role it can play in your overall development.
Our proprietary Core Energy Coaching™ methodology takes a step beyond traditional coaching, offering a proven path for understanding the true cause of your clients’ challenges and then working with them to create sustainable transformation. Founded on more than 10,000 hours of research and application over 30 years, this is the ideal foundation of business coaching in the industry today.
Then in Phase Two, you’ll:
“iPEC coaching was one of the best developmental opportunities I have ever invested in. As I went through this program, my level of confidence grew as a coach and my ability to lead my team and help them maximize their potential expanded. This program taught me about mastery orientation vs. performance orientation, which are two very different processes and views on how we lead and learn in our lives. If you are looking for a top notch program where you can easily move into the magical world of coaching, IPEC is the school for you.”
Specialize in Executive Coaching through our COR.E® Dynamics Curriculum
With its exclusive curricula and niche-specific tools and skills, COR.E® Dynamics helps executive coaches increase their impact (and revenue!), attract their ideal clients, and excel as industry leaders.This is not a cookie-cutter approach to executive coach certification. It’s uniquely designed to help you support leaders at every level build teams that collaborate and innovate more effectively.
Choosing Your Niche
As part of the iPEC Coach Training Program, you'll have the chance to choose from one of four specialized tracks while earning your third certification as a COR.E® Dynamics Specialist.
You are here!
Life Coaching
Help clients identify their dreams, recognize what's standing in their way, navigate transitions, and create happier, more passion-filled lives.
Executive and Leadership Development Coaching
Coach accomplished executives to recognize and shift common stress factors, energy drains, and challenges among organizational leaders.
Health and Wellness Coaching
Support clients as they develop healthier habits and lifestyles, whether they're adjusting after an illness or navigating specific health goals.
Sports and Performance Coaching
Powerfully support the success of anyone whose life and work involves performance— including leaders, performing artists, professors, and sales professionals alike.
Life Coaching
Help clients identify their dreams, recognize what's standing in their way, navigate transitions, and create happier, more passion-filled lives.
You are here!
Executive and Leadership Development Coaching
Coach accomplished executives to recognize and shift common stress factors, energy drains, and challenges among organizational leaders.
Health and Wellness Coaching
Support clients as they develop healthier habits and lifestyles, whether they're adjusting after an illness or navigating specific health goals.
Sports and Performance Coaching
Powerfully support the success of anyone whose life and work involves performance— including leaders, performing artists, professors, and sales professionals alike.
Today, more than 25,000 powerful executive coaches around the world bear the iPEC credentials, and are using them to make an impact in organizations and communities worldwide.
There are many accredited coach training programs in the industry today, all of which tout their own methodologies and techniques designed to deliver lasting results. But there's one key aspect that sets iPEC apart from the rest: our philosophy. We believe there is vast, unrealized potential in every one of us, and that the key to awakening that potential is to access deeper self-awareness and higher levels of consciousness.
We do this by providing an immersive and transformational experience that can help you learn executive coaching techniques while reaching your own personal and professional potential. Our certified executive coaching courses are designed to be as useful and impactful for adult learners as possible—and the Core Energy Coaching™ methodology serves as the beginning basis for the whole program.
Program Features
Executive coach training with iPEC is a one-of-a-kind experience featuring a wide range of benefits, all designed to help you master the coaching discipline while also living out your own full potential. Whether you earn your business coach certification online or in person, you can expect:
Our proprietary Core Energy Coaching™ methodology goes beyond the methods of traditional coaching, offering a proven path for getting to the root of clients’ challenges and creating sustainable transformation. Founded on more than 10,000 hours of research and application over 30 years, this is the foundational knowledge you want in your toolbelt.
As an iPEC grad you’ll be trained and certified to use the Energy Leadership™ Index (ELI) assessment with your clients. The ELI is a research-backed assessment that provides tangible insights into how someone shows up in different areas of their life. As a certified practitioner, you’ll help others facilitate their own increases in self awareness—and impact the world.
We ensure our students have a safe space to practice and receive feedback, so you can graduate with all the tools needed to launch your coaching practice with the utmost confidence.
The path to becoming a certified iPEC coach is filled with opportunities to receive feedback, support, and encouragement—from both your peers AND expert coaches with thousands of hours of coach training and experience.
The iPEC program simply wouldn't be what it is today without our highly-trained Lead Trainers, all of whom are masters of the Core Energy Coaching™ curriculum. They're here to ensure you receive a world-class experience regardless of which Lead Trainer is delivering the material.
We’ve crafted our executive coach training program to be as useful and impactful for adult learners as possible, with plenty of flexibility built in. With options like in-person vs. virtual modules, midweek vs. weekend training, and flexible timing for your self-study assignments, we empower you to choose the environment and the learning cadence that best suits your lifestyle.
With 20+ years as an ICF-accredited executive coaching program, iPEC stands apart in the world of coach training with accreditations and partnerships that will show the world you’ve received the best training in the industry today.
With your tuition, you'll also receive access to a massive resource library stocked with tools, templates, wisdom, and ready-made materials to equip you to thrive as a professional coach from day one.
Why iPEC?
iPEC’s Executive Coach Training Program was one of the first to be accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF)—and in the nearly 25 years since, we've been helping reshape the coaching industry into what it's become today.
Energy Leadership™ and ELI Assessment
When you complete the iPEC Coach Training Program, you'll also receive your Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) designation, which includes completing and learning to administer the Energy Leadership™ Index assessment (ELI). The ELI is a research-backed assessment that measures your ability to lead yourself and others to take positive, productive, and sustainable action in their lives. Best of all, it produces a tangible result by giving you awareness about who you are and your level of engagement in the world.
Plus, bonus! Take the power of Energy Leadership one step further with the SCOPE™ Mobile Assessment App. When you complete Phase Two of the program, you’ll gain access to this advanced tool you can utilize with clients to measure their in-the-moment energy around a specific task, and prescribe actions to increase performance.
Energy Leadership® and ELI Assessment
When you complete the iPEC Coach Training Program, you'll also receive your Energy Leadership Index® Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) designation, which includes completing and learning to administer the Energy Leadership Index® assessment (ELI). The ELI is a research-backed assessment that measures your ability to lead yourself and others to take positive, productive, and sustainable action in their lives. Best of all, it produces a tangible result by giving you awareness about who you are and your level of engagement in the world.
Plus, bonus! Take the power of Energy Leadership® one step further with the SCOPE® Mobile Assessment App. When you complete Phase Two of the program, you’ll gain access to this advanced tool you can utilize with clients to measure their in-the-moment energy around a specific task, and prescribe actions to increase performance.
iPEC By the Numbers
1st
One of the first internationally recognized coach training programs ever to be accredited by the ICF
25,000+
Number of iPEC graduates around the world
25+
Years of experience
95%
NPS Rating (95% of iPEC graduates reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their iPEC training.)
Starting Your Coaching Practice
From choosing your niche and structuring your practice to determining your coaching style and any technology needs, there are many different components that go into launching your own practice. But don't worry—once you earn your business coaching certification, iPEC is here to provide everything you need to be a successful coach and entrepreneur.
Finding the Right Clients
Once your executive coaching practice is up and running, you'll get to begin finding and retaining the right types of clients for you. Whether you prefer in-person networking or marketing from the comfort of home, here are ten suggestions to help get you started.
Executive Coach FAQs
Recent data from the Lumia annual coaching survey shows that the average pay for coaching ranges from $62,500 to $245,000 per year. Coach Pony indicates that executive coaches can make $100–$400 per hour, while the 2021 Center for Leadership Studies indicates that executive and life coaches can make $150–$650 per session.
Your exact level of earnings will hinge largely upon how you approach the process and what decisions you make regarding your learning and investment opportunities. For more information, read our blog article on The 3 Factors That Influence a Coach's Salary.
There is a high demand for executive coaches around the world today. The International Coaching Federation estimates that the number of coaches worldwide grew from 53,300 in 2015 to 71,000 in 2022—an encouraging growth of 33%. And it's expected that the field will continue to expand, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected job growth of 10% through 2031—higher than the national average for all careers.
Earning your business coaching certification through iPEC's Coach Training Program also equips you with:
- 320+ hours of world-class coach training program hours and practicum
- Three distinct certifications
- 1-1 feedback and support along the way from your peers and professional coaches certified at the highest levels
- A vibrant, engaged community of fellow coaches
- Access to a massive resource library of content for you to leverage in your role as a leader or business owner
- Everything you need to be a successful entrepreneur, with comprehensive business development training and access to a supportive community of successful coaches
- And much, much more
While both business coaching and executive coaching involve supporting leaders in their professional endeavors and improving organizational outcomes, there are some key differences. For one, executive coaches tend to work with C-suite leaders and other high-level decision makers within larger organizations, where the coaching relationship is more focused on the individual; on the other hand, business coaches often help entrepreneurs and business owners address business roadblocks and reach their potential, where the coaching is often more focused on business needs and tends to be more action-oriented.
When you enroll in iPEC’s Coach Training Program, you aren’t just learning how to become a coach—you’re also learning how to become a successful entrepreneur. Our program includes ongoing business development training and access to a community of successful coaches. In fact, many students start gaining clients and earning income before they even graduate from the program!
When you enroll in iPEC’s Coach Training Program, you aren’t just learning how to become a coach—you’re also learning how to become a successful entrepreneur with ongoing business development training and access to a community of successful coaches. In fact, many students start gaining clients and earning income before they even graduate from the program!