SeattleCoach! "Connection. Curiosity. Challenge."

Professional Coach Training & Development

 "Vocation is the place where the work you most need to do connects with what the world most needs to have done."  Fredrick Buechner

"Being asked a great question lights up our brains in a way being told stuff never can.
The coach's goal is for the lights to go on in the brain of the person he or she is in conversation with." Patty Burgin

"I interviewed other wonderful coach-training programs but was drawn to SeattleCoach for its energy, the potential for camaraderie and the personalization I felt when I talked to you." Member/Coach

"This has been way more than 'coach training'. My soul feels bigger."  Member/Coach
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We are interviewing now for one more new Fall Cohort:

Cohort #28 will meet Tuesdays, 3-5pm, beginning on October 24, 2017 (one seat left)
Cohorts #29 & #30 begin Spring 2018

Keep reading/listening, click on the "more Info" box below and then be in touch.
The ability to coach well adds an extra gear to the professional identity and engine of a leader, manager, entrepreneur, ministry or HR professional. It is equally rewarding and demanding. And it is the increasingly crucial capacity that helps the people you lead and work with to learn faster and to absorb change sustainably. Think of coaching as the craft of effectively creating and delivering highly-customized and collaborative, just-in-time adult leadership development.

Whether you're a front-line manager who is finding your way as a leader, an experienced "elder" in your sector or a soon-to-be entrepreneurial coach, this training will help you to build your skills and to find your own voice--with deeper grace and clarity.

We know what it takes to help you develop the skills, presence and ethical confidence of a professional coach. And from the start of our first cohort in 2008, we have honored our distinctives of working with proven leaders in face-to-face groups of 10-20 coaches.

Plus terrific people and their companies keep coming into this program and making it better.
One of Patty's superpowers is the ability to put wise and funny people together and to then uncork some magic.



The SeattleCoach Professional Training and Development Program grows leaders who plan to use their coaching skills and presence in a wide array of settings: With executives, teams, as in-house experts, external entrepreneurs and via individual, team, wellness, adventure and personal development coaching. When you join us, you get to invest in who you might want to be next.

Since the launch of our certified coach training and development program, over 200 smart and attractive Northwest coaches have trained together in twenty-six cohorts. We now launch new cohorts several times a year, some on the inside of great companies. Each new participant becomes part of our Network. And each cohort becomes a vibrant team of allies.

Patty is a recipient of the 2016 ACES Award from the International Coach Federation (ICF) Washington State. This award "recognizes a coach who authentically acts, motivates and inspires excellence and commitment to achieving goals that advance the development of coaches, the coaching profession and the coaching community. They exemplify outstanding achievements in leadership and are a visionary with major contributions to both the profession and industry of coaching."

What Sets Us Apart?


If you're evaluating coach training programs, you've probably noticed that the words "certified" and "credentialed" tend to be used a lot--sometimes conferred following completion of a "one-and-done" workshop, and sometimes good programs use the words to indicate that a coach has completed their coach-specific training--which may or may not include scores of actual hours with clients.

The SeattleCoach Professional Training and Development Program is aligned with and accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) which is recognized as the world's leading body dedicated to advancing the  profession. Over the years this partnership has worked for us because:
  • The ICF standards of coaching education, experience, practice and ethics are rigorous, well-articulated and increasingly supported by global outcome data. We welcome being measured by those standards.
  • Like us, the ICF is always evaluating and improving.
  • And their explanation of "how coaching works" is clear to potential clients and coaches.
At SeattleCoach "certified" and "credentialed" reflect a steady focus on coaching presence and expertise. Credentialing by the ICF reflects hundreds of hours of training and experience and is deeply earned. Our rigorous coach-specific training is combined with the practice requirements of the three professional levels of credentialing awarded by the International Coach Federation: ACC, PCC and MCC. That's how we use the words.



Click on the link below to listen to Patty's best two-minute shot at describing the differences between a mentor, a teacher, a consultant and a coach. (There's a little of each in her style--
with the coach part in the lead.)




And check out this colleague's take on the differences between "leadership training" and "leadership development".
We under‐promise and over‐deliver and think we are worth remarking about. In all of our training and development we put leaders in close proximity to each other, knowing from experience that support, learning, innovation and fun will ensue. As an intentionally small but scrappy program, we're like a good Northwest craft brewery: We start with excellent ingredients, work with small batches and add lots of careful attention, mentoring, excitement about learning and yes, fun, along the way. No fog machines. The results are delightful. (And, FYI, nothing but this website is virtual.)

Both during training and in the years that follow, SeattleCoaches have access to continued face-to-face development and support, individually with Patty and other members of our faculty and via the SeattleCoach Network.

Patty Burgin, MA MCC
(Click here to read Patty's bio)

If you've had ten years of professional experience, be in touch. Why ten years? Because we've noticed that after ten years as a professional, most of our participants have experienced one to two major career transitions/changes (through different companies, industries and/or job functions). We believe this tends to build additional wisdom in most people--and we build on that wisdom as each of our members develops as a coach.

As soon as we hear from you, one of our faculty coaches will get right back to you to set up a thirty-minute interview. We'll ask each other questions, and together determine if this program is a match for you, your schedule and your goals.
  • Click here for further information about the history, philosophy, requirements and costs of the SeattleCoach Training and Development Program.
  • Click here for an article about how I see the difference between mentoring and coaching.
  • And click here to review "What Happens When Leaders Learn to Coach?" (The benefits of bringing our program to your company's internal leadership development.)

Click here to review the SeattleCoach
Bibliography on Amazon.
These are some favorites →
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A Few Favorites

Related  costs for completing a credential with the International Coach Federation (ICF)

  • ICF Membership: $245 (Optional while you're in training, but it's still nice to join the party asap)
  • Click here to review the requirements for initial certification with the ICF. The cost of the credentialing exam: $300 for ICF members, $500 for non-members. SeattleCoach has been accredited as an ICF ACSTH Program since 2008.
  • Three hours of individual mentor coaching (in addition to the group hours that are a part of our Module II). These can be done in partnership with any veteran ICF credentialed coach, usually at an additional hourly rate.
  • A good article about preparing to take the required "Coach Knowledge Assessment"
Word of mouth . . .
"Patty is one of the best. High integrity, compassion, spirituality, smarts and keen sense of humor makes her the best coach trainer I’ve ever had the honor to meet. I highly recommend her."

"Thank you for answering your calling--and for helping us answer ours."

"You turn people into coaches! How do you do that?!"

"It is through our cohort that I have found my voice."

"What continues to present itself is the wisdom of how you’ve designed this coursework. I didn’t expect to discover and learn what I am. More than the rules and ways of coaching, it is heart and soul +  science and framework. I love this mix."

"Your style is perfect for me, your wisdom and experience helpful, and you are fun. What more could a student ask?"

"As I finish Module II, I think I'm a better coach. I know I'm a better person."

"If it weren't for you and your kindness I would not be a coach today. You were the very first person to take the time to explain to me how my talents could be used as a coach."



"This is so much more than training. I've learned from listening to everyone else in this cohort how to listen to myself better. It's a juicy growth opportunity."

"I love what I do in a way I never imagined was possible."

"Thank you, Patty, so much for following your vocation. You've opened up a world of opportunity for other people to find their path. You have created magic."

"There are juicy bits to your much layered instruction that usually dawn on me as I drive home. One of the latest was the use of a song to get prepped and in the flow for a coaching session. There’s science behind why this works. You don’t regale us with some of the whys and wherefores but are willing to go down the road when asked. Subtle genius . . . Coaching training with you makes me a better person."

"My coaching comes into play daily, as I recognize how I can have better presence, ask better questions and help to make the world a brighter place."

"The entire program has been a gift and I will be forever grateful for our thoughtful and quietly transformative sessions. You have dug deep to create something that the world so desperately needs and found ways to empower and encourage more and more of it. What a blessing to have found you and to take part!"
"The members of our company who have completed the program are showing up differently with their teams. They are both 'coaching leaders' and 'coaching team players.'"

"Here's what turns me on:  People of compassion acting with courage, connected with their life calling (purpose). One person or team living this way can cascade into their families, friends, colleagues, congregations, neighbors, and fellow citizens."

"You can take this stuff and make it your profession. You can also make it your way of living. Date night is better. Parenting is better."

"This is so much more than training. I've learned from listening to everyone else in this cohort how to listen to myself better. It's a juicy growth opportunity."

"I see opportunities for the application of my new skills every day."

"I love what I do in a way I never imagined was possible."

"Expect as many changes in you as in those you coach! Welcome to this unique practice."

"I see opportunities for the application of my new skills every day."

"Just got my first coaching contract. I am SO excited and nervous. And so well prepared, thanks to you."
A little history: Since our launch in May 2008, over 200 coaches have trained in twenty-six cohorts. Our vision is that the SeattleCoach Network of coaches will grow in numbers and quality in the years to come, individually and together becoming some of the best coaches, internally and externally, on the West Coast and beyond. Pretty exciting. 

The small print: The SeattleCoach Training Program has been approved for a total of 249 hours of Approved Coach Specific Training by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The Approved Coach Specific Training Hours designation is awarded to programs that follow the ICF Definition of Coaching, Code of Ethics, and Core Competencies, and that meet professional standards for coach training programs established by the ICF.
 
Module I and Module II fulfill your foundational 75 hours of coach-specific training. And Module III will help you to move towards mastery and higher levels of credentialing. Click here to review other requirements for initial credentialing.
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