Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching
You already know how to witness a client’s becoming. Now you can learn to witness a coach’s.
A six-week, ICF-accredited Mentor Coach Specialization journey for PCC and MCC coaches who want to mentor with love, courage, kindness, and truth.
Our only cohort of 2026 begins November 10. Complete your Mentor Coach Specialization education before the year ends.
ICF-accredited for 15 hours | 12 hours live on Zoom + 3 hours of applied practice
An intimate cohort of up to 10 coaches
Led by Christi Byerly, MCC and our senior team of MCC mentor coaches
A sacred space where rigor and human warmth sit at the same table
At Awaken, our foundation has always been community, presence, and deep connection. Every member of our faculty is a trained, experienced mentor coach.
Over time, we’ve seen more and more coaches, many who completed their initial training elsewhere, come to Awaken specifically to experience our approach to mentor coaching. Here, mentor coaching is a sacred space where rigor and human warmth sit at the same table.
We believe growth should never happen in isolation. When coaches sign on to our Standards of Presence, they say yes to bringing more love, beauty, and truth into the world.
With the International Coaching Federation (ICF) introducing changes to the mentor coaching process, shifts in our field are inviting all of us to reflect on how we support growth, depth, and excellence in coaching. Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching is our love-based answer to that invitation.
Read more about our approach to mentor coaching in Beyond the Checkboxes: What Real Mentor Coaching for Your ICF Credential Looks Like.
Testimonials
I teach at Awaken now. I came as a student first.
I already knew Awaken's depth, care, and rigor were real, so I did not need convincing. What I did not expect was the lightness. My moment came when I saw I could do both at once: hold the ICF requirements and keep a coach's attention on their client. I had been carrying those as two competing jobs. They are one. That changed how I mentor, and it made the work joyful.
I’ve long believed mentor coaching should be about more than competencies, markers, and checking boxes, but finding guidance for how to actually practice it that way was rare. This course gave me the chance to explore and practice a different way: courageous and kind feedback, curiosity about the whole human behind the coach, and the kind of support that invites real growth. It reminded me that mentor coaching can be deeply human and rigorous.
This journey is for you if...
You hold your PCC or MCC, have completed the ICF PCC Marker course (as well as the ACC and MCC Bars courses, if desired), and are seeking or renewing your ICF Mentor Coach Specialization through the prior experience route.
You want to go beyond checkboxing and have a real impact in the world through the coaches you mentor.
You want the coaches you mentor to feel deeply supported and bravely challenged within the same conversation.
You care about keeping coaching deeply human as the profession grows and standardizes.
You’d love to spend six weeks in a rich, vulnerable space of connection and learning with experienced, creative coaches who share your values.
Your six modules
Each module brings one essential dimension of mentor coaching to life, and each live session gives you the chance to practice the brave, loving connection you want the coaches you mentor to experience.
Module 1: Grounding Mentor Coaching Mastery in an Ethical Core
Discover how ethical clarity becomes the steady ground beneath every mentor coaching conversation, so trust can grow from the very first session.
Module 2: Tailoring Mentor Coaching Agreements to Each Coach’s Specific Needs
Learn to co-create agreements shaped around the coach in front of you, their goals, their credential pathway, and the growth they’re longing for.
Module 3: Mentoring the Whole Human Behind the Coach
Explore how to welcome the whole person into the mentoring relationship, including their doubts, their gifts, and their unique way of being with clients.
Module 4: Fierce Kindness in Mentoring Feedback
Practice offering feedback that is honest, specific, and caring, so coaches receive your words as a gift they can use.
Module 5: Strengths-Based Clarity in Written Feedback
Bring the same warmth and precision of your spoken presence into written feedback that coaches can return to again and again.
Module 6: Your Presence as a Group Mentor Coach
Step into group mentor coaching with confidence, holding a room where every coach learns from one another as well as from you.
Here’s everything included in your six weeks
Six live sessions on Zoom
Twelve hours of live learning across six Tuesdays, where you’ll experience, practice, and refine mentor coaching together with your cohort and faculty. We warmly encourage you to attend every module live, because the relationships and conversations within the group are an essential part of the experience.
Mentor coaching in your own practice
Between modules, you’ll bring the learning into real mentor coaching sessions with coaches you serve. You’ll mentor a minimum of three people, record at least one 1:1 session and one group session with two or more participants, and reflect on what you’re discovering. These three hours of structured applied practice turn insight into lived skill.
Awaken’s proprietary group facilitation guide and game
You’ll receive the exact process our faculty use to hold every Awaken course, so you can experience and embody it in action throughout the program. Participants often describe the quality of connection our facilitation creates as “next level.”
A cohort of up to 10
Your cohort is capped at 10 coaches aligned on the need for love, courage, kindness, and truth in mentor coaching, so every person can be truly mentored and can truly mentor others in return.
The course is officially ICF-accredited for 15 hours as part of our Level 3 MCC in Community program, supporting your pursuit or renewal of the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization.
Testimonials
The courses and classes offered by Awaken always come for me with this certainty: I know I’m invited to be fully me - express myself, show up with how I actually feel, be witnessed by kind,loving supportive others.
When I started this course, I didn’t know much about being a mentor and what skills would support my journey in becoming a mentor coach. After the training, I experience myself differently. I understand the role and nuances in which it differentiates from being a coach, I have gained practice and so much more self awareness in my bias and preferred personal learning style, and most importantly I feel prepared and confident to lead mentor coaching sessions. All of this becomes so much more enriching with a great community of people who really support and care for each other.
Your live sessions run every Tuesday from November 10 through December 15, 2026
Paris: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. | New York: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | California: 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. | Delhi: 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. | Nairobi: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Awaken Coach Institute has an international faculty spanning four continents. Sessions run at times that welcome coaches from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and the course is taught in English.
Your Investment
Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching
€1,000 EUR | $1,160 USD
Also available in 3-monthly installments at no extra cost
What happens after you enroll
You’ll receive your login details, Zoom information, course materials, and access to all six modules approximately one week before the program begins.
Between each live session, you’ll practice with real coaches, record your sessions, and reflect on what you’re learning.
As part of your course materials, you’ll also receive our proprietary group facilitation guide and game, the exact tools our faculty use to create facilitation that people describe as “next level.”
Welcome to Awaken Coach Institute. You belong here. Your presence and contributions will make our community a rich and vibrant experience for all of us.
Awaken Coach Institute exists to make the world a braver, more loving place.
We train coaches to listen deeply, to awaken to the power of their own presence, and to be more loving and accepting than they've ever been before.
Awaken Coach Institute is recognized as an ICF-Accredited Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 coaching education provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS)?
The ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) is the International Coaching Federation’s specialization for coaches who mentor other coaches toward an ICF credential. Earlier ICF materials referred to it as the Mentor Coach Qualification (MCQ). The MCS is available at the ACC, PCC, and MCC levels and recognizes education aligned with the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies.
Why do I need the MCS before January 1, 2027?
From January 1, 2027, coaches applying for an ICF credential must complete their mentor coaching hours with a mentor coach who holds the MCS at the appropriate level. If you mentor coaches today, or plan to, earning your MCS before the new year means you can continue supporting credential candidates without interruption. Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching issues certificates on or before December 22, 2026, giving you time to apply before the year ends.
Can this course count toward the Standard MCS Path?
Yes. The Standard MCS Path asks for 41 hours of mentor coaching education, with at least half completed through live, synchronous learning. Our 15 ICF-accredited hours, including 12 hours of live learning, can count toward that total.
Which level of MCS can I apply for after this course?
Your MCS level depends on your current ICF credential and the evaluation training you’ve completed. Coaches who have completed the PCC Markers course can apply at the PCC level, and those who have also completed the ACC BARS or MCC BARS courses can apply at those levels too
When should I submit my MCS application to ICF?
Once you receive your certificate, on or before December 22, 2026, you’re ready to submit your application. ICF estimates four to eight weeks to review an MCS application, so we warmly encourage you to apply as soon as your certificate arrives.
What makes Awaken’s approach to mentor coaching different?
At Awaken, mentor coaching is a sacred space where rigor and human warmth sit at the same table. Our course is led by Christi Byerly, MCC and our senior team of MCC mentor coaches, held in a cohort of up to 10, and grounded in love, courage, kindness, and truth. Many coaches who completed their initial training elsewhere come to Awaken specifically to experience our approach to mentor coaching.
Who can join this Mentor Coaching Specialization training program?
PCC and MCC coaches who have completed the ICF PCC Marker course (as well as the ACC and MCC Bars courses, if desired) and are seeking or renewing their ICF Mentor Coach Specialization through the prior experience route.
What is the prior experience route?
The prior experience route is ICF’s Credit for Prior Learning Path to the Mentor Coach Specialization, created to honor experienced mentor coaches who have already supported coaches in earning their credentials. To apply through this path, you’ll need a current PCC, MCC, or renewed ACC credential, 10 hours of mentor coaching education aligned with the ICF Mentor Coaching Competencies, experience mentoring at least five coaches who earned an ICF credential or studied within an ICF Level 1, 2, or 3 program in the past three years, and the coaching skills evaluation training for each MCS level you’re applying for. Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching offers 15 hours of ICF-accredited mentor coaching education, giving you more than the 10 hours this pathway asks for. If you’re unsure which pathway fits your experience, we’d love to help you explore it at communitycare@awakencoaching.com.
Is the course accredited?
Yes. Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching, Awaken's Mentor Coach Specialization training program, is officially ICF-accredited for 15 hours as part of our Level 3 MCC in Community program.
How much time will I need between sessions?
Plan for roughly three hours of applied practice across the six weeks, including mentor coaching sessions with at least three coaches, recording one 1:1 and one group session, and written reflection.
What do I need to complete the program?
To complete Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching and receive your certificate for 15 hours of ICF-accredited mentor coaching education, you’ll participate fully in the six modules and complete your applied practice between sessions. We warmly encourage you to attend every module live, and if you need to miss a session, you can catch up by watching the recording and answering a few reflection questions on the material. Our faculty will review your participation in the live sessions. Between modules, you’ll mentor coach at least three people, record one 1:1 session and one group session with two or more participants, write a self-reflection on each recording, and receive an attestation of having mentored three people. Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll receive your certificate on or before December 22, 2026, giving you time to apply for your Mentor Coach Specialization before the year ends.
Will there be another cohort soon?
This cohort is the only offering of the course in 2026. Our next cohort will be in February 2027. You can express your interest by emailing CommunityCare@awakencoaching.com
Does this course count toward my ICF credential renewal?
Yes. You can use Awakening Love and Courage in Mentor Coaching toward your ICF credential renewal or toward your MCS application. Each hour counts toward one purpose, so choose the one that best serves your path right now. If you’re pursuing the MCS, your 15 hours will support your specialization application. If you already hold your MCS or are focusing on renewal, the course can count toward your continuing coach education. Discover more ways to meet your ICF renewal hours.
Your next step on the credentialing path
Every stage of your ICF journey unfolds more richly within a community that grows alongside you.
Whether you’re applying for your ACC, PCC, or MCC, or renewing the credential you already hold, Awaken’s ICF-accredited pathways welcome you into a community of coaches who learn, practice, and celebrate together. Here, your growth is witnessed and supported by faculty and peers who share your commitment to love, courage, and presence in coaching. Explore our credentialing pathways and find the community that fits where you are now. Read more here about why your credential is just the beginning.
