You’re Not Behind: Making Sense of ICF Credentials, Mentor Coaching, and “What’s Next” for Your Coaching Career
If you’ve ever opened the ICF website, skimmed through requirements, and thought:
“Wait… Level 1? Level 2? Mentor coaching? Recordings? Exams? Am I the only one who finds this confusing?”
You are absolutely not alone.
For many coaches, the journey to an ICF credential feels less like a clear path and more like a maze:
The language and structures keep evolving.
10 hours of mentor coaching sounds important… but also vague and slightly intimidating.
Performance recordings feel like putting your soul on tape.
And meanwhile, you’re trying to keep your business (and life) afloat.
This blog is for you if you’re:
On the road to your first ICF credential (ACC),
Stepping up toward PCC,
Or navigating renewal and wondering how to make it all feel more grounded, human, and doable.
Let’s demystify this together — and talk honestly about the real pain points coaches face along the way.
The Reality: It’s Not “Just You”
Across global coaching communities, when coaches talk about credentialing, the same themes show up again and again:
1. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
Most coaches don’t struggle because they’re not smart or committed enough.
They struggle because the information is:
Dense
Spread across multiple pages
Written in a highly technical or administrative tone
You’re trying to answer simple questions:
“What’s my next logical step?”
“Do I meet the requirements yet?”
“How do I know if I’m really ready?”
Instead, you get path diagrams, application routes, and acronyms that require their own legend. No wonder so many coaches stall out at the “thinking about it” stage.
2. Mentor Coaching: Required… but rarely explained well
By now, you probably know that you need 10 hours of mentor coaching, spread over at least three months, to earn or renew an ICF credential.
What doesn’t always get said out loud is this:
Not all mentor coaching is created equal.
It’s possible to “tick the box” and still feel unprepared.
Finding a mentor coach you trust — who combines rigor and humanity — can feel like dating: hopeful, awkward, and occasionally disappointing.
Coaches tell us things like:
“I know I need mentor coaching, but I don’t want it to be a transactional hour-counting exercise.”
“I want real feedback. And I’d also like to not cry after every session.”
You deserve mentor coaching that does more than satisfy a requirement. It should elevate your coaching, expand your confidence, and help you truly embody the ICF Core Competencies — not just memorize them.
3. Performance Recordings = Vulnerability Hangover
Submitting recordings is one of the most confronting parts of the credential journey.
You’re inviting strangers to listen in on your work.
You’re aware of every pause, every moment you wish you’d asked a different question.
You might worry they’ll discover the exact insecurities you’ve worked so hard to hide.
If you’ve ever thought:
“What if they hear I’m not as good as I want to be?”
…you’re in very, very good company.
Good mentor coaching and a supportive community can transform recordings from “proof I’m not enough” into evidence of growth. But without that support, it’s easy to avoid recording at all — which stalls your application, and with it, your confidence.
4. The Business Side Gets Left Behind
Here’s the unspoken truth:
You can be a brilliant coach and still feel lost when it comes to:
Pricing your services
Structuring offers
Creating a steady flow of clients
Communicating your value without feeling salesy
The credential is crucial — it protects the profession and validates your expertise.
But the credential alone doesn’t build:
A sustainable income
A predictable practice
A business that supports your life
That’s where Beyond the Badge™ comes in — but we’ll come back to that.
5. The Loneliness of the Credential Journey
Perhaps the hardest piece?
Many coaches are doing this alone:
Solo practitioners without internal teams or colleagues
Working from home, between sessions, in stolen pockets of time
Trying to interpret ICF documentation in isolation
Without a community, it’s very easy to tell yourself stories like:
“Everyone else is more advanced.”
“Real coaches don’t struggle this much.”
“I should have figured this out by now.”
None of those are true.
You’re simply missing a room full of people who get it.
A Different Way: Mapping Your Credential Journey
One of the reasons we created The Credential Map™ at The Art of Strategy was because coaches kept asking the same underlying question:
“Can you just tell me where I am and what my next step should be?”
The Credential Map™ is designed to do exactly that.
It helps you locate yourself in one of three stages:
Exploration – “I want this, but everything feels foggy and overwhelming.”
Activation – “I know the pieces, but I’m not moving consistently or confidently.”
Momentum – “I’m close. I want refinement, reassurance, and structure for the final push.”
Instead of judging where you are, it normalizes it — and then offers specific next steps based on that reality.
If you haven’t already, this is where you:
👉 Download The Credential Map™ (free)
Use it to self-assess, breathe a little easier, and identify where support would be most useful.
Where Community Fits In: The COP
Even the best map is useless if you’re walking alone in the dark.
That’s why we’re building a Community of Practice (COP) around three simple lenses:
Coach: Self – Your mindset, identity, and sustainability as a human and a professional.
Coach: In Practice – Your skills, presence, and embodiment of the ICF Core Competencies.
Coach: In Business – How your coaching translates into offers, clients, and income.
The COP is:
A free, monthly touchpoint designed for ICF-minded coaches.
A place to bring questions you might not want to post publicly.
A space where rigor and kindness can coexist.
Think of it as your ongoing nerve centre — the place you come back to as you move through preparation, application, renewal, and beyond.
👉 Join the COP Waitlist to be first in line when dates and details are released.
When You’re Ready for More: Coaching Mastery & Business Mastery
Once you have clarity and community, you may reach the point where you’re ready to go deeper — to move from “I think I’m okay” to “I know I belong at this level.”
That’s where our two flagship programs come in.
Coaching Mastery (Mentor Coaching) – For Your ICF Credential
Designed for coaches on the road to ACC and PCC, Coaching Mastery focuses on:
The 10 hours of mentor coaching you need — structured as 3 × 1:1 sessions and 7 × group.
Working directly with recorded sessions so feedback is specific, practical, and immediately usable.
Elevating your coaching against ICF Core Competencies and PCC markers, not just personal preference.
It’s less about “fixing” you and more about helping you:
Hear your strengths clearly.
See your patterns honestly.
Step into your next level with grounded confidence.
Business Mastery (Beyond the Badge™) – For Your Coaching Business
Beyond the Badge™ exists because we saw too many credentialed coaches quietly thinking:
“I did everything right.Why doesn’t my business reflect that?”
This program is built for coaches who want to:
Move from hobbyist to professional.
Clarify their offers and pricing.
Build structures that make income more predictable.
Align their business decisions with their values — not someone else’s blueprint.
Think of it as:
The business counterpart to your credentialing journey.
The place where your letters turn into livelihood.
So… Where Do You Go From Here?
If you’ve read this far, chances are one or more of these are true:
You’re serious about your craft.
You care about doing this the right way.
You’re tired of feeling like you’re “behind,” even as you work incredibly hard.
Here’s what I’d love you to do next:
Start with The Credential Map™
Use the self-assessment to locate yourself honestly and kindly. No drama. No shame. Just data and insight.Add yourself to the COP Waitlist
So you’re not walking this road alone. The COP will be your space to stay connected, inspired, and resourced.Explore Coaching Mastery and Beyond the Badge™
When you’re ready for structured, high-touch support in either your craft, your business, or both.
You don’t have to have your entire trajectory figured out today.
You just need to know this: You are not the only one who has found the credential journey confusing, confronting, or lonely. And you absolutely do not have to navigate it by yourself.
With you in the work,
The Art of Strategy
Strategy. People. Performance.