Our Mission

Our mission is to bring freedom and personal power to as many people as possible, through personal development education and skills training.

We develop and deliver training programs based on the latest research and best practice quality standards.

 We cultivate a community of coaches and trainers who support our mission, and who co-operate for mutual support, professional development, and personal growth. Our coaches and trainers continuously strive to reach new levels of excellence both in delivering our programs, and in their private practices.

 We train coaches in order to increase the number of coaches available to coach in our skills training programs, to expand our wider community of coaches, and to increase the number of coaches in the world who are trauma-aware and who have a high level of emotional intelligence skills.

Learning Philosophy

Our learning philosophy is grounded in our commitment to freedom and personal power.

All coaching and training within our organisation is based on the principle of individual sovereignty; the client/trainee is the director of their own process, and the coach/trainer is a facilitator/assistant in that process. All training and assessment in our organisation is competency-based.

Principles of Competency-Based Education

1. Equity

Equity does not mean giving each trainee the same thing as everyone else. Instead, it means giving each trainee what they need to reach the same end goal.

Trainees are taught and supported based on their personal strengths and weaknesses, giving each individual the same chances for success. Thus, the variance of achievement based on culture, social class, household income, or language is removed.

2. Measurable competencies

Competencies must be defined in advance and set as learning objectives for each trainee.

 These competencies can be based on:

• Understanding of key concepts
• Ability to apply knowledge to meaningful problems
• Mastery of relevant skills

3. Transparency

In a competency based education system, trainees are informed when starting the course:

• What they need to learn
• How mastery is defined
• How they will be assessed

 When each trainee has the end goal clear in mind, they are enabled to take responsibility for their own education.

4. Individual support

Trainers work to guide trainees through their weaknesses and help them draw on their strengths, as each trainee moves towards mastery on a unique (but equally effective) path. This personalised learning experience gives each trainee an equal opportunity for success.

5. Assessment based on competence

 

Summative assessments

Competency-based education requires that trainees who are not yet competent are given support and feedback after each attempt at an assessment task, until such time as they become competent.

Formative assessments

Formative assessments give trainers the ability to adjust in real time by clearly identifying the key areas where trainees need to improve.

Authentic assessments

Internships allow trainees to take their knowledge and apply it to real world situations in order to demonstrate mastery.

Ethical Framework

Our organisation strives to deliver quality education to the highest ethical standards.

We incorporate into our policies and procedures the requirements of the ICF Code of Ethics, the principles of competency-based education, and best practices in corporate governance.

Terms of Service

The following policies are specific to the Coach Training program and are not all encompassing. Click here for our Terms of Service.

 

Section 1 – Inclusion Policies

1.1 Disability Policy 

Authentic Living supports individuals with disabilities and is committed to providing disabled individuals access to reasonable accommodations. In addition, Authentic Living prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and ensures equal opportunity for all qualified individuals with disabilities. Authentic Living is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in compliance with all local, state/territory, and federal Australian laws. Our goal is to create a learning environment which meets the needs of each individual student. We are able to accommodate a variety of learning disabilities to make our program more accessible, including but not limited to dyslexia, processing disorders, and neurodivergence. Individuals with questions about this policy, or who wish to enroll with a disability should contact Cadence Ford via the website contact form to confirm if your needs can be met. 

 

1.2 Non-Discrimination Policy

It is the policy of Authentic Living that: 

• Recruitment and hiring of all personnel is conducted without discrimination against any individual with regard to race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status. 
• All staff and personnel will not discriminate against any employee or participant because of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status. 
• All individuals are welcome to participate regardless of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status. 
• All employees, students, and other participants should be able to enjoy an environment free of discrimination and harassment. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination or harassment in the areas of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or veteran status. 

Our organization does not and will not tolerate conduct by any employee, student, volunteer, contractor, visitor, or vendor which unreasonably interferes with an individual’s ability to learn in a welcoming environment. Participants who wish to report discrimination are encouraged to follow the grievance policy (section 2.4 of this page). Authentic Living will promptly investigate all claims and reports of inappropriate conduct.

 

1.3 Ethics, Integrity, and Transparency

1.3.1 – ICF Code of Ethics

As an ICF Accredited provider, our organization adheres to and emphasizes the International Coaching Federation Code of Ethics and the principles of competency-based education. Additionally, Authentic Living commits to acting with integrity and transparency. We hold ourselves and our participants to the highest level of integrity and strive to be as transparent as possible by explicitly stating measures being taken to provide programs in an ethical manner. 

 

1.3.2 – Ethical Marketing

We do not believe in using manipulative or dishonest sales tactics and strive to provide a safe and ethical sales process. Further, we work to provide fair and equitable pricing for all programs to ensure access and quality of coaching education. 

 

Section 2 – Learning Experience and Support

 

2.1 Illness Policy

In order to provide you with the minimum required training hours for certification, it is important that you are present at all live sessions. If you have an emergency or become ill and are not able to attend a coaching session, please contact your instructor immediately. You will be expected to complete the session materials, review the session recording, and complete a coaching session outside the live session to make up for the missed session. If you need to miss more than 15 hours of the course, you will have the option to work with the instructor to cover the missed material at your own expense or register for another course. If you miss more than 3 hours of mentor coaching, you will need to arrange and pay for individual mentor coaching sessions to complete the required 10 hours of mentor coaching to satisfy the International Coaching Federation requirements. Petitions to this policy are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing to the Director of Education – Jenny Hale via the website contact form.

 

2.2 Partial Completion Policy

Authentic Living will offer credit for partial completion of a course. The number of hours awarded will depend on the number of hours of curriculum received. 

 

2.2.1 –  Emotional Mastery Coach Training (without ICF accreditation) Completion Credit

Authentic Living offers a certificate of completion if a participant has successfully completed the Emotional Mastery Coaching portion of the program (weeks 0-17). This entitles a participant to apply for an internship, and to use the Hale Method (™) in their private practice, but is not an ICF accredited certification. You may use this credit to apply for ICF level 1 accreditation after completing the required mentoring and client coaching hours. 

 

2.2.2 – Partial Completion Credit

 

If you are interested in receiving partial credit for a course in which you are currently or were previously enrolled, please contact Cadence Ford via the website contact form no more than 14 days after the course has ended. Please include details about the course in which you were enrolled, the number of credit hours you are seeking, and any additional relevant information. If approved, you will receive a certificate of credit from Authentic Living indicating the number of training hours completed. Individuals with questions about this policy are encouraged to contact Cadence Ford (Administration Manager) via the website contact form. 

 

2.3 Participation Policy

Success in our program requires full commitment by all participants. By enrolling in this course, participants agree to being fully present during all sessions and participate to the best of their ability. This includes arriving on time, abiding by the code of conduct, and engaging in course activities. 

 

2.3.1 – Attendance 

In order to provide you with the minimum required training hours for certification, it is important that you are present at all live sessions. If you have an emergency or become ill and are not able to attend a coaching session, please contact your instructor immediately. You will be expected to complete the session materials, review the session recording, and complete a coaching session outside the live session to make up for the missed session. If you need to miss more than 15 hours of the course, you will have the option to work with the instructor to cover the missed material at your own expense or register for another course. If you miss more than 3 hours of mentor coaching, you will need to arrange and pay for individual mentor coaching sessions to complete the required 10 hours of mentor coaching to satisfy the International Coaching federation requirements. Petitions to this policy are considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing to Cadence Ford via the website contact form. 

 

2.3.2 – Course Engagement 

Our courses are designed to be interactive and engaging for our participants. It is therefore an expectation that you participate in course activities, including dialogue with the course instructor and peers, practice coaching activities, and experiential learning exercises. If you are unable to participate in an activity, please inform your instructor as soon as possible. Please refer to the code of conduct (section 2.3.3 of the policy document) for additional details. 

 

2.3.3 – Code of Conduct 

Participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner during all sessions. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Arriving on time to all sessions. 
• Attending all live sessions and mentor coaching sessions. 
• Having your camera on for virtual live sessions. 
• Participating fully in all sessions and mentor coaching sessions. This includes being prepared for the session, involving yourself in discussions and activities, assuming responsibility for your learning, and contributing to the learning of others. 
• Engaging in discussions with integrity and honesty. 
• Being respectful of your fellow participants and instructors, including muting your microphone when not speaking, and not texting or displaying other disruptive behaviors. 
• Embracing diversity and inclusion while respecting the dignity and humanity of others.

 

2.4 Complaint/Grievance Policy

Authentic Living seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to attempt to solve any grievances in a timely and fair manner. Participants have the right to file a grievance regarding presentation or content, accessibility concerns, or instructor/faculty/participant behavior. All grievances will be addressed to the best of our ability to prevent further problems. 

 

2.4.1 – Complaints Process: 

1. A participant should first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the educator/trainer, coach, staff, or participant with whom they have an issue. If participants are not comfortable approaching the individual, they can proceed to step 2. 
2. If participants are not comfortable approaching the individual with whom they have a grievance, or are unable to resolve the issue directly, participants should submit a written grievance via the website contact form to the administration manager within 7 days. The administration manager will review the issue and talk to the student within 7 days of receiving the complaint. The administration manager will work with all parties involved to resolve the issue. 
3. If a participant does not feel the issue is resolved, a written request for an appeal should be sent to the Director of Education for review. This appeal should include the original complaint and reason(s) the participant is unsatisfied with the resolution attempt(s). 

 

Appeals are reviewed and a written response will be provided to the participant within 14 days. All appeal decisions are final.

Administration Manager: Cadence Ford 

Director of Education: Jenny Hale

Section 3 – Financial Policies

 3.1 Payment/Fees Policy

All registrations are secured on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration in a course is dependent upon receipt of full payment. We accept payment by Stripe, PayPal, and Wise. All course fees are in USD.

3.2 Refund Policy

3.2.1 – Cancellation Policy:

Cancellation of a course must be made a minimum of 15 business days prior to the course to be eligible for a full refund (less any non-refundable deposit). Cancellations made less than 15 days before the course are not eligible for a refund, but credit can be transferred to a future program. Written notice of cancellation shall be effective on the date the withdrawal is received by Authentic Living. Refunds will be made within 30 days following receipt of cancellation or withdrawal requests.

 

3.2.2 – Registration Modifications 

Modifications to registration, including transfer of course dates, must be completed at least seven days before the program start date. Participants may contact the Administration Manager Cadence Ford to modify their registration at [email protected]. Course changes will be allowed as long as there are spots available.

 

3.3 Transfer of Credit

Authentic Living will accept partial credit from other organizations or programs, these will be assessed on a case by case basis.

3.3.1 Completed a Level 1 program:

If you have completed a Level 1 program at another organization, we will apply your completed credit hours to your Level 2 program, and you will not need to complete every unit of study. You will need to prove your competency in the ICF core competencies at the PCC level. You must provide documentation of your Level 1 completion, including the organization, number of hours completed, completion certificate, and contact information for the organization or trainer. You may be asked for additional details or documentation on an as-needed basis. Please contact Cadence Ford via the website contact form for more information. 

 

3.3.2 Completed a Level 2 or Level 3 program:

If you have completed a level 2/3 program, including performance evaluations, you will be eligible for an ICF discount, and will not need to complete the ICF intensive, mentoring, or performance evaluation part of the program. You must provide documentation of your Level 2/3 completion, including the organization, number of hours completed, completion certificate, and contact information for the organization or trainer. Alternatively, you can provide your ICF PCC/MCC credential. You may be asked for additional details or documentation on an as-needed basis. Please contact Cadence Ford via the website contact form for more information.

 

CONTACT

Questions about these policies should be submitted via the contact form below.