Academy of Creative Coaching

What Academy of Creative Coaching does

Academy of Creative Coaching (ACC) is a privately held Georgia LLC founded in 2013 by Dr. Pamela Larde, operating as an ICF ACTP-accredited coach training and certification school. The company trains individual professionals and organizational clients in evidence-based coaching through four primary program designs: The Foundations Course, the Advanced Professional Coaching Certification (APCC) weekend intensive, Self-Paced Courses, and the Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive (JEDI), plus ICF Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units for credential maintenance. Curriculum is anchored by the proprietary Four Pillars of Creative Change™ methodology (Human Wholeness, Cultural Responsivity, Creative Solutions, Invigorative Leadership™) drawing on neuroscience and positive psychology, and delivered through the Canvas LMS with cohort intakes in January, March, July, and September.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: product-led growth through self-serve online enrollment, inside sales via Calendly informational conversations and an application process, enterprise/field sales for organizational workshops and university partnerships, and community-led engagement through the Creative Coaching Initiative (free crisis coaching), monthly Mindfulness Cafe webinars, and a Find a Coach marketplace that connects graduates with prospective clients. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition for certification programs, recurring CCE subscriptions for credential maintenance, professional services fees for corporate and higher-education workshops, and an affiliate referral model on the Find a Coach directory. The company's customer base spans higher education institutions (Morris Brown College partnership, Union College, Pratt, dedicated Higher Education Coaching Institute), corporations (Target, Bechtel), government agencies (DeKalb County, IRS, USDA, U.S. Urban Development), and military affiliates (Marine Corps), with thousands of certified graduates worldwide and no reported external institutional funding.

Name

Academy of Creative Coaching

Legal name

Academy of Creative Coaching LLC

Website

https://academyofcreativecoaching.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academy of Creative Coaching is a Georgia-based, ICF ACTP-accredited coaching certification school founded in 2013 that trains individual professionals, higher education institutions, corporations, and government clients through proprietary Four Pillars of Creative Change™ programs delivered online and via weekend intensives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Coaching Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE)

Keywords

• Professional coaching certification
• ICF accredited training
• Leadership development programs
• Executive coaching education
• Continuing coach education

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrenceville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Coaching Certification Programs: ICF-accredited coach training and certification programs including Foundations Course, Advanced Professional Coaching Certification (APCC), and Self-Paced Courses. Revenue generated through tuition payments per program enrollment.
2. Continuing Coach Education (CCE): ICF Continuing Coach Education units offered for credential maintenance. Provides ongoing professional development revenue from existing certified coaches.
3. Organizational Training & Workshops: Customized professional development workshops and training programs for corporations, universities, and organizations seeking leadership and coaching services for teams.
4. Find a Coach Directory: Platform connecting prospective clients with certified coaches from the ACC network, facilitating coaching engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Academy of Creative Coaching (ACC) delivers ICF ACTP-accredited coach training and certification programs, including the Foundations Course, the Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive (JEDI), Self-Paced Courses, and the Advanced Professional Coaching Certification (APCC) weekend intensive. It also provides ICF Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units and customized organizational workshops and training for corporations, universities, and institutions.

Product overview

The Academy of Creative Coaching operates as a multi-product coaching certification and training organization offering evidence-based ICF-accredited programs. The core portfolio consists of The Foundations Course (foundational certification), The Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive (JEDI Training), Self-Paced Courses, and the Advanced Professional Coaching Certification (APCC) Course, all aligned with International Coach Federation standards. The organization provides ICF Continuing Coach Education for credential maintenance, a Mindfulness Cafe webinar series for ongoing professional development, and community programs including the Creative Coaching Initiative (free coaching for those in crisis). Additional services include a Find a Coach matching service and specialized Higher Education Coaching Institute offerings. The programs are delivered through online platforms, weekend intensives in the Atlanta area (July-September), and self-paced formats, with all graduates prepared for ICF credentialing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Foundations Course Foundational ICF-aligned coaching certification program that trains coaches to integrate creative change approaches into their work with clients, focusing on personal, professional, and social transformation.
• The Joy & Ethical Dignity Intensive (JEDI) Training Intensive certification training focused on joy, ethical dignity, and justice principles for coaches working with diverse populations.
• The Self-Paced Courses Flexible, self-paced training options allowing students to complete coaching certification at their own speed with adaptable program designs.
• Advanced Professional Coaching Certification (APCC) Weekend intensive certification program for 2026 cohorts providing advanced professional coaching training with in-person and virtual components.
• ICF Continuing Coach Education (CCE) Continuing education programs for coaches seeking to maintain and advance their International Coach Federation credentials.
• Workshops & Webinars Customized professional development workshops, webinars, and corporate training programs for corporations, universities, and organizations seeking leadership and coaching services for teams.
• Higher Education Coaching Institute Specialized coaching programs and training designed for higher education professionals and institutions, supporting accreditation, faculty development, and student affairs training.

Quantifiable outcome

• ICF credential eligibility upon program completion
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Morris Brown CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2019Strategic partnership to support Morris Brown College's road to accreditation. ACC offers Weekend Intensive at the college beginning June 2019, with ongoing efforts to certify leaders and coaches at the institution as part of accreditation recovery efforts.
• Institute of Coaching (McLean/Harvard Medical School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACC Founder Dr. Pamela Larde serves as Director of Education for the Institute of Coaching, an affiliate of McLean/Harvard Medical School. IOC hosts annual conferences and conducts coaching research.
• EZRA (London-based digital coaching provider)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Pamela Larde serves on the science board of EZRA, an innovative London-based global provider of digital coaching services for professionals.
• Novateur PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationACC Faculty member Daniel Sheedy serves as Senior Executive Coach and Trainer with Novateur Partners, contributing to faculty training and development programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Accompass: Corporate coach training and executive coaching firm that operates in the B2B organizational training segment ACC pursues. Comparable buyer profile (corporations and institutions) and overlapping curriculum on leadership and team coaching.
• Coach U: Long-standing ICF-accredited coach training provider offering multi-level certification programs. Highly comparable to ACC in curriculum structure, delivery formats (intensive plus self-paced), and positioning around professional coaching as a career.
• New Ventures West: ICF-accredited coach training program built around the Integral Coaching method, focused on cohort-based leadership coaching certification. Comparable to ACC's APCC intensive format and similar leadership-coaching buyer profile.
• Coach Training Institute (CTI): One of the largest ICF-accredited coach training schools offering Co-Active coach certification programs across multiple formats. Directly competes with ACC for aspiring coaches seeking globally recognized credentials and shares ICF ACTP positioning.
• Fielding Graduate University: Accredited graduate institution offering ICF-aligned coach certification and Master's-level coaching degrees. Comparable to ACC on professional coach credentialing but with university degree-granting status that ACC lacks; represents an alternative path for serious coaching credentials.
• Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC): ICF-accredited coach training school with ACTP and ACSTH designations offering certification across core, energy leadership, and corporate tracks. Competes head-to-head with ACC in the ICF certification market with similar program-tiers and corporate training extensions.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Established leadership development institution offering executive coaching education and certifications to corporate and government buyers. Overlaps with ACC on organizational training and higher-education leadership offerings, but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• EZRA: London-based digital coaching provider for enterprise buyers. Dr. Larde serves on EZRA's science board, providing a direct industry overlap. EZRA represents the platform-based competitive threat to ACC's organizational training line.
• BetterUp: Digital coaching platform delivering on-demand coaching to enterprises at scale via a technology-led model. Competes with ACC for corporate L&D budget but via a fundamentally different (platform) delivery model, accelerating market shift away from cohort-based certification.

Others

• International Coach Federation (ICF): The governing body that grants ACTP/ACSTH accreditation and the credentials ACC's graduates pursue. Not a competitor, but a critical infrastructure partner—ICF's standards and credentialing framework are central to ACC's value proposition and accreditation status.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acccoaches
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-creative-coaching

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy of Creative Coaching