Inner Glow Circle
ICF Level 2-accredited coach training school founded in 2015: the first all-women, all-online ICF-accredited programme, integrating ontological coaching with personal branding and business development.
- Type
- Coach Training Organization
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- United States
About
About Inner Glow Circle
Inner Glow Circle is an ICF-accredited coach training school founded in 2015 and headquartered in the United States. Established as the first all-women, all-online school to achieve ICF accreditation, Inner Glow Circle delivers coach training programmes that integrate ontological and experiential methodologies with personal branding and business development education. The school received its first ICF accreditation in 2017 and has since developed a full programme suite covering introductory through to ICF Level 2 credentials.
The organisation operates on the conviction that sustainable coaching practice requires more than technical skill. It requires a coach who has done significant personal development work, understands how to build a professional identity, and has the business foundations to create a viable practice. This philosophy is embedded across all of Inner Glow Circle's programmes.
Founding Story
Inner Glow Circle was co-founded by Katie DePaola, who serves as CEO, and Liv Chapman, who holds the role of Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer.
DePaola's path to founding Inner Glow Circle was shaped by formative personal experience: the death of her brother from a drug overdose, a multi-year health crisis related to Lyme disease, and a period of deliberate personal reconstruction that drew on coaching, somatic practices, and entrepreneurial reinvention. The frameworks she developed during this process became the foundation of the Inner Glow Circle curriculum, a curriculum built from the inside out, designed to develop coaches who work from depth rather than from technique alone. From those beginnings, DePaola built Inner Glow Circle into a multi-million-dollar coaching education business, a growth trajectory that also informs the school's business development curriculum.
Programme Structure
Inner Glow Circle offers a tiered programme pathway designed to take coaches from foundational competencies through to advanced ICF credential preparation.
ICF Level 2 Programme The flagship programme delivers a minimum of 125 hours of coach-specific education and 10 hours of mentor coaching, fulfilling the educational requirements for the ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential application. The curriculum integrates ontological coaching principles with real-time practice, peer feedback, and reflective learning processes. Students develop coaching competency through doing, not through passive instruction.
ACC Pathway Programme Inner Glow Circle's ACC-aligned curriculum covers the foundational coaching skills, ICF competency framework, and mentor coaching hours required to support the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential application. The programme is delivered in cohorts, with students progressing through content together and building practice partnerships throughout.
Continuing Coach Education Courses Standalone CCE courses are available for credentialled coaches seeking ICF renewal credits. Topics include intuition in coaching, personal branding for coaches, and business development systems, all delivered entirely online.
Methodology and Philosophy
Ontological Coaching Ontological coaching (rooted in the work of Fernando Flores, Julio Olalla, and the Newfield Network) holds that transformation occurs through shifts in how a person relates to language, emotion, and embodiment, not simply through changed thinking. Inner Glow Circle integrates this tradition throughout its curriculum, training coaches to engage with the full person: not just their goals and strategies, but the underlying ways of being that shape how those goals are pursued.
Experiential Learning Skills are developed through direct practice rather than theory alone. Inner Glow Circle structures its programmes around regular coaching triads, observation, and structured feedback. Students build coaching hours within the programme environment itself, developing confidence and competency simultaneously.
Personal Branding and Business Development A distinctive feature of Inner Glow Circle's curriculum is its explicit attention to coaching practice development. Alongside ICF competency training, students learn how to define their niche, build their professional identity, develop marketing foundations, and establish the business systems required to sustain a practice. This reflects a pedagogical stance that coaching education is incomplete if it produces credentialled coaches who lack the tools to build viable businesses.
Intuition as a Coaching Tool Inner Glow Circle's curriculum includes structured exploration of intuition in professional coaching, examining how coaches can develop, calibrate, and responsibly deploy intuitive awareness in client conversations. This is grounded in coaching psychology frameworks and consistent with ICF ethical standards around the use of one's whole self as a coaching instrument.
The Cohort Model and Community
Inner Glow Circle's all-online delivery has been central to its identity since founding. The school was an early adopter of virtual coach education and has built its community architecture accordingly.
Students move through programmes in cohorts, building genuine professional relationships despite the absence of a physical campus. The cohort model creates sustained accountability structures, deepens learning through peer observation and feedback, and generates a professional network that extends beyond the programme itself.
The school's all-women cohort structure is designed to create conditions for particularly deep personal exploration and vulnerability in coaching practice, a pedagogical choice grounded in the belief that the quality of self-disclosure within a cohort directly affects the depth of coaching development. Graduates enter a broader Inner Glow Circle alumni community, which the school maintains through ongoing programming, events, and connection opportunities.
Faculty and Approach to Teaching
Inner Glow Circle's faculty bring backgrounds spanning ontological coaching, somatic practices, business development, and women's leadership. The school's instructional model emphasises mentorship and relationship-based learning, with faculty serving as models of the coaching presence and entrepreneurial identity that students are developing.
Mentor coaches in the Level 2 programme hold PCC or MCC credentials, providing students with feedback grounded in high-level competency and experience. The feedback model used in mentor coaching sessions follows the ICF's core competency framework, allowing students to map their development against the same standards that credential assessors apply.
Who Attends Inner Glow Circle
Inner Glow Circle attracts women who are building coaching practices of their own and who are seeking training that combines professional credential preparation with personal growth and business development. The school's profile is particularly relevant for those entering coaching from adjacent professions such as human resources, health and wellness, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership, who bring significant life experience to the coaching relationship and want a training environment that honours that experience.
The online cohort format makes the school accessible across geographic boundaries, with students joining from across the United States and internationally. The flexibility of asynchronous and cohort-paced delivery accommodates working professionals, parents, and others for whom a traditional campus-based programme is not feasible.
Coaches seeking Continuing Coach Education credits for ICF credential renewal also participate in Inner Glow Circle's standalone courses, particularly those focused on business development and intuitive practice, areas not typically covered in depth by other ICF-accredited renewal programmes.
ICF Accreditation and Credential Pathways
Inner Glow Circle holds ICF accreditation at both Level 1 and Level 2, enabling direct credential application for graduates who complete required coaching hours:
ACC: Supported by the ACC pathway programme; requires 100 hours of coaching experience post-training.
PCC: Supported by the Level 2 programme; requires 500 hours of coaching experience post-training.
CCE: Standalone courses contribute CCE hours for three-year credential renewal cycles.
The school's ICF accreditation history dates to 2017, making it one of the earlier online-only schools to achieve ICF recognition.
Recognition
Inner Glow Circle has been recognised within the coaching education industry as a significant contributor to the expansion of accessible, ICF-accredited coach training for women. The school's growth from an individual entrepreneurial project to a structured accredited institution is cited as a case study in the democratisation of professional coaching education.
CEO Katie DePaola has been featured in national media and coaching industry publications, and speaks on topics including women's leadership, entrepreneurial resilience, and the intersection of personal transformation and professional coaching.
What This Means for You
A coach who trained at Inner Glow Circle completed an ICF-accredited programme at a school built specifically for women, with emphasis on personal depth work, ontological coaching, and the business development skills needed to sustain a practice. The school's ICF accreditation dates to 2017, covering both the Level 1 ACC pathway and the Level 2 PCC pathway programmes.
The Inner Glow Circle credential signals that the coach trained in the ontological coaching tradition, rooted in the work of Fernando Flores and the Newfield Network. Ontological coaching treats transformation as a shift in how a person relates to language, emotion, and embodiment, not simply a change in thinking or behaviour. That philosophical grounding produces coaches who work at depth and understand personal transformation as a whole-person process rather than a purely goal-directed one.
Before hiring, ask whether they completed the ACC pathway or the Level 2 programme, and whether they hold an ICF ACC or PCC credential in addition to programme completion. Programme completion fulfils the ICF's training-hour requirement; the credential itself requires additional coaching experience hours and a separate application to the ICF. Ask also how many client hours they have logged since graduating and what types of clients they currently work with.
Coaching is not therapy or mental health treatment. Inner Glow Circle trains professional coaches, not clinicians. If you are dealing with clinical mental health concerns, the right first resource is a licensed therapist.
A coach's capacity for transformation is inseparable from the depth of their own self-awareness, built from real experience, not theory alone.
Questions about Inner Glow Circle
Q.01What ICF credentials can I work toward through Inner Glow Circle programmes?
What ICF credentials can I work toward through Inner Glow Circle programmes?
Graduates of the ACC pathway programme can apply for the ICF Associate Certified Coach credential after completing 100 hours of coaching experience. Graduates of the Level 2 programme can apply for the Professional Certified Coach credential after completing 500 hours of coaching experience. Inner Glow Circle also offers Continuing Coach Education courses that contribute to ICF credential renewal requirements.
Q.02Is Inner Glow Circle only for women?
Is Inner Glow Circle only for women?
Inner Glow Circle was founded as an all-women school and its cohort programmes, including the ICF Level 1 and Level 2 pathways, are structured accordingly. The school's design reflects a pedagogical choice to create a specific type of learning environment for women. Standalone CCE courses may have different participation structures; prospective students should contact the school directly for current enrolment information.
Q.03What is ontological coaching and how does it feature in the curriculum?
What is ontological coaching and how does it feature in the curriculum?
Ontological coaching is a tradition rooted in the work of Fernando Flores, Julio Olalla, and the [Newfield Network](/organizations/newfield-network). It holds that lasting transformation occurs through shifts in how a person relates to language, emotion, and embodiment, not simply through changed behaviour or strategy. Inner Glow Circle incorporates ontological coaching principles throughout its curriculum, training coaches to engage with the full person rather than focusing solely on goals and action plans.
Q.04Are all programmes delivered online?
Are all programmes delivered online?
Yes. Inner Glow Circle has operated as an all-online school since its founding in 2015. All programmes, including the ICF Level 1 and Level 2 pathways, are delivered virtually, making them accessible to students across the United States and internationally regardless of geographic location.
Q.05What is the time commitment for the ICF Level 2 programme?
What is the time commitment for the ICF Level 2 programme?
The ICF Level 2 programme requires a minimum of 125 hours of coach-specific training and 10 hours of mentor coaching, in addition to the coaching experience hours students accumulate independently in preparation for the PCC credential application. The specific programme timeline varies by cohort; prospective students should contact Inner Glow Circle for current schedule and duration details.
Q.06What business development training is included in the curriculum?
What business development training is included in the curriculum?
Inner Glow Circle integrates personal branding and business development education throughout its credential programmes, covering topics including defining a coaching niche, developing a professional identity and public presence, building marketing foundations, and establishing business systems required to run a sustainable coaching practice. This curriculum is delivered alongside ICF competency training, reflecting the school's view that professional coaching education is incomplete without the tools to build a viable practice.
Q.07How does the cohort model work at Inner Glow Circle?
How does the cohort model work at Inner Glow Circle?
All ICF credential programmes at Inner Glow Circle are delivered in cohorts: groups of students who enter the programme together and progress through the curriculum as a community. Cohort members serve as practice partners, observers, and peer feedback providers throughout the programme. This model is designed to build the depth of professional relationship and mutual accountability that the school considers essential to meaningful coach development.
Q.08What happens after completing a programme — is there an alumni community?
What happens after completing a programme — is there an alumni community?
Graduates of Inner Glow Circle programmes enter the school's broader alumni community, which includes ongoing events, continued learning opportunities, and peer connection. The alumni network is actively maintained and is designed to provide professional support and community beyond the programme itself, particularly relevant for coaches building independent practices who benefit from sustained collegial connection.
Q.09What does an Inner Glow Circle certification tell me about a coach?
What does an Inner Glow Circle certification tell me about a coach?
An Inner Glow Circle certification means the coach trained in an ICF-accredited programme, at Level 1 (ACC pathway) or Level 2 (PCC pathway), at a school founded specifically for women that integrates ontological coaching with personal branding and business development. The ICF accreditation (held since 2017) confirms the training meets formal international standards. The school's all-women, cohort-based model and emphasis on personal depth work means most graduates have done substantial self-development alongside technical coaching skill. Confirm which level they completed and whether they've applied for and received the corresponding ICF individual credential (ACC or PCC), since programme completion and credential award are separate steps. The certification does not indicate any clinical or therapeutic training; Inner Glow Circle is a professional coaching school, not a mental health education provider.
Q.10What should I ask an Inner Glow Circle-trained coach before hiring them?
What should I ask an Inner Glow Circle-trained coach before hiring them?
Ask which programme they completed, the ACC pathway or the ICF Level 2, and whether they hold the corresponding ICF individual credential (ACC or PCC). Ask how they apply ontological coaching in practice: specifically, whether they work with language, emotion, and embodiment as coaching tools, and what that looks like in a real session. Ask about their coaching experience since graduating. ICF credentialing requires 100 hours post-training for ACC and 500 for PCC, so the volume of their practice since the programme matters. Ask what niche or client type they work with: Inner Glow Circle's curriculum explicitly supports coaches in defining a niche, so a strong graduate should have a clear answer. And if you are looking at an Inner Glow Circle-trained coach for a personal or life coaching engagement, ask how they maintain the boundary between coaching and therapeutic support. The school's depth-oriented philosophy can sometimes blur that line in practice.