Question 1

What is the World Happiness Academy?

Accepted Answer

The World Happiness Academy is the educational arm of the World Happiness Foundation, delivering ICF-accredited coaching and leadership programs grounded in positive psychology, happiness science, and wellbeing frameworks. Its flagship program is the Professional Coaching Program — an ICF Level 1 program of 102 hours.

Question 2

Are the programs ICF accredited?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Professional Coaching Program is ICF Level 1 accredited, providing 102 training hours and qualifying graduates for the ICF ACC credential.

Question 3

What is the ROUSER Coaching Model?

Accepted Answer

The ROUSER model stands for Relations, Openness, Understanding, Self-Awareness, Empowerment, and Reflection. It is an original coaching framework developed at the Academy integrating positive psychology, behavioral psychology, mindfulness, NLP, and systems thinking, aligned with ICF Core Competencies.

Question 4

How long is the Professional Coaching Program?

Accepted Answer

The Professional Coaching Program is 102 hours over 15 weeks, approximately 6 hours per week. This includes live sessions, peer coaching practice, and guided self-study/mentoring.

Question 5

What credential do I receive?

Accepted Answer

The program earns a Global Certificate as Professional Coach from the World Happiness Foundation and the World Happiness Academy, based on ICF standards. Completing the 102-hour program satisfies ICF Level 1 training requirements, qualifying graduates to apply for the ICF ACC credential.

Question 6

Who leads the programs?

Accepted Answer

Luis Gallardo (Luis Miguel Gallardo Yogananda) is the Founder of the World Happiness Foundation and primary instructor. He is an ICF PCC-credentialed coach, Master NLP practitioner, clinical hypnotherapist, and Director of the Gross Global Happiness program at the United Nations University for Peace.

Question 7

What is the UPEACE partnership?

Accepted Answer

UPEACE is the United Nations University for Peace, based in Geneva. The World Happiness Academy co-certifies selected programs with UPEACE, giving those credentials dual standing in the professional coaching field and in the international development and leadership space.

Question 8

How do I enroll?

Accepted Answer

Visit worldhappinessacademy.org or worldhappiness.foundation for current enrollment dates, pricing, and cohort schedules. The program is delivered online with live weekly sessions.

Question 9

What does an ICF ACC credential from the World Happiness Academy tell me about a coach?

Accepted Answer

A coach who completed the World Happiness Academy's ICF Level 1 program has 102 hours of ICF-approved training and meets the training requirements for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential — which additionally requires 100 hours of paid client coaching experience and a passed competency assessment. The program's specific focus on happiness science, positive psychology, and the ROUSER model means their coaching framework is explicitly wellbeing-oriented, which is well-suited to clients working on life satisfaction, meaning, flourishing, and values-aligned living. The co-certification with UPEACE on selected programs gives graduates additional standing in impact leadership and international development contexts. The credential does not tell you how many client hours they have accumulated since training, whether they have developed a niche beyond general wellbeing, or how their coaching practice has evolved since certification.

Question 10

What should I ask a World Happiness Academy-trained coach before hiring them?

Accepted Answer

Ask which program they completed — the ICF Professional Coaching Program, the Chief Well-Being Officer pathway, or the GWILC leadership certification — since each addresses a meaningfully different scope of practice. Ask what ICF credential level they currently hold and how many client hours they have logged since training. Ask how the happiness science and ROUSER framework shows up concretely in their coaching — a grounded, session-level answer will tell you whether the methodology is an active part of their practice or background context. Ask about their coaching niche: the Academy attracts practitioners with diverse backgrounds, from organizational wellbeing professionals to personal development coaches to impact leaders, and their specific client population matters for your fit. If your interest is primarily in wellbeing and flourishing rather than performance or skills-based goals, ask how they define and track meaningful progress with clients.

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Professional Coaching Program — Happiness and Well-Being

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