EP 40 – International Coaching Federation: How It Changed My Life (How It's Changing Yours Too)✨

Today, let's talk about the International Coaching Federation, what it is, how it changed my life, and how it's actually changing yours too. Are you ready to shine? Come on, it's the shiny one. You got this. Welcome to the Shiny Minds Show with Dr Shiny. I am Dr Shiny Unsal AI, the proud founder of the Academy of Neuroshine Technology, an ICF accredited coaching certification school, and I am a proud Distinguished Coach Educator awarded by the International Coaching Federation, which is what we're talking about today. If you are a coach or interested in becoming a coach, or if you are somebody who wants to gain coaching skills or want to work with a coach or perhaps improve your coaching mindset, today's episode is for you. Buckle up because I am going to break down the International Coaching Federation to you since the beginning of their time, how the world of coaching has become such a transformational industry in the world that we live today, and how it is benefiting you. If you're ready, let's begin. First of all, ICF stands for International Coaching Federation. This is a global organization in over 165 countries in the entire planet regulating the world of coaching. So if you didn't know, coaching is not a regulated profession. What it means is, let's say you're going to become a dentist, right? You're going to have to go through the school and get a diploma, get your license, and work with the government to operate as a dentist. If you want to become a real estate agent or a broker, you need to get your licensing and then get approved and work with the government to work as a real estate agent or a broker, right? So there are always regulations that you need to fulfill so that it is an accepted and regulated industry profession. On the other hand, coaching industry is not like that. It's not a regulated industry, meaning you can go somewhere and then meet somebody introducing themselves to you as a coach but they don't have any license. They haven't gone to a school. They haven't gone through a rigorous training or educational system or skill development kind of programs at all. But they introduce themselves as a coach and then they work with people and they introduce themselves as a coach because it's their business and then they can. That's how the world today is. There are pros and cons to that. The cons is when you work with people, especially with their mindset and psychology and their psyche and their emotions, like everything about what makes us a human, you do need a license. You do need training at the highest levels, actually. And that can become an issue, especially if somebody claiming to be a coach doesn't know what they're doing. They can really harm you instead of helping you. So the pros is, on the other hand, is it's just like so easy for everybody. If you don't know anything, you just go put together something and then call yourself a coach, and then boom, you have a business and you can make money right away. That's why you will also see very young generations coming out as coaches, because it is allowing them the freedom and the freedom of speech, the freedom of location, the freedom of anything, right? So pros and cons altogether. So the purpose of the International Coaching Federation is to regulate this currently not regulated industry of coaching. And as a Master Certified Coach and a founder of an ICF accredited coaching school, I can tell you that I am super happy that we do have the International Coaching Federation because we do need it. We need standards, common values, ethical codes. And we do need to hold ourselves to higher standards, especially when we're working with people. If you're not selling shoes, if you are working with people, if you are shaping their reality together with them by having conversations, asking questions, and affecting their emotional world and their psychology, you do need training. That's what I wholeheartedly believe, and that's why I'm all about the ICF. And obviously, that's why I went all the way with my credentialing with the ICF. That's what you see on my background, on my wall. You know that MCC stands for Master Certified Coach, and it comes after a minimum of 200 hours of coaching education and at least 2,500 hours of coaching experience, which I passed already more than 3,000 hours, and then I stopped counting after that. And I also have my own organization, my own coaching certification school, the Academy of Nourish Shine Technology, fully accredited by the International Coaching Federation, which proves you that everything that we do in my academy is at the highest gold standard levels with the International Coaching Federation. So it's, it's the best accredited program that you can ever find in the entire world. Am I bragging? I am, because I stand strong on the shoulders of my very skillful and super happy graduate coaches. The reason I want to talk about the International Coaching Federation today is because it really changed my life after NLP. The first thing that changed my life was NLP, neuro-linguistic programming. So we just had the NLP 50 with Dr. Richard Bandler and John Grinder this weekend. I am forever grateful for Dr. Richard Bandler for creating such a brilliant system, mindset, technology with neuro-linguistic programming. And that's how everything started for me. And then I combined so many other disciplines, and then I created my own methodology, Neuroshine technology. That's what changed me and helped me to move from my corporate background, my corporate job, to owning my own business. And forever grateful for NLP. And then also forever grateful for Tony Robbins because I also saw how it is done and then gained so many skills. But, and then it wasn't until 2015 14 that I, I didn't even know about the International Coaching Federation. So if you don't know anything about the International Coaching Federation right now, that's super normal, especially if you're not in the world of coaching. If you're in the world of coaching, listen very carefully because you want to work with coaches who are ICF credentialed or at least graduated from an ICF accredited program, but they may not have their credential just yet because I have some students who have graduated from my programs and still collecting their hours. So still they haven't achieved their credentials yet. So that, that might happen because it takes a minute. It takes a minute for you to take care of your so-called internship. I call it the internship time to collect your 100 hours of coaching experience. And for the PCC, it's 500 hours. I'm not gonna go into the 3 levels of credentials: ACC, PCC, MCC. I have other videos that I am going to add, um, after this video, so you can watch those. But there are 3 levels of credentials: ACC, PCC, MCC. So you can check out that video to learn more about it. And I'm gonna talk about how ICF changed my life. And how it is also changing yours. Here's what happened. In 2014, I was actually delivering my regular NLP Practitioner Certificate training that I would co-sign together with my mentor, my guru, Dr Richard Bandler. And in our training, there was a lady, a coach, an ICF certified coach. And then she asked me if I have my ICF accreditation. Do you do my program? And I was like, no, I don't. I don't even know if I can do that. And then she was like, well, I am an ICF certified coach and I am actually taking this NLP training to further my skills for my ongoing development, and it would be super awesome if you could actually look into it and perhaps even get your accreditation. And that gave me a Neuroshine moment in the moment. I didn't even know that I would call that moment a Neuroshine moment later in the years, but this is exactly what happened. And After that night, I went in and fell in love with the world of the International Coaching Federation, and then I applied for my NLP training to be an ICF continuing coaching education program. And since then, yeah, since 2014, I was a member and an accredited program provider of the International Coaching Federation. When I got my MCC. Obviously it took a minute, a minute, and it took me 3 years. Okay, that's another story. It took me 3 years to get my MCC. So that's why I make sure to provide ICF credentialing programs in such a way to make it super easy and super fulfilling for all my students, that they don't have to go through what I went through, like 3 years. Seriously? So I achieved my MCC, I think that was 2020 or even '21, it could be. I knew that I wanted to turn my CCE program into a fully ICF Level 1, Level 2 program, and I applied because I already knew how to create ICF accredited programs, and then it literally transformed me. Why? Obviously, I'm talking about a timeline here, right? 2020, 2021. COVID-19, anyone? So I always loved being a part of the International Coaching Federation. I always learned and provided certifications with the CCE logo on it, and I have hundreds of coaches around the world. And when it became really, really transformational for me was actually Right around the COVID-19, it was the pandemic when my in-person NLP certification training programs were canceled and shut down. The world decided to pause, and so I wasn't able to do my training programs anymore in person. So I quickly had to pivot to something online. Well, good thing I was ready with my Nourish Shine Technology already delivering my programs, I created my program online and I applied for my Level 2 accreditation and I received it. And that's how I was able to keep my business intact. Not only keep, I mean, forget about keeping it, I literally boosted it. I increased my revenue, increased the number of my students, and increase my reach, ICF has become an amazing source of fulfillment and purpose for me. And most of my students, my clients, they actually find me from the International Coaching Federation website. So if you didn't know, you can go to the ICF website, go search for education search service, and look for NLP and Florida and, you know, a Level 1 and and Level 2, choose those, and then you're gonna see Academy of Neuroshine Technology on the list at the top. And that is actually a great source of my beautiful students that I get to meet and work with. And I am forever grateful for this kind of a global reach thanks to the International Coaching Federation and what they truly stand for. So that's how the ICF truly changed my life and my business and the way that it is changing your life now. And because of my certified coaches working with their clients all around the world, perhaps you worked with one of them, perhaps your friend or somebody that in your environment worked with one of them, or perhaps you heard about them, or perhaps you were affected by somebody who got affected by them. And perhaps now you're wondering, oh, perhaps I can become a coach. Perhaps I can change lives. Perhaps I can move from the corporate world and the teamwork and then people telling me what to do. Perhaps I can now become my own boss and then I get to create my own world, create my reality. Perhaps I can see if I have what it takes. So perhaps you're saying that right now, and that's because you have all these coaches that you get to see in the world making a change and making their money by changing lives. And perhaps that's what's going on, and perhaps that's why you're here, and that's how ICF is changing your life too. And two more things, not only the definition of coaching, but also what kind of coaching skills are we talking about. I will also talk about that. So first, when my students come to my programs, they are expecting, okay, coaching, ah, It shouldn't be that hard, right? I'm just going to use my intuition. I have years of experience. I'm just going to find out what their problem is and boom, I'm going to handle it. I'm a great problem solver, so not, not a problem for problem solving at all. And then, oh my goodness, Shiny Unsal AI, they come to the program. The very first day I make them watch a video and then they're already blown away and they're like, uh-oh, wow, is that the coaching mindset? So the definition of coaching is partnering up with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. It's not a problem-solving process. It's not a consulting process. It's not even a motivational process. It is a thought-provoking and creative process. And what does the client do again? Well, they get inspired. To do what again? To get their problem solved? No, to get inspired to maximize their own personal and professional potential. That's it. There's no problem solving here. There is no consulting here. None of those. It's a totally different and a deeper process than it sounds like. Everybody thinks, oh, coaching, I can understand that. Because probably what you know about coaching is the sports world. You see the basketball coaches and they go with like coaching, right? So it's super understandable. It's just the definition of the coaching profession on like the mindset, leadership, executive life coaching profession, not sports coaching, is different. It's totally different. It's, it's nothing like you would imagine. It would require a complete mindset shift. And I believe that's exactly what is transforming humanity right now. ICF was created back in 1995, just celebrated 30 years, 30 years. Okay. And just about this time now, we are catching up with the importance of finding our own solutions, having our own resourcefulness. We are now getting into that point. In time. It is truly important that we understand what we are really doing with coaching. In my world, because every coaching school is different, just because we are all ICF accredited, it doesn't mean that we are teaching the same philosophy because every coaching school has their own philosophy. So for example, if you come to my world, you are definitely learning neurolinguistic programming because I happen to be a licensed trainer of Dr. Richard Bandler, who created Neurolinguistic Programming. I worked with him. I started my career as an NLP trainer, so it comes with me, right? So I studied metaphysics for about 15 years, and I have two doctorate degrees in metaphysical esoteric studies. I can break down the structure of the universe to you as I break down the structure of your brain, and then I can put them together and explain to you in such a cosmic dimension that you would totally be mind blown. And that comes with me and my philosophy. Or I can also bring my own corporate background because I have a decade in the world of marketing, branding, and marketing communications from the advertising world. My first client was Coca-Cola, and then I worked with Gillette and BP and Avon, big brands, right? So I bring that expertise, so I'm able to help you build your own brand and build your own business as well. So it's because it is unique to me as the founder and then my philosophy and then the values that I represent. If you go to another ICF accredited coaching program, they're going to have their own values, right? They're going to be, okay, here are the leadership skills and then here is the mechanics of this and go. I go deep. And then that's what I keep hearing from all my students that they love the most. We go deep. We don't just teach you skills, we teach you to align with your truth. And then we start by telling you, don't believe us, don't believe— you use your own intuition, your own filtering system, and choose what you need and shape yourself, align with your truth. So that's the ultimate philosophy, and that is again how ICF changed my life. It changed my business, and it changed my students' life. It's not an easy task. If I am sitting here as a 7-figure Kajabi superhero, as an ICF Master Certified and also Distinguished Coach Educator, which by the way is a very great honor that I carry, because again, it's, it's a big deal. There are thousands of coaching schools and programs out there, and to be able to receive such an honorable mention from the International Coaching Federation, even as a runner-up, because I am a runner-up award winner, not the full award winner as a distinguished coach educator. But hey, an award is an award, right? So I am super grateful and I take it very seriously. And we do everything at the Academy of Neuroshine Technology at the highest standards because we are in the ecosystem of The International Coaching Federation. That's what it is. And that's why we have all the standards and ethical codes that we are in full compliance of. So the second point that I wanted to talk about, how ICF changed my life and how it is changing your life, other than the background that I shared and the definition of coaching that I shared, the other point is the coaching skills, right? There are 8 core competencies that first I got trained by. Actually, when I got trained, they were 11. So yeah, we, we had 11 different skills. Right now they're condensed down to 8. So I get to teach 8 skills, and those skills are so transformational, so deep that everybody from our cohorts, they walk away integrating all those skills into their everyday Lives, personal and professional and social and financial. In all areas of your life, you're gonna need these skills. Become a coach or not, you're gonna need these skills because these are the human skills. What are those skills? There are 8 skills that International Coaching Federation has as the gold standard of coaching. Number 1, ethical practice, right? You gotta demonstrate ethical practice. There is No way around it. Number 2, you gotta embody a coaching mindset which honors the autonomy of others, right? So integrity and autonomy, as you see, are the top 2. And then the 3rd core competency is establishing and maintaining agreements. Like, why is it important? Because if you don't know how to establish relationships, co-create relationships, if you don't know how to create agreements around them, then What are you doing without any structure in your life? No wonder why you have relationship issues. No wonder why you have problems at work because nobody taught you that. That's not your fault. Nobody gave you the skill of co-creating a relationship and creating, establishing agreements around it. We call them boundaries. Super important. The fourth core competency is cultivating trust and safety. Super important. Without building rapport, without being able to calibrate to what you are seeing around you in your 3D reality, it's going to be super hard for you to create deep relationships and build a life with them, right? So it's super important. So the fifth skill is your coaching presence. Super important. So important. It's everything that you got. Your, your frequency, your energy, what you bring to the environment, to the table, to the conversation. Do you bring your whole self? Are you fully present? Super important. We talk about that. We go deep and we explain presence with quantum physics, metaphysical structures, and we bring scientific explanations. Number 6 is your listening. So now we're going to talk about how you listen. Do you listen passively? Do you think that you are listening or do you really listen actively? So active listening, there are levels of listening that we talk about. We go deep. It takes you from a normal person who thinks you're listening to an expert who goes deep into— oh my gosh, what are we doing? We are not listening to each other at all. We're trying to fix each other. So number 7 is your skill to evoke awareness, what we call the nourish and shine moments in others. That's the real coaching, when you are able to formulate a very deep, open open-ended and powerful, non-judging, non-assuming, and non-improving, curious and deepening and powerful questions, then and only then you would be able to evoke awareness in others where they can find their own truth. And the last but not least, we also cover the skill to cultivate growth, because the whole point of coaching is to grow the person, to grow so that they can overcome all the problems that, they face and they can access resources and their resourcefulness within, and then they can solve their own problems, combine the power of their mind with the wisdom of their heart, and maximize their own true potential. Those are the 8 skills. And because the ICF is allowing us to teach all these skills to— I mean, I'm talking as a coach educator right now because ICF is the one that is giving us, okay, so here are the requirements that I want you to teach these skills. So that's what I teach. And behind these skills, I got to also mention there are millions and millions of dollars of research. Harvard Medical School, the Institute of Coaching at the Harvard Medical School is what the ICF works with. And ICF funds the Institute of Coaching. So far, I believe they paid like millions of dollars. To research the effectiveness of all these core competencies, not only in the corporate world, but everywhere in life. So these are real evidence-based foundational psychological deep skills that everyone needs. And it's— it just happens that NLP also has 8 presuppositions, and I have 8 mindset principles with my Neuroshine technology. And the International Coaching Federation also has 8 core competencies that you can all learn with us at the Academy of Neuroshine Technology. And that's how the ICF can change your life too. So if you are interested in knowing more, and if there's a part of you that says, hmm, perhaps I can become a coach one day, perhaps instead of going to a place and learning coaching and then paying extra to learn NLP and paying extra to learn about sales and marketing and business development, perhaps I can also combine some other disciplines like metaphysics and quantum physics and neuroscience and hard science, which I combine, we combine at the Academy of Neuroshine Technology. Perhaps you can say I'm just going to be smart in my investments where I invest my money and I'm going to check Neuroshine Technology. I'm going to go to shinyunsal.com, right? You're going to go to my website, grab that PDF, and see how we, and together with the ecosystem of the International Coaching Federation, can change your life and can turn you into a change maker. So if that's helped you, please get in touch with us and see how we can work together to make this world a better place. That's all for today. Hope this episode helps you, served you. Please share it, put a like, and give us a comment if you liked it. And thank you for allowing my light enter into your neurons. Until next time, keep shining your light. Go Galactic! Go Galactic! Then you're in the right place. Let's go, let's go!