Optimus Coach Academy was established in 2019 and is now one of the world’s leading coach training providers, offering ICF accredited coach training programmes. In the last 6 years we’ve had over 1000 people through our Associate and Professional diplomas.
We specialise in training rooted in Psychology which brings together diverse approaches across our trademarked Optimus Holistic Coaching Framework™, giving you flexibility to coach the person in front of you and helping you to get consistent results.
Train through internationally recognised coaching programmes designed to meet global professional coaching standards.
Develop real coaching capability through live practice sessions, personalised feedback, and expert guidance.
Continue your journey with ongoing mentoring, career development resources, and a supportive coaching community.
The best ICF accredited coaching course is simply the one that fits your learning style, schedule, goals, and budget. The International Coaching Federation sets rigorous global standards and independently certifies coaches worldwide. When a programme is “ICF accredited,” its curriculum has been reviewed and approved to align with the ICF Core Competencies – but accreditation is simply the baseline. It doesn’t mean all programmes teach the same way or develop the same level of mastery in their students.
The real differentiators are training hours, quality of mentor coaching, class size, and how practical and immersive the course actually is. The best programmes go beyond the technical foundations and offer: So what makes Optimus one of the very best training schools?
We're very proud to have our curriculum designed and taught by a ICF Accredited Master Certified Coach. Ruth Kudzi, who is one of the main trainers on both diplomas (teaching 40%+ of the Professional Diploma and 30%+ on the Associate).
Every trainer and mentor is at least a Professionally Certified Coach (PCC) with a minimum of 5 years experience, they all run their own coaching businesses meaning they bring real life experience and examples to the training.
By having experienced coaches and trainers you know you're in safe hands: this isn't only about the theory of coaching it's about what it looks like in reality.
We believe that coaching is all about human relationships with Psychology & Neuroscience at the heart of the curriculum. This means we bring in relevant theory and research (backed by our own experience) which helps you to have more transformational coaching relationships and ensures you're working at depth with your clients.
Ruth has been studying Psychology since 1994 with a BA, MA and PGCERT as well as thousands of hours of research and training. This expertise means the curriculum is unique and varied.
We believe that coaching is more than tools or models which is why we designed our Holistic Coaching framework to support our students to look at different elements of the person they are coaching and their context. By exploring the different elements of the framework throughout the course you're able to personalise the experience for your coaching clients. This approach helps differentiate your coaching from AI based models.
We want our students to feel valued and to recognise their own strengths. This is why we have small groups (a maximim of 14) so we can provide personalised, tailored support. We design the course with a weekly rhythm so you can build on concepts and scaffold your learning. You'll usually have 2-3 trainers over the course of your diploma meaning you build strong relationships and equally have variety of experience to learn from.
When Ruth set up Optimus her goal was clear: she wanted 100% of students to feel the programmes were good or excellent. Since 2020 99% of students have rated the diplomas as good or excellent with 1% saying they met expectations. Over 87% have rated the experience as excellent and over 98% would recommend the course to someone else. We are committed to all students and take on regular feedback as well as updating resources and materials to ensure they are relevant.
Discover how professional coach training can help you develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge to begin your coaching journey.
You'll learn more about the curriculum, structure and how we deliver the programme so you can be confident it works for you.
You'll learn how we integrate our trademarked SELFLESS model and holistic coaching framework into our training to support you to become a confident and competent coach.
You'll hear from our recent students, more about our team and hear from our Founder, Ruth Kudzi so that you can get a good idea of who we are and what we stand for.
"Great coaches, very supportive, no issue is small to raise. The training is very practical and at the same time the portal has so much information and materials, there is plenty for everyone. The flexibility of the training sessions was very helpful as someone who works full time. In summary: I couldn't be happier that I chose the Optimus team. They are simply amazing."
"Doing the Optimus Coach Academy diploma has been such a game-changer for me. I now feel armed with a great range of tools to support any individual. The mix of practical learning, live practice, and support from mentors and peers made the whole experience both challenging and inspiring. I've come away with real confidence in myself as a coach."
"Training with Optimus Coach Academy has been genuinely transformative, not just professionally, but personally. I've learnt so much about myself through the process, and the skills and frameworks I've gained have been immediately applicable. I'm already working with coaching clients and generating income from my practice. I couldn't recommend it highly enough."
"From start to finish, the Optimus experience was amazing. The care and attention for our learning journey from the staff was always present. The course material is great and I always felt supported. Thank you so much."
Download our Diplomas brochure for a further breakdown
and overview of our best in class, accredited (ICF, AC, EMCC)
training programmes. Including Video testimonials
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To obtain an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coach Federation (ICF) – the leading global organisation for coaching standards – you need to complete at least 60 hours of coach-specific education).
The most seamless pathway to the ACC is enrolling in an ICF Level 1 Accredited Programme, which automatically packages the required 60+ training hours, mentor coaching, and the performance evaluation required for your credential. When choosing, prioritise programmes that offer live, interactive training rather than fully self-paced, as this is crucial for developing skills and meeting ICF accreditation standards. Ensure the program includes at least 10 hours of mentor coaching and a Performance Evaluation.
ACC is the first credential level and is designed for newer coaches. At this stage, coaches demonstrate they can apply the ICF core competencies, build coaching relationships, and conduct effective coaching conversations. It signals that a coach has formal training and supervised development, but is still building experience.
PCC is often considered the benchmark credential for full-time professional coaches. Coaches at this level have significantly more client experience and are expected to facilitate deeper awareness, behavioural change, and accountability. Many organisations looking to hire external coaches specifically request PCC-level credentials.
