Leading a team inside a company? See the Compass Executive Program→
For independent coaches and consultants
Compass Coach · Coach training
Executive coach training from a firm that coaches executives
Compass is Talentism's 11-week coach training program. Every Talentism coach trains through it. You'll learn the method we use with executives at high-growth companies, practice it with an AI coach and your cohort, and leave ready to use it with clients.
- 11 weeks
- Live session every Wednesday
- About 5 hours a week
- Cohorts of 12 or fewer
Who this program is for
For people who help organizations from the outside
Compass Coach is for independent coaches, consultants, operators who advise founders, and people who work across several companies. It fits best if one of these sounds like you:
You're building a coaching practice
You want a structured method behind your work instead of starting from scratch with each client.
You've trained elsewhere
You already have a broad coaching foundation and want depth in executive and leadership coaching.
You advise leaders informally
People already come to you for guidance, and you want a tested way to help them.
You want to coach with Talentism
Compass is how every Talentism coach is trained, and graduates who earn certification can be considered for our coaching panel.
New and experienced coaches are both welcome. Your curiosity and how you plan to use the method matter more than years of experience.
Leading a team inside a company? Compass Executive is built for that→
What you'll learn
The method Talentism coaches use with every client
You start by applying each part to yourself, then practice it as a coach.
1. Recognizing confusion
Hear when a client is stuck and help them name exactly what they're confused about.
2. Separating story from evidence
Distinguish the narrative a client brings from the facts, and build an evidence-based picture of them and their situation.
3. Working with how people react
Identify blind spots and threat triggers, yours and your clients’, and work with them in the session.
4. Running the coaching cycle
Investigate, diagnose, design experiments with the client, check that you're in sync on next steps, and learn from the results.
5. Finding the right context
Help clients understand their talents and strengths and the setting where they'll do their best work.
Two tracks, one method
Same core methods. Different place to use them.
Both cohorts learn the same core methods from the same master coaches. What changes is who you practice on.
| Compass Executive | Compass CoachYou are here | |
|---|---|---|
| You apply it to | Leading and developing a team inside your company | Coaching clients outside a company: your own practice, consulting or advisory work |
| Practice material | Your one-on-ones, team meetings and planning conversations | Client sessions. You find the client, and practice clients count |
| Weekly live session | Thursdays, two hours | Wednesdays, two hours |
| After the program | A completion certificate, and optional Coach Certification | A completion certificate, optional Coach Certification, and consideration for the coaching panel |
Leading a team inside a company? See the Compass Executive Program→
How the program runs
Built to fit around client work and a full schedule
Compass takes about five hours a week for 11 weeks, some in live sessions together and some asynchronously. A lot of time goes into practicing, because coaching is a skill you learn by doing it.
The only fixed time
One live session a week
Two hours every Wednesday, led by a Talentism master coach.
A week ahead
Pre-work before each session
Mostly audio and video lessons that go out a week ahead, so sessions can go straight to discussion and practice.
Your schedule
Practice between sessions
Role-plays with Sage, and from the halfway point, paired practice with a cohort partner using set exercises.
Within 24 hours
Recordings
Every session is posted within 24 hours if you miss one.
Sessions combine facilitated discussion, small-group role-plays, and guest coaches from Talentism’s client work who show how they use a method with real clients. The program ends with a live coaching exercise in which you coach a fellow participant and Talentism coaches review it against our coaching standards.
AI practice
Practice with Sage, Talentism’s AI coach
Sage is an AI coach Talentism built in-house and trained on our methods and coaching conversations. In Compass, it’s your practice partner between sessions.
Play the coach while Sage plays a client, switch roles to watch the method from the other side, or bring Sage a situation from your own practice and work through how you’d handle it. We provide prompts for each stage of the program.
Play the coach
Practice the method while Sage plays the person being coached.
Switch roles
Be the one being coached and watch the method from the other side.
Bring a real situation
Work through a live problem from your week and see how the method applies.
Certification
Certification and coaching with Talentism
Three different things, so you know exactly what each one is: a certificate everyone earns for completing the program, an optional certification you work toward afterward, and a possible route to coaching for Talentism.
Included
Compass completion certificate
Everyone who completes Compass receives it. You need to attend at least 70% of live sessions and complete the program assignments.
Optional · additional $2,000
Talentism Coach Certification
You work one-on-one with a mentor coach who reviews your recorded sessions with a client and gives you specific feedback against the standards we use for our own coaches. You find the client; practice clients count. It can start right after the program or months later.
Consideration, not a guarantee
Talentism’s coaching panel
Certified coaches can be considered for Talentism’s coaching panel, and we prioritize Compass graduates when we place coaches with clients. Placement depends on client needs and fit, so we can’t guarantee it.
Compass and Talentism Coach Certification are not ICF-accredited. Certification is optional and costs an additional $2,000.
Who teaches it
Why learn coaching from Talentism
Coaching companies and coach training schools are usually separate businesses. Talentism is both. For 13 years we’ve coached executives and leadership teams at high-growth companies, and everyone who coaches for us trained through Compass. Our coaches use a shared method and vocabulary, so a client working with several of them hears the same language from each.
What we learn on client work goes back into the program.
- 13 yearsCoaching executives and leadership teams at high-growth companies
- 30+ yearsFounder Jeff Hunter’s experience building people organizations, the source of the method
- A decade+Sharon Billings, who designed the program, has coached and worked on Talentism’s IP
In their words
What graduates say
“Talentism’s Clarity Compass training gave me very helpful content and frameworks that further my ability to expand my clients in their context at a level deeper than what I had going in through my ICF training to date.”
“The Clarity Compass training program has significantly deepened my effectiveness as a coach. It gave me a new lens through which to understand how confusion operates, not just as a barrier but as a gateway to transformation.”
“What I love about Clarity Coaching is how it marries insight to action. The Clarity Compass training gave me language and tools to help clients take purposeful action in the here and now, even as deeper transformation unfolds over time.”
“I am a strong believer in the experimental nature of Clarity Coaching and the focus on creating tight learning loops in order to maximally leverage our own and our clients’ confusion as opportunities for growth.”
Cost and timing
Investment, scholarships and dates
- Program
- $6,000Paid upfront or in two installments.
- Optional Coach Certification
- +$2,000An additional fee, after the program.
- Next cohort
- Dates being finalizedLive sessions are on Wednesdays. The start date, session time and application deadline are being finalized, and we’ll confirm them when you get in touch.
- Format
- 11 weekly live sessionsOnline. Cohorts of 12 or fewer.
Scholarships
Partial scholarships of up to 50% are available. Most are repaid through coaching work with Talentism if we place you, and if we don't place you, you don't owe the balance. Mention scholarships in your message when you get in touch, and we'll explain how they work.
Ask about the cohort or request a call
Tell us a little about your coaching practice and what you want from Compass. We'll reply with cohort details and next steps. If you'd rather talk first, ask for a call with Priyanka.
What is the Compass Coach Program?
Compass Coach is an 11-week executive coach training program from Talentism. It teaches the coaching method Talentism uses with executives and leadership teams, through weekly live sessions, pre-work, and practice with an AI coach and your cohort. It's also how every Talentism coach is trained.
Do I need coaching experience?
No. Compass welcomes new and experienced coaches. Some participants have coached for years; others are starting a practice or already advise leaders informally.
I've already done coach training. Will Compass conflict with it?
Many participants have trained elsewhere. Most find Compass adds depth and structure for executive and leadership work. Where the methods differ, the live sessions give you room to work through those differences with a master coach.
Is Compass ICF-accredited?
No. Compass and the Talentism Coach Certification are not ICF-accredited, and that’s deliberate. ICF programs train coaches across many styles and settings. Compass goes deep on one method: the one Talentism’s coaches use with executives and leadership teams at high-growth companies. Certification measures you against the standards we use for our own coaches, and every Talentism coach trains through the same program. Many participants already have ICF-aligned training and come to Compass for depth in executive coaching. The two work well together. If you’re working toward an ICF credential, check ICF’s requirements directly, since Compass hours aren’t ICF-accredited training.
How much does it cost?
The program is $6,000, paid upfront or in two installments. Optional Coach Certification is an additional $2,000.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes. We offer partial scholarships of up to 50%, usually repaid through coaching work with Talentism if we place you as a coach. If we don't place you, you don't owe the balance. Mention scholarships in your message when you get in touch, and we'll explain how they work.
How much time does it take?
About five hours a week for 11 weeks: a two-hour live session on Wednesdays and about three hours of pre-work and practice on your own schedule.
When does the next cohort start?
Live sessions are on Wednesdays, and pre-work goes out the week before. The exact start date, session time and application deadline are being finalized; we’ll confirm them when you get in touch.
What does Coach Certification involve?
After you complete Compass, you can work one-on-one with a mentor coach who reviews a series of your recorded coaching sessions with a client and evaluates them against Talentism's coaching standards. You provide the client, and practice clients count. Certification is optional, costs an additional $2,000, and can start whenever you're ready.
Can I coach for Talentism after Compass?
Certified Compass graduates can be considered for Talentism's coaching panel, and we prioritize graduates when placing coaches with clients. Placement depends on client needs and fit, so it isn't guaranteed. Most Talentism coaches work as independent contractors and choose how much time to commit.
Can I use the methods in my own practice?
Yes. Talentism wants more people coaching with this method, and many graduates use it in their own practices.
What is Sage?
Sage is Talentism's AI coach, trained on the same methods and coaching conversations as our human coaches. You use it to practice between sessions, playing coach or client, or to work through situations from your own practice. It's included in the program.
What happens if I miss a session?
Sessions are recorded and posted within 24 hours. To receive the completion certificate, you need to attend at least 70% of live sessions and complete the program assignments.
Can I join from outside the US?
Yes. Sessions run on US Eastern time but are timed to maximize ability to participate across time zones. Coaches regularly join from the UK and Europe.
What happens after the program ends?
You join Talentism's community of Compass graduates and coaches, where you can bring coaching questions, share what's working, and stay current as the method develops.