Our Story

About the Academy

We exist to bridge the gap between rigorous self-compassion science and the transformative work of professional coaching, equipping practitioners to create lasting change in the lives of those they serve.

Our Mission

Why We Exist

The research on self-compassion is compelling. Study after study shows that people who relate to themselves with kindness and understanding, especially in moments of difficulty, show greater motivation, more resilience, and better long-term outcomes across every domain of life.

And yet, most coaching training programs treat self-compassion as an optional add-on, a soft skill tucked between modules on goal-setting and accountability. We believe it deserves to be the foundation.

The Self-Compassion Coaching Academy was founded to change that, to create a rigorous, evidence-based pathway for coaches and helping professionals who want to bring this science into their 1:1 work with the depth and skill it deserves.

The most effective coaches aren't the ones who push clients hardest. They're the ones who help clients build a fundamentally different relationship with themselves.

"Remember that if you really want to motivate yourself, love is more powerful than fear."

— Kristin Neff

Our Community

Who Our Programs Are For

Our programs are designed primarily for coaches, and extend a warm welcome to anyone in a profession built on serving others. If your work involves supporting people through challenge and change, you belong here.

Coaches
Credentialed coaches seeking CCE hours, and new coaches building a self-compassion-centered practice from day one.
Healthcare Workers
Clinicians, nurses, therapists, and allied health professionals who support clients through health challenges and recovery.
HR Professionals
Leaders and HR practitioners who work one-on-one with employees through performance, wellbeing, and transitions.
Educators
Teachers, school counselors, and academic coaches who support students through the pressures of learning and growth.
Mindfulness & MSC Teachers
Mindfulness and Mindful Self-Compassion teachers ready to bring their expertise into a structured 1:1 coaching context.
Chaplains
Spiritual directors and chaplains who hold space for people in their most vulnerable and searching moments.
Counselors & Mental Health Workers
Counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals supporting clients in building greater self-compassion and resilience.

ICF continuing education credits are available for credentialed coaches. All programs are open to helping professionals regardless of coaching background or interest in ICF accreditation, our goal is to equip you to do this work well, whatever your professional context.

What We Stand For

Our Principles

01
Science First
Everything we teach is grounded in peer-reviewed research. Self-compassion isn't a philosophy, it's one of the most robustly studied constructs in modern psychology, and we treat it that way.
02
Practice Ready
Theory without application isn't enough. Every program is built so that what you learn on day one can be used with clients on day two. We close the gap between knowing and doing.
03
Integrity in Scope
We train coaches to apply self-compassion within the scope of their professional role, not as therapists, not as teachers, but as skilled coaches who know exactly what they're doing and why.
04
Inclusive by Design
Self-compassion belongs to everyone. Our programs welcome coaches and helping professionals from every background, context, and credential level.
05
Depth Over Speed
We're not building a certificate mill. We're building practitioners who genuinely understand self-compassion and can work with it skillfully over the long arc of a coaching relationship.
06
Compassion Begins Here
We believe coaches who have done their own self-compassion work are better coaches. Our programs are designed to develop both the practitioner and the practice.
Amy Noelle, Founder of the Self-Compassion Coaching Academy, seated and writing in a journal
Meet the Founder

Amy Noelle

Certified MSC, MBSR & mPEAK Teacher · Senior Certified Professional Coach

After more than 10 years of teaching mindfulness and self-compassion, I kept meeting people who wanted to go deeper one-on-one. That gap became the seed of this Academy.

Once I completed my ICF Level 1 and ICF Level 2 coach training, I started weaving self-compassion into every session. The shift was immediate. Clients who had been stuck in cycles of self-criticism began to move, not because they pushed harder, but because they finally stopped working against themselves.

Self-compassion is a superpower, and most people don't know they have access to it. I built this program so that coaches and helping professionals could bring that science into their work with confidence and depth.

Credentials

Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher · Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher · Certified mPEAK Teacher · Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield Mindfulness Mentor Certification · Mindful Eating · Intuitive Eating Facilitator · Wellness Coaching · Trauma-Informed Mindfulness · Senior Certified Professional Coach, Coach Transformation Academy (ICF Level 2 Training)

Ready to Bring Self-Compassion
Into Your Practice?

Explore our programs and find the pathway that fits where you are right now.

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