Coach Development Academy

“The Coaching Development Academy Live Class with Celia Slater was nothing short of incredible. The six-week course delivered on every level. We had the opportunity to connect and build relationships with coaches from high school, club, college and professional levels. We learned from experienced, intelligent, successful, and genuine speakers who shared their failures as much as their successes. Celia and all of the contributors created an interactive workbook that I know I will continue to reference throughout the duration of my (hopefully) long coaching career. Thank you to everyone who made this class so fun - we don’t deserve you!”

“The Coaching Development Academy Live Class with Celia Slater over-delivered on content, “AHA moments” and connections with other like-minded coaches. It was exactly what I needed during this turbulent and unpredictable year. I have done True North Sports programs before and this class was a needed next step in my growth and development as a person and as a coach. The mix between live speakers, discussions with classmates and working through the Managing Yourself Workbook kept things interesting and created necessary deep realizations. I look forward to continuing my growth with more material from Celia and True North Sports.”

During this “COVID period,” I was looking for a class that wasn’t so much about the x’s and o’s of soccer, but something that was a bit more personal to me as a person and as a coach. Our sport seasons and end-of-year reviews are often based on results, and the student-athlete experience as a whole, but very seldom are we given meaningful feedback or ideas on how to improve as a coach as it relates to culture, goal-setting, values, philosophies, balance, or even have time to reflect on where we are and where we are going as coaches. This course provided an environment with other coaches over several different sports to come together, be vulnerable, talk about the hardships and joys of being a coach, and collaborate on different ideas and experiences. Not only was the class discussion facilitated by Celia and incredible experience, but the guest speakers that she had come in every week were tremendous. I think one of the best ways to learn is to learn from other people’s experiences and oftentimes in coaching we get so caught up in our own lives that we don’t make time to build bridges with other coaches to allow for this type of meaningful conversation. The Managing Yourself course left me with some great ideas for myself and my team, new inspiration, and most importantly new friends across the profession who I intend to stay in touch with. Celia has a great thing going here, and I am so fortunate that I was able to take advantage of an opportunity like this.

"There are few professional development opportunities designed specifically for coaches, by coaches. No one does it better than Celia and True North Sports. Business models don’t address the unique challenges of coaches – Celia goes right to the heart: how do we better the lives of our student athletes. I recommend Celia’s work, no matter the method. This workbook series and the virtual courses will be a game-changer."

“True North Sports Coaching Development Academy Live Class with Celia Slater was one of the most eye-opening courses I have ever done. As someone who is super green to head coaching it made me think a lot about the type of coach I want to be. I know my strengths and weaknesses coming into coaching and the course brought up so much more. Celia cannot be nicer and more inviting, she truly cares about us as coaches. I was left with so many thoughts and next steps each and every class. I encourage any coach from any level to take part in this class, it doesn’t stop here, you will be able to take this material with you each year as you develop as a coach. Listening to and being exposed to other coaches at different levels and sports as well as some of the most sought after, high profile speakers was brilliant. I look forward to continuing my journey with Celia!”

“One word that I believe describes Celia, along with True North Sports CDA is Intentional. Celia has worked tirelessly on these new live calls in order to create a sense of culture, community, and connection for like-minded coaches. I appreciate the intentionality from finding my values, creating a personal mission statement, evaluating professionalism, diving deep into making my own coaching philosophy and so much more. The collaboration between classmates, the interactive workbook, and listening to speakers kept the class exciting. I would highly encourage any coach at any level to take part in the next series of CDA classes, as you will be fully immersed in being intentional with diving deeper into what makes you, you and how to be the very best for your team. I’m looking forward to both personal and professional growth in the coming classes and I don’t want you to miss out on an amazing opportunity!”

As a more ‘mature” coach, I cannot stress enough how important this experience has been for me to renew, reset and re-evaluate how I manage myself in order to give the best to my teams and get the best out of them. The opportunity to listen to perspectives of coaches from all over the country, sharing their challenges and successes…. just being raw and honest... gave me pause to reflect after every session. Hearing the ups and downs of the journeys of the guest speakers reminded me that the beautiful oops is often the best teacher, if we are present to receive the message! Although we had to come together remotely, the sessions were interactive and engaging. Coupled with the workbook, deep dives and the online videos it just worked. I can’t wait to continue with CDA courses and to build an even better team culture and community along the way! Celia and her team are a gift that just keeps giving!

"I am always impressed with the quality of resources and programs Celia Slater and True North Sports creates to support the development of coaches of all sports. The workbook series combined with the virtual classes definitely raises the bar for coaching professional development and is an amazing resource for any coach, regardless of experience, seeking clarity around WHY and HOW they coach."