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I just completed the Advanced Coaching Diploma (ACD), Canada鈥檚 highest level of coach education and, like most good things in life, it was not what I expected. It was deeper. Messier. More reflective. And honestly? More human.

Offered through the Coaching Association of Canada and delivered by partners like the Canadian Sport Institute, the ACD isn鈥檛 just about technical knowledge or performance data. It鈥檚 about developing a whole coach, someone who can lead with intention, think systemically, and stay grounded in what matters most.

At the centre of the ACD are five core competencies:

• Coaching Leadership
• Coaching Effectiveness
• Performance Planning
• Performance Analysis
• Program Management

Yes, these are categories. But they aren鈥檛 checkboxes. They鈥檙e living threads. Threads that connect practices, people, and purpose.

I Didn鈥檛 Start with a Map

When I began this journey, I didn鈥檛 have a defined coaching philosophy. I didn鈥檛 have a folder labelled 鈥渧alues.鈥� But I had been doing the work, walking alongside youth, holding space for growth, showing up in communities across the North. The ACD didn鈥檛 tell me what to believe, it gave me language for what I already believed. It gave me a structure to help others grow, while still growing myself.

Planning tools like the GAPS analysis, the Yearly Training Plan (YTP), or the Individual Performance Plan (IPP) weren鈥檛 just deliverables, I used them as living documents. Shared in Google folders and updated in real time, collaboratively built with athletes and coaches. The conversations around them were often more powerful than the plans themselves.

Feedback That Stayed With Me

Throughout the program, I received feedback from mentors and peers that still echoes in my mind: 

鈥淵our forward-thinking, rebuilding materials, mentorship, PD, shows leadership that鈥檚 already lifting others.鈥� 鈥� Sherry
鈥淥thers might feel overwhelmed by what you do, but you make it a source of impact.鈥� 鈥� Natalia
鈥淵our legacy goes far beyond coaching, it鈥檚 about how you empower others and create sustainable change.鈥� 鈥� Adam, ACD Mentor

These weren鈥檛 just compliments. They were mirrors. Reminders that the things we quietly tend to, mentorship, systems, gentle nudges of encouragement, are noticed.

This Was Never a Solo Ride

To Sport North, thank you for your support through the They Can Coach grant. Your investment didn鈥檛 just support me, it amplified a ripple in the northern coaching community.

To Adam, my mentor, thank you for holding space for ideas (even the scattered ones), for asking the questions that needed to be asked, and for walking alongside me through it all.

To Darcy, for creating a container of safety, challenge, and curiosity. And to Jason and the team at CSI Alberta, thank you for managing the behind-the-scenes magic that kept the learning flowing.

To my fellow ACD coaches, thank you for your laughter, your late-night wisdom, your honesty. We didn鈥檛 just complete a program, we built a community of reflective, values-driven leaders.

A Living System

The ACD reminded me that coaching isn鈥檛 a checklist. It鈥檚 a living system, shaped by people, relationships, reflection, and a willingness to stretch. And like any living system, it needs care. It grows through conversation, curiosity, and connection.

Some of the most meaningful moments came not during the courses themselves, but during my final presentation. That鈥檚 when the feedback hit differently. It wasn鈥檛 about checking competencies, it was a reflection of who I was. Not in a polished or performative way, but in just being. Present. Grounded.

It wasn鈥檛 about proving something. It was about recognizing the purpose behind the work, why we show up, again and again. Why we create space. Why we build systems that give our youth the chance to become the best version of themselves. A human approach. Not a perfect plan, but a powerful ripple.

The ACD gave me better tools. Clearer language. But most importantly, it offered confirmation that how we lead, teach, and connect matters. And that this work is never done alone because coaching is collective. It鈥檚 ongoing. It鈥檚 alive.

This isn鈥檛 the end of a plan. It鈥檚 the beginning of a ripple.

If you have any questions about the Advanced Coaching Diploma or are interested in joining, please feel free to reach out. I鈥檇 be happy to share more.

鈥擳horsten Gohl is the co-ordinator of Physical Literacy NWT.