Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/146934
Join the Field Transform lives through the UW's new life coaching program Learn to coach and inspire others through UW-Madison's Professional Life Coaching Certificate Program (PLCC), launching in September. It's the only academic program in the Midwest to meet the educational requirements for International Coach Federation (ICF) certification. With a schedule of classwork and teleconferences designed for working professionals, PLCC is a nine-month program for those seeking a new career in the field, current life coaches who want advanced training and certification, and other professionals who want to improve skills in their present jobs, such as counselors, managers, trainers, and organizational development and human resources staff. For more information, visit continuingstudies.wisc.edu/plcc and the ICF site, coachfederation.org. Luoma delights in seeing a client succeed and move on. Her aim, she tells them, is to work herself out of a job. There's plenty more on her plate: She trains for and races in arduous competitions yearround, and volunteers at Wisconsin's Special Olympics, Madison's Ronald McDonald House and other community groups. She's also a sought-after consultant, working with companies and organizations in conflict resolution, leadership development, strategic planning and team building. This fall she climbs yet another mountain as curriculum developer and lead instructor of UW-Madison Continuing Studies' new Professional Life Coaching Certificate Program (PLCC). PLCC Program Coordinator Aphra Mednick says Luoma's success as a teacher and coach, her dynamic personality, presentation 46 BRAVA Magazine August 2013 skills, and dedication to advancing the field made her the obvious choice to lead the venture. "I can't imagine developing this program with anyone else— truly! Darcy brings a sense of humor and creativity that is great to work with," she says. "I'm particularly impressed that she has the learner in the forefront of her mind—planning for different learning styles, utilizing multiple modalities, and developing creative ways to engage the learner." As a life coach, Luoma has found her calling. Her goal is to give each client what she has found: fulfillment through conscious choices. There is no better testimonial to the benefits of life coaching than that of Luoma, herself: "Where it goes ultimately I'm not sure, but I am now in the sweet spot of living my dream and doing what I love." •••