Practitioner Diploma / "The diploma isn't the end of the journey, it's the beginning”

When Amy Cooper joined the AoEC’s Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching in 2023, she was already an experienced education leader with a passion for developing people. As director of training at ISTIP, she oversees professional development for teachers, mentors and school leaders across England, while also working as an accredited executive and leadership coach. In this interview, Amy reflects on the coaching experience that first inspired her, the personal and professional impact of the diploma, and why helping people find their own direction remains at the heart of her work.

What first sparked your interest in coaching and what made you decide it was the right time to train with the AoEC?

I came to coaching through being coached myself.

During my first maternity leave, I accessed coaching through the MTPT Project and it arrived at exactly the right moment. Like many people navigating a big life transition, I was trying to work out who I was beyond the job title and what I wanted next. Coaching gave me something I'd rarely experienced before: uninterrupted space to think.

I stayed with the same coach for seven years, through two maternity leaves, a promotion, a move into senior leadership and eventually leaving teaching altogether. Looking back, she quietly sat alongside many of the biggest decisions I've made.

By the time I joined ISTIP, I seemed to be finding opportunities to bring coaching into every conversation and training programme. Training with the AoEC felt like a natural next step. I wanted to understand more, develop my practice and give others the same experience that had such an impact on me.

What were some of the highlights of your experience on the diploma, and were there any moments that really stretched or challenged you?

The coaching triads were a particular highlight. There's something about having to step in and have a go rather than sitting back and observing. I often think of Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech when I reflect on the diploma. Being there in person meant there was nowhere to hide, but that was exactly where the learning happened.

I gained so much from practising, observing others and learning alongside people from very different backgrounds. The range of perspectives in the room added real depth to the experience.

What stretched me most was being prepared to sit with uncertainty. There were exercises that felt uncomfortable at the time, but they challenged assumptions I'd carried for years. Looking back, the moments where I felt most stretched were often the moments where I learned the most.

What would be your advice to others considering coach training?

Spend some time thinking about what you want from the experience beyond the qualification.

Think about how you learn best, what kind of coach you want to become and where coaching fits into your life and work.

Once you're on the programme, be open to being challenged. Coaching starts with yourself and that can feel uncomfortable at times. Be willing to be curious, vulnerable and honest with yourself.

I'd also say don't worry about being the finished article. The diploma isn't the end of the journey, it's the beginning.

Looking back, what has been the lasting impact of the diploma on you, both as a person and as a coach?

The diploma gave me confidence to trust both myself and the coaching process.

Before the programme, I'd completed some coaching training, but I still felt I needed to have a plan and know where a conversation was heading. The diploma helped me become much more comfortable with uncertainty and taught me to trust the client and their thinking.

I realised I didn't need to control the conversation and that some of the most powerful moments happen when you follow what is emerging rather than sticking rigidly to a plan.

It also encouraged me to be more creative in my coaching. I use visuals and cards far more than I used to, and I'm much more comfortable with silence.

Earlier in my coaching journey I felt I needed to fill every gap; now I know some of the best thinking happens in those quieter moments.

Can you tell us more about your work at ISTIP? Who do you find yourself coaching, and what are some of the challenges or opportunities people bring to those conversations?

As director of training at ISTIP, I oversee the professional development offered to early career teachers, mentors, tutors and induction leads.

What I enjoy most is being able to influence how professional learning is experienced. Coaching runs through much of what I do. I've co-designed an introduction to coaching skills programme for mentors, deliver coaching-focused sessions for ECTs and facilitate career development coaching.

Alongside that, I work with private clients and support a number of pro bono initiatives. One of the things I value most about coaching is the opportunity to work with people from different sectors and backgrounds.

The challenges people bring are often different on the surface, but many come down to similar questions about confidence, leadership, career direction, managing change or finding a way of working that's sustainable. I enjoy helping people step back, make sense of what's really important to them and find a way forward that's right for them.

You've held a number of leadership roles in education before becoming an accredited executive coach. How has coach training changed the way you support and develop teachers, leaders and schools?

Early in my leadership career, I thought leadership meant having the answers.

I became a middle leader relatively young and felt I had something to prove. So, I'd go into conversations with solutions, advice and a clear view of what should happen next.

The problem was I'd often find myself having the same conversations again a few weeks later.

One of my first experiences of using a coaching approach was during lesson observation feedback. Instead of saying, "This is what needs to change", I started asking questions such as, "What did you notice?" or "What do you think was happening there?" The quality of those conversations changed almost immediately.

I remember one teacher, who had far more classroom experience than I did, growing in confidence and eventually leading the department herself. That was a valuable lesson for me. People don't always need more advice; often they need the space to think, reflect and find their own solutions.

That lesson continues to influence how I lead today.

Without naming individuals, can you share a coaching conversation or moment that reminded you why this work matters?

One coaching relationship that stays with me involved a senior leader who came to coaching feeling stuck. She was ambitious, capable and keen to progress, but couldn't work out why she wasn't having the impact she wanted or what her next step should be.

Over a series of conversations, we explored priorities, workload, boundaries and what was actually within her control. Using tools such as the Circle of Control and Transactional Analysis helped her recognise how much energy she was spending trying to carry everything herself.

As she became clearer about her values and what mattered most, her decision-making became much easier. During the time we worked together, she became the figurehead for a significant project, moved into deputy headship and ultimately made the decision to leave teaching altogether.

What stayed with me wasn't the promotions or career changes, but the clarity she developed. She once described it as finding her compass again, and I think that's one of the best descriptions of coaching I've heard. It's not about telling people where to go; it's about helping them find their own direction

When you reflect on your work as a leader and coach, what do you find most rewarding?

What I find most rewarding is the ripple effect.

Whether I'm working with an early career teacher, a mentor or a senior leader, the coaching conversation is rarely just about that individual. When someone gains confidence, clarity or a stronger sense of what's important to them, it influences how they show up for everyone around them.

I often use the metaphor of a stage. The client is centre stage and my role is simply to create the conditions for them to perform at their best. The achievement belongs to them.

Over time, I've become less interested in being the person with the answers and more interested in helping people discover what's possible for themselves. What I enjoy most is seeing someone leave with a stronger sense of who they are, what matters to them and what they want to do next.

For me, coaching is about the whole person. People don't leave themselves at the door when they come to work. When somebody feels more aligned with their values and more confident in themselves, the impact reaches far beyond a single conversation. That's what keeps me passionate about the work.

Our deepest thanks to Amy for sharing her personal journey and experience of coach training at the AoEC.