Deon Groenewald

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  • Online Life Coaching Course: What to Expect From Live Zoom Training

    Online Life Coaching Course: What to Expect From Live Zoom Training

    Last updated: November 2026

    Many people hesitate before joining an online life coaching course, and the worry is a fair one: can a skill this human really be learned through a screen? It deserves a straight answer.

    Quick answer

    An online life coaching course works when the training is live and built around practice. On my nine day course you join on Zoom from 09:00 to 16:00 with your camera on, watch each technique demonstrated live, then practise it in breakout rooms as both coach and client.

    What is an online life coaching course?

    An online life coaching course is training in coaching skills that you take over the internet instead of in a classroom. There are two main kinds: live courses taught in real time on a video call, and self-paced courses made of recorded lessons you watch whenever you like.

    Both have a place. Self-paced learning suits a crowded schedule, and I respect anyone who needs that. The question I would always ask is how much of the course puts you in conversation with another person, because that is where coaching is actually learned.

    Can you really learn coaching through a screen?

    Yes, when the training is live and built around practice. Coaching is conversation, and a video call is a conversation.

    If you are sceptical, you are right to be. A recorded video can only show you what a technique is. It cannot show you what it feels like to be coached, or what your own voice does when you ask a hard question. That takes another human being on the other side of the screen.

    Picture the moment a breakout room opens. There is a small silence, then a face appears, a coffee mug lifts into the frame, and the practice begins.

    What to expect from an online life coaching course on Zoom

    On my course, seven things shape every day.

    1. Your camera stays on. Coaching depends on seeing a person’s face, so cameras are on from 09:00 to 16:00.
    2. Day 1 is theory: how the mind works and why people get stuck.
    3. Day 2 is skills, the building blocks you will use in every technique.
    4. From Day 3 to Day 9 you learn techniques, and I demonstrate each one live with a volunteer.
    5. Then you practise it yourself in breakout rooms.
    6. You play both roles, coach and client, so you learn from each side of the conversation.
    7. Recordings are kept for life, and you may repeat the training at no extra cost.

    Graduates receive two certificates, an NLP Practitioner certificate and a Life Coach certificate. After certification, the coaches’ community meets live every Thursday from 19:00 to 20:00, and graduates also receive the 21 Day Client Acquisition Challenge.

    What do you need to join an online life coaching course?

    You need a device with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, a quiet space where you can speak freely, and a willingness to practise. My course needs no previous qualification, only a basic working level of English.

    If your power or data can be unreliable, plan a backup before the first day: a phone you can use as a hotspot and a charged power bank. Small preparations like these save a stressful morning. Zoom’s own guide to participating in breakout rooms is a good five-minute read before the first day. If you are unsure about your set-up, message me on WhatsApp and we will talk it through.

    Because the training runs on Zoom, you can join from anywhere in South Africa and Southern Africa, from Namibia and Botswana to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi. Most of the region shares GMT+2, so the 09:00 to 16:00 day sits in the same hours for everyone.

    Live online or self-paced: which suits you?

    Neither is wrong. They suit different people, and the table shows where they differ.

    What mattersLive online courseSelf-paced recorded course
    Practice with other peopleBuilt into every technique, in breakout roomsDepends on the course, so ask
    Seeing a technique demonstratedLive, with a volunteerOn video
    FlexibilityFixed days and hoursLearn whenever you like
    Best forPeople who want to practise and be coachedPeople with unpredictable schedules

    My view, after training coaches since 2008, is that coaching is learned in conversation, so I teach live.

    What are the honest benefits and limits of learning online?

    The benefits are practical. There is no travel and no week away from home, you can join from wherever you live in South Africa or Southern Africa, and the recordings stay with you for life.

    The limits are just as real, and I would rather you heard them from me. Your camera is on, so there is nowhere to hide, and some people find that uncomfortable at first. You need a quiet, private space where you can speak freely. The hours are fixed, so you must protect the nine days in your diary. And practising with another person asks for energy, because listening properly is tiring in the best way.

    If those limits sound manageable, an online life coaching course may suit you better than you expect.

    How do you choose an online life coaching course?

    Ask the same questions of every provider and compare the answers. Be wary of any course that promises income, guarantees clients or hurries you to pay before you have seen real teaching. I have written the questions down in my guide on how to choose a life coaching course. If you want to understand what the training teaches, my guide to NLP practitioner certification lists the core skills, and my guide on how to become a life coach in South Africa shows where the training leads.

    You can see how I train on my training page, and the full details of my NLP Life Coach Certification Course are on the Action Factory Global website.

    Somewhere on the other side of a screen, there is a person who will one day sit in front of you and say, finally, out loud, what they have been carrying. Learn well, and you will know what to ask.

    Watch a Live Day Before You Decide

    If you are still unsure whether an online life coaching course can work for you, come and see one. Once a month I run a free open day on a Saturday, from 09:00 to 15:00, live on Zoom. It is the actual first day of the nine-day course, with enrolled students present, so you see genuine teaching and can ask me anything. It is not a sales pitch.

    WhatsApp me about the next open day See courses and dates

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is an online life coaching course as good as one in a room?

    It depends on whether the training is live and built around practice. I can only speak for mine: each technique is demonstrated live and then practised in breakout rooms as both coach and client, with cameras on.

    How long does an online life coaching course take?

    The length varies from course to course. My NLP Life Coach Certification Course runs for nine days, live on Zoom, from 09:00 to 16:00.

    Do I need to be good with technology?

    You need to be able to join a Zoom call, keep your camera on and move into a breakout room. If you are unsure about your set-up, message me on WhatsApp before you decide.

    Will I be able to watch the lessons again?

    Yes. Recordings are kept for life, and you may repeat the training at no extra cost.

    Can I join from outside South Africa?

    Yes. Because the course runs live on Zoom, people join from across Southern Africa, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi, and from around the world.

    How much does an online life coaching course cost?

    Prices change, so I do not quote them in articles. The current details are on the Action Factory Global website, and you are welcome to message me on WhatsApp first.

    Deon Groenewald, NLP trainer and life coach, South Africa

    About Deon Groenewald

    Deon Groenewald is an NLP Master Trainer, life coach and keynote speaker based in South Africa. Since 2008 he has trained more than 3,000 coaches from over 100 countries through Action Factory Global, and is a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA. He is also the author of five books on confidence, masculinity, anxiety coaching and relationships.

    More about Deon

  • NLP Practitioner Certification: What You Actually Learn

    NLP Practitioner Certification: What You Actually Learn

    Last updated: November 2026

    NLP practitioner certification sounds impressive on a business card and mysterious in a brochure. It is neither. It is a set of skills about listening, language and change, learned by doing them with other people. Most people who ask me about it want to know one thing: what will I actually be able to do afterwards?

    Quick answer

    NLP practitioner certification is training in the core skills of NLP, such as building rapport, asking precise questions, setting clear goals and changing the meaning of a situation, and it ends with a certificate. It teaches communication and coaching tools, not a medical treatment, and its value depends on how much you practise with real people.

    What is NLP practitioner certification?

    NLP practitioner certification is a course of training that teaches you the core skills of neuro-linguistic programming and ends with a certificate. If NLP itself is new to you, my plain guide on what is NLP is the best place to begin.

    Many NLP schools use three levels, called practitioner, master practitioner and trainer, though the names and requirements differ between organisations. Practitioner is the first level. It is where you learn the foundations and use them yourself.

    NLP training is not tightly controlled, and different schools set their own standards. That means the certificate is only as strong as the teaching behind it, which is why I would always look at the teaching first.

    What do you actually learn in NLP practitioner certification?

    You learn seven core skills, and you learn them by doing them, not by reading about them.

    1. How to build rapport

    Rapport is the sense of connection and trust that lets a person relax and speak honestly. You can feel the moment it arrives. The shoulders drop, the coffee finally gets picked up, and the person in front of you stops performing.

    2. How to read what people do not say

    Calibration is the skill of noticing small changes in breathing, posture and tone of voice. A client says everything is fine, and the way they sit says something else. You learn to notice, and to ask about it kindly.

    3. How to ask precise questions

    The Meta Model is a set of questions that recover the detail hidden inside vague language. When someone says, “I just can’t speak up,” you ask what stops them and what would happen if they did. The vague sentence turns into something you can work with.

    4. How to use gentle, open language

    The Milton Model is named after the hypnotherapist Milton Erickson, and it uses deliberately open, permissive language. It invites rather than commands. “You might notice” lands very differently from “you must.”

    5. How to set goals that work

    A well formed outcome turns a wish into a goal that is specific, within the person’s own control and checked against what else would change if they reached it. You also learn to uncover the values underneath the goal, because people move toward what matters to them.

    6. How to change the meaning of a situation

    Anchoring links a feeling to a trigger, and reframing gives the same event a different meaning. Together they help a client who dreads the phone call to find a steadier response to it.

    7. How to see a problem from other positions

    Perceptual positions let a person look at a situation from their own eyes, from the other person’s, and from an observer’s seat. The timeline technique helps them meet their future self. Both widen a stuck picture.

    On my course, I demonstrate each technique live with a volunteer, and then you practise it in breakout rooms as both coach and client.

    How is NLP practitioner certification different from a life coaching certificate?

    NLP gives you the tools, and coaching gives you the structure for using them in a conversation with a client. On my course the two are trained together, and graduates receive two certificates, an NLP Practitioner certificate and a Life Coach certificate.

    That matters if your goal is to coach. A tool with no conversation around it is hard to apply, and a coaching conversation with no tools can lack direction. If you want to see the path from certificate to practice, I describe it in my guide on how to become a life coach in South Africa.

    Who should take this training?

    NLP practitioner certification suits people who work with people: coaches, managers, teachers, parents and anyone who wants to communicate with more care.

    It does not suit someone who wants a medical qualification or a cure. NLP is a set of coaching skills, not therapy. If you are drawn to it because you want to treat anxiety, trauma or any clinical condition, a qualified mental health professional is the right route, and a good coach will say so plainly.

    Is NLP practitioner certification worth it?

    It is worth it if you want practical communication and coaching skills and you are willing to practise them. It is not worth it if you expect a shortcut or a guarantee.

    The research is mixed, and you should hear that from the person selling you the course. A 2012 systematic review in the British Journal of General Practice found little evidence that NLP improves health outcomes, and its authors said this reflects how limited the research is. I teach NLP for what I see in the training room: people who learn to listen closely and ask better questions, and who then change in ways they can describe.

    I cannot promise income or clients, and anyone who does is guessing. What I can promise is that the skills are real, and that they grow with use.

    How does my NLP Life Coach Certification Course teach it?

    My NLP Life Coach Certification Course runs for nine days, live on Zoom, from 09:00 to 16:00, with cameras on. Day 1 is theory, Day 2 is skills, and from Day 3 to Day 9 you learn the techniques by watching them demonstrated and then practising them. Recordings are kept for life, and you may repeat the training at no extra cost.

    You do not need a previous qualification. I am a certified NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer (INLPTA) and a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA, and I have trained coaches since 2008 through Action Factory Global. You can read more on my training page, and my guide on how to choose a life coaching course lists the questions I would ask any provider.

    Somewhere in your life right now, there is a conversation you wish you had handled differently. This training may show you what was missing, and how to have the next one well.

    See It Taught Before You Decide

    If you are weighing NLP practitioner certification, come and watch it taught. Once a month I run a free open day on a Saturday, from 09:00 to 15:00, live on Zoom. It is the actual first day of the nine-day course, with enrolled students present, so you see genuine teaching and can ask me anything. It is not a sales pitch.

    WhatsApp me about the next open day See courses and dates

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the difference between NLP practitioner and master practitioner?

    Many NLP schools use levels called practitioner, master practitioner and trainer. Practitioner is the first level, where you learn the foundations and use them yourself. Names and requirements differ between organisations, so ask any provider exactly what each level covers.

    How long does NLP practitioner certification take?

    The length depends on the school. My NLP Life Coach Certification Course runs for nine days, live on Zoom, from 09:00 to 16:00, and it trains NLP and life coaching together.

    Do I need a qualification before I start?

    No previous qualification is needed for my course. You need a basic working level of English and a willingness to practise.

    Can I do NLP practitioner certification online?

    Yes. My course runs live on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere in South Africa, Southern Africa or the world. Every technique is demonstrated live and then practised in breakout rooms, with your camera on.

    Is NLP practitioner certification recognised?

    Recognition depends on who issues the certificate and who you ask. Coaching in South Africa works within a non-regulated system, so no single authority decides. I am a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA, and each body uses its own terms, so ask any provider what its registration means.

    How much does NLP practitioner certification cost?

    Prices change, so I do not quote them in articles. The current details are on the Action Factory Global website, and you are welcome to message me on WhatsApp first.

    Deon Groenewald, NLP trainer and life coach, South Africa

    About Deon Groenewald

    Deon Groenewald is an NLP Master Trainer, life coach and keynote speaker based in South Africa. Since 2008 he has trained more than 3,000 coaches from over 100 countries through Action Factory Global, and is a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA. He is also the author of five books on confidence, masculinity, anxiety coaching and relationships.

    More about Deon

  • What Is NLP? A Plain Language Guide

    What Is NLP? A Plain Language Guide

    Last updated: November 2026

    What is NLP? It is a fair question, and the usual answers tend to be either a wall of jargon or a promise that sounds too good to be true. I would like to offer a third kind of answer, a plain one, from someone who teaches it for a living.

    Quick answer

    What is NLP? Neuro-linguistic programming is a set of communication and change tools built on one idea: the way we use our senses, language and habits shapes how we feel and act. Coaches use it to help people set clearer goals, loosen limiting beliefs and communicate better. It is a coaching skill, not a medical treatment.

    What is NLP in plain language?

    NLP, short for neuro-linguistic programming, is a practical toolkit for understanding how people think, communicate and change.

    The three words each carry a piece of the idea. Neuro points to the mind and the senses, how we see, hear and feel the world. Linguistic points to language, the words we say aloud and the ones we say to ourselves. Programming points to habit, the patterns we repeat so often that we forget we ever learned them.

    Think of the voice in your head just before you stand up to speak. NLP asks a simple question about it: what exactly is it saying, in what tone, and from where? Once you can hear it clearly, you can begin to change it.

    Where did NLP come from?

    NLP began in the early 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where Richard Bandler and John Grinder started studying how gifted therapists and communicators got their results.

    Their aim was to describe what those people did so that others could learn it. That habit of studying excellence and teaching it is called modelling, and it is still at the heart of NLP. More than fifty years later, the method has spread into coaching, business and personal growth, and it has also collected its share of critics. That is the short history behind NLP today.

    What are the main ideas behind NLP?

    If you are asking what is NLP made of, four ideas carry most of the weight.

    • The map is not the territory. Each of us lives by our own picture of reality, and the picture is never the same as the real thing. Change the picture and the choices change with it.
    • Rapport comes first. People open up and change with someone they trust, so a good practitioner builds that trust before anything else.
    • Anchoring links a feeling to a trigger. A certain song can take you straight back to a school hall, and a coach can help a client build a helpful anchor on purpose.
    • Reframing gives the same event a different meaning. A hard conversation can look like a threat from one angle and an invitation from another.

    In the course I teach, each of these is demonstrated live and then practised. Reading about an anchor and setting one with another person are very different experiences.

    What is NLP used for in coaching?

    In coaching, NLP is used to help people set clear goals, loosen the beliefs that hold them back, improve how they communicate and build confidence in daily life.

    Picture a client who says, “I always freeze when I have to speak up in meetings.” A coach trained in NLP does not hand over advice. They listen for the exact words, always and freeze, and ask questions that gently widen the picture. They help the person find a moment when it went differently, and they work with the pattern rather than the person.

    The same skills turn up in leadership, sales conversations and parenting, anywhere that words and habits matter. If you are curious how NLP fits into a coaching career, I explain the steps in my guide on how to become a life coach in South Africa.

    Does NLP really work? An honest answer

    Research on NLP is mixed, and I would rather say so than sell you a miracle.

    If you are sceptical, you are in good company, and your doubt is reasonable. A 2012 systematic review in the British Journal of General Practice looked at ten studies and concluded that there is little evidence NLP improves health outcomes. The authors were careful to add that this reflects how little good research exists, not proof that NLP has no effect.

    The honest answer to what is NLP includes that research, so there it is. I teach NLP because of what I see in the training room: people who learn to listen closely, ask better questions and notice their own patterns, and who then change in ways they can describe. Those are skills, and they are worth learning whatever label we give them.

    What NLP is not

    NLP is not mind control, not magic and not therapy.

    No technique can make a person do something against their will, and anyone who promises a miracle in a weekend is selling something. You are right to walk away from that.

    It is also not a medical treatment. If someone is struggling with depression, trauma or a clinical condition, they need a qualified mental health professional, and a good coach says so plainly. Coaching works with ordinary people who are stuck, curious or ready for more.

    How do you learn NLP properly?

    You learn NLP properly by watching each technique demonstrated live, practising it with real people and getting feedback from a trainer who has done it many times. Once you know what is NLP and what it is not, the next question is how to learn it well.

    My NLP Life Coach Certification Course teaches life coaching and NLP together. It runs for nine days, live on Zoom, from 09:00 to 16:00, with cameras on. Day 1 is theory, Day 2 is skills, and from Day 3 to Day 9 I demonstrate a technique with a volunteer before you practise it in breakout rooms. Graduates receive two certificates, an NLP Practitioner certificate and a Life Coach certificate.

    You do not need a previous qualification, only a basic working level of English and a willingness to practise. I am a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA, and I have trained coaches since 2008 through Action Factory Global. You can see how I train on my training page.

    Somewhere near you, a person is stuck inside a sentence they have been repeating for years. Learn to hear that sentence, and you may one day help them change it.

    Come and See NLP in a Real Room

    Once a month I run a free open day on a Saturday, from 09:00 to 15:00, live on Zoom. It is not a sales pitch. It is the actual first day of the nine-day course, with enrolled students present, so you see genuine teaching and can ask me anything before you decide. If you are still asking what is NLP and what it looks like in practice, it is the best way I know to find out.

    WhatsApp me about the next open day See courses and dates

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does NLP stand for?

    NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming. Neuro points to the mind and the senses, linguistic to language, and programming to the patterns of habit we repeat without noticing.

    Who created NLP?

    NLP was developed in the early 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. They studied skilled communicators and tried to describe what those people did in ways others could learn.

    Is NLP a type of therapy?

    No. NLP is a set of coaching and communication skills, not a medical treatment. Someone struggling with depression, trauma or a clinical condition needs a qualified mental health professional, and a good coach will say so.

    Is NLP scientifically proven?

    Research on NLP is mixed. A 2012 systematic review found little evidence that NLP improves health outcomes, and its authors said this reflects how limited the research is. I teach NLP as a set of coaching skills, and I would encourage you to judge it by what it helps you do.

    Can anyone learn NLP?

    Yes. Anyone who is curious about what is NLP can learn it. My course needs no previous qualification, only a basic working level of English and a willingness to practise.

    Is NLP the same as hypnosis?

    No. NLP works with language, goals and patterns of thinking, while hypnosis works with focused attention and suggestion. They sit comfortably together, and I teach both to coaching students.

    Deon Groenewald, NLP trainer and life coach, South Africa

    About Deon Groenewald

    Deon Groenewald is an NLP Master Trainer, life coach and keynote speaker based in South Africa. Since 2008 he has trained more than 3,000 coaches from over 100 countries through Action Factory Global, and is a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA. He is also the author of five books on confidence, masculinity, anxiety coaching and relationships.

    More about Deon

  • How to Become a Life Coach in South Africa: A Step by Step Guide

    How to Become a Life Coach in South Africa: A Step by Step Guide

    Last updated: November 2026

    Most people who ask me how to become a life coach in South Africa start the same way. They have been the friend everyone calls. They are the one who listens until the coffee goes cold, and who somehow asks the question that makes the problem look smaller. Somewhere along the way they begin to wonder whether that gift could become real work.

    Quick answer

    How to become a life coach in South Africa comes down to four things: training that makes you practise with real people, a certificate, membership of a professional body such as COMENSA, and your first clients. Coaching here works in a non-regulated system, so your training becomes your reputation.

    How to become a life coach in South Africa in five steps

    Put simply, how to become a life coach in South Africa means completing proper training, practising with real people, joining a professional body and then finding your first clients. There is no shortcut around the practising, but the road is shorter than most people fear.

    1. Decide who you want to help. A clear picture of one kind of person (new managers, nervous speakers, women returning to work) makes every later choice easier.
    2. Choose training that makes you practise. Reading about coaching and coaching a real person are two very different experiences, and only the second builds skill.
    3. Finish the training and earn your certificate. Keep your recordings and notes, because you will go back to them.
    4. Join a professional body. It tells a client that someone other than you stands behind your standards.
    5. Start coaching, and keep learning alongside other coaches. Your early sessions will teach you a great deal that no classroom can.

    Who checks a life coach in South Africa?

    Nobody stands at the door checking. The Association for NLP describes COMENSA, the professional body for coaches and mentors in South Africa, as working within a non-regulated system. In plain words, a person could call themselves a coach tomorrow morning.

    That is not a reason to be afraid of this profession. It is a reason to take your own standards seriously. A client cannot see your skill in the first five minutes. They can see what you studied, who taught you and which bodies you answer to.

    So if you are working out how to become a life coach in South Africa, choose your training the way you would choose a builder for your own house. Ask to see how the work is done. You can read how I train coaches on my training page.

    Three professional bodies matter to me. COMENSA is the Coaches and Mentors of South Africa. The International Coaches Registrar (ICR) and the Association for NLP (ANLP) are international bodies. I am a registered training member of all three. Each body uses its own terms for what it offers, so ask any trainer which bodies they are registered with and what that registration actually means. A good trainer will answer plainly.

    What should good life coach training include?

    Good life coach training teaches you to listen, to ask better questions and to guide a person towards their own answers, and it makes you do all three with real people before you graduate.

    A life coach is a trained professional who helps a person set a clear goal, see what is in the way and take the next step, without telling them what to do. NLP, short for neuro-linguistic programming, is a set of practical communication and change tools that many coaches use to help people shift how they think, feel and act.

    When you compare programmes, look for these:

    • Techniques demonstrated live, rather than only explained on slides
    • Time to practise as both the coach and the client, in small groups
    • Recordings you can return to when something has not yet clicked
    • A clear line between coaching and therapy

    My own NLP Life Coach Certification Course is built on exactly that idea. It runs for nine days, live on Zoom, from 09:00 to 16:00, with cameras on. Day 1 is theory: how the mind works and why people get stuck. Day 2 is skills. From Day 3 to Day 9 I demonstrate a technique live with a volunteer, and then you practise it in breakout rooms. Graduates receive two certificates, an NLP Practitioner certificate and a Life Coach certificate.

    You do not need a previous qualification, only a basic working level of English and a willingness to practise. Recordings are kept for life, and you may repeat the training at no extra cost. The full details, with dates, are on the Action Factory Global website.

    What does a life coach do, and where does coaching stop?

    A life coach helps a person move from where they are to where they want to be, by clarifying the goal, loosening the beliefs that hold them back and agreeing on the next action.

    Coaching looks forward. It works with ordinary people who are stuck, curious or ready for more. It does not treat, diagnose or cure anything. If someone arrives in crisis, or with a clinical condition, the kind and honest thing is to refer them to a qualified mental health professional.

    A good coach knows exactly where coaching ends.

    Learning where coaching stops is part of how to become a life coach in South Africa. It protects the client, and it protects you.

    Can you train as a life coach online from anywhere in Southern Africa?

    Yes. Live training on Zoom means a person in Johannesburg, Windhoek, Gaborone, Harare or Lusaka sits in the same room as everyone else, with the same teacher and the same practice partners. Most of Southern Africa runs on GMT+2, so the training day begins and ends at the same hour across the region. For most people now, how to become a life coach in South Africa starts with a laptop and a quiet room.

    If you doubt that online learning can work for a skill as human as coaching, the doubt is fair. The answer is in how the day is built. When you coach a real person in a breakout room, with your camera on and a partner telling you what it felt like to be asked that question, you learn quickly.

    I have trained coaches since 2008, and more than 3,000 of them, from over 100 countries, have trained with me through Action Factory Global. You can read more about my background on the about page.

    How do you get your first clients as a new life coach?

    The certificate is not the end of how to become a life coach in South Africa. You get your first clients slowly at first, and almost always through people: friends of friends, colleagues, someone who watched you speak, someone you helped once and who told another person.

    After certification, graduates can join the coaches’ community, which meets live every Thursday from 19:00 to 20:00 to train and talk through real client situations. They also receive the 21 Day Client Acquisition Challenge, which gives structure to finding those first clients.

    I will not tell you what you will earn. Anyone who promises a figure is guessing. What I can say is that coaching is a craft, and crafts grow with practice.

    Somewhere in South Africa right now, a person is sitting with a problem they cannot yet put into words. The right question, asked by someone who has trained to ask it, may be the first thing that lets them move.

    Come and See It for Yourself

    Once a month I run a free open day on a Saturday, from 09:00 to 15:00, live on Zoom. It is not a sales pitch. It is the actual first day of the nine-day course, with enrolled students present, so you see genuine teaching and can ask me anything before you decide. If you are still weighing how to become a life coach in South Africa, it is the gentlest first step I know.

    WhatsApp me about the next open day See courses and dates

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do I need a degree to become a life coach in South Africa?

    No previous qualification is needed to join my training. You need a basic working level of English and a willingness to practise. A degree can enrich your coaching, but it is not a requirement for the course I teach.

    Can I train to be a life coach online?

    Yes. My NLP Life Coach Certification Course runs live on Zoom, so you can learn how to become a life coach in South Africa from anywhere in Southern Africa or the world. Every technique is demonstrated live and then practised in breakout rooms.

    Is NLP part of life coach training?

    In my course it is. Life coaching and NLP are trained together. Research on NLP is mixed, and I would rather say so plainly. I teach it for the practical results I see in coaching, built on skills such as careful listening and well-placed questions.

    What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist?

    A life coach works with a person’s goals, choices and next steps. A therapist works with clinical conditions and emotional injury. Coaching is not therapy, and a good coach refers a client to a qualified mental health professional when that is what the person needs.

    What happens after I am certified?

    Graduates can join the coaches’ community, which meets live every Thursday from 19:00 to 20:00 to train and talk through real client situations. They also receive the 21 Day Client Acquisition Challenge to help find their first clients. I cannot promise clients or income.

    How much does the course cost?

    Prices change, so I do not quote them in articles. The current details are on the Action Factory Global website, and you are welcome to message me on WhatsApp first.

    Deon Groenewald, NLP trainer and life coach, South Africa

    About Deon Groenewald

    Deon Groenewald is an NLP Master Trainer, life coach and keynote speaker based in South Africa. Since 2008 he has trained more than 3,000 coaches from over 100 countries through Action Factory Global, and is a registered training member of the International Coaches Registrar, the Association for NLP and COMENSA. He is also the author of five books on confidence, masculinity, anxiety coaching and relationships.

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