About Us & Our ICF Accredited Coaching Programs

Discover our mission, dedicated team, and unique training philosophy aimed at empowering coaches through ethical and insightful practices.

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ICF Accredited Coaching Programs | About Us

Who We Are

Trusted, Robust, ICF Accredited Coaching Programs

Coach Approach Training Institute (CATI) is a premier, educational institution founded in 2006, renowned for its excellence in providing rigorous training that creates synergies between neurodiversity, organizing, productivity, and leadership coach training. Offering a comprehensive range of more than 20 courses and 9 professional credentials, CATI stands out for its rigorous curriculum, highly decorated instructors, and unparalleled return on investment. Our graduates are empowered to deliver strengths-based, effective strategies for clients with ADHD, autism, and other executive function challenges, equipping them with the skills to enhance productivity, organization, and life management.

Led by pioneering industry thought leaders and award-winning trainers, our ICF Accredited Coaching programs reflect deep expertise and real-world insights that are highly valued by students and peers alike.

Whether you’re a new coach or a seasoned professional seeking specialized training or continuing education, CATI is the trusted choice for those committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of neurodiverse individuals. At CATI, we align passion and purpose with the tools for our graduates to support their clients in creating a life that fits.

The coaches we nurture, and the clients they serve play a dynamic role in healing and restoring the wholeness of the Earth and its people.

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Our Mission

To deliver exceptional, high-quality coach training and certification programs within safe, supportive, affirming, and respectful learning environments, preparing our graduates to support and serve clients with a wide range of neurodiversity.

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Our Vision

To create and foster deep connections, understanding, and soul-informed growth with individuals and the self by cultivating respectful environments, challenging internalized biases, and building more inclusive and compassionate communities.

Our Core Values

Trust

We build lasting relationships through honesty, transparency, and dependability, ensuring that our students, trainers, and partners can always count on us to act with integrity and deliver on our promises.

Academic Rigor

We are committed to providing a challenging and high-quality educational experience, fostering a culture of excellence, critical thinking, and practical application that prepares our students to succeed in their careers and beyond.

Respect

We treat every individual with dignity and consideration, valuing diverse perspectives and fostering a culture where everyone feels heard, valued, and affirmed.

Inclusivity

We champion diversity and inclusivity, ensuring that our programs, practices, and environments are welcoming and accessible to all, regardless of background or identity.

Flexibility

We adapt to the needs of our students and clients, offering personalized solutions and approaches that accommodate different neurotypes, processing modalities, schedules, and goals.

Accountability

We hold ourselves to the highest standards of responsibility, owning our actions and continuously striving to improve, ensuring that we consistently meet or exceed expectations.

Why Us

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Expertise

Highly-credentialed, world-leading expert trainers and educators, recognized as industry pioneers

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Dependability

19+ years offering ICF accredited coaching programs, and a high retention rate of graduates pursuing credentials

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Relationships

Inclusive and affirming culture, responsive leadership team, and adaptive to diverse learning styles

Years of Coaching

Combined years of experience
in the coaching industry.

Years of Teaching

Combined years of teaching at Coach Approach.

Students Served

A diverse range of individuals
since our founding in 2006.

Credentials Awarded

From one of the 9 professional certifications we offer.

Our Manifesto

We believe that the natural range of human neurodiversity poses unique challenges, even as it offers critical strengths and gifts to our world. More than simply offering tools to manage dilemmas, disorder, self-doubt, labels, or the implications of diagnoses, we equip our students to support, celebrate, and elevate the whole person and who they are – honoring the natural creativity, routines, passions, and environments that support a holistic and singular human experience. With confidence, clarity, and dignity, we commit to empowering future coaches in supporting those they serve to go forth and unapologetically create…

A Life That Fits

Our History

Learn more about the evolution of Coach Approach Training Institute, our ICF accredited coaching programs, and how our organization has not only shaped the landscape of the coaching industry as we know it today but also continues to empower professionals to create lasting change.

denslow-brown-coach-approach-training-co-founder

In the Beginning

A career evolution

Denslow Brown, MCC, PCNC™, CPO-CD®, CPO®, co-founder of Coach Approach Training Institute (originally Coach Approach for Organizers, then Coach Approach Training), began working as a professional organizer in 1974, feeling immediately connected to the work. Nearly two decades in, she recognized a recurring issue: while she could help clients manage their physical spaces, many struggled to sustain these systems in the long term. She realized the deeper challenge was helping clients achieve behavioral, cognitive, and emotional shifts that would enable lasting change.

Meet Denslow

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1990s

Discovering Coaching

Denslow’s search for a solution led to coaching. Initially, she saw coaching as separate from organizing, but later connected the two through ADHD coaching in the 1990s. Denslow began formal coach training in 1995 and earned her Master Certified Coach credential in 2005. Coaching, she realized, addressed clients’ need for transformation by fostering self-awareness, clarifying values, and encouraging action and accountability. It was both compassionate and challenging, empowering clients to navigate change and pursue meaningful goals.

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Early 2000s

Merging Coaching and Organizing

Denslow identified coaching as the perfect complement to organizing. Combining these approaches enabled professionals to address not just the practical aspects of organization but also the deeper motivations and barriers clients faced. This integrated approach was especially impactful for individuals dealing with chronic disorganization, ADHD, life transitions, or high-stress responsibilities. She introduced coaching concepts to professional organizing organizations, including the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD).

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2006

A Program is Born

Denslow Brown began with a mission to equip professional organizers and related professionals with coaching skills to better support individuals seeking meaningful change. Her background as a Professional Organizer, ADHD Coach, and Mentor Coach shaped this vision. In 2006, she co-founded the Coach Approach for Organizers program with industry innovator Cameron Gott, PCC, pioneering the integration of coaching and organizing. From the start, students recognized how this powerful combination enabled more personalized, lasting support for their clients.

Meet Cameron

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2009

Credentials and Growth

Starting in 2009, CAT offered credentialing programs for Certified Organizer Coaches, later expanding to include additional certifications such as Certified Productivity Coach, Certified ADHD Organizer Coach and Certified Productivity Leadership Coach. The program became known by its two branches—Coach Approach Training (the education) and the Institute for Applied Coaching (the credentialing)—collectively known as “CAT-IAC.”

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2015

ICF Recognition

Over the years, the program expanded to offer a comprehensive curriculum, earning accreditation as a Level 2 program from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 2015. This accreditation represented a significant milestone, as it ensured that the program met rigorous standards and provided additional legitimacy to both the training program and the coaches who graduated from it. The ICF sets the bar for professional coaching by developing core competencies and establishing a code of ethics – standards Coach Approach embraces to this day.

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Through 2023

Additional Expansion

By 2023, Coach Approach had developed eight specialized coaching credentials, over 20 unique and robust courses, and welcomed professionals from diverse fields from all over the world into its training programs. No longer confined to the organizing world (but remaining committed to supporting that profession), this growth allowed for more flexibility and distinctive learning opportunities.

sara-skillen-coach-approach-training-owner-director-of-education

2024

New Leadership

In early 2024 Denslow began conversations with CAT graduate and instructor Sara Skillen, PCC, COLC, CNC, CPO® (herself a professional organizer and coach) about transitioning out of her ownership and leadership role. Through an aligned and intuitively-informed process, they met weekly to co-design how such a transition would occur, and Sara began learning the many responsibilities of leading and operating an accredited coach training program. In July of 2024, they made it official, with the support of trainers, staff, students, and friends of the program. As part of the transition process, CAT-IAC became Coach Approach Training Institute.

Meet Sara

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2025 and beyond...

Shaping the Future

At CAT Institute, Director of Education Sara Skillen advances coaching in organizing, productivity, leadership, ADHD, and neurodiversity. Honoring Denslow Brown’s legacy, she blends diverse professional perspectives to support students in driving meaningful client change. Recent milestones include a new website, an additional ICF Level 1 accreditation, expanded Core Curriculum access, and new programs like the Transfer Coach path and the Professional Certified Neurodiversity Coach™ credential. With support from expert faculty, Sara champions curriculum excellence, global reach, and a safe, supportive environment for student growth.

Meet Our Team

Testimonials

What Our Students Say About Us and Our Courses

Hear from students who’ve transformed their careers and clients’ lives through Coach Approach Training Institute.