A rare opportunity in a very special setting
Almost every mentor coaching programme available today is delivered online. Ours is one of the very few that offers a face-to-face option, and we are planning on collaborating with Warborne Farm in the heart of the New Forest as our (tried and tested) venue for a residential retreat. We’re excited about what this means for the programme, and for you.
Why choose this Lock-in option?
This option is for Professional Certified Coaches (PCC) with 1,000+ hours of coaching, who aspire to become Master Certified Coaches (MCC).
You will learn from:
- A deeper understanding of each of the competencies, bringing you back to a beginner’s mindset
- Demonstrations of masterful coaching
- Your fellow participants’ coaching
- Objective feedback on your own and the other coaches’ coaching, using the PCC Markers and the MCC BARS as the benchmark.
Most coaches wait until they have close to their 2,500 hours before they start learning what MCC actually requires. Then they're shocked to realise they’ve spent 5-6 years deepening their PCC skills as they accumulate hours, and that those hours do not a master make! Hence, my invitation to you is to start once you have 1,000 hours of coaching, so that you can unlearn any mindsets that are getting in your way and all your lovely clients will get the benefit of that masterful coaching.
Why a retreat
Mentor coaching at MCC level asks a lot of you. It requires deep reflection, vulnerability, and a willingness to sit with discomfort as you grow. We believe that the environment in which you do this work matters enormously, and doing it together, in person, in a setting that feels both nourishing and inspiring, will take the experience to a completely different level.
What you’ll experience at Warborne Farm:
- Community and Connection: You will be spending three days and nights alongside a small group of fellow coaches who are all on the same journey. The informal conversations over meals, the evening fireside chats, the walks across the farm: these are the moments where strong bonds are forged. This is where your peer community begins, and it is a community that will support you well beyond the retreat itself.
- Space to Think: The New Forest offers hundreds of acres of ancient woodland and open heathland right on the doorstep. For those who want it, countryside walks, and fresh air will be built into the schedule. For those who prefer solitude, there is plenty of space to find a quiet corner and reflect. You can wander around the farm, meet the animals, or simply sit and watch the world slow down around you.
- Nourishment: We will have our own cook on site who will prepare delicious, healthy meals for us throughout our stay, using produce from the farm wherever possible. The package includes three evening meals, two lunches, and three breakfasts, so you will not need to worry about a thing.
- Optional Extras: We are also arranging for a massage therapist to visit during the retreat for anyone who would like a treatment. This will be an additional fee payable directly to the provider, but we wanted to offer it as an option for those who want to make the most of the retreat experience.
Warborne Farm is well connected, whether you're arriving by road, rail, or air. Brockenhurst, one of the New Forest's main rail hubs, is just a short drive away and around 90 minutes from London Waterloo. Bournemouth and Southampton airports are both less than an hour by road, with good train links as well. For those driving, the M27, A31, and A35 all provide straightforward access from surrounding areas.
How does it run?
- We look at the mindsets that you need to unlearn to become an MCC. Only by untangling yourself from unhelpful mindsets can you free your thinking and break through to coaching mastery
- We watch and dissect six real recordings of MCC-level coaching (most of which have been passed by the assessors) so that you get a feel for the uplift from PCC to MCC
- We discuss each competency live, with a view to adding depth, partnership, and ease to level up from PCC to MCC
- You get to bring a recording of your coaching or to coach live, and you learn from watching others do the same
- The feedback you’ll receive is impartial and evidence-based, using the markers and BARs as the objective benchmark
- We focus on bringing your personal strengths and style to the fore, rather than cookie-cutter coaching
CCEUs
A total of 17 CCEs are available, 7 for mentor coaching and 10 for competency masterclasses.
Highly recommend Clare as a mentor coach. She fully understands all the competencies and BARS and knows how to create a learning space where you can really explore and understand how to embody them into your coaching. This is not a tick-box exercise, and Clare role-models the continuous learning approach. The Virtual MCC Lock-in has been instrumental in getting me to the point where I felt able to submit my MCC application - Helen O'Grady MCC
Outline of the programme:
Timings are indicative and may flex slightly per programme.
We start with 90 minutes of getting to know each other and contracting.
The rest of the programme outline is under design and we’ll update this webpage as soon as we’re ready.
| Mentor Coaching Workshop 1: | |
| 15 mins | Landing |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Break |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Break |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Wrap up |
| Homework | Practice what you have taken away from the session |
| Mentor Coaching Workshop 2: | |
| 15 mins | Re-contracting/landing |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Break |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Break |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 5 mins | Wrap up |
| Homework | Practice what you have taken away from the session |
| Mentor Coaching Workshop 3: | |
| 15 mins | Re-contracting/landing |
| 60 mins | Group mentor coaching: 1 coaching practice session with feedback against the ICF competencies |
| 30 mins | Next steps |
What differentiates Clare from other mentor coaches?
- I understand the competencies and the assessment markers inside out, back-to-front and upside-down
- I know what the assessors are looking for
- I am thorough and rigorous with the process
- I take you further than you think you might be able to stretch in your coaching - we are not just about getting you to a low bar
- I do not treat this as a tick-box exercise - it is a growth experience
- I will tell you if I think a recording is a risk to submit (though mentor coaches are unable to tell you whether it will pass as that is the job of the assessor)
- I will develop you as a coach vs assess you - no judgement here
- I commit to mentor coaching for myself every year (not just for credentialing purposes), to keep my own coaching sharp
Aspiring MCC Mentor Coaching Lock-in
2026 Dates:
Residential Retreat: November 23rd - 26th
The programme will run from the afternoon of the 23rd to mid-morning on the 26th, exact timings to be confirmed.
Here’s a reminder of what the core aspiring MCC programme includes:
- Seven hours of group mentor coaching where you'll practise one-to-one coaching with real-time feedback. You'll also learn by observing others' practice sessions and the feedback they receive.
- Deepening your understanding of the ICF core competencies through practical application and discussion.
- Three one-to-one one-hour virtual mentor coaching sessions with Clare Norman MCC. These sessions complete your ten required mentor coaching hours for credentialing. You will share a coaching recording, pausing to reflect on your use of the competencies. This builds your coaching competency as you integrate feedback over at least three months. If you'd like to schedule any sessions before the group programme starts, let us know when booking.
And the added value through booking with Clare Norman Coaching Associates:
- A copy of Clare's book, The Transformational Coach, which will walk you through the mindset shifts you may need to make so that your skillset shifts stick
- A specialist video on accessing multiple intelligences in your coaching practice
Your investment
The programme itself is priced at £2,600* per person, which includes three one-to-one mentor coaching sessions taken after the residential.
[Programme without one-to-one mentor coaching sessions: £1,730* + VAT per person.]
Organisationally funded bookings are subject to an additional admin charge of £400 per booking.
The residential element at Warborne Farm is an additional £600* per person, covering three nights' accommodation and all meals as described above. We think this compares very favourably to the cost of booking a hotel or holiday rental in the area, with the significant added benefit that everything is taken care of for you: no searching for restaurants, no juggling logistics, no cooking for yourself after a full day of deep work.
A deposit of £600 is required to secure your place on the programme.
We need a minimum of 6 participants to go ahead with the Warborne Farm retreat, and places are capped at a maximum of 10 to keep the group intimate and the experience personal.
We believe that this retreat format will deliver something special: the kind of learning environment where deep work happens naturally, where you leave with not just new skills but lasting professional relationships, and where you remember why you fell in love with coaching in the first place.
- £50 Early Bird Discount is available if you book and pay 10 weeks prior to the event. Terms and conditions of your booking are here.
- Refer-a-Friend: earn a £50 discount off your next booking with me for referring a friend who books and pays in full.
[The term 'Lock-In' is subject to Copyright, Clare Norman Coaching Associates.]
Group Programme Code of Conduct
Our group programmes are successful and receive great feedback because participants engage in a respectful safe space. By registering for a group programme, you agree to:
- Align with the ICF definition of non-directive coaching, partnering with your thinker
- Accept robust feedback without defensiveness
- Not judge others in the group, whether they are coaching, being coached or being an observer
- Stand in the winner’s triangle vs the drama triangle
- Balance your own needs with those of the group
Residential Retreat:
Mentor Coaching Lock-in for an ICF MCC Credential 23rd – 26th November 2026
Please complete these initial, qualifying questions.
The main registration form will display, if the first 6 answers, meet the criteria for the event.
