Begin Your Journey
CO-ACTIVE® TRAINING INSTITUTE

Let's create a new language of leadership, together!

For the last 30 years the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) has been offering the gold-standard in coach training and leadership development for individuals and organizations. Now we are creating a new language of leadership. Let's do this together. 

Our Story

It all started 30 years ago.

When CTI was forming in 1992, nobody could have predicted where coaching would be today: essential to the success of people, teams, and organizations across the world. The only thing our founders knew is that they were onto something… and it was something they passionately believed in. Today, the Co-Active Training Institute continues to lead the way in developing the inextricable links between coaching, leadership, and culture.

Through the unique experiential learning that has since become our signature, we’ve trained over 145,000 Co-Active leaders worldwide who transform lives everyday. We are the largest coach training and leadership training organization in the world and home to the ground-breaking programs that teach our Co-Active Model and Co-Active Leadership Model.

The impact of our work starts with the individual. Whether that person is approaching training from the context of an organization, or a community, or is self-inspired, the leadership journey starts within. Our purpose is to help people become more aware of their impact in the world, so they experience life in responsible relationship to it. Amazing things happen when we have the vision and courage to take a stand for human potential.

Being and Doing graphic

Our Vision

Transform the human experience

  • Co-Active Coaching: A Guide to the Co-Active Model is considered the seminal text in coach training programs worldwide.

  • CTI has been called the “gold standard” of coaching by the Institute of Coaching, a Harvard Medical School affiliate that has linked the four cornerstones of the Co-Active Model to evidence-based scientific research.

  • CTI was the first organization accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF).

  • CTI delivers courses and programs in 16 countries around the world, in 13 different languages either directly or through global partners.

Our History

The Co-Active Training Insitute (CTI), formerly The Coaches Training Institute, was founded in 1992 by three of the earliest recognized visionaries in coaching — Laura Whitworth, and Karen and Henry Kimsey-House — whose earlier collaboration with Thomas Leonard invented coaching as an industry.

Coaching is CTI’s origin, expertise, and foundation. As coaching has become more widely regarded as a “core competency” in business and change management, CTI has seen the evolution of the innovative work of our co-founders, and how it has influenced and been adapted as a leadership skill set and mindset. The result is our exciting transition to a leadership development company creating a new language of leadership.

Our co-founders led CTI through the transition to a leadership development company in 2019, handing over the roles of co-presidents to two new co-CEOs Carey Baker and Carlo Bos. CTI remains dedicated to our purpose of teaching humanity to see themselves as naturally creative, resourceful, and whole leaders who take responsibility for their world.

Meet Our Co-Founders

Henry Kimsey-House Profile Picture

Henry Kimsey-House

Co-Founder, CPCC

One of the first professional coaches in the 1980s and the co-founder and lead designer of CTI’s provocative, experiential learning programs, Henry is also the co-author of Co-Active Coaching and Co-Active Leadership. An actor since age 9, Henry honed his insights into human emotion and the narrative process through classical theatrical training and years of stage, television...

 
Karen Kimsey-House Profile Picture

Karen Kimsey-House

Co-Founder, CPCC

One of the earliest recognized luminaries in the coaching profession, Karen co-founded CTI in 1992 with Laura Whitworth and her future husband, Henry. Together, they co-created the Co-Active philosophy of relationship that informs CTI’s world-renowned coaching and leadership programs. Karen is also the co-author of Co-Active Coaching and Co-Active Leadership...

 
Laura Whitworth Profile Picture

Laura Whitworth

Co-Founder, CPCC

Was internationally recognized for her pioneering work in professionalizing the practice of coaching. Named by Professional Coach Journal as one of the 10 most influential coaches in the profession, Laura was a co-founder of CTI. Laura passed away in February 2007. 

 
 

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.

If you decline, your information won’t be tracked when you visit this website. A single cookie will be used in your browser to remember your preference not to be tracked.