Share
September 2026 Newsletter
ICFTN 2026 CONFERENCE
EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICING EXTENDED
MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT - ICF GLOBAL
From October 1-31, you can save 20% on these new products by visiting this online store and using discount code CHAPTER20 at checkout.
Here’s a quick look at these products:
- ICF Coachbock™ is the official ICF Coaching Body of Competencies and Knowledge, covering the full ICF Core Competencies and serving coaches at every stage. Learn more about Coachbock or download a free reading sample.
- ICF ACC® Exam Study System is ICF’s official preparation resource for the ACC Exam. It includes interactive reading materials, 300+ online practice questions, flashcards, and a full practice exam. Get more information or watch a short video.
- ICF Credentialing Exam Study System is ICF’s official exam preparation resource for the PCC and MCC credentials. It includes a personalized study plan, reading materials, 500+ online practice questions, flashcards, and a practice exam. Visit our website for details or watch a short video.
The 20% sale for chapter members is valid through October 31.
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
What happens when your path into coaching doesn’t look like everyone else’s?
In this episode of The Coaching Community Podcast, Hannah Finrow, MCC sits down with Dr. Lydia Rosencrants, Principal of Mantle Coaching, LLC, to explore Lydia’s unexpected journey from academia and higher education leadership into coaching. After beginning her coach training in 2024, Lydia quickly discovered a profession that felt like something she had been looking for her entire life.
But her path hasn’t been linear.
Lydia shares candidly about balancing coaching with motherhood, family health challenges, significant personal loss, and the realities of pursuing an ICF credential when life has other priorities. Her story offers an important reminder that becoming a coach isn’t a race and that meaningful development can happen even when the timeline looks different than expected.
Hannah and Lydia also explore the ripple effect of coaching, the importance of giving ourselves the same grace we offer our clients, and why coaches don’t have to carry everything alone. Lydia reflects on the role community and ICF Tennessee have played in her development and why connecting with other coaches can make such a difference in sustaining this work.
They also look ahead to the future of coaching, including Lydia’s perspective on AI, accessibility, and why technology may expand access to coaching without replacing the power of one human being sitting fully present with another.
Whether you’re just beginning your coaching journey, working toward your next credential, or have been coaching for decades, Lydia leaves listeners with a simple encouragement: you’ve got this. Keep going, take care of yourself, ask for help, and don’t try to do it alone.
Connect with Lydia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-rosencrants and https://www.mantlecoaching.com
Never Miss an Episode:
More Places to Watch:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS Feed
We appreciate your support! Please rate and review if you feel called.
Interested in being a guest? Email [email protected].
MEMBERSHIP
IT'S ANNUAL SURVEY TIME - WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
The ICFTN Membership Committee is sending out the annual survey and we want to hear from each of you!
This is your opportunity to give us feedback on how we can best support you as a member of ICFTN. It is important that we hear from ALL membership levels so that we can provide the services, support, and programming that is aligned with your needs and interests.
Please respond by October 31st. The survey only takes 10-15 minutes to complete so when you see it show up in your inbox, please respond. If you know your membership level, you can also respond here:
| ALL-ACCESS MEMBER SURVEY | BASIC MEMBER SURVEY |
|
|
 |
Thank you for sharing your ideas and recommendations. Your voice truly matters!
NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Jocelyn Jeffries, MBA, ACC
HOW DO I FIND A MENTOR?
In response to a number of questions, we want to make sure everyone knows that you can find Mentor coaches on the Find A Coach page of our website. That page is accessed under the ICFTN Coaches tab.
ICFTN WANTS TO CONNECT WITH YOU!
There are amazing things happening in the chapter and we want to keep you in the loop. In addition to the newsletter, we are on social media and text messaging!
Keep up to date with your fellow members on our Community News page. You can find Member Kudos, the New Member Corner, and Welcome to New and Renewing Members here.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Celebrating Tennessee Coaches who have achieved their ICF Mentor Coach Specializations!
CREDENTIALING
IS CREDENTIALING WORTH IT?
By Renee Fluty, MBA, PCC, ICFTN Director of Credentialing
“Is credentialing worth the investment of time, energy, and money?” is a question I was asked recently. This coach made a good case for not pursuing ICF credentialing: (1) Coaching is a non-regulated profession so credentialing is not required. (2) The coach has a successful practice without an ICF credential. And (3) the coach works in a specialized niche in which her expertise is what attracts clients.
I have thought a lot about this and have concluded that she is right: for some coaches, pursuing the ICF credential is not necessarily a good business decision. This led me to think back to my journey as a coach which began in 2004. For many years, I chose not to pursue an ICF credential. I worked full time as a licensed professional counselor first on a college campus, then in a community mental health clinic and finally, in my own private practice. I had developed a reputation as a facilitator for leadership workshops; coaching flowed easily from these combined reputations. I kept as busy as I wanted. Read more>>
EVENTS
2026
ICFTN CHAPTER MEETING: Social Capital Playbook: Build Consistent Revenue Through Strategic Relationships
Sept. 11, 2026 12:45 p.m. (ET) / 11:45 a.m. (CT) / 75-Minute Program Register Now>>
ICFTN CO-HOSTED MEETING: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Results
Sept. 23, 2026 1 p.m. (ET) / 12 p.m. (CT) / 60-Minute Program Register Now>>
ICFTN CO-HOSTED MEETING: Coaching with Mastery - The MCC Mindset
Oct. 15, 2026 2 p.m. (ET) / 1 p.m. (CT) / 90-Minute Program Register Now>>
2026 Coaches Conference
November 4-5, 2026 Register Now>>
ICFTN NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
November 13, 2026 11 a.m. (ET) / 10 a.m. (CT) / 60-Minute Program Register Now>>
ICFTN CHAPTER MEETING: The Embodied Coach: Ethics as a Way of Being
Nov. 13, 2026 12:45 p.m. (ET) / 11:45 a.m. (CT) / 75-Minute Program Register Now>>
ICFTN CO-HOSTED MEETING: Their Map, Their Investment: Leveraging Language to Facilitate Client Growth
Dec. 9, 2026 3:30 p.m. (ET) / 2:30 p.m. (CT) / 90-Minute Program Register Now>>
2027
ICFTN CO-HOSTED MEETING: The Resonant Coach: A Focused Refresh of Listening
Jan. 21, 2027 3 p.m. (ET) / 2 p.m. (CT) / 90-Minute Program Register Now>>
BOARD OPPORTUNITIES
BOARD OF DIRECTOR POSITIONS FOR 2026
If you are interested in being a leader, now is the time to consider joining our Board of Directors as an elected board member.
Board members are elected for two-year terms (except for the Past Presidents, who may be elected to serve one year after their term).
Each Board role plays a unique part in moving the chapter forward. Below are more specific descriptions of how each Board role contributes to the overall leadership of the chapter.
In addition to the information detailed below, the Directors of Membership, Marketing and Communication, Events, Partnerships, and DEIB, also recruit and lead committees, offering members opportunities to engage, contribute, and grow as leaders.
Board Positions Open for 2026>>
