Are You The Right Type of Student for the Quantum Success Coaching Academy? Use This Checklist to See

You can use the following list to check if the QSCA is right for you. For it to be right, you need to qualify on the following 6 points. The numbers in the parentheses indicate which paragraph, from the main review (see the first post on this blog), they are from: 

1. You are an Abraham-Hicks fan: You accept, without skepticism, the teachings of Abraham-Hicks (1), you are not bothered by the contrived "feel good" attitude resultant of its teachings (2), and you believe strongly in the efficacy of the "games" described in "Ask and It is Given" to the degree that you are happy for them to be your main techniques of life coaching (13). 

2. You are interested in life coaching as a hobby, not a career path: You have no intention of creating a profitable coaching career from what you are taught (3), you do not require solid business training (at least not from this program) (4), and you do not require the program to help you earn ICF coach certification (6).

3. While you are smart, you are not a particularly analytical thinker: You are not someone who needs an environment that is welcome to intellectual challenges or debates (5), you can accept a vague philosophy, even if it is not explained in a way that is intellectual (5), and you are not keen on picking up on inconsistencies between what is said and what is done (10), or between what was first taught and what was later taught (1). 

4. You can overlook the program's marketing: So long as you like the program, you will not be bothered that not all of the program is as advertised (3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12 & 15), that it asks for testimonials from students before they have completed half of it (17), that it offers them a "special free gift" in return for their testimonials (17), and that it requires students to be "in good standing with it" to keep their certifications (18).

5. You have enough money to risk the cost of the program without it denting your pocketbook: You are willing to risk your money on a program with no 30-day money-back guarantee and this is not going to be a significant loss to you if it turns out not to resonate with you (7 & 17).

6. You are a Christy Whitman fan: You admire Christy and resonate with her values (14), and you would happily choose her as your personal growth director (14).

~Joscelyn

Why is There No Criticism of the Quantum Success Coaching Academy on the Internet? Not for the Reason You Might Assume.

As of the time of this writing, if you do an internet search for the QSCA, you will find very few, if any, negative opinions about it; everything tends to be flowery and positive. There are a number of reasons why this is so:

1. Because of the Inculcation of a "Feel Good" Philosophy
The main reason for this is that the QSCA is permeated by in a "feel good" attitude, generated by Christy and her staff and propped up by the Abraham-Hicks "feel good" Law of Attraction philosophy (as mentioned in point 2). This creates a "group think" among the QSCA students that having a "feel good" mentality is the only attitude that is okay to express, and most of what is written on the internet about the QSCA reflects this attitude.

2. Because Some had a Net Gain to Offset their Loss
There is a lot be said for having an optimistic attitude to life, and many students, myself included, feel that they have gained from the program's requiring of them to practice having an optimistic attitude, and for some, this outweighed the concerns that I have mentioned here, which is why they wrote about it positively.

3. Because of Fear of Betraying the QSCA and its Consequences
Writing honestly about the problems of the QSCA would feel to most students like they were betraying the QSCA, and this is reason enough for most students to withhold from doing so. Furthermore, as the QSCA has stated, students who are no longer "in good standing with the QSCA" (i.e. openly criticize the QSCA) are subject to having their coaching certification from the QSCA revoked (if they have already gotten it), or to being kicked out of the program (if they are still in it), and this serves as a major deterrent for those who would otherwise speak up.

~Joscelyn

Testimonials on the Quantum Success Coaching Academy Website Tell a Fraction of the Whole Story

Many people, myself included, were impressed by the extensive number of testimonials (109 currently posted on the QSCA's website, http://quantum-success-coaching-academy.com/testimonials/) from QSCA students praising the QSCA's program. However, when considering the reliability of these testimonials, a few points should be taken into consideration.

1. Were Solicited Less than Halfway Through the Program
We were asked by the QSCA to write such testimonials less than 5 months into the year-long program, before we went through the disappointing Business Building Module, to help it promote during its upcoming open enrollment (which happens every 6 months), so the testimonials should not be taken as representative of students' experiences of the whole program. It would be necessary to poll students after they finished the year-long program to know whether, after having gone through the entire program, their attitudes have remained the same or changed. (I heard a story about how when one student, who wrote such a testimonial was contacted after they finished the program by a potential student to provide information about the QSCA, they gave a bitter response.)

2. Biased by a "Free Gift" in Return
When asked for a testimonial by the QSCA, we were told that in return for providing one we would each receive a "special free gift in the mail," as a way of saying "thank you." This inevitably impacted the objectivity of the testimonials.

3. Represent a Tiny Fraction of QSCA Students
When I joined the QSCA, there had been over 2000 students who had either joined or who had finished the program, (based on what Christy said once in a Q&A session), and that number has continued to grow by a lot every time that they have open enrollment, so the 109 testimonials on the website represent only a small fraction (app. 5% or less) of the students' opinions.

My advice:
In considering life coaching programs, do not rely upon positive testimonials that you read on their websites, for you do not know the integrity of those that wrote them, when they were written, what rewards they were given in return for writing them, or other crucial information that can affect the objectivity of their authors. Ironically, the only testimonials to take seriously are those that are lukewarm or critical the program (like this one) and those will most likely not be posted on the programs' websites.

In general, it is important to keep in mind that when a program is heavily marketed like the QSCA, with rewards of $1000+ for anyone that promotes them, it is very difficult to find honest information online about it, and this is the case for many life coaching programs. The best way to find out about a program is to speak with someone you know and can trust that was in it. If you do not know anyone that was in it, then you need to do meticulous research. Find out about its affiliate program by Googling its name together with the words "affiliate" or "joint venture partners," and find out how much money they give their affiliates for every student that registers. Keep that figure in mind when you read the positive statements about it on the internet. Look for a program that has a 30 day or more 100%-satisfaction-or-your-money-back guarantee. If they don't, you have much more reason to question the trustworthiness of their marketing.

~Joscelyn

Affiliate Recommendations for the Quantum Success Coaching Academy Cannot be Trusted.

You may see recommendations for the QSCA on the internet or in your inbox from well-established coaches and authors, but these cannot be trusted for a number of reasons:

1. Motivated by Profit
It is important to realize that the driving force behind these recommendations is an affiliate commission of $1000 per referee (for every student that registers for the QSCA through their affiliate link they get $1000), so they should not, in any way, be taken as unbiased recommendations.

2. Likely Poorly Acquainted with the QSCA Program
I recommend that you check out the QSCA's affillate site to see out how the QSCA influences people to market its programs: http://quantum-success-coaching-academy.com/partners/. Once logged in, you will see a page with positive quotes from various affiliates about how much money they made from partnering with the QSCA, and quotes from QSCA students about how much they liked the program, all intended to sway you, a potential affiliate partner, to promote the QSCA's program. It is reasonable to suspect that many affiliates who market the QSCA program do not know much more about it than what they read in those quotes, and, while recommending it with such little background might seem dishonest, such dishonesty is not atypical in marketing. (In the QSCA's promotional videos Christy said that the coaching industry is one of "high integrity" and therefore hasn't needed government oversight to weed out its bad apples. This might be true regarding weeding out some issues, but it is certainly not true regarding weeding out less-than-fully-honest marketing. The life coaching industry, like every industry, is driven by profits more so than by morals, and this is reflected in its marketing.)

3. Text of Recommendations may be Written by the QSCA
If you are wondering how the QSCA's affiliates can write intelligent emails about the QSCA if they haven't examined its program, the answer is simple: The QSCA provides texts for them to use as templates for their emails, all that they have to do is add a few edits to make them seem like their own.

As a note, not all companies allow anyone to become one of their affiliates, as the QSCA does. Some companies will only allow select affiliates to market for them, and this gives them the ability, if they choose, to monitor the integrity of their affiliates’ marketing. 

My advice:
In considering whether you want to build a life coaching business, it is important that you ask yourself if you feel okay about the lack of honesty that is common in the marketing of coaching, and if not, then you may need to consider a career path that doesn't require you to do such marketing.

~Joscelyn

Read "Exploring Coaching" to get a Realistic Sense of What it Means to Become a Life Coach Before Joining the Quantum Success Coaching Academy

Read the excellent e-book, "Exploring Coaching," for crucial background information that you need to know before making a decision whether to go into the coaching industry (given to QSCA students after registering for the program, and available for free here: http://www.slideshare.net/Monaviecoach/exploring-coaching-v4-2). (Christy quoted from this book extensively in the first three of the QSCA's promotional videos; see pages 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 25, and 26, and compare them to the content in the videos.) If you are drawn to the QSCA's promotional message that "setting up a coaching practice can be easy when you use the Law of Attraction to attract clients," I recommend reading pages 26-28, which dispels this idea.

~Joscelyn

Choose Your Program Director Carefully by Doing Thorough Research Before Joining for Quantum Success Coaching Academy

The life coach training program that you choose will affect your personal development; this is especially so if you choose the QSCA which has a spiritual orientation, so in choosing a program, you are effectively choosing a personal growth path for yourself, and accordingly, the head of your program is like your personal-growth director for the duration of the program. It therefore behooves you to look carefully into who that director is, to determine if he or she embodies the values that you would like to see yourself develop. Find out: Does he/she live a lifestyle that you resonate with? Does he/she display honesty, humility, and sensitivity? Does he/she share enough of your ideals that you are able to accept him/her as your personal growth director? 

That having been said, a lot of people, myself included, were drawn to the professionalism and warmth that Christy displayed in the QSCA's promotional videos and on her Quantum Success Shows, but it is important to keep in mind that these videos are very well scripted and rehearsed. To get a fuller sense of who Christy is, I recommend that you sign up for her monthly newsletter (the "Quantum Success Newsletter") in which she shares short written stories about her life and unscripted family videos (which can sometimes be entertaining to watch). If you follow these newsletters and family videos long enough, you will have a more complete picture of her values and personality. This will help you to make a more educated decision about whether you resonate with her personality and philosophy.

~Joscelyn

Underemphasis on Classical Coaching Techniques in the Quantum Success Coaching Academy's Curriculum

The basic coaching format that the QSCA taught us was this:

1. Ask the client how they are doing on a scale of 1 to 10, to get a sense of where they are holding on the “vibrational scale” (i. e. how positive they are). 
2. Ask them what their intention is for the call, (i.e., what they want to resolve in their life that will be the topic of the call), and maybe a powerful question (i.e. an open ended question with no right or wrong answers) to help them gain more clarity and think of a solution.
3. Guide them through a Law of Attraction exercise (explained below) to help them achieve emotional relief and come into “vibrational alignment” with their desire (explained below.) 
4. Ask them what they are taking away from the exercise, to help them “lock in the learning” through self reflection. 
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until they have come significantly closer to being in “vibrational alignment” with their desire.
6. Ask them what practice or plan they are willing to commit to to progress toward achieving their desire after the call has ended, and have them commit to it.
7. Ask them what they are taking away from the session.

The “Law of Attraction exercises” (called “coaching processes” by the QSCA) of Step 3 are short psychological practices that cause one to focus on what one wants and to become inspired to attain it (what the QSCA calls “getting into vibrational alignment with one’s desires”). Most of these exercises are described in “Ask and It Is Given,” a book by Abraham-Hicks, where they are referred to as “games” because they are uplifting and “fun.” The QSCA curriculum, whose stated goal is for students to become certified Law of Attraction coaches, emphasises them strongly, for they are the “Law of Attraction” part of Law of Attraction Coaching. As you can see from Step 5, in the coaching formula above, that calls for their repetition, they are the main part of the coaching formula. Much more time in the curriculum is devoted to teaching them (7 classes in Module 2, and several more in later modules) than to teaching other coaching techniques, such as asking powerful questions (1 class, see Step 2, above) or creating a plan of action (0 classes). The rationale for this prioritization is, as the QSCA says, because these exercises are what “bring clients results,” for, through them, clients come into closer “vibrational alignment” with their desires, and, consequently, the Universe brings their desires to them. This is fine if you believe wholeheartedly in the Law of Attraction, but if you aren’t completely sold on it, you may find it disappointing that more time in the curriculum is not devoted to teaching the more classical coaching techniques, like asking powerful questions, brainstorming, and creating plans of action. 

My advice:
In considering whether to become a student at the QSCA, I recommend that you get a copy of “Ask and It is Given” and read it. See whether its message and tone resonate with you, for much of the QSCA curriculum is based on it. Also, practice its “games.” If the QSCA is going to be your coach training program, then it is important that you believe in their efficacy.

~Joscelyn

The Law of Attraction doesn’t Bypass the Need for Promotional Marketing, Unlike what you Might have Thought Based on The Quantum Success Coaching Academy's Promotions

In the QSCA's promotional videos, Christy said that the QSCA would teach its students how to sell their coaching without the marketing that most people think of as "sleazy," but, instead, with the "Law of Attraction.” When I heard this, I thought that she was meant that she would teach us how to use the Law of Attraction to get paying clients in a way that would not require us to engage in self-promotion, which is what most people dislike about marketing. However, after having gone through the program, I realize that I was mistaken, and all that was intended was that she would teach us how to use the Law of Attraction in combination with classical marketing techniques, including those that require self-promotion, to bolster our efforts. (I am informing you of this so that you will not be under the misconception, as I had been, that the program will teach you how to sell in a way that does not require you to engage in classical marketing methods.) 

In considering becoming a life coach, you need to keep in mind that it requires marketing, and marketing requires at least some degree of self-promotion, and you need to ask yourself if you are comfortable with that.

~Joscelyn