From Zero to One of the Three MCC Coaches in the Final of the ICF Coaching Impact Awards 2026 | Interview with Andrii Nekrasov

Andrii Nekrasov, founder of COACHING.UP University and the Talzi platform, has become one of the three Master Certified Coach finalists in the Coaches category of the ICF Coaching Impact Awards 2026. This year, ICF selected eight coaches of different credential levels from around the world - professionals who have made the most significant contribution to the coaching profession in the global market. Among them, only three hold ICF’s highest credential - Master Certified Coach.

We spoke with Andrii about where his journey began, what led him to build an international coaching university, and why he believes artificial intelligence will not replace coaches, but will make their role even more important.

“I have been in the profession since 2016. What I saw in the market became the reason for launching the university”

- You entered the profession in 2016. Where did your journey begin?

Before coaching, I worked as an executive director and then moved into consulting. That was where I saw a problem: I gave clients advice, they nodded - and nothing changed. A solution imposed from the outside does not take root. I wanted to work with people differently: in a way that allowed them to find their own solutions instead of simply following my recommendations.

I started looking for how to do that and came to coaching.

- What was that transition into coaching like?

It did not happen immediately. In 2011, I completed my first course and received a “professional coach” certificate. In reality, the program taught tools such as NLP practices rather than coaching competencies. At the time, I did not know that.

I went to study again - this time at a school that had been in the market for many years and looked reputable. It turned out that after completing that training, I still could not confirm my coaching qualification because I had not studied the competencies. I had to retrain from the beginning, this time properly.

When I finally received the education I needed, I focused on working with companies. There, I faced another market problem: companies had almost no one to choose from. There were very few coaches in the market with real international credentials. I had contracts with companies, there was demand, but I had no one to bring into the projects with me.

These two problems - the lack of quality coach education based on international standards and the shortage of coaches for corporate projects - became the reason I launched COACHING.UP.

“The standard we established became a living environment”

Today, more than 7,500 students from 96 countries have studied at COACHING.UP. More than 373 graduates have received international ICF credentials - ACC, PCC or MCC - and some have already opened their own coach training schools. The university has 17 ICF-accredited programs at Level 1, Level 2, CCE and AATC. Its flagship program, “International-Level Professional Coach,” is one of only six programs in the world with triple accreditation from ICF, AC and EMCC at the same time.

- What do these results mean to you?

For me, behind every number there is a person. 7,515 graduates means 7,515 specific stories of change and transformation. Some people come to grow personally. Some strengthen themselves in their existing profession. Some leave employment and finally begin helping people in the way they had always wanted, receiving an international credential with our support. Some regain belief in themselves after a difficult period in life. That is the real value.

When I see that 80% of the coaching community in a particular country consists of our graduates, I do not think about scale. I think about how many clients around the world have received a coach who truly helps the client open up, rather than pressuring them with advice. That is why the entire COACHING.UP team and I have maintained a high standard of quality from day one - because behind every number, there is someone’s life.

“The university closed one gap in the market. Talzi closes the second”

- In addition to the university, there is another project - Talzi. Tell us what it is and why it was created.

Talzi is a platform that helps coaches find clients and build their practice after training. I kept seeing the same story again and again: a person receives an international credential - and then is left alone with the question of where to find their first clients. A diploma does not bring clients by itself.

The university closes the gap in education quality. Talzi closes the second gap - the one between training and real practice. It is important to me that none of our graduates are left alone with a diploma they cannot apply. Everyone deserves the opportunity to bring their work to real clients.

- How do you formulate the goal of this project?

Our goal is for one million people to gain access to their coach through Talzi by 2030. For me, this is not just a number from a presentation. I want HR professionals to no longer have to search blindly for a coach for their team. I want students at universities that partner with Talzi to be able to try coaching while they are still studying - before their first serious career crisis. It is important to me that coaching is not available only to a select few.

We already offer a free 14-day subscription: people can try working with different coaches and find the person they are ready to continue with - without risk and without obligations. This should become as natural as seeing a doctor, not a luxury for the chosen few.

“It is important for us to stand by people not in words, but in action”

- Tell us about the free coaching support that you, the university team and graduates have been providing since 2022.

Since 2022, our team and graduates have been supporting people through coaching: those who were forced to leave their homes, volunteers, mothers with children. During this time, there have been more than 3,000 one-on-one conversations, and another 500 meetings have taken place in groups.

We do the same for businesses. More than 100 companies have received this support free of charge. Every year, we work with 10-20 teams from different companies, providing team coaching for them. It is important for us to stand by people not in words, but in action.

“I was moving toward this for three years”

- Tell us about the award itself. What does it mean to you to be a finalist in the ICF Coaching Impact Awards?

The ICF Coaching Impact Awards are not a vote and not a self-nomination. Applications are reviewed by a panel of independent experts. They look at concrete evidence, not impressions: contribution to the profession, participation in the life of ICF, real benefit to society, and whether the work makes coaching more accessible to different people.

This year, there are eight finalists from around the world in the Coaches category. Only three of them hold the MCC credential, Master Certified Coach - the highest credential awarded by ICF. There are around 2,200 such coaches in the world. Being among the three MCC ICF finalists is deeply meaningful to me.

For me, this is not only a personal achievement. It is about the transformational power of coaching - about the changes we can create for people, teams, businesses and society. And I am endlessly grateful to the COACHING.UP team for helping bring ideas to life, even when they seem too bold.

“Technology will provide access. A human being will provide depth”

- How do you see the future of the profession in light of the development of artificial intelligence?

I do not believe AI will replace coaches. I believe it will strengthen them. AI coaching will be able to give millions of people access to basic practices, even in a simplified form - and that is a good thing, because it makes coaching more accessible.

The trust, depth and genuine care for the person on which coaching work is built will remain something that only another human being can provide. Technology will expand the entry point into the profession. Human presence will remain the reason people return to it again and again.

- How does this relate to what Talzi is doing?

Directly. Our goal is for one million people to gain access to their coach through Talzi by 2030. This is not about replacing coaches with automation. It is about giving more people access to a real coach when they did not have such an opportunity before.

Technology here is the infrastructure of access, not a substitute for the human being in the conversation. I want coaching, ten years from now, to be perceived as naturally as taking care of one’s health.

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From zero in coaching to the final of the ICF Coaching Impact Awards 2026 - this is a ten-year journey that Andrii himself describes in one sentence: “What you say about yourself is worth less than what others confirm about you.”

The ICF Coaching Impact Awards 2026 is the annual award of the International Coaching Federation, which has been presented since 2005. The winners in the Coaches category will be announced on October 5, 2026.