Yes, attendance in person is required for both weekends of our Certification Program (formerly Levels 3 & 4).

Currently, only our Freedom Academy (formerly Level 1) training is available online.

Due to the deeply personal and embodied nature of trauma-informed coaching work, Freedom In Story (formerly Level 2) and our Certification Program (formerly Levels 3 & 4) must be experienced in person.

This means you’ll need to travel to Lake Zurich, IL or Atlanta, GA, for these trainings (check the dates and locations).

The training cost covers only the program itself and does not include travel or lodging expenses. However, Freedom Movement provides a community page via the Band app, accessible only to enrolled students. This space allows students to connect and coordinate shared costs for hotels, rental cars, and other travel arrangements if desired.

For Lake Zurich, IL Trainings:

For travel arrangements to attend our certification program training, you have two airport options: O'Hare International Airport (ORD) or Midway International Airport (MDW). O’Hare is somewhat closer to the venue, but given its size, the time required for car rental, baggage claim, and security can be longer. Midway, while slightly farther, tends to be more efficient for these processes. We recommend comparing flight options and choosing whichever provides the best value and convenience for you.

For Lake Zurich, IL Trainings:

We recommend planning to arrive the day before training begins, allowing ample time to rest and be fully present for the program. For return flights, please consider the one-hour drive to the airport, and schedule your departure accordingly after the training concludes. We recommend booking return flights for 8:00pm or later if you plan to fly home on Saturday night. You will not want to miss the final moments of either weekend.

Additionally, if you plan to stay an extra day, we invite you to join us for a Sunday service at The Hope Collective at either 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. It’s a wonderful way to connect with others, worship, and reflect on your experience before returning home.

For Lake Zurich, IL Trainings:

For convenient lodging near the training location, we recommend the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Zurich-Barrington, located at 197 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047. This hotel is the closest to the church, providing easy access to the training venue.

For Lake Zurich, IL Trainings:

A rental car will be necessary and more cost effective as Lake Zurich is approximately an hour from either airport, and our training location is a 10-minute drive from the recommended hotel.

If you would like to share the cost of a rental car with other students in our program, you can coordinate with the other students through our certification community in the Band app. 

All three days of our certification program training run from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with doors opening at 7:45 AM each morning.

A more detailed breakdown of each day's trainings will be provided when you arrive in person. Due to the spirit-led direction of the program's contents, the schedule may shift to adjust to the unique needs of each group of students. However, we do our best to remain as consistent to the provided schedule as possible. 

This program is designed for both personal healing and professional coach training. We believe you can only lead others as far as you’re willing to go yourself. In our coaching certification, leaders from various backgrounds have experienced profound personal growth while gaining essential skills to guide and support others. This approach is trauma-informed, rooted in biblical principles, and Spirit-led, equipping you to lead and love others with depth and compassion.

Upon completing this certification, you’ll have 110 hours of training and practice that will transform your approach to leading conversations from our trauma-informed, Biblical, and Spirit-led approach.

You can apply these skills within your current professional and personal relationships or use them to coach professionally as a trauma-informed coach working with clients one-on-one or in groups.

While Freedom Movement does not guarantee coaching work for graduates, our certification has enriched the lives of a wide range of individuals including missionaries, pastors, mentors, leaders of multi-million dollar coaching practices, and parents seeking to strengthen family bonds.

Despite the diverse backgrounds and levels of experience of our students, each participant leaves with something deeply meaningful, applying what they learn uniquely to the areas where they wish to deepen their impact.

You will engage with the concept of story work throughout the program, but it's important to clarify that you will not be certified in the methodology of story work.

The methodology of story work was developed by Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel and is primarily covered in Freedom in Story (formerly Level 2). While you will experience the process of story work, you will not learn how to facilitate story work through the coaching certification program.

The skill set necessary for story work facilitation is distinct from coaching. Our coaching certification serves as an essential foundation for those who wish to pursue further learning in story work methodology.

Graduates can explore additional training in story work with Freedom Movement, but these opportunities are only available to those who have completed our coaching certification.

ICF stands for the International Coaching Federation, an organization that provides standards and professional guidelines for the coaching industry.

Our program is not ICF certified. This is primarily because of the scope of the work we do. ICF-certified programs are designed to focus almost exclusively on the present and future—helping clients move forward without engaging deeply with past stories or patterns of harm.

In contrast, our program intentionally makes space to acknowledge and understand past experiences that may still be shaping a person’s present life. Because our training is biblically grounded, Spirit-led, and trauma-informed, it does not fit within the specific framework required for ICF certification.

That said, the absence of ICF certification does not diminish the depth, quality, or value of the training provided in this program. It’s also important to note that coaches do not have to be ICF certified in order to practice professionally.

Yes. There are two prerequisite trainings that must be completed before participating in the Biblical Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification Program: Freedom Academy and Freedom in Story.

There is no time requirement for when Freedom Academy must be completed. However, the coaching certification trainings must be taken within one year of completing Freedom in Story.

For example, if you complete Freedom in Story at some point in 2026 but do not move forward with the coaching certification that same year, you may still participate in the certification trainings the following year in 2027. However, if more than one year passes after completing Freedom in Story, you will need to repeat the Freedom in Story training before entering the certification program.

This requirement exists because allowing too much time to pass between that training and the certification process can make it more difficult to fully engage with and understand the coaching material that builds upon it.

Due to the highly interactive and immersive nature of our trainings, infants are not permitted in the training space. The certification program includes one-on-one exercises, group processing, and activities that require participants to be fully present and engaged.

In the past, we have allowed babies to be brought to participants during lunch and breaks with the support of an outside caregiver. However, because break times vary throughout the day, we cannot guarantee exact timing for those windows.

We understand this may be disappointing, but this policy helps protect both the training environment and your ability to fully participate in the experience.

No. This is not a state-licensed or state-recognized certification program in Illinois or any other state.

Participants who successfully complete all levels, coursework, and assignments will receive a Certificate of Completion for completing the Biblical Trauma-Informed Certification Program. This certificate reflects your participation and successful completion of the program requirements, but it does not provide state licensure or professional clinical credentials.

Many participants choose to share their completion of the training with churches, ministries, organizations, or professional communities as evidence of additional trauma-informed education and training.

No. The two prerequisite weekends - Freedom Academy (formerly Level 1) and Freedom in Story (formerly Level 2) must be purchased individually and separately from the Coaching Certification.

The Coaching Certification includes both in-person weekends and multiple online trainings. This package must be purchased together and both in-person weekends must be completed within the same year, as they build on each other to create a comprehensive, integrated learning experience.

Scholarships up to 50% off are available for Freedom Academy (formerly Level 1) upon request. These scholarships are specifically for pastors, missionaries, non-profit leaders and members of the BIPOC community. Please email hello@wearefm.org to request a scholarship if you are in need of it.

Unfortunately, we do not offer scholarships for Freedom in Story (formerly Level 2) or our Coaching Certification. However, we strive to accommodate the financial needs of our students and provide up to 12 month payment plans!

Cost for Biblical Trauma-Informed Coaching Certification: 

Pay in full: $4,000 this payment plan is available until August 10, 2026, or until training spots are sold out. 

12 month payments plan: $350 / month. This payment plan is available until January 31, 2026, or until training spots are sold out. 

10 month payment plan: $420 / month. This payment plan is available until March 31, 2026, or until training spots are sold out. 

8 month payment plan: $525 / month. This payment plan is available until May 31, 2026, or until training spots are sold out.

6 month payment plan: $685 / month. This payment plan is available until July 31, 2026, or until training spots are sold out.

4 month payment plan: $1010 / month. This payment plan is available until August 9, 2026 or until training spots are sold out.