Co-Active Foundations transforms your relationships by teaching you how to listen differently, ask questions that spark discovery, and see every person as naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. This experiential course fundamentally shifts how you connect—with yourself and others—turning everyday conversations into opportunities for meaningful growth.
Ready to learn more about Co-Active Foundations?
Register for a course today, or speak with an advisor to find the right session for your schedule.
What Does a “Transformational Conversation” Actually Feel Like?
Before Foundations, many conversations revolve around problem-solving or advice-giving. You might listen just long enough to offer a fix or jump toward the most efficient solution. These exchanges stay on the surface—focused on the what.
After Co-Active Foundations, conversations change. You begin listening with curiosity instead of judgment. Your questions shift from seeking answers to inviting reflection. The focus moves from the what to the who.
Example:
Before Foundations: “Maybe you need better time management.”
After Foundations: “What does success look like for you right now?”
Suddenly, the person becomes the expert of their own experience. The result is empowerment, not instruction.
The First Pillar: Moving from Reactive to Creative
The way you show up is one of the most powerful skills you will develop in Co-Active Foundations, and it begins with a fundamental shift in how you respond to life—from reactive to creative.
Reactive patterns emerge from habit, fear, and limiting beliefs. They are automatic responses shaped by past experiences and conditioning, which keep you stuck in familiar narratives, even when those narratives no longer serve you.
Creative responses come from possibility, wholeness, and intention. These emerge when you pause, become aware, and choose consciously. You stop being shaped by circumstances and begin to author your own experience.
This shift changes everything:
- Reactive keeps you defending, justifying, or blaming
- Creative opens you to curiosity, agency, and growth
- Reactive sees problems to fix
- Creative sees opportunities to explore
Example:
Reactive: “I can’t lead that project. I don’t have enough experience.”
Creative: “What becomes possible if I step into this challenge? What support do I need?”
Co-Active Foundations helps you recognize your reactive patterns and practice choosing creative responses.
The Second Pillar: The Four Cornerstones
Co-Active Foundations introduces you to the Four Cornerstones, the core mindsets that guide how Co-Active practitioners engage in relationships with others.
These cornerstones are ways of being that transform how you lead, listen, and connect:
- People are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole – You stop trying to fix and start trusting their inherent wisdom.
- Focus on the whole person – You see beyond the problem to the person navigating it.
- Evoke transformation – You invite growth rather than offer solutions.
- Dance in the moment – You stay present, flexible, and responsive to what’s unfolding.
When you embody these cornerstones, you create space for others to step into their own power, build trust and psychological safety naturally, and lead from presence instead of pressure. They transform relationships across work, home, and community.
Example:
Before cornerstones: “How do I solve this for them?”
After cornerstones: “What does this person need to discover for themselves?”
Co-Active Foundations gives you the experiential practice to make these cornerstones lived shifts in how you relate.
The Third Pillar: Moving Beyond Advice to Powerful Questions
Traditional advice often limits possibility. Co-Active Foundations teaches you to replace giving answers with asking powerful, open-ended questions that expand awareness.
Examples of powerful questions:
- “If nothing were off limits, what would you create?”
- “What truth haven’t you acknowledged yet?”
- “What does this moment ask of you?”
- “What do you need most—to move or to pause?”
These questions unlock agency, clarity, and deeper understanding in any relationship.
From Theory to Practice: Why Experiential Learning Is Essential
Co-Active Foundations isn’t a lecture. It’s immersive, experiential transformation.
From day one, you are practicing—engaging in live exercises, real conversations, and guided reflection. You learn by doing, not by listening.
This practice-based approach is one of CTI’s core differentiators, reinforced throughout ourredesigned progressive coaching pathway. Each course is co-led by two world-class faculty members, ensuring safety, rigor, and powerful modeling of the Co-Active approach.
As one participant shared:
“I was nervous at first, but the hands-on practice and supportive environment showed me I could actually do this. It wasn’t theory—I felt the difference in my relationships almost immediately.”
Experiential learning is the bridge between knowing and embodying.
What Will You Take Away from Co-Active Foundations?
By the end of Foundations, you’ll notice tangible growth in how you communicate and relate to others:
- Deepened relational capacity
- Confidence in navigating difficult conversations
- A toolkit of powerful questions
- A more grounded sense of self
- A community of supportive peers
- The foundational mindset essential for all further Co-Active training
Next Step in the Coaching Pathway:
After Foundations, the next level is Ignite the Practice, where you learn to coach real people and earn your first credential.
Ready to experience the transformation for yourself?
Register for Co-Active Foundations today or speak with an advisor to find the best upcoming session for your schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions about Co-Active Foundations
Is Foundations only for people who want to become coaches?
Not at all. While it’s the entry point for aspiring coaches, Foundations is equally powerful for leaders, parents, educators, and anyone who wants to strengthen their communication and presence.
What is the time commitment?
Foundations is offered as an 1-day, 8-hour course, intentionally designed for deep, concentrated learning.
What happens after Foundations?
You immediately begin applying your new skills in everyday conversations. If you’re pursuing the coaching pathway, your next step is Ignite the Practice.
Register for Foundations and begin transforming the way you connect—with others and with yourself.