Is the EFCA Certification Worth It? I Didn’t Think So.
Then I saw what changed in just 90 days.
Read my story ↓Full disclosure: I earn a commission if you enroll through my links. It doesn't change your price, and I only recommend it to people I think it fits.
Why did I almost say no to EFCA?
I'm Natalie Micheel. I've spent 20 years in education: homeschool parent and teacher, classroom teacher, and for the last four years, owner of my own tutoring business in Sioux Falls.
And honestly? Tutoring was losing its luster. Everyone was doing it. It was turning into a commodity, and after so many years, the spark was fading. EF skills were already part of my tutoring, and I was moving a few kids into EF coaching. But I had no real vision for it.
So I filled out the interest form on the Executive Function Coaching Academy (EFCA) website, like anybody else. A call got scheduled, and suddenly I was talking to the founder himself, Sean McCormick. That's how much he cares. He builds real relationships with his coaches. You're not just someone taking his course. You're part of his team.
I was hoping for an easy little add-on, something you'd grab on Teachers Pay Teachers. Then he told me the price. It seemed preposterous. This was a whole different pool to swim in.
Here's what I've learned working with Sean these past months, while I grew a thriving business: he doesn't have a tricky bone in his body. He's as generous and as committed to every one of his coaches' success as he is to his own. He is a quality person.
Now I know what really happened. He asked the right questions and helped me picture what I really wanted, until I said it in my own words. And once I heard them, I knew where I was wasn't it.
The turning point
Sean did on that call exactly what an EF coach does. I was stuck, stuck right where I didn't want to be. He helped me see that the beliefs holding me back just weren't reality. It wasn't complicated. The same simple tools he was about to teach me moved me from stuck to unstuck in one conversation. That's when I understood what EF coaching can do, and how simple it is to do for someone else.
That Friday night in June 2026, lying in bed, I counted what it would cost me not to do it: another year of the same income, the same burnout, the same stuck feeling. Staying put was the expensive choice. Two or three sales would pay it back. So I enrolled that night.
I've bought plenty of programs before. Some I never printed. Some I never logged into. They gave me a moment of motivation, and that was it. This time, investing that much in myself lit a fire. I had to pay it off, and that urgency kept me following Sean's plan every single day, until it became a real business.
What were my results after EFCA?
I finished the certification classes in a week and started the 90-day client plan the week after. I followed it exactly. Three of my four packages came from people I already knew (I emailed 80 of them). The fourth came through my website. And I've reached out to more than 100 potential referral partners.
That referral network is coming into its own faster than I expected. And honestly, the money isn't the best part. I came out with real coaching skills, real connections, a renewed sense of purpose, and a practice I'm genuinely proud of. I keep walking into opportunities I never would have found if I hadn't said yes.
Results vary a lot. I treated this as my top priority and started in summer, when tutoring was lighter. Sean's own 2026 survey of graduates coaching six months or more found 28% earning $1,000–$2,000 a month, with smaller groups earning more.
Wins so far
- $10,100 in EF coaching packages in 87 days
- A large, multi-state counseling group made me a referral partner and invited me to train their clinicians
- An independent educational consultant trusted me with someone in her own family
The families you've worked with, the counselors and clinicians you know, the schools you've served are your natural warm market. They already know, like and trust you. There will very likely be people in that circle who jump at this the moment you tell them.
Ready to write your own 90-day story?Enroll through my link and get my $249 Practitioner License Pack free.
See the EFCA certification →What makes the EFCA certification worth it?
He trusts that you already know kids and how to work with them
You've spent a whole career serving students. That experience makes you an expert, and Sean treats you like one. He doesn't make you sit through endless hours proving you can work with a 14-year-old.
He gives you a coaching framework and the tools to build out the EF side of your skill set. Then he doesn't disappear. He stays right there to help and support you as you launch.
You don't have to be on social media. At all.
This was the biggest seller for me. If a plan depends on me posting on social media, it's never going to happen. I was so relieved that Sean doesn't think you need to hawk your wares online.
Instead, he teaches his proven formula for building a professional referral network: the counselors, consultants and other professionals who already see the families you can help. About 15 minutes a day. Those referrals show up warm and ready to talk. Not one of my clients came from a social media post.
The real value: he shows you how to make good money doing it
Sean shows you how to turn the skills you already have into a business that actually pays: how to build and position an offer families say yes to, price it with confidence, and get your first paying clients fast.
Nobody else I looked at was teaching that. Everyone else stops at the coaching. That's what made my investment pay back in under 90 days.
You can't get stuck
Sean has two customer success managers working alongside him in the EFCA community on Skool every single day, so all three of them are there helping you build your business, shape your offer and work through whatever comes up once you're coaching students.
On top of that, the group itself is a huge resource: very active, very supportive, and members help each other every day. You will not find a more generous, knowledgeable or hardworking group, or one that cares more about your business. Every day's pacing is built in, and it's quick. There's no way to buy it and let it collect dust.
How is EFCA different from other coaching certifications?
Before I chose EFCA, I researched other coaching certification options. These are the reasons it came out on top for me.
EFCA
- Respects your time: built to get you coaching fast
- Respects the years you've already put in with kids
- A framework plus problem-solving strategies
- The part I didn’t find anywhere else: how to get paid well for it
It's the fastest, least painful path I've found from “I'm good with kids” to “I run a coaching practice.”
What do you get in the EFCA certification?
In short: the training, a daily plan to land your first paying client, and a team and coach community to back you up. Sean keeps improving his program, so get the current details straight from the source. His page has it all: what's inside, income potential, graduate case studies and testimonials.
See every detail on Sean's page →
The parts I value most: the coaching support from Sean's team, the Skool community, and his approach to building referral partners.
My advice if you enroll
Keep the main thing the main thing.
Follow the 90-day client plan exactly as written, and build your first offer around helping kids succeed in school. First, pay back your investment.
My bonus when you enroll through my link
EFCA gives you the business. What you'll want next is something ready to use with your first struggling student. Enroll through my link and I'll send you my Grade Recovery Practitioner License Pack: the tools and session flow I use with students who are behind, licensed for use with your own clients.
To claim it, email your enrollment receipt to Natalie@BestEFC.com.
See the EFCA certification →Frequently asked questions
Is the EFCA certification worth it?
Yes, and I say that as someone who thought the price was crazy. EFCA shows you how to get clients through a professional referral network, with no social media, and how to turn what you already know about kids into a coaching business that pays well. Two or three sales pay it back. Mine paid for itself in 87 days.
Who has the EFCA certification worked for?
Don’t take my word for it. Sean’s page is full of positive reviews, graduate testimonials and real case studies from teachers, tutors, therapists and other helping professionals. Read them. Sean is who he says he is: a real guy selling what he strongly believes in, because he knows it transforms lives.
Is the Executive Function Coaching Academy accredited?
No, and Sean is the first to tell you so. EFCA isn't accredited through the ICF or any other outside body. Sean backs the certification himself, with no big association in the middle. And you don't need accreditation to coach. Executive function coaching isn't a licensed profession, and there's no requirement for coaches to be accredited. Families care about whether you can help their kid. What EFCA gives you instead is the business side accreditation never teaches: referrals, an offer, and your first paying clients.
Isn't the EFCA certification too expensive?
I thought so too. But think about the other things you've invested in to get ahead: a degree, another certification, job training, the tools of your trade. You paid for those because of what they'd let you earn. This is the same kind of investment, with one big difference: it's the only program I've found that actually shows you how to earn the money back, and helps you do it. Two or three coaching packages pay for it. Compared to what you'll earn from the skills Sean teaches you, the price is a small fraction.
Can a tutor become an executive function coach?
Yes. I did. Tutors already know how to work with students one-on-one. What EFCA added for me was a coaching structure and a plan to find families who pay for it. I sold four coaching packages in my first 87 days.
How long does the EFCA certification take?
It's self-paced and built to respect your time. I finished the training in a week. The client-getting plan runs 90 days, in short daily steps, and that's where most of the work is.
I need to think about it. How do I decide if EFCA is right for me?
Thinking it over is smart. Just make sure you're thinking, not stalling. Ask yourself one question: what information would I need to make this decision that I don't already have? If there's a real answer, go get it. Watch Sean's free videos, read his articles, or email me. If there isn't, the “I need to think about it” might be fear talking. I know, because that was me. Action beats inaction. Waiting just keeps you where you are.
How do I know if it's the right time to become an EF coach?
There's rarely a perfect time. There's the time you decide. If you're already working with students and you know you want more, the cost of waiting is another year of the same. The 90-day plan is built to fit into a full life, about 15 minutes a day.
I need to talk to my spouse before I enroll. What should I tell them?
You should talk to them. This is a real investment, and it affects your family. My advice: don't just bring them a price. Bring them a plan. Show them what your new future looks like: who you'll coach, what your packages will cost, and how many sales it takes to pay it back (for most coaches, two or three). A spouse who sees the income change coming is a lot easier to get excited than one who only hears the number. And if their real worry is whether you’re being sold something, I get it. I wondered the same thing. Show them this page and the graduate case studies on Sean’s page, and let them decide for themselves.
Can I do EFCA part-time, alongside teaching or tutoring?
Yes. That's exactly how I did it. The training is self-paced, and the client plan takes about 15 minutes a day. Plenty of coaches start part-time and grow from there.
Questions about the program itself, like refunds, guarantees or who it’s built for? Sean’s FAQ has the current answers.
Your 90-day story starts here.
Natalie Micheel, teacher, tutor and certified executive function coach, MBA. Owner of BestEFC and 605Tutor. Questions about the program or whether it fits you? Email Natalie@BestEFC.com.
See the EFCA certification →