CIt’s an invisible thread that unites many women today: the feeling of always being in a rush, between work, relationships and responsibilities, and that inner voice that just asks for a little space for itself and to breathe. This profound need is answered by Co-Active® Fundamentalsthe introductory module of the most widespread coaching path in the world, developed by Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). For the first time he arrives in Italy, a Milan from 28 to 30 November 2025entirely in Italian and with certification ICF (International Coaching Federation). The course is open to those who wish to work on themselves. not to become a coach, but to find presence, authenticity and well-being in one’s way of living and relating. We talked about it with the three protagonists of the course: , MBA and Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Vittoria Zipoli, Professional Certified Executive & Leadership Coach; Donatella Canella, certified ICF accredited Co-Active® Leadership coach and trainer.
There are paths that do not promise to change your life, but teach you to live it with more presence. Co-Active® is one of these: it does not offer ready solutions, but opens spaces for listening to oneself, to others, to the possible.
And perhaps this is true well-being: not becoming someone else, but finally returning to yourself.
“Bringing the human being back to the center”
To explain the heart of the method is César Fentanes Serrano, MBA and Certified Professional Co-Active Coachamong the most experienced international trainers and coaches of the Co-Active Training Institute. «Co-Active® Coaching was created precisely to bring the human being back to the center of work and performance. It’s not therapy, but it helps people — managers, professionals, teams — reconnect with what really matters: values, motivation, a sense of purpose. When people feel heard and seen not only as roles but as complete individuals, not only well-being but also productivity increases. In this sense, Co-Active creates a concrete bridge between coaching, mental health and human sustainability of work (even on oneself)».
Being before doing
«It is a challenge, but also the turning point», continues Fentanes. «Many come to our courses convinced that “doing more” means “being more”. The Co-Active shows the reverse: when you learn to be fully presentauthentic and conscious, your doing becomes more effective, more aligned, less dispersive. We don’t teach to slow down: we teach to move with intention, and this changes everything.” According to Fentanes, this is the key to a new psychological balance: «Intelligence and skills they are the entry ticket into an organization. But what will move you forward is the ability to use relationships to achieve results. Co-Active is one of the most effective relational technologies of our time.”
From left: César Fentanes Serrano, Donatella Canella, Vittoria Zipoli
Female leadership and authenticity
In Italy, where many women still struggle to feel legitimate in the role of leader, this approach can become a space for rediscovery and freedom. «I hope it helps to normalize female leadership she doesn’t have to imitate male models to be recognized», says Fentanes. «Co-Active offers women a safe space to rediscover your voice, your strength and your way of leading – not despite the sensitivity, but thanks to it. There leadership is not control, it is relationshipAnd. I believe that this course can become a small but significant step towards a more inclusive, empathetic and aware working model.”
Authenticity, not rhetoric
«For me, authentic leadership is the ability to have an impact without losing humanity», continues Fentanes. «It is not a soft attitude, but a way of exercise authority based on presence, listening and responsibility. The authentic leader it doesn’t pretend to have all the answers: Create spaces where others can contribute. This is how trust and innovation are born.”
A dialogue with psychology
In the United States, Co-Active® is also attracting the attention of the psychology world. The psychologist Chris Hoffin an article on Substack from the title Why Therapists Should Pay Attention to Co-Active Coachingexplains that the method «does not cure, but creates awareness», encouraging an equal and collaborative dialogue between professional and client.
Fentanes adds: «Co-Active is not proposed as an alternative to psychology, but as complement. It starts from the same respect for the person, but focuses on the potential, not the problem. Where therapy looks at “what doesn’t work”, Co-Active coaching asks “what is possible now”. It is a very fertile meeting ground with contemporary psychology.”
Beyond performance: personal transformation
The course will be conducted in the classroom Vittoria Zipoli, Professional Certified Executive & Leadership Coachtogether with Donatella Canella, ICF certified Coach and Trainer and Co-Active® Leadership Coach. Zipoli explains the essence of the method thus: «Coaching is often limited to motivation or performance, but Co-Active Coaching promotes a deeper vision, which puts at the center is personal transformation through relationships and theself exploration. We work on fundamental questions: who I am, what I want, what I choose and what experience I am having. Real change comes from here, from an awareness that precedes action.”
An experiential and transformative course
«The Co-Active course is experiential because it actively involves participants with practices, reflections and sharing», explains Canella. «From day one every teaching is put into practice. Traditional training is frontal, Co-Active training is relational and pragmatic. Participants are often surprised at the impact it has on their personal development, finding harmony, sense of completeness and well-being».
When authenticity and strength meet
«Many women discover that authenticity, vulnerability and strength can coexist» adds Zipoli. «They realize that well-being and success are not contradictory. They rediscover the value of their own voice and of femininity as a resource. THE’empathy, inclusion and care they are not “soft” traits: they are essential skills for the future of work and society.”
The power of vulnerability
«In Co-Active Coaching we teach that Vulnerability and trust are the foundation of authentic connection» says Canella. «As in kintsugi Japanese, gold filled cracks make the vase more valuable. So the Vulnerability illuminates what was previously hidden or judged. It is from that light that deep relationships and more human leadership are born.”
Listen to the potential, not the problem
“One of the four foundations of Co-Active is to believe that each of us is naturally creative, resourceful and whole,” explains Zipoli.
«In the classroom we practice listening that brings out hidden potential.
The focus is not on the problem, but on what you want to create.
It is an approach that releases energy and courage, reduces the fear of change and helps transform dreams into concrete actions.»
What to know about the course and how to participate
The course Co-Active® Fundamentals will be held in Milanfrom the 28 to 30 November 2025at the headquarters of Birds Coaching. An intensive three-day course, conducted entirely in Italian and aimed at anyone who wishes to deepen their personal growth, improve relationships and develop conscious leadership.
It’s the first module of the international Co-Active® programglobally recognized and accredited byInternational Coaching Federation (ICF).
It is not No previous coaching experience required: the training is also open to those who simply want to get to know each other better and find balance between “doing” and “being”.
Information and registration are available on the official website coactive.birdscoaching.com/en/foundations.