Beginning October 1, 2026 Relationship Coaching Institute enters its 30th anniversary year — celebrating 30 years of pioneering relationship coach training since 1997.
For those who are new to RCI, this milestone is more than a birthday. It is a celebration of a mission that began before “relationship coaching” was widely understood as a professional specialty: to help lower the divorce rate and promote successful marriages, families, and lasting love by training skilled, ethical, effective relationship coaches.
Established in 1997, before relationship coaching had a roadmap
RCI was founded by David Steele, MA, MFT, a Marriage and Family Therapist who discovered the power of coaching during the earliest days of the profession. After completing coach training, David searched for specialized relationship coach training and found there was none. People were calling themselves relationship coaches, but the specialty had not yet been clearly defined, designed, or professionally taught.
Drawing from his coach training, 15 years of Marriage and Family Therapy experience, and the emerging standards of the International Coach Federation, David began codifying what would become the relationship coaching specialty. In October 1997, he conducted his first relationship coach training for local colleagues and Relationship Coaching Institute established — and became a pioneer in professional relationship coach training.
What RCI has stood for from the beginning
From the start, RCI has focused on more than information. Our goal has been to provide the training, tools, mentoring, and community support needed to help people become masterful relationship coaches and build successful coaching practices.
- Professional relationship coach training grounded in coaching principles and relationship expertise.
- Certification pathways that help clients and referral partners trust a coach’s preparation and skills.
- Practical coaching tools coaches can use with singles, couples, and relationship-focused clients.
- Ongoing mentoring and support so coaches are not left to build their practices alone.
RCI’s work has also grown from important relationship insights, including David’s realization that “singles become couples.” Helping singles make conscious, compatible relationship choices became central to RCI’s mission and later inspired his Conscious Dating® book and coaching program for singles, followed by his Radical Marriage® book (co-written with his soul mate Darlene) and coaching program for couples.
A 30th anniversary year with gratitude and purpose
As we begin RCI’s 30th anniversary year, we are deeply grateful for the coaches, students, graduates, trainers, mentors, clients, and colleagues who have helped carry this mission forward. Relationship coaching exists to make a real difference in people’s lives — and every trained relationship coach expands what is possible for singles, couples, families, and communities.
If you are discovering Relationship Coaching Institute for the first time, welcome. Since 1997, RCI has been dedicated to world-class relationship coach training and the support to help coaches succeed. Whether you are a helping professional, coach, faith leader, matchmaker, or someone just beginning to explore a meaningful new path, this anniversary year is a wonderful time to learn more about becoming a relationship coach.
To explore our history in more depth, read Our History: Pioneering Relationship Coach Training Since 1997. To learn more about training, certification, and support, visit our Relationship Coach Training and Certification page or download RCI’s free Relationship Coach Starter Kit.
