in this video i'm going to talk about the field of health and wellness coaching what it's all about
and what it means to become a coach and work with people in this way now if you're new to me i'm kim
foster i'm an md turned wellness coach a business mentor to my fellow health and wellness coaches
and also the founder of the wellness coach academy an online training school for coaches now i work
with a lot of new and aspiring coaches and at the very beginning of this journey there's often a
lot of confusion what exactly does a health coach do what does it mean to call yourself a health or
wellness coach and i remember when i first began pivoting from conventional medicine to health
coaching i was confused too i had a vague idea of what a health coach might do but i was a little
fuzzy on the details so that's what i want to do today to clear up those fuzzy details so that you
can actually have a really good picture of what it means to be a health and wellness coach so that
you can decide for yourself if this is the right career path for you now before we get into things
i just want to mention that if you are interested in pursuing a career as a health or wellness coach
but you've got a lot of questions about whether it's right for you and what the pathway is
i've put together a wellness coaching career guide to help you it's a free download and to get a copy
just click the link in the description box below i also want to offer a bit of clarity
about terminology before we go any further i use the terms health coach and wellness coach
more or less interchangeably but i have to say that i do prefer the term wellness coach to me
it feels a bit more holistic and focuses on more than just simply nutrition and it's why i called
my training school the wellness coach academy but many of my students prefer the term health coach
and that is completely fine and so like i say i do use the terms interchangeably so that said what is
a health coach well a health or wellness coach is a relatively new kind of health professional
a health coach works closely with their clients to support them to achieve their health goals and
that's whether those goals are to lose weight or manage stress or maybe tame a digestive issue or
really any other client directed health goal generally speaking a health and wellness coach
takes a holistic approach to her clients she mentors inspires supports and connects with her
clients on multiple levels and she collaborates with them to set goals and then she coaches them
through the barriers and the habit and the mindset issues that prevent significant lifestyle change
so why do we need health coaches well it's no secret that chronic illnesses are a modern
epidemic diabetes heart disease obesity autoimmune disease cancer anxiety arthritis the list goes on
and it's also no secret that many conditions are preventable through lifestyle but the problem is
the healthcare system is not designed to guide and support people through the complex process
of changing their lifestyle i know this of course because i functioned in that world
as a family doctor for many many years and i knew that there was a limit to what i could do
to help people in their day-to-day lives just like all physicians i did not have the time or
the resources to help my patients build healthy habits and change their lifestyles day in day
out i could tell people what to do but actually doing it that was up to them and to be honest
that's the hard part the truth is there is an enormous gap for most people between
knowing what they need to do and actually doing it and making the necessary changes and that's
exactly where a health or wellness coach comes in with their unique skill set to help people to
overcome their barriers and achieve their goals and also to look at their health in a holistic
way really consider all the areas of their life and address a variety of factors and really help
them to create lasting lifestyle change up until health and wellness coaches came along nobody else
on the healthcare team was able to truly fulfill this role for people so that's what a health
coach does and why we need them so desperately but what would it mean for you if you were to
pursue this career path what would your days look like what sort of work would you actually be doing
well the good news is that there isn't just one cookie cutter way in fact that's one of
the beautiful things about pursuing a career as a coach because you can truly make it your own some
of the graduates of my program work with clients one-on-one coaching them privately on their health
goals and meeting them once a week for example on zoom which of course means that they are able to
work with clients from all over the world other graduates you know build practices that focus
on group coaching programs where you're working with a small number of people in maybe like an
intimate way but with the additional benefit of the community the supportive element of a group
and then still other graduates build businesses that include self-study courses and other passive
digital products and programs and membership clubs and some people then run workshops and retreats
either as a supplementary stream of income or as the core foundation of their business honestly
the sky is the limit and there are so many ways that this career can be customized and tailored to
suit your preferences your desires and your income goals it's a beautiful thing to be able to do what
you love and get paid well for it and to know that you are making a meaningful impact in the world
helping people to live healthier and happier lives now if you're interested in exploring the
possibilities i would love for you to download my free wellness coaching career guide and see
what this path might hold for you as i say you can grab it by following the link in the description
box below okay that brings us to the end of this video and i hope that this has given you
a clearer sense of what a health or wellness coach is and what it means to become a coach i would
love to hear from you what questions do you still have about this career which pieces are
still confusing let me know your thoughts and your questions below in the comments and let's
have a conversation if you liked this video be sure to hit the like button and don't forget to
subscribe so you don't miss it when i upload new videos take care and i will talk to you again soon