How to Become a Health Coach [2024 Edition]

Do you like sharing your favorite healthy discoveries with people?

Do you love to help people to live the healthiest lives?

YES?

Great! This means that you are a perfect fit for becoming a holistic health coach.

Holistic health coaches advise people to make healthy life choices.

This can include eating nutritious food or maintaining an exercise routine etc.

Health coaching is one of the most important coaching niches.

It supplements the job of doctors, dieticians, trainers, etc. Not always their solutions are enough. Sometimes an external hand is needed to put things into place. That’s where health coaches fit the best.

A health coach motivates people to achieve their health goals.

The holistic health coach devises strategies and plan which may include changes in:

• Lifestyle
• Eating habits
• Behavioral dynamics
• Exercise routine etc.

A health coach can be a great career path. If you want to become one, this article is for you.

Without wasting any time, let’s begin.

What does a holistic health coach do?

You might know trainers, right?

What is their job?

They train people to keep their fitness on point.

Likewise, the health coach trains people in other areas of life. Primarily this includes diet and eating habits.

A holistic health coach looks at the broader picture. This includes not just the diet but other factors too.

Like time management, stress management, meal plan management etc.

You might be thinking:

“How does a holistic health coach help when I have doctors and dieticians beside?”

The answer to this is:

They help in the implementation part.

Holistic health coaches serve as a uniting guide to the area-specific entities.

Your dietician may create a meal plan but the client may find it difficult to follow.

A holistic health coach figures out the reason for the same. He/she educates the client with tools and skills.

He/she acts as a mirror so that the client can realize mistakes.

The coach accelerates the pace of achieving visioned health goals.

For instance,

A client may complain of eating excessive snacks.

The coach may successfully figure out the reasons. Maybe this is happening because of stress at work. Maybe the client is not taking a protein/fat-rich lunch and so on.

Holistic health coaches help people to overcome these roadblocks.

Health coaches focus on internal and external health conditions. They help to reduce insurance premiums and medical costs.

They ensure a shift from repetitive medical care to less expensive sustainable care.

Whether or not should  you become a holistic health coach?

Not sure whether becoming a holistic health coach is the right option for you?

Don’t worry. This happens.

It is important that you are clear with your wants to avoid regret later. These are some essential things that you must know before becoming a health coach.

Below are some signs that indicate that you are meant for it!

Health holds a supreme value for you

Are you particular about your family’s and your own health?

Do your friends approach you for health-related advice?

Do you prioritize – “Health makes wealth?”

Do you value the integration of exercise, nutrition, and psychology?

If yes, then it’s time to make money out of your passion.

Why keep your skills and knowledge caged?

Spread it amongst others who can also benefit from the same.

You realize the need for improved health

There is an increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Organizations are investing in health coaches more than ever.

An improved health care framework is the need of the hour.

If you can see this need as an opportunity you might be ready to become one.

You inspire and motivate others

Does your own lifestyle model inspire others?

Do you include nutrition, exercise, and psychology to enhance your daily life?

If yes, then it’s probably time to discuss your secrets with others.

You are well on your way to imbibe a positive lifestyle to inspire others.

Get ready to coach and guide others as a holistic health coach.

Reasons why you should not become a health coach

You expect to make tons of money straight away

Getting your first coaching clients isn’t that easy.

If you are just behind clients and money, there is a probability that you will fail.

Things fall into place gradually. It may take months before you get your initial clients. Even years till you start making a “full-time” salary.

Many holistic health coaches provide their coaching as part-time work. Most of the clients may demand a coaching session either at night or on weekends.

If you are lucky enough, you may suffer fewer hardships. Still, you should always be prepared for worse. If you do not have that much patience, think again.

You think clients will fall in your lap

No matter how good a coach you are. If nobody knows you, your business won’t run.

There are various ways through which you can attract clients to you:

1. Via referrals
2. Working in a doctor’s or practitioner’s office for a couple of days
3. Through the website and social media
4. Public speaking in workshops/seminars

You need to efficiently market yourself to find clients. Many functional medicine doctors and wellness centers are in need of holistic health coaches. Though earning potential is less, but it can be a great start.

Build cross-relationships with doctors, chiropractors or fitness studios.

It isn’t that difficult.

How to become a holistic health coach?

Choose your target market

Choosing your target audience should be your first step. You should focus

on a group with which you feel the most comfortable.

For instance, you may find working with new moms. You can guide them on how to manage this new phase. Your help can lead them to a healthy lifestyle.

Or maybe you want to work with retired professionals. As a health coach, you can educate them on how to keep healthy from body and soul.

Whatever target audience you choose, you must focus on them completely. Later on, as your business grows you can expand your target market.

Training

You like giving advice on health issues to your friends and family.

You love reading books or watching shows that augment your knowledge.

You have an edge over others when it comes to the debate on how to lead a healthy life.

That’s absolutely great!

Still, there is a difference in guiding as a friend and as a coach.

For becoming a holistic health coach you need to master certain coaching habits. You must know about the tools and coaching skills that can skyrocket your growth.

Additionally, you need to study the health coaching industry.

Are there any rules and regulations that you should be aware of?

Are there specific pieces of knowledge that you should imbibe?

Now, the questions arise:

How to get the right training?

Certification programs can be a good idea.

Are they necessary?

Not as much but they provide you with a chance to prove your competency.

There are several certificates programs.

Two of the most popular ones are:

• The international association of health coaches
• International health coach federation

There are many coaches who are doing well without being certified.

In this case, you should meet relevant stakeholders in your field.

Augment your knowledge by engaging in networking events.

In the end, it is the experience and knowledge that will matter.

Hire a Mentor

A mentor can help you to shorten the learning curve. The mentors can direct you to become a health coach.

This way you get a chance to learn from someone who has already been in your shoes. This reduces the chances of mistakes. Also, you need less hard work in getting abreast with the industry norms.

Create your process

Most of the health coaches go for a free session initially. After that, they take one-to-one coaching sessions.

This way of coaching is good. The only drawback is that it demands your physical presence always.

As your coaching business grows you might like to experiment. You may go for a group coaching model, helpful printables, standard meal plans, etc. This may not demand your 100% physical presence.

There are a lot of coaching models you can choose from.

You can also think of establishing your online coaching program effectively.

Decide your rates

Now you know your coaching business model.

Great!

It’s time to finalize rates.

While deciding rates for your coaching packages keep these two things in mind.

1. Let not your competitor’s rate influence you too much
2. Don’t underestimate yourself.

You may like to charge for hours. Getting in a fixed period’s engagement might be your choice.

No matter what you choose, take the idea of market rates. Then, levy it with your worth and decide.

Remember, selling to high-end paying coaching clients will skyrocket your growth.

A number of factors can affect your rates:

1. Cost of living
2. Business expenses
3. Your expertise
4. Creating action plans for clients
5. Market value etc.

Take some time to do market research and analysis. Decide whether that rate is a realistic rate. Will you be able to cover your expenses? Can you earn a salary with that rate? Eventually, can you make a profit?

I won’t recommend advertising your rates. This can shew away prospects especially if they are on the higher end.

It’s important that the client may first know and trust you. After that bond is built you can attempt to make a sale.

Market your business

Branding activities play a major role to attract clients. This includes having two essential parameters. These are:

1. Website
2. Social media platforms

The website helps you to display your products and services well. In today’s era, avoiding a website can prove suicidal.

Writing an intuitive blog that exhibits your command on your niche is even more important.

The website also plays a great source of increasing your email list. You can use this to serve newsletters, presentations and follow-ups to your clients.

You can follow these top 100 health coach blogs and websites.

Social media platforms are the reason behind the success of many coaches.

You might already be aware of the majority. The important part is to spend time on what works best for you.

For instance, if your target audience is youngsters then Facebook and Instagram can be a good choice.

Leveraging LinkedIn and Pinterest can best serve your purpose.

Posting and handling queries on social media platforms will help you to get recognized. Thereafter you can build your own community.

By applying the right methodology for efficient marketing you can convert prospects into paying clients.

Partner with practitioners

You can partner with a doctor, chiropractor, personal trainer, or other wellness professionals. They can help refer clients to you and vice-versa.

Many medical centers hire health coaches. You can consider working with them. This way you can gain experience and a steady stream of clients.

How to get your coaching clients?

Spend time at places where your target audience hangs out.

Along with online marketing, get out of the office and meet new people.

Running contests on social media and writing engaging blogs can flock people to your coaching program.

Don’t be shy to ask for a referral. Use your current network to ask for referrals. Take feedback from people. Improve where you feel like.

How much does a holistic health coach earn?

Experience, career, training, certifications, and performance impact the salary. The median wages for health coaches are around $45,185. Many health coaches augment the same in various ways. This may include hosting webinars, online courses, fitness instructions, etc.

Another factor that impacts the salary is part of the country where a health coach works.

The health management and wellness coaching field are expected to experience an annual growth rate of about 13%.

You can have a rewarding career and higher wages in this niche.

How to keep the business going?

When your business starts expanding, take time for yourself. Practice what you preach. Relax and try to find the best ways to manage things.

Coaching tools can work best to reduce the overhead.

You will find that sometimes things are not working as per your expectations. Discover the loopholes. Try to find alternative ways.

Nothing is fixed. You are your own boss. You can revamp or change the procedure when you feel like.

Focus on achieving your clients’ goals, not yours.

Don’t forget that you have to make money. After all, it’s a BUSINESS. At the same time don’t be greedy to get millions in days.

If you follow the right methodology. You will eventually boost your income.

You might be thinking:

“What is that RIGHT PROCEDURE?”

Well, this will totally depend on the market and your clients.

Things will take time to evolve. Every client will come to you with different needs.

Sometimes a client might have stress-related issues. Another may complain about sleep-deprivedness. One of your clients might not be able to stick to his/her fitness plan.

You need to analyze and augment your database. Read continuously. Talk with the domain experts to understand things deeply. You need not master all the fields but at least you should know some parts to exhibit your proficiency.

Remember you are not just to motivate clients.

“Hey, you should improve your daily routine to lead a healthy life.”

This isn’t what your clients expect from you.

You have to define the process clearly:

“Look, as per your schedule, it would be better that you sleep early. Wake up early and carry on your fitness training.”

Sounds better right?

But, your client may complain that he/she doesn’t get sleep.

What’s next?

You may ask him/her to increase working hours so that fatigue does the work. Or probably listen to slow music so that he/she eventually falls asleep. Maybe taking heavy dinner is the crux. You can ask him/her to avoid this. In the worst cases, you can refer him/her to consult doctors for pills. And so on.

Don’t be generic. Your clients already have this support. Be specific about your words and actions.

Keep on iterating your process and improving on the basis of feedback.

You may face some hardships but eventually, nothing can stop you. Just follow your passion and stay committed.

FAQs

The health coaching industry is really wide. Once you jump into it there can be many questions that hit your mind. Some of them are listed below.

Let’s get the answers.

What is the difference between the health coach and other fitness workers?

Health coaches are responsible for fitness, dietary and behavioral health screenings for clients. They set dietary standards and exercise plans. Health coaches take a broader approach to fitness, unlike nutritionists and trainers. They record client data like calorie intake minor medical screenings.

Note: Health coaches don’t work to solve serious medical issues.

How much clinical work does health coaches perform?

Health coaches perform age-based and entry-level screenings. It is important for health coaches to know how to take vital readings.

1. What type of coaching does health coach provide?

Motivational, behavioral and physical fitness sessions. They guide on how to eat, exercise and rest to avoid chronic illness. They help people to sustain fitness, dietary and behavioral plans.

Where do health coaches work?

• Hospitals
• Fitness centers
• Public health organizations
• Major corporations
• Insurance companies
• Nursing homes
• Nonprofit agencies
• Training centers

Freelance coaching programs and online coaching is quite popular amongst coaches.

What trends will impact the industry?

Payment depending on the fruitfulness of coaching is impacting the health industry. Positively altering internal motivation is another trend. In fact, this is making the health coaching niche increasingly popular.

What kinds of background do health coaches belong to?

People from nursing, psychology, social work and allied health fields are becoming health coaches. Licensed physicians are also entering the health coaching field.

Avoid these common mistakes

Not talking to clients at their level

Your ideal clients might not understand terms like:

Gut health, adrenal fatigue, leaky gut syndrome, etc. While talking to your clients use terms that they make use of.

Include words like weight loss, more energy, reverse diabetes, or stop mood swings.

For eg. “ all day energy”  can be better than “adrenal fatigue”

Believing you need to have answers to all questions

No, you don’t!

You just need to know better than your clients.

If you have earned certifications then that works even better.

Don’t resist yourself from marketing or charging high just because you think that you don’t know much.

You won’t ever.

If you have ever helped someone transform their health, you know enough.

Not promoting yourself

You won’t fetch clients this way.

It’s not difficult. You can start by sending letters to your friends and relatives. You may start writing guest articles.

You may give live presentations.

For instance,

“ Top 4 food dishes to fight cancer and how to cook them”

Remember, don’t brand yourself as a health coach here.

Instead of saying “I am a health coach.”

Reply:

“ I help women over 40 to fight cancer.”

This will drive prospects to know more about you. Come up with creative ways to promote yourself.

Not finalizing your niche

As a health coach, you can expand your horizons in multiple niches.

Well, I don’t recommend to become a jack of all trades and master of none.

You need to clearly communicate who you are and what you deliver. This establishes your brand name.

Your niche can be Digestive issues or food allergies.

If you choose the latter then your branding can be this way:

“Bob Smith, your food allergy coach.”

Identify which group of people you are most interested to work with.

After selecting your niche, try to grab clients’ attraction in minimum words.