What is health coaching? And a special offer
Friday, January 10, was a holiday…one that you may not have heard of, and yet possibly celebrated without even realizing it.
As described by the New York Post:
Observed on the second Friday in January, Quitter’s Day recognizes those who begin the year with the best intentions and most robust resolutions, only to throw in the towel, pick up the bottle, and otherwise backslide into baseline in the first days of their fresh start.
The good news is, even if you’ve already slipped…or never really got started…there are more than 300 days left in 2025 to get on track. And chances are you don’t need more willpower or more education to reach your health and wellness goals. Perhaps all you really need is a little added support to empower and motivate you. If so, a Health and Wellness Coach may be just what you are looking for.
What is a Health and Wellness Coach?
According to the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC), “Health & wellness coaches partner with clients seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values. In the course of their work, health & wellness coaches display an unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their capacity for change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life, while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.”
What a coach does
Coaches are partners that help you, the expert of your life, define and clarify the changes you wish to make for well-being and then empower you to make those changes by doing the following:
- Listen mindfully
- Nurture relationships
- Clarify and reframe situations to provide multiple lenses
- Ask questions to provoke and reflect thought
- Assess change
- Motivate
- Hold clients accountable for progress
What a coach does not do
Health and wellness coaches are different from other professional relationships you may be familiar with, such as doctors, counselors, or trainers. Coaches do not
- Diagnose
- Treat
- Prescribe
A limited time offer for free coaching
If health coaching sounds like something you may be interested in, do I have a deal for you! I recently received my mindbodygreen Health Coach Certification, and I am now working towards NBHWC board certification. As I gain the practical experience hours necessary for board certification, I have decided to offer free online health coaching to a limited number of clients. If you are interested, or know someone who is, simply complete the form below, and I will be in touch for an introductory conversation to see if my coaching services are a good fit for you.
Request for health coaching information
Your turn
- If failure was not a concern, and money was no object, how would you spend this phase of life?
- Are you currently working on any health and wellness goals?
- Have you ever worked with a coach of any kind? How was your experience?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
Image by Marta Kulesza from Pixabay
Good luck with working towards your certification Christie. I have no doubt you would be a wonderful health coach. I started with a PT late last year and have had a session already this year. I have planned monthly sessions. My thought to your question about what I would be doing if money was no object, was to say that I would be travelling. Thinking about it, I’m not sure how much travel I could do without tiring of it. A beautiful house on the beach would be lovely to come home to between trips. We are far from the beach here.
Thank you for the encouraging words, Jen. A beach house sounds delightful. We are far from any ocean where I live, but we are close to a man-made reservoir with a red-sand beach. If money were no object, I would like to travel as well, and I would like to buy the lot next to our home, so we wouldn’t have another house right next to us. That said, I am quite content with my lot in life.
Hi Christie – good luck with adding further to your qualifications. I hope it all goes well and you get lots of interest in your offer of free coaching. In answer to one of your questions, I had a conversation yesterday with my husband about what we’d do if we had a chunk of money rain down on us and neither of us could come up with any great needs, wants or desires that aren’t already met or within our means. It was a really good feeling to be content and at peace with our life and not to be wishing for more.
Yes, Leanne, being content with your position in life is a wonderful feeling. I too am quite content. If I did have an endless supply of money, I would like to buy the property next to our house. They are getting ready to build, and I hate to see the change. But then again, who knows, maybe we will end up with lovely new neighbors who I would not have met otherwise!
Hi Christie, well done to you! You have Health Coach Certification and now working towards NBHWC board certification. Wow – I didn’t know you were doing this but then again I’ve been away from blog land for a while! What a great achievement – hope you’re feeling proud of yourself. I wish you all the very best of luck with achieving your board certification and also for your future as a health coach. Thanks so much for linking up with the very first #WWWhimsy of 2025. xo
Thank for, Min. I am proud of the work I have put in and the new skills I have obtained. It’s good to have you back. Thanks for continuing the #WWWhimsy into 2025.
Hi Christie, to answer your question first, I am loving this phase of life as I have everything I need or want, but, if money were no object, I would have a home base in Nantucket and travel all winter. 🙂
I pay attention to health and fitness as my body doesn’t respond as it once did to a casual workout. Strength training is essential at my age. Healthy eating, daily exercise, and personal interactions help me maintain balance. Traveling and seeing the world has taken priority over other personal goals as that window of opportunity is closing.
Withstanding major health issues or other derailing menaces, I foresee a satisfying future.
Christie, I commend your efforts to add a new dimension to your life and to support others in their quest for wellness. No doubt you will be successful.
That sounds delightful, Suzanne. I love that so many of us are truly content with our lives at this stage. We have things we wouldn’t mind adding or taking away, but we are overall content. I feel much the same way you do about my health. I need to put in a conscious effort at consistent nutrition and movement, including strength training, to keep everything running well and feeling good. Luckily, for the most part, I also enjoy doing those things. Win-win.
I have worked with a Life Coach and ended up blogging! It was a really wonderful experience as she guided me to look more closely into my life and the way I was living. Hmmm…if money were no object, I would book the best room on the Orient Express and travel for months on end, visiting near and far. You meet the most interesting people on trains, and I would expect the Orient Express would be full of interesting people.
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
I’m glad you had a good experience with a life coach, Marsha. I worked for a brief period with a life coach as well and also with a career coach when I was applying for a CEO position years ago. Both were extremely helpful. I love your idea of traveling on the Orient Express. Imagine the things you would see and the people you would meet!
Hi Christie, congratulations on becoming a Health Coach. It really is so satisfying helping others to achieve their health and wellness goals. I’m sure you will do well. #WWWhimsy
Thank you for those encouraging words, Sue!
Hi Christie, well done on your accomplishments and I hope you get some takers for your coaching. I like the way you explained what a coach does and doesn’t do and I’m sure you’ll be a fabulous! I’m enjoying my gym workouts immensely and get so much support from my trainer, I just love it! And If I had unlimited means I would travel a lot more and spend time with my children and grandchildren around the world.
Deb #Teamwhimsy
I’m glad to hear you you’re having such a good experience with your trainer, Debbie. I had a physical trainer for a time too, and she was amazing…taught me so much. Traveling seems to be high on a number of people’s list. I would imagine the fact that your children and grandchildren are spread around makes it even more desirable.
So proud of you!! Congratulations on completing coursework and beginning your work toward board certification. You will be an encouragement to all who work with you.
If money were no object, how would I spend this season of life? Maybe travel a little more than we do, but if I had all the money, I would hand people hundred dollar bills. Or make a house payment. Or put a new car in their driveway. Make sure my grandbabies’ college is completely covered.
If you don’t have too many folks already signed up to work with you, please let me know!!
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement, Leslie. I do have room for a couple more clients. I will email you directly.
I love your response to the money-is-no-object question. I don’t know if you’ve seen the clip about a wealthy business man who goes around giving money to random strangers each Christmas season, but it is truly touching. For the last couple of Christmases before I retired, my husband and I would give each of our grown children $100 dollars to spend and another $100 to give away, either to a friend in need or a charitable organization. It really spread the joy around. The children felt good, we felt good, and the recipients felt good.