Starting a health and wellness career is not only a great opportunity to lead a healthier lifestyle and be a model of healthy living, it’s also a rewarding way to help other people transform their lives.
Another great benefit? You can grow your income when enhancing credibility through an NBHWC-approved health and wellness certification, which in turn helps health coaches build lifestyle businesses that generate passive income.
Health coaching offers one of the most flexible working arrangements, letting you work from anywhere, anytime while continuing to pursue other enjoyable hobbies and work activities.
If you’re looking for a fulfilling career that involves helping people live their best lives, keep reading. Find out how to begin a health and wellness career by reading this guide.
Understand What a Career in Health and Wellness Means
A health and wellness career can lead you into either a more traditional 40 hour/week role or self-employment, depending on what suits your personality and goals. To better understand what you’re diving into, it’s a good idea to talk to professionals working in both scenarios.
Also take into account your current career and financial position, as transitioning into a wellness coach will take both time and money. Fortunately, the investment level to move toward a credible coaching certification is exponentially less than many educational tracks or training programs. It’s still valuable to develop a transition plan that covers your financial needs while you’re in the certification process and in the early stages of your business/career.
Take the time to understand the ins and outs of health coaching. Explore the health coaching market and career opportunities before you make up your mind. Make sure you look at what an average health coach does, what the job structure entails, and what the salary ranges are.
Again, talking to practicing health coaches and learning about their experiences is one of the best ways to research the field and gather the information you need to help make your decision.
Define Your Training Needs
Most wellness certification programs emphasize various health topics and follow specific training standards. Consider your skill requirements, how you want to receive training, and training flexibility.
A beginner’s skill requirements will differ from those looking to continue their education. A coaching certification program should accommodate your needs by fitting you into their training regardless.
Your schedule and commitments can affect your training plan or slow down your progress. You want a flexible certification program that allows you to train from anywhere and generally work around your busy schedule. Online wellness certification programs allow you to pursue your training goals without disrupting your schedule or canceling your plans (or the expense of travel).
As with any endeavor, having clear goals and objectives can boost success. Defining your training needs can give you clarity and help you lay the framework of how you’ll best receive coaching.
Customize Your Career Path
Some health and wellness certification programs come with exciting networking opportunities and allow you to find new growth partners.
Make sure your program offers mentor coaching opportunities and supplementary materials that can help you hone your skills with the help of a certified professional and learn from other health and wellness enthusiasts.
Becoming certified gives you all the essential skills to hit the ground running. Be sure to research as many learning resources about a career in wellness as you can and maximize your support network to build a blend of skills that will help you build a thriving career in wellness.
At Catalyst Institute, we provide a clear, flexible, and resource-packed pathway to a health and wellness career. Our Certified Wellness Coach Certification will likely be a fit for you regardless of your career goals, thanks to our experience of working with coaches from all levels of education and types of backgrounds since we started in 2007.
This virtual program will help you fast-track your way to a wellness career from anywhere. It can kickstart your career, help you get certified or be the launchpad for growing your wellness business.
Take advantage of our CWC certification to enjoy the support and mentorship you need to build a successful career. You’ll learn under a mentor coach throughout your training and emerge with all the requirements to pursue the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching Certification.
Choose the Right School for Your Health Coaching Program
When you imagine yourself as a wellness coach, what picture comes to mind? Is it you confidently engaging clients and helping them create innovative health plans to enhance their lives? It’s probably not a visualization of your certifications. But will the organization through whom you’re pursuing certification provide you with the training and community to live out your vision?
What will matter in your career as a wellness coach are your skills and ability to get to the root of your client’s problems.
It’s important to know that not all wellness coaching programs are equal. You should ask yourself what the best health and wellness coaching programs might look like, and then do your research. Many of the programs may not meet your quality standards.
So, what are the signs of high-quality health and wellness coaching programs? We’ve got some tips on what to look for in finding a wellness coach certification program that’s a good fit for you.
Program Aligns With Your Career Goals
Every health and wellness student has unique goals and objectives. To reach your career goals, you need the proper training, coaching, and mentorship.
Your training program should provide enough quality to help you get to your desired career destination. Go through the training curriculum and examine the modules. Ask questions about support. Drill down into whether it’s just a “class” or whether you’re joining a broader community that can support you and your journey along the way (long after the certification process is complete).
Ensure the program will help you become an accomplished professional in your niche. You want to be competent in practice. Your training should allow practice coaching sessions that provide real insights into what happens in real scenarios.
Approved By the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching
Once you’re a trained and certified wellness coach, you’ll want to earn the trust of your employer or client. This can happen if you can prove you had legitimate training and certification.
Not all wellness coaching schools provide industry-recognized credentials. While you can practice, you may not be able to land lucrative opportunities in your industry. Clients may doubt whether you have what it takes to help them transform their lives.
To become a sought-after wellness coach, pursue a program approved by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. A NBHWC approval seal is the gold standard of the best health and wellness coaching programs.
A Comprehensible Yet Comprehensive Curriculum
If a program description doesn’t help you understand what’s in the curriculum, it may not be the best choice for you. A quick peek into a program’s description should give you a clear picture of the program. If there isn’t enough information there, always ask the provider for more details.
Most importantly, look into the program hours, coaching approach, and the support provided. Make sure your program blends together lengthy webinars, live training, and practical sessions.
Reputation and Credibility Backed Up by Authentic Testimonials
Pursuing your wellness certification in a reputable and credible school can immensely boost your career. Your clients will regard you highly if you are trained in a respected school.
Find out if a training program delivers what it promises by looking at its testimonials page. Go through their reviews to see what past students and graduates say about the program.
Also, look at the faculty to know more about the instructors behind the program. Find out about their credentials, such as education, experience and industry awards. A credible program will have accomplished and experienced instructors and mentors.
Clear, Transparent, and Reasonable Training Fees
Being in control of your finances when beginning a health and wellness career is important. You also want to be sure you’re getting good value for your money.
Look for a program offering training for a reasonable cost. They should base their fee on the quality of training. Avoid programs with prices that seem too good to be true but also treat programs priced out of line with the apparent mean as a red flag of potentially providing extra sizzle, but little steak (apologies for that analogy to our vegan and vegetarian friends.)
Credible programs will be transparent with their program fees. You can learn about the cost of your training with a peek into their website.
A Clear Progression Pathway for Your Career
If you want to progress from a beginner wellness coach to a certified master coach, your program should provide a clear progression pathway. The earlier you can identify where a particular certification can take you, the earlier you can plan to progress.
Health and wellness coach training can involve a series of certifications to lead you to the top. For example, if you want a pathway to national certifications, you should know what programs you need to take.
Take Part Fully in Your Training
Getting a health coach certification can be a valuable investment if you’re ready to fully engage, using all the resources at your disposal for long-term success.
Look for programs that provide you with a range of exciting learning resources that are enjoyable and valuable.
From the YouTube Coaching Channel videos and the industry-leading Catalyst Health, Wellness & Performance Coaching podcast to special reports and a coaching library, Catalyst Coaching Institute provides you with a variety of tools to help you excel.
Our program will set you up for success, especially if you leverage our business tools. You can have a ready-built system to help you launch and grow a wellness coaching business.
Get a Health and Wellness Coach Certification
Once you complete an NBHWC approved program, you’re ready for certification. A NBHWC board certification is hard proof that you undertook rigorous training and mentoring in health and wellness.
A NBHWC program follows stringent training standards. You can rest assured you’re gathering valuable insights from your training program. And as a graduate of the NBHWC-approved program and complimentary requirements, you’re qualified to take the NBHWC certification exam.
An approved certification is crucial when getting started as a health coach. As a beginner, you have no experience to count on. Your certification will be the only valid proof you have genuine health coaching skills.
Let Your Health and Wellness Coaching Career Unfold
After certification, you’ll want to find a job or start a wellness coaching business. Build a plan that will help you to pool enough experience to build a network and find new opportunities.
Look for opportunities that will help you test your skills and build your experience.
Network and try to connect with as many professional health coaches and wellness enthusiasts as possible. Consider acting in some settings as a researcher rather than a job seeker when engaging with your network. Tell them you’re looking for tips on building a coaching business and then truly engage to curiously explore with these individuals who are making themselves available to you.
Start a Health and Wellness Career
Ready to start a health and wellness career? Getting started is all about knowing what you want and choosing the proper certifications.
Define your career goals and pinpoint what you want in your training. Choose an accredited program to ensure the quality of learning isn’t compromised.
Catalyst Coaching Institute is your home for quality accredited health coach programs. Learn more about our programs.
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