Health and Wellness Coaching Means Being Prepared to Work With Clients From All Walks of Life
If you’re thinking of becoming a certified health and wellness coach, you may have a vision of what you expect the career to be like. Perhaps you imagine yourself working one-on-one with someone who is struggling to identify and consistently practice those habits that will have the most beneficial impact on their life. Or maybe you see yourself in a corporate setting, coaching an entire organization of individuals on a variety of lifestyle changes and helping with the overarching goal of lowering health care costs within the company.
Both are realistic visions; the key to working one-on-one with any type of client in any setting is to be prepared to meet them where they are. In our recent podcast “Pulling Back the Curtain: What It’s Really Like to be a Health and Wellness Coach,” nationally board-certified wellness coach Cindy Dagg speaks to the importance of being prepared to work with clients in whatever capacity they are ready to make progress. Cindy says that “connecting with clients and meeting them where they are is where the magic starts.” Working with a client to help them create a goal and a vision can play out in many ways, and as a health and wellness coach, your role is to be the best support person they could hope for, regardless of their starting point or end goal.
On the one hand, you may have an extremely motivated client who is working towards an athletic achievement – perhaps a race or a high-altitude climb. They’ll be hungry for the resources you provide and may have no issues in meeting weekly goals and participating enthusiastically in each coaching session. Though the end goal is a tough one, and your role will be held to a high standard, it will likely be very rewarding to be the guide, sounding board and even cheerleader for someone who is excited to work with you.
On the other side of the spectrum, you may find a more reluctant client. “My favorite type of client is someone who doesn’t yet have that spark,” says wellness coach Jamie Cook in the “Pulling Back the Curtain” podcast. Working with a client who is struggling to find their starting point for health and wellness can be very gratifying in a different way. By utilizing the communication skills you’ll gain through attaining a health and wellness coaching certification, you’ll grow the trust between yourself and your client. You’ll play a valuable role in helping a client feel heard and coaching them through the creation of their own goals and a plan of action. Your role as a supporter who provides gentle accountability and support will be far more effective than pushing a client to a place where they aren’t yet ready to go. Jamie Cook speaks about her love of creating a “comfortable space to become uncomfortable and stretch toward something.”
If you’re like other health and wellness coaching professionals, you likely get excited at the prospect of meeting clients where they are and being a catalyst to propel them toward a successful end result. If you feel that it’s your calling to connect with others to help them achieve goals around health and wellness, contact Catalyst Coaching Institute to determine the next step on your journey of health and wellness coaching.
