Professionals in the fitness industry will gain a unique blend of skills as they pursue a wellness coach certification
It’s not uncommon for personal trainers and other fitness industry professionals to find that a wellness coaching certification can benefit their career. Personal trainers, fitness consultants and fitness instructors are already rooted in settings where they develop impactful one-on-one relationships and work to help clients achieve their goals, yet they’re able to add an entirely new dimension to their skills and services offered after becoming a certified wellness coach.
What is the advantage of adding a wellness coaching certification when you may already be well-versed in topics of health and wellness? We dive further into this question in our recent podcast: “Integrating Your Fitness Industry Career With Health and Wellness Coaching.” During this in-depth interview with two highly-credentialed and experienced coaches, Liz Brown summarizes how becoming a wellness coach enhanced her interpersonal skills: “I was a personal trainer, so I was very much used to telling people what to do, how to do it…and with wellness coaching…I get to take the expert hat off and put the coaching hat on.”
Liz touches on an important point and a key difference in the wellness coach-client relationship. Most fitness industry professionals can say that they already have positive and productive rapport with their clients. However, the skills gained from a wellness coach certification will both help to expand those existing relationships and also help you reach a broader audience.
In a career like personal training, your skills are most often applied to a client’s needs around physical fitness. By adding wellness coaching to your services offered, you’ll be able to offer your services in additional dimensions of wellness. Your existing clients may choose to pursue additional wellness goals with you as a trusted coach, and you’re also more likely to attract new clients who are looking to achieve goals from the perspective of overall wellness rather than simply physical fitness.
In the podcast interview, both Liz and personal trainer and coach Serina Lane speak to how the communication and coaching skills they gained as wellness coaches have increased their ability create a trusting client relationship over time. Rather than simply conducting a fitness session as a coach, they often guide clients through a more comprehensive process of setting their own big-picture goals and identifying how to confront personal barriers to wellness. Says Liz about her clients: “You can tap into what motivates them, what they want out of their wellness, and then you can better serve them when you do put your expert hat back on as a trainer.”
If you’re looking to add the valuable skills gained from a wellness coaching certification to your fitness industry career, contact Catalyst Coaching Institute to learn how we can help you achieve your professional goals.
