If you have a passion for health and helping others, and you’re wondering how you can break into the amazing field of Health Coaching, this blog post will help you get clear on the next steps to turn your dream into a full-fledged reality!

Health Coaching is an incredibly rewarding field that offers unparalleled career freedom and makes a real difference in the world. Below, we’ll explain how to know if Health Coaching is right for you and how to you can launch a lucrative, fulfilling career helping others live their best lives.

But first, are you wondering, What is Health Coaching exactly? For a deep dive on what Health Coaches do and why they’re so important, click here.

5 Reasons You Should Become a Health Coach

We at Health Coach Institute think Health Coaching is just about the best career out there for many reasons.

Here are 5 of our favorite reasons to say yes to becoming a Health Coach:
Reason #1: You can make a meaningful difference in the world.
As a Health Coach, you can play a very important role in changing the way we do healthcare around the world, helping people go from stuck, stressed, and unhealthy to thriving and alive. What’s more fulfilling than that?

Reason #2: You can empower others to change their health (and their lives) for the better.
As a Health Coach, you can help clients harness their power within to create the desired change they seek. In partnership with your clients, you’ll help them clarify goals, create a plan to achieve said goals, identify any potential roadblocks to success (like unhealthy behavior patterns or limiting beliefs), and adopt new habits in support of their goals. You’ll help clients move from passive to active participants in their own health and well-being.

Reason #3: You can improve your health and the health of family members.
This is one might be our favorite. One of the greatest things about training to become a Health Coach is that YOU also reap incredible personal benefits. You get an opportunity to become your healthiest while learning how to help others do the same…and you develop your own personal practices so you can maintain your health while making a fantastic living.

Reason #4: You can turn your passion into a lucrative career.
Average Health Coach salaries can range from $50,000 to $70,000, but coaches can earn six figures and above. (And many do!) There’s tremendous earning potential in coaching, depending on the type of coaching you wish to offer, whether you offer group or individual coaching, how you price your services, the clientele you work with, and other services you choose to offer. Whether you’re looking to coach outside your full-time job or turn Health Coaching into your full-time job, you can make great money doing it.

Reason #5: You can design your ideal work life.
As a Health Coach, you can enjoy unparalleled freedom and flexibility to create a career that works for you, your life, and your values. Want to be able to travel at the drop of a hat? Want to wear yoga pants to work? Only want to work a few days a week? Want to create a schedule that allows you to have lunch with your significant other on a whim, attend your children’s school functions, or take that 10 am spin class? It’s all possible with a Health coaching career.

Still wondering if coaching is the right career path for you?

How to Become a Holistic Health Coach

Now that you have a clearer understanding of why so many are saying yes to Health Coaching careers, it’s time to move on to the main topic at hand: how to be a Health Coach.

There are 3 important steps to becoming a Health Coach:

  1. Choose a Health Coach training program.
  2. Get trained.
  3. Launch your coaching career.

Step 1: Choose a School
There are tons of Health Coach training programs out there and they can vary significantly in terms of cost, curriculum, and a number of key areas. That’s why it’s extremely important to spend time researching your options, comparing schools, and getting really clear on what you want out of your training.

Understandably, it may feel a bit overwhelming trying to understand the nuances of different training programs—but here are some basics to look for in a program:

  • A comprehensive curriculum that teaches coaching, habit change, nutrition, personal growth, and marketing and business fundamentals
  • Faculty who are seasoned and successful coaches themselves
  • A hands-on learning environment that allows you to work with practice clients while you’re training (trust us, this one’s really important!)
  • Access to instructors and peers for support, guidance, and encouragement
  • Complementary resources to help you build your career

An exceptional Health Coach training program won’t just prepare you to coach clients effectively and confidently, it will also prepare you to launch your career—whether you want to start your own practice or take a different career path entirely. You should graduate feeling confident in your ability to help clients get lasting results and build a sustainable career.

Another important consideration is program accreditation. When you select an accredited training program, you can feel completely confident in the education you’ll receive and its ability to provide you with a complete understanding of core coaching competencies. Accredited programs undergo a rigorous review process to ensure that they cover all the fundamentals Health Coaches will need to coach clients and launch a career. The International Coach Federation sets the standard when it comes to Health Coach accreditation, so we recommend checking out their website to review their list of vetted and approved programs.

Step 2: Get Trained
Once you’ve finished researching and assessing the various programs out there and decided on the right school for you, your next step is to get TRAINED! Depending on the program you select, your training may take anywhere from a few months to a year to complete. Your program should ideally include a combination of lessons, mentorship, group coaching, real-world practice, peer collaboration, and assessments to gauge your knowledge retention.

Dive in with your whole heart and take full advantage of everything your program has to offer. Do they offer regular office hours? In-person training events? Facebook groups with your classmates? Get as involved as you can. The more you invest into your learning experience, the more you’ll get out of it.
So make your education a priority, put yourself out there, cultivate relationships, immerse yourself in the resources, ask for support when you need it, and have FUN! You’ll be a Health Coach in no time!

Step 3: Launch Your Career
Woohoo—you’ve graduated! Now it’s time to take all your newfound expertise and put it into practice. Whether your end goal is to start your own business or find employment, it’s in your best interest to invest some time and money into building your brand awareness and marketing yourself.

Here’s a basic checklist of action items to help you spread the word and get your name out there:

  • Pick a name for your business.
  • Determine your fees, services, hours, and any other relevant information future clients or employers will need to know to decide if they want to work with you.
  • Create a coaching agreement.
  • Buy a website domain.
  • Create a website that informs your ideal clients (or employer) about your services, communicates your unique coaching style, and engages attention. Inject your personality into your content as much as you can, adding videos and images to give people a real sense of who you are. Share content that speaks to your specific expertise and offer free giveaways. Add a sign-up form to capture email addresses so you can keep in touch.
  • Order business cards.
  • Consider adding a blog to your website, where you frequently publish and share new content, and/or consider contacting other influencers in your space to see if they’d be willing to publish your original content on their site.
  • Consider starting a social presence. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest are all excellent platforms for Health Coaches to build their brand awareness, increase visibility, and demonstrate their expertise. You don’t have to do them all at once. Choose one to start and then expand your presence as you grow more comfortable.
  • Harness the power of word of mouth by sharing your new career with your friends and loved ones. You never know who might be in need of your coaching expertise, or know someone who could benefit.
  • List your business in relevant directories.
  • Network! Connect with other people in your line of work by attending industry functions and seminars and joining relevant groups.
  • Consider digital advertising to increase your chances of being found.
  • Offer prospective clients or employers a free consultation to give them get a taste of what you offer and how you can help them.

There are many other ways you can market yourself as a Health Coach, but these are a few of the basics that will get you on the road to professional success.

Enroll in Health Coaching Courses with Health Coach Institute

Coaching is a great career that you can help others, while also learning how to help your own personal growth. Health Coach Institute is a top health and wellness coaching certification program. Join our Become a Health Coach program and begin coaching in 6 months! If you are already a coach and want to advance your skills, check out HCI’s Coach Mastery program. Feel free to get in touch with with one of our clarity coaches directly, by calling 1-800-303-2399.

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Health Coach Institute provides aspiring Health and Life Coaches with the tools, training, and support to make a great living transforming lives.