Become a Certified Health and Wellness Coach
An Integrative Approach to Diet + Lifestyle
Five Steps:
Are you feeling unfulfilled career wise, tired of working stressful jobs, you’re looking for a career with meaning? One that you want to get out of bed for. One that makes you feel like you’re contributing something positive to the world. Are you looking to learn more about holistic health and nutrition to help you and your loved ones lead a more healthier lifestyle? I recently graduated for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as I am committed to continuing to educate myself on the latest health and wellness trends. I am officially a certified, integrative nutrition and wellness coach!
Where do you start? There are so many obstacles to changing career, and the biggest ones are often self-created. The trick is just to begin, so I’ve put together a simple step by step guide to help you become an online health and wellness coach. Ready to help yourself and others? Read on!
Become A Certified Health and Wellness Coach in Five Steps
#1. Release imposter syndrome
The first, and maybe the most important, step to becoming a coach is self-belief. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, how can your clients believe in you?
Imposter syndrome is the number one reason people don’t follow through with their goals of becoming a health and wellness coach. You might think that you don’t know enough to teach others. But you don’t have to know everything (and that’s impossible anyway). The goal is to help your clients transition to a healthier, happier way of life by giving them the tools, guidance and support they need to do so. That doesn’t mean you need to have an encyclopedic knowledge of wellness. All it requires is that you have experience in that area and that you are willing and able to share that wisdom in an effective, compassionate and kind way (more on this in Step #3).
A great way to release imposter syndrome is to uncover the beliefs that lie underneath the thought “Who am I to be a coach?”. What’s holding you back? Is it lack of solid knowledge? No self-confidence? Fear of being noticed? Get your notebook and write about it. Start doing the inner work to release what’s holding you back. Many of your future clients are experiencing similar feelings, so going through this process will help you help them.
#2. Choose your area of expertise
There are thousands of health and wellness coaches out there. But don’t let that put you off. We’re facing a moment in history where people need wellness advice more than ever before. You can take a variety of paths to coach people back to health. You don’t need to know them all. You just need to find the one that resonates with you the most, because that’s how you’ll be able to effectively help others. So, what are you passionate about? Is it vegan cooking, raw food, detoxing, yoga, mindfulness?
Once you’ve got your niche, it’s time to look at your target market. Who is your ideal client? New mums trying to get back into shape? Serial dieters struggling with chaotic eating patterns? Stressed businessmen? Cancer patients? Your ideal client tends to be the person you were before you embarked on your own health journey. Take a couple of hours to write up a detailed client avatar: what are their needs, fears, challenges, interests? This will help you create content (whether social media posts, articles or videos) that resonates with them and is relevant to them.
#3. Hone your knowledge
You have the passion and the desire to be a wellness coach, now it’s time to get the certification. Not only will this structure your knowledge, it will also help potential clients trust in your expertise. There are thousands of online courses to choose from, which can make it difficult to know which one to pick. After all, you want to make sure you learn from a reputable source, and that your course is accredited and professionally recognized. Don’t worry, I’ve done the homework so you don’t have to. Here are my favorite online courses to become a wellness coach.
Institute for Integrative Nutrition: They aren not just a school; they are a movement! Their community is working to reverse the health crisis with 100,000 students and graduates in over 150 countries around the world who are creating a health revolution. Discover over 100 different dietary theories and learn from the world’s top nutrition experts. There course is 100% online, giving you the flexibility to study from your computer, smartphone, or tablet when it's convenient for you. Receive up to 35% off by mentioning the "Ambassador Savings Offer" along with “Mia Ferosh” upon enrollment. *Note: This savings cannot be combined with any other promotional savings.
Plant-Based Nutrition Course: Created by Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s Center for Nutrition Studies and the University of Rochester Weight Management & Lifestyle Center, as part of Cornell University’s online certificate platform. This 6-week online course will give you everything you need to know about nutritional health, including how to prevent and reverse chronic disease. I completed this course last year and it provided a wealth of knowledge from leading doctors, athletes and cutting edge nutritionists in the the whole food, plant based field.
Natural Wellness Academy: This e-learning platform offers both online certification and one-to-one mentoring for a variety of wellness careers, from health and life coaching to hypnotherapy and even medical cannabis coaching.
American Fitness Professionals Association: From nutrition to personal training certifications, the AFPA offers a variety of courses to help you be a well-rounded wellness coach. What’s more, they have a ton of free resources available on their website.
#4. Set goals and deadlines
In order to succeed, you need to plan ahead. Now you’ve set the wheels in motion to become an online vegan wellness and lifestyle coach, it’s time to make it happen. The best way to do this is to set goals and deadlines for yourself. For example: completing an online course, creating your new website, setting up your social media page, getting listed on holistic practitioner directories, etc. Break these down into manageable chunks to avoid getting overwhelmed. Make a point of taking one small step towards your goals every day. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can make things happen!
#5. Connect with your tribe
Now you’re ready to start coaching, you need to connect with your clients. Social media is the best place to do this. But you can’t just create a business page and hope people will find it. You have to be pro-active. Join groups that are relevant to your wellness specialty and start networking. Offer advice for free. Comment on people’s posts. Ask questions. Post engaging and helpful content.
Remember that this is not a race. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It might be tempting to pay for social media robots that automatically follow people and comment on their posts, but this doesn’t create a real connection or trust, it just gives you numbers.
It takes a little time and effort to build a loyal following - but that effort pays off. It’s better to have a slowly increasing group of real followers who are actually engaged in your brand. Make a point of spending 30 to 60 minutes a day connecting with your tribe online.
Don’t delay, start today!
The world needs more wellness coaches. After all, when we help others to heal themselves, we help heal the world! So if you’re thinking of taking that first step, don’t wait - start now.
Are you ready to become an online vegan wellness and lifestyle coach? What challenges have you faced? What would help you get started? Let me know in the comments section.