You geek every time someone brings up the paleo diet, veganism, or organic food. Every morning you religiously practice yoga, tai chi, or hit the gym. Your friends all come to you when they need help figuring out how to feel better and get stronger. If this sounds like you, you might be contemplating how to become a wellness coach.
Maybe you’ve paused while shopping at your food co-op thinking, “I would love to teach others how to shop for nutritious food and then show them how to prepare it!” You might already even have “Wellness Coach” pinned to the top of your dream board. But you’re not exactly sure how to get started or if you even have the time.
The reality of adulthood is we all have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and schedules to keep. You might already have a job that keeps you busy and delivers a good-enough paycheck. But if you’re like many people who long to help others in a meaningful way, you probably wish you could trade in your day job for a wellness coaching business.
How do you get from where you’re at to where you want to be? Is it possible to become a wellness coach and start your own coaching business without quitting your day job? Would wellness coaching even be enough to help you pay the bills?
How to Make Wellness Coaching a Reality
The good news is that you can become a health coach while still working your day job. The internet makes it easy to train from the comfort of your own home or office and at your own pace. So you don’t need to miss your daughter’s ballet recital or your mom’s Sunday get-togethers. When you go at your own pace, you get to decide how quickly you will transition from your old job to your new, fulfilling career as a wellness coach!
The other great benefit of becoming a wellness coach and starting your own business is that you can set your own goals for how much you want to make. On average, health and wellness coaches make about $40,000 per year, but your ability to set your own paycheck is built into your business.
You can decide if you want to do coaching on the side while keeping your day job or go full time and only do wellness coaching. Then, as a wellness coach, you can take on as many clients as fits your schedule, create the transformational programs that will get your clients results, and set your own fees according to what makes sense for you. Running your own coaching business gives you fulfillment and freedom!
Getting Started – How to Become A Wellness Coach
So how do you get started? Great question! Here are seven steps you need to take in order to become the health and wellness coach that you want to be.
1. Explore your own wellness and health your body and mind.
The first step in being able to help others is to first help yourself. While this might seem obvious, it’s really important to make sure you have a deep understanding of how wellness impacts your own life. Are you still yo-yo dieting, forgetting to exercise, or overloaded with stress? Take the time to find your center, implement a consistent practice, and get the results you need to be confident that you know just how good wellness can be. Once you’ve created this in your own life, you’ll be even more passionate, excited, and confident that you can help others do it too.
2. Consider your educational background.
There is no one-size-fits-all path to becoming a wellness coach. Some people have backgrounds in nursing, nutrition, or psychology. Others are coming from a more alternative educational path. Take a look at your background and the unique strengths that you bring to the table. Do you have other certifications or training that could be a great pairing with wellness coaching? Maybe you’re a massage therapist or yoga teacher. If wellness coaching is your first step into the health world, that’s okay too! Everyone needs a different kind of teacher.
3. Decide on your wellness coach training.
When it comes to the actual wellness coach training, you have a lot of options. Some people opt out of training altogether, but of course, your ability to design transformational programs and charge confident fees as a wellness coach depends on your level of knowledge. Training programs can help you cut the learning curve in half, which is another great benefit. For those who work all day, online programs are a great fit. You can advance through the programs when it fits with your schedule. You don’t have to quit your day job to become a health and wellness coach!
4. Explore your wellness passions.
A training will give you the foundation you’ll need to be a great wellness coach. But you’ll also need to decide what aspects of wellness really light you on fire. As much as you might want to help everyone, there are certain people and issues that you will work with exceptionally well. If you want a business that quickly brings in the clients, it’s always a good idea to play to your strengths and not try to do it all. Pick a strong niche! Maybe you’d love to help people get out of pain by designing a healthy eating program, a mindfulness practice, and a yoga routine, then package it in a way that will get amazing results. Find what makes you tick so you’ll know exactly how you can help others.
5. Declutter your schedule to make room for your new path.
Often we have lots of things on our to-do lists and some of those things we don’t even need to be doing. Go through your schedule and find things you can cut out. Maybe you’ve been saying yes to everything, but half of the things you’re doing with or for others aren’t really aligned with what you love. Give yourself permission to say no and to clear space in your schedule for your new training. You deserve the time to say yes to you!
6. Set clear and firm boundaries.
Sometimes when we do something big for ourselves, we start to feel guilty when others demand our time and we can’t give it. By deciding to prepare yourself to become a wellness coach, you’re saying yes to creating a new life for yourself. To avoid guilt and other negative feelings around your training, set up your boundaries before you start. Make sure everyone close to you understands how important this is to you and that they agree to respect your time and space so you can do well in your training. Most of the time, people who love you will want to support you and cheer you on. The rest of the time, you will have clear boundaries in place so you can strongly keep to your path.
7. Make the commitment and keep your confidence.
Once you’ve decided which path you’d like to take to become a wellness coach, the final “getting ready” step is to sign up and make the commitment. This is an exciting moment and one you can celebrate. At this point, it’s important to firmly decide to give it your full commitment. You’ll also need to have a plan in place for those moments when self-doubt creeps in. Start off with a solid commitment to your new future, no matter how tricky it might be sometimes. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who want you to succeed. If you need to, decide on a few affirmations to help you when you feel a little self-doubt. Your confidence will skyrocket the moment you complete your program and begin to help others. You can do it!
