What is health & wellness coaching: is it right for you?
Health & Wellness coaching is a relatively new profession, and therefore many people don't always know what exactly it involves, and how it could help them. I hope that this post can leave you feeling clear on what to expect from your sessions, and whether or not it is worth your investment.
"Health and Wellness Coaches serve as catalysts for behavioural change, guiding clients of all backgrounds towards holistic wellbeing. As primary experts in supporting transformative journeys, they collaborate seamlessly with other healthcare professionals, serving as integral members of interdisciplinary teams."
It is your wisdom, not my knowledge, that sets the direction.
Unlike a dietician, nutritionist or functional medicine practitioner, as a health coach, I am not going to tell you what I think you should do. I may offer suggestions when appropriate, however as health coaches we believe that you, the client, must tap into your own intuition and body wisdom to find the answers to your health issues, and I as a health coach am going to guide you on this. I take the stance that most of our chronic issues, symptoms and behaviours often stem from trauma (present, past & generational), emotional distress, areas of dissatisfaction in life and the subsequent disconnect from ones body.
I see health concerns as communication from the body, a message being sent that we need to explore. Something about the way we are living and being in the world needs to change. I am not wholly against medication, and there are times it is absolutely necessary, however in many cases, it is prescribed too quickly and is only addressing a symptom rather than the root cause. I take a holistic approach, looking at the whole body and all the areas of life to piece together the puzzle pieces and explore with you, what needs to change.
What do we do in the sessions
Every client is unique, and each program will be tailored to you. That being said, I follow a simple process with most clients to help identify the issues, create a plan of action and hold you to accountable to see real change in your life.
Typically I will start with the basics. In sessions 1-2, I will ask you about your whole life, using a tool to rate different areas of importance such as social life, diet, career, finance, purpose/passion, and see what areas score low. This helps me get an understanding of you as a person, your life, and how that may connect to your current state of wellbeing.
In the first few sessions, we will start with addressing the basics - what is your diet like? Exercise, lifestyle, environment? Is there anything we can do to improve it. Making sure you have adequate nutrition and a healthy environment is my first priority, to make sure you have the energy and resources to address the deeper stuff. I have quizzes and forms we will use to help identify any nutrient deficiencies, food intolerance and potential hormone imbalances.
In session 4-5 we will look at your emotional world, barriers, blocks and limiting beliefs, and identifying how your thoughts about yourself, your life and others may have contributed to your present wellbeing. Depending on the individual this could be resolved in just 2 sessions, or it may take 5-6. All of my programs can be extended for clients who need the extra support.
In the final sessions, we will bring everything together by crafting a 'wellness vision', where we can create a clear destination, and then make a plan of real-life action steps that will get you there.
To keep you motivated and accountable, I offer maintenance sessions 1x hour per month to check in with you and see that you are on track. You can also bring up any new struggles and discuss any symptoms/ flares with me. As a long-standing client, I will be there for you as support, to advocate for you and to be there when you need to talk anything through.
Working with me
My approach to health and healing comes from my own journey of recovering from hypothyroidism, Hypothalamic amenorrhea & chronic fatigue. I don't believe in forcing healing before the person is ready. I believe it is a journey, that often times takes many many years and a peeling away of layers, as well as an identity shift to fully get over.
When I work with someone, I'm acknowledging that food and lifestyle is not quite enough - it's just the foundation. We need to look into the soul & spirit as well to understand what has been preventing the body from healing itself (as it does in a healthy one). This means the coaching process is a vulnerable one, and it's important that you trust me, and also align with my values, which are intuition, simplicity & the power of belief.
I am not a therapist/councillor, and though I am trauma-informed, there are areas that may come up in conversation that I am not qualified to go into with you. If I feel you need an expert in this area, I will refer you, however we can still continue the coaching alongside. I am here to move you forward. We can acknowledge the past, but we won't dwell on it in the sessions. We will focus on how we can stop it from preventing you from moving on and living the life you desire.
Resources
As part of your package, I will send you resources appropriate to your circumstances, such as nutrition guidance booklets, planners, podcasts, journaling tools and other research that may be of interest to you and helpful.
Those taking the program for chronic illness and hormone health get a special downloadable guide that supports the 1:1 coaching sessions.
Clients simply taking the regular coaching, whether the goal is to lose weight, get fit or just feel healthier, I also have resources on many different subjects to help you on your goals, whatever they may be.
Is coaching right for you?
I truly want success for you, so it's important to me that I feel coaching is going to be beneficial for you. For this to happen, you need to be ready to change some things in life.
You need to have an open mind, willing to be vulnerable and honest.
You may also wish to work alongside a nutritionist, councillor or other health professional.
Coaching will be a complement to this.
Common questions:
Can you create a meal plan for me?
Yes, this is something we will do early on if it's right for your circumstances. This will be done in-session, with your collaboration. I focus on small, easy changes rather than a whole over-haul of what your currently doing.
Do sessions have to be the same time every week?
No, if you need a more flexible approach we can make this work. You can text me via whatsapp to schedule sessions when you need.
Can I book just 1 coaching session?
Yes, of course a program is recommended, but I do one-off sessions who those who feel they just need a single session to gain clarity and set an action plan.
If any question has not been answered here, leave a comment!
Next steps?
If you resonate with this work and feel that coaching would be beneficial, then the first step is to book a discovery call with me. This is free, and you can have all your questions answered, get to know me, and we can see which program is the best fit for you.
I look forward to working with you!
-Sophie from SANA Pilates & Wellness
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