What is a Health Coach?

My short answer is, a health coach is a partner in change, creating insight and accountability for the client. I like to imagine the client in the driver’s seat, and the coach riding shotgun with the road map. The coach partners with the client to determine their destination, and the best route there. There will be traffic jams along the way, but the coach is there to help the client get back in the fast lane.

My long answer is, a health coach is an expert on behavior change and the client is the expert on their own life. Their equal partnership is nurtured with curiosity, respect, willingness to learn, and trust in one another. A health coach does not diagnose but helps heal the present and future as the client takes small steps toward a wellness goal that is meaningful to them. This relationship can bridge the gap between medical recommendations, the client’s understanding, and engagement in making behavior changes for their health. The framework provided by the coach enables the client to explore their true motivation for change and clearly name their own personal wellness goal. In addition to this framework, the coach holds the client accountable for achieving their wellness goal while providing a non-judgmental, safe environment for the client to learn, experiment, and transform. A health coach celebrates all the client’s successes, including the self-discovery of what does not work.

To summarize a health coach is not going to tell the client what to do and how to do it, or even share what works for the coach personally. A health coach is going to listen to the client, and ask the client questions which will hopefully give the client space and insight to determine what is best for their own health and well-being.

Be well,

Sarah