At any given moment, millions of people are reexamining their health. Maybe, that’s you. And possibly, you’re also at a cross-roads: your job doesn’t bring the same passion and excitement as it did years—or decades—ago. Circa 2015, that was me. After beginning my career in the tech industry, I needed a change. I was burned out, unmotivated, and spent my time absorbing content about healthy living. As soon as I learned about getting my holistic coach certification, there was no turning back. I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and that decision changed both my personal life and career. Below, I’ll explain how to become a holistic health coach, the benefits, and more. Plus, a generous discount to IIN and a sample class!
How to get a holistic coach certification
Becoming a holistic health coach is two-pronged: you need an interest in nutrition and a desire to help others live their healthiest lives. Then, it’s time to find a program that works best for you. You want to take into consideration a few things—your interests, circumstances, budget, and lifestyle. For me, I needed a program that still allowed me to work my full-time job. And so, I chose IIN. In 2016, I graduated from the program, left my tech job a year later, and started my wellness business. Fast-forward to 2021. A year into motherhood, I took my credentials one step further. I graduated from Oh Baby School of Holistic Nutrition. You can read both my reviews—Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Oh Baby. Below are the steps to become a holistic health coach.
Step 1: Get an Education
In order to become a holistic coach, you need to get certified. Luckily for most programs, you don’t need a college degree in nutrition! All you need is a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. That’s the case with IIN and / or Oh Baby. If you haven’t heard of either of these programs, add them to your list. They changed my life—both personally and professionally.
Step 2: Gain experience
Once you complete your holistic coach certification, it’s time to share your knowledge with the world. And there’s so much you can do. If you want to keep your current job, consider segueing into corporate wellness or simply health coaching on the side. Otherwise, you can create a full-time, robust 1:1 health coaching program, including meal prepping for your local clients. There’s also opportunities in partnering with a functional medicine clinic, yoga studio, or like-minded brands to create sponsored content. Part of gaining experience means trying a few different things. See what sticks. And here’s the thing: you don’t need to know how you’re going to use your credentials. Trust that you’ll figure this out over time.
Step 3: Move past the imposter syndrome
As you gain experience using your holistic coach certification, you’ll become more and more confident in your coaching skills. However, this doesn’t happen over night. You have to believe in yourself. Once you graduate from your program, you will be armed with the knowledge and skills to help people. It’s simply a matter of believing you can create a successful business. For insight into my path, see here for my entrepreneurship journey (and the resources I recommend). It wasn’t a walk in the park. However, I now have a thriving business because of my holistic coach certification.
Why Become a Holistic Health Coach?
Becoming a holistic health coach—through IIN and / or Oh Baby—will change your life. You’ll grow both personally and professionally. Many holistic health coaches are entrepreneurs, running their own businesses and working for themselves. In doing so, you can take charge of your career and future—including your finances. If you’re looking for flexibility in your career, consider becoming a holistic health coach.
To Help Others
You’ll have the opportunity to educate, support, and uplift your clients. Through your work, the’yll become better versions of themselves. This work is incredibly rewarding. The main purpose is to improve the lives of clients—help them achieve their wellness goals, create healthy habits, and generally improve their nutrition. Many people find it hard to take the first step in changing their health—as a holistic health coach, you can help.
To Educate Yourself
As a holistic health coach, not only will you educate others on nutrition, but you’ll expand your knowledge of nutrition for yourself as well. You’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned to your own life and health.
To build a Community
As you gain experience with clients, you’ll build a community of people who can rely on you for advice and recommendations to improve their health.
For Career Flexibility
Being your own boss isn’t easy, but it does provide much more flexibility than working for someone else. Plus, you get to dive into a career you’re truly passionate about. If you don’t want to start your own business, you can work at a holistic health clinic, health club / gym, a school, nursing home, hospital, birthing center, and more.
day in the life as a health coach
Ultimately, this will depend on how you use your holistic coach certification! Generally speaking, a holistic health coach will provide 1:1 coaching, create meal plans, develop recipes, and more. While I develop strategies to help my clients live more healthfully, I am also a wellness freelance writer and content creator. For me, a day in the life looks like a combination of writing, coaching, cooking, answering emails, and chasing my toddler. Life is full, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so grateful that my work as a holistic health coach is flexible.
ready to get your holistic coach certification?
If you’ve been looking for a sign, this is it. I’m beyond excited for you.
Institute for integrative nutrition
IIN calling your name? In terms of savings, you can save up to $2,000+ on tuition as my referral. You’ll just want to use my name, Edie Horstman, as your referral to take advantage, here. Cheers to transforming your own health and happiness while creating the life + career you’ve always dreamed of. Feel free to contact me with any additional questions.
Oh Baby School of Holistic Nutrition
If nurturing women during pregnancy and postpartum calls to you, click here to get started! In the upper right-hand corner, you’ll see a box to APPLY TODAY. If you have further questions, please email me (edie@wellnesswithedie.com)! I would love to chat with you and support you on your journey. They’re currently accepting applications for their May 2022, September 2022, and January 2023 cohorts. Don’t wait.
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