5 Misconceptions of Health Coaching
As someone who really appreciates this work as both a client AND a coach, I want to spread the good word and rid the world of a few false beliefs. Not all coaching is the same and I cannot speak for all coaches, but I will share from my own experience.
1. You have to be sick, failing at life, or have something wrong with you to need a health coach.
This misconception is like thinking that you have to be overweight or obese to need physical exercise. We acknowledge that physical exercise is an essential aspect of a healthy life, not just treatment for illness or injury. Why would we deny equal importance of mental, emotional, and spiritual health? It works the same way. The mind is like a muscle.
My favorite aspect of health coaching is that you do NOT need to be depressed, diseased, or failing at anything to benefit from it. You just need a desire to expand, evolve, and improve yourself or any area of your life. A strong intention to be healthy and happy is more than enough to get started.
As a client, I continue with coaching and therapy even when everything in my life is going well and I feel healthy. I’ve found that there is always another layer to peel back in my own self-understanding; there’s always more space to expand.
As a coach, I’ve witnessed profound transformation in my clients who show up even on the “good” days. They have realized that they are worthy of devoting time to self-care, even when they feel fine. During those sessions, we revel in the prosperity and celebrate all of the things going well, which helps them reach higher levels of self-actualization and appreciation. This is also the space in which more potential is realized and new dreams are imagined. This is when our work gets really fun!
2. You’ll have to talk about ALL of your problems.
Problems are welcome, but not required. Personally, I trust my client (and the universe) to direct the focus where it needs to be. If a problem doesn’t appear, I absolutely won’t search for one and force it into view. I trust that whatever needs to be resolved will come up at the right time, and I’m ready for whenever that may be.
Struggles and tough transitions in life may be the catalyst for someone to hire a health coach, but the work can be more goal-oriented than problem-oriented. On the client’s journey toward their goals, strong feelings (AKA “problems”) will inevitably show up. When that happens, we accept the invitation to resolve and remedy them. In my practice, this is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy comes into the mix. Together we get to the roots of these so-called “problems” and gain new insights that lead to self-healing and transformation.
3. “I’m doing fine, I don’t need a coach.”
If you’re doing fine, I’m so glad! But do you just want to be fine? Is your greatest purpose in life to be fine?
You don’t need a health coach to survive, but this work is not about surviving. This work is about thriving. It is the difference between life happening to you and you creating your life.
When you’re ready to be more than “fine,” you hire a coach.
4. Coaching is basically getting advice.
I don’t know about all coaches, but my coaching style fiercely avoids advice-giving.
Why? Because I believe in YOU — your inner wisdom, clarity, and full power to make your own life decisions. I can’t possibly know all the answers or the unique steps you need to take on your path, but I know that you do.
My intention is to guide my clients to connect with their truest self that knows the “advice” they need to hear. Yes, coaching involves working through big decisions, but the ultimate goal of this work is self-leadership.
The goal is not to create a codependent relationship in which the client needs the coach (or anyone else) for advice. Through my coaching, my clients learn to listen to their own inner guidance and consciously create their lives in this way.
5. It ends one day when you are perfect.
Haha… Even if human perfection did exist, the coaching relationship wouldn’t necessarily have to end there. In fact, there doesn’t need to even be an “end goal” of this work.
My personal coaching style allows for continued practice because I believe the most powerful health action is prevention.
If the initial circumstances that brought the client into coaching resolve, or goals have been reached, then we have the perfect opportunity to practice wellness.
We might practice meditation, breathwork, or visualization, building up our mindfulness reserves so that we may face any potential stressors with equanimity.
In this way, we are committing to our health, wellness, and happiness, not just showing up to solve an issue and take a break until the next arises.
We are actually being healthy.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment with any other misconceptions I might have missed.
But don’t just take my word, experience it for yourself and create your own perspective. Try a free consultation session with me! I would love to practice health & wellness with you.