In another thread, a conversation has been going on about how to become a Certified Health Coach so I wanted to make a new topic that is a bit more specific asking any current health coaches out there about their lives. I am very interested in leaving the corporate world to help others on my own time, in my own way. If anyone chose this as their career, please share some insight! How is it working out? Are you finding it easy to make money? Do you work from home? Is it easy to obtain clients? Where did you get certified? Any advice you can give would be excellent! THANKS!

Jessica, I can't answer all the questions you have but I thought I would share what I did. I  went to school and became a Massage Therapist and Natural Therapeutics Specialist at the same time. I recently relocated from the Southwest to the east coast and I am still working on starting to practice, it is not cheap but I am a passionate about it so I stay focused on that. I have another career and the Massage Therapy/NTS is something I wanted to do on my own time, in my own way-like your looking to do. I went to New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics. It was an amazing life changing experience. I can share more if your interested just let me know. :0)

Holly, yes I would love to hear anything you have to say! I am thinking about leaving the corporate world once I have children (soon) to be a work-from-home mom, doing what I truly have a passion for...which used to be fashion and is now nutrition! 

Hello,

I currently work in the world of food... well, I work at a farmers' market developing programs to teach people how to cook and use local, organic foods.  I love my job, but the stress drives me crazy (as well as the 4am mornings every Saturday).  My husband and I are going to be starting our own family and I would love to be able to do nutrition on the side, and hopefully be able to do it full time from home.  I am also working on my own cookbook.  I know everyone has a cook book now, but mine focuses on local food, and is organized by season... not food item, so it is easier for those who want to eat seasonal and local.

I would definitely love to hear from those who work as a Health Coach.  I live in Canada and I know that it's tricky up here with the terms of Nutritionist and Dietitian and certified and not certified, etc.

I look forward to reading everyone's responses!

My story sounds very similar to those above... I worked in a very stressful corporate environment for 10+ years and was ready for a change.  It's very hard to leave something secure for the unknown but I knew I wanted it/needed it more than ever and I wanted to positively impact the lives of others.  Make a difference in the world in a way I wasn't currently doing.  So I became a Certified Health Coach and I absolutely love it.  The lives I'm touching and the impact I'm making, I've never felt so fulfilled and I'm helping others reach their health goals.  It's truly inspiring work!

Jen, that is amazing! Thank you for sharing and giving us stuck in the corporate matrix some hope! Can I ask where you were certified and what kind of clients you see? My main concern with starting my own business is, well, starting my own business! I'm not sure who exactly would seek out a CHC and if there are enough of those people in my area (I'm in North Jersey) so any advice you can give I would love! Thanks!

Hi Jessica - I help anyone who needs health in their life ,whether that's losing weight, sleeping better, gaining energy, getting off medications, etc.  I started my own business with Take Shape For Life which is a program designed to get people within a healthy BMI with the support of a certified health coach.  I take them through transition and maintenance by educating them on healthy habits for life - proper food choices, exercise, the important of sleep, breakfast, etc.  I'm a long-time vegetarian and I flirt with veganism, but I have real passion for helping America get healthy.  As you know, we have an obesity epidemic in our society and I'm finding so much fulfillment in helping others meet their health goals.  It's been a fantastic experience and I absolutely love helping people make positive changes in their life.  If you want more info, I'd be happy to share. I hope you find the right fit for you, this career switch is definitely what I needed in my life for so many reasons!  Good luck!

I replied on the other thread, but I'm a student currently at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and love it. You can read more about their philosophy on my website.  IIN focuses on teaching you both dietary theory as well as how to create a business as a health coach. It's a fantastic education. I feel very prepared for finding clients and starting my business.

Send me a personal message if you want more info!

Sierra - Thank you for your response! I wrote you a personal email from your site this morning so I look forward to hearing from you. 
Jen - I just took a look at your website. Great! Glad to see you have created a fulfilling career you love. Helping people live healthy is the most important job. I truly feel that. I am headed on that road...95% sure I'm enrolling in IIN to get this started. Keep you posted and thanks again!

Congrat, Jessica!  Yes, please keep us posted on your next steps.  Here's to helping make a difference in people's lives!  Enjoy!!

This is exactly what I would love to do too! It's so inspiring to hear others are so passionate about spreading the word and helping people change their lives!!  I am currently getting a Health Fitness Specialist degree but really want to focus more on the food end of it but I'm not sure how to go about it.  I live in Central MN and there aren't any colleges that offer a nutrition degree (hence why I'm going for Health Fitness) and relocating my family is not an option.  I once looked into the Clayton College of Natural Health but was undecided about that so how have those of you that are wellness coaches or something to that degree gone about getting certified? Also, how did you find clients and get everything up and running? My concern is the economy and I wonder how many people are able to afford to hire a wellness/health coach????

Hi All! Well, I bit the bullet this wknd and enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! I received all my books/iPod and now the hard part is going to be waiting until classes start in August!
Tina, I know I can't give too much info since I'm just starting out, but this program seems amazing!! I read through all the materials, went to the student forum website, listened to some lectures and read the founder's book. All wonderful. If you do the distance learning (I am) it's $5,000 but I think if you were referred by someone you get extra discounts, like I did, as well as for paying in full. I am also concerned about people paying for these services in times like these, BUT every single graduate I spoke to (not associated with the school) has a thriving practice, so it sounds pretty promising. And I know nothing about business, but the books they sent by themselves have so much info that it's starting to make sense to me already. 
If you want any more info, you can email me at jesroyston@me.com!

Thanks for the info Jessica, I'd love to hear what you think about the classes once you get going! I honestly feel I have the experience to go out on my own w/o a degree or whatever under my belt but I know people feel more assured when there is so that's why I'm looking at what I need to do to get started. 

Hi All! Well, I started the Summer Session at Institute for Integrative Nutrition and I absolutely love it!! Classes don't even technically start until August 1st, but the Fundamental Courses are amazing. I am hooked! I wanted to let you all know what if you are thinking about enrolling, if you give my name and sign up before June 30th you get a month of school for free (which you will need because even the Fundamental Classes have a ton of info!) and you will also get a discounted price. I was going to wait until August, but am very glad I didn't. I saved almost $1,000! I encourage you all to take another look and email me with any questions. I research this school ad nauseum before enrolling and DEFINITELY feel I made the right decision! Please email me with any questions at all: jesroyston@me.com

Hi Jessica -

I am really fascinated by this and I would really love to hear more about it, so please keep us posted! I have been pursuing my Life Coaching certificate for a year or so now, but I have kinda stalled out and I am note sure why. But I am now! Since I became vegan 6 months ago, my life has turned around for the better in soooo many ways and I can see now that what we eat is so much more important than we know. I have been looking for a way to combine life coaching and nutrition, with an emphasis on nutrtion becasue I see now that if one is eating healthy, the rest of your life can fall into place much. much easier.

Thanks so much for posting!