Health Coaching Questions
So what is a 'transformational health and wellbeing coach' anyway?
If you’ve never heard of health coaching, you’re not alone. I hadn’t either but it changed my life!
Health coaches are experts on human behaviour, motivation and health. We are “change agents” who help our clients set and achieve their wellness goals and build new habits. There could be many things getting in the way of you achieving the life you want. Through coaching, we work on all these areas together, often exploring relationships, career and work-life balance, transitions, stressors and conflicts to name but a few.
As a health coach, I believe that you are the expert on your own body, mind and circumstances. I will work with you to help discover why you want to make changes now. I will equip you to identify challenges and blind spots, provide support and accountability and equip you to live your life to the full.
Where are you based?
I am based in Manchester, UK. However, I coach people via phone or video-conference link up, depending on preference.
I can coach people based anywhere in the world, as long as time differences allow it.
What are your fees?
I work with people who are committed to making changes for a minimum of 6 months. Coaching packages are between £170 and £340 per month depending on frequency of sessions .
How does health coaching work?
I coach 1-2-1 via telephone or video conference. If you are camera shy, you don’t even need to be seen by me.
Sessions are 50 minutes long and usually weekly or fortnightly.
Once we’re working together, you can choose the ‘walk and talk’ option. We both find a park, hill, field or some woods to walk in and we both walk and coach together. We don’t even have to be in the same place!
How long does health coaching take?
This depends on what you want to achieve. A typical client will work with me for between 3 and 12 months to achieve all the changes they want to.
Why should I pick you?
I am a huge advocate of coaching after seeing it change my own life. And I genuinely believe that there is a coach out there for each one of us.
Check out the About page and my blog and see if I seem to be a good fit for you. If you like the sound of who I am and what I’m offering, why not schedule a complimentary session and see what you think? There’s no obligation.
What makes you different from a general life coach?
The skills and approach that I use are the same as life coaches. I coach clients on a broad range of issues such as life transitions, relationships and career. In addition, I also have specific areas of expertise – around health and wellbeing and handling conflict effectively. You will learn more about these areas on my blog page and my Peacebuilders site.
As your coach, there are times when you are looking for information on health related topics. As this is something I am trained in, I can support you to find the information you are looking for. Clients often ask me if it’s OK to bring up a topic, e.g. around their work and the unequivocal answer is ‘yes, it’s all connected!”
What about therapy – how does health coaching compare?
A coach focuses on what’s going on for you now and what changes you want to make. Emotions are welcomed and used as information to explore and help you move forward. We don’t take a deep dive into your childhood or revisit past traumas in coaching. Sometimes in coaching, traumas surface and in these cases clients are encouraged to get additional therapy support from a specialist in that area. Several of my clients have coaching alongside therapy and they work really well together.
I just need to lose weight – wouldn’t a nutritionist be better?
That depends. It depends on what is holding you back from losing weight. Is it really lack of knowledge or lack of a plan? Or is it something else that just keeps escaping you? If you’ve tried lots of things before but nothing else has worked, there may be something hidden getting in your way. Coaching can help to uncover this and to support you to find a way forward.
Are you a personal trainer?
No I’m not a personal trainer, nor am I a fitness expert. My expertise is in coaching and functional health and wellbeing.
Will you prescribe me a food plan?
As a health coach, I don’t prescribe at all. Some people who are nutritionists or nutritional therapists use the title ‘health coach’ and what they offer is nutritional advice and diet plans. While I do have some in depth knowledge around food options, I prefer to work with you using a coaching model to find the best way forward. If you are confused about the best eating plan for you, I will work with you to figure that out, using my expertise in all areas of functional health, diet and lifestyle.
What qualifications and experience do you have?
I am an Adapt-certified functional health coach, a certified mediator and I have a Masters level degree in Conflict Resolution. I have been working in the field of behaviour change for the past twenty years.