How do you know if becoming a Health Coach is right for you?! Not only that, what schooling is best to learn from experts and gain the right tools and knowledge to succeed as an accredited health coach?!
I get questions about health coaching and schooling all. the. time. Sooo I’m sharing all the deets about my experience with Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and building my own Health Coaching Practice right here!
A little backstory on my journey.. You can also find my full journey here.
I graduated from IIN in 2015 and it was the best decision I ever made, truly. Before then, I dropped out of college with not a CLUE on what I was doing with my life or what I even wanted to do. Health and wellness became an interest of mine as I began changing my diet, my movement practices and my drinking habits. I lost weight and gained a whole new perspective on life, feeling better than ever. I was so intrigued with ‘health’ that I interned with a naturopathic doctor to learn more and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was my passion! All I knew is that I NEEDED to share the word about health and wellness to every person I could.
So I began the search on how I could do this and enrolled back into college for nutrition. Walked into my first class and the teacher started talking about the food pyramid and calories.. I literally got out of my seat and left the class. Went straight to admissions, got my money refunded and dropped out of college again (LOL). Food pyramid? I’d been studying about holistic nutrition for a year under a naturopath and the food pyramid was the last thing on my mind. I knew I needed something deeper. Something I could actually HELP people with taking a holistic approach, not just tell them how many calories they should be consuming like thats gonna change their life.
On the search again, I came across IIN. I took their free sample class (which you can find here and I highly recommend) and once it was over I knew in my heart this was the school I needed to go to. So the next day, I enrolled.
My experience with IIN was nothing short of amazing. They take a holistic approach to their teaching which aligned so much with what I wanted to teach. We covered over 100 different dietary theories in school which was so eye opening to me. Not only was I learning more myself but I was learning SO many different ways I can help people. (because there isn’t just one fix for everyone). I was so inspired by the experts who are at the forefront of wellness and spoke as guest speakers during my time at IIN. These distinguished speakers are the leading medical doctors, PhDs, researchers and authorities in nutrition today. I got the privilege to learn from the best of the best, and the nutrition theories they teach give so much valuable information to draw from when you start working with your own clients as an Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.
Not only did I love the curriculum, the community was amazing. I met some pretty awesome people (I’m still friends with to this day) from IIN. IIN keeps you connected on their Facebook page and during the program you get put into groups to do projects which was a great way to connect with other students. My favorite part about IIN was learning about primary food and bio individually. These concepts changed everything for me. Unlike many mainstream approaches to health and wellness, Integrative Nutrition teaches that each of us is radically unique. Our physical, mental, emotional, and nutritional needs are one-of-a-kind. That’s why every Health Coach who emerges from the Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Training Program are different from the rest. Rather than pushing one-size-fits all wellness methods, IIN Health Coaches take a deeply personalized approach with every single client from the concepts taught in their program. Check out their curriculum and amazing guest speakers here.
IIN also provided so many tools during the program to launch your own business which I thought was so valuable. If I didn’t have those tools nearing graduation, I wouldn’t have had a clue on how to begin my practice. They teach you how to market yourself, build a brand and website, begin your practice and so much more.
Now what IS a Health Coach?
A Health Coach isn’t a doctor or a practitioner that will prescribe drugs and diagnose. A Health Coach is a supportive mentor who helps people make healthier choices that fit their lifestyle. We’re here to motivate individuals to make lasting changes that make them feel their very best. A Health Coach takes the TIME to listen to your problems and struggles and helps you commit to realistic achievable goals all while being there to support you and hold you accountable. Nutritionist and doctors don’t have the time to help their patients make healthy choices. When is the last time you went to the doctor and they asked what you’re eating and how you’re doing mentally? (Nothing against doctors, this is just the fast-passed world we live in. Quick fixes and not enough time) which is why we need Health Coaches now more than ever.
Health coaches don’t just coach you on food either. As an IIN Health Coach, I know the value of primary food over secondary. Primary food like, relationship, exercise, career, spirituality are just as important, if not more important than what you eat. As a health coach I help my clients find the foods, relationships, fitness routines and lifestyles habits that help them feel their best. I don’t put my clients on diet plans or have one way of doing things. As IIN taught me, no one person is the same. What works for one person might not work for another. One person’s food may be another person’s poison. I strongly believe in bio-individuality (the idea that each of us are different with different needs), and am thankful to IIN for opening my eyes to this. More on that here.
Do you want to help people become their best selves?
Do you want to be a positive change in this world?
Setting examples for people, supporting people in their journey?
Do you have a story you’ve overcome and you want to tell it and show people how they can overcome it too?!
Then, you might just be destined to be a health coach.
IIN's customer service team is the sweetest and will answer any further questions you have. You can also email me or reach out to me on Instagram. I’d love to help you on your journey of becoming a heath coach or just becoming your best self!
So Much Love,
Taryn
IIN Health Coach