Have you gone through a personal health journey? Maybe you’ve tried exercising, eating better, but you realized that being healthy requires so much more?
If you relate to that, becoming a holistic health coach is a good career path for you.
Being in holistic health coaching means you get to work with clients using a holistic approach. You’ll touch all aspects of their lives and partner with them to achieve deep transformation.
This guide can help you understand the ins and outs of becoming a holistic health coach. Learn what they do, how to become one, and training options to get started.
Whether you want to work with other health providers or launch your own coaching practice, here’s everything you need to get it done right.
What Is a Holistic Health Coach?
A holistic health coach is a professional who guides clients on a journey towards total well-being. Think of an all-arounder who helps balance the many aspects of life.
You won’t act as a doctor or therapist. No need to diagnose, treat symptoms, or address mental illness. Instead, you’ll support mindset shifts, lifestyle habits, and daily choices that contribute to long-term health.
What does a holistic health coach do?
As a holistic health coach, your everyday coaching typically looks like:
- Working one-on-one with clients to identify health goals
- Applying a client-centered approach by personalizing wellness plans
- Teaching mindfulness practices to manage stress
- Guiding clients about nutrition and physical activities
- Supporting the client’s behavior change for healthier lifestyle habits
- Helping clients balance work-life and reduce burnout
- Tracking wellness goals and adjusting plans for lasting change
What is a health coach (vs holistic health coach)?
It’s common to mistake a health coach for a holistic health coach. While they work along the same lines of health, they have a slightly different focus.
Here’s how they compare:
- A health coach typically focuses on specific physical health goals like weight loss, diet, or fitness.
- A holistic health coach takes a broader approach, considering emotional, mental, and spiritual factors on top of physical health.
If you want to create a balanced and lasting change, holistic health coaching could be the better path for you.
What is a wellness health coach vs holistic healing coach vs holistic life coach vs holistic mental health coach vs holistic health coach?
Many types of coaches support clients with their health needs. Each one has a slightly different focus, providing a unique kind of guidance.
Let’s take a look at these coaches and see how they differ or overlap:
- Wellness health coach: Focuses on general wellness habits like diet, exercise, and stress management to improve physical health.
- Holistic healing coach: Applies natural healing methods, like herbal medicine, energy work, or integrative therapies, with lifestyle coaching.
- Holistic life coach: Helps clients improve areas in life, including work, relationships, and self-growth. Focuses more on life development than health.
- Holistic mental health coach: Offers support on mental and emotional wellness, combining coaching techniques with mindfulness and stress relief.
- Holistic health coach: Combines all aspects (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to create customized health plans for the whole person.
What Is Holistic Health Coaching?
Holistic health coaching looks at a client’s entire life to help them achieve optimal health and wellness.
It’s more than just giving advice on diet or exercise. Holistic health coaches work with clients to explore mental, emotional, physical, and even spiritual wellbeing.
I believe for anyone managing their health, thinking holistically is important to truly create sustainable behavior changes, live a balanced lifestyle and get the most out of life.
Why do people hire a holistic health coach?
Holistic health coaches help in many aspects of a person’s life. It’s not just diet and exercise. It’s about the right support and guidance to achieve good health outcomes.
Here are some other reasons why people hire holistic health coaches:
- To improve their overall health and well-being in a sustainable way.
- To receive support in making long-term lifestyle changes, such as managing stress or improving sleep.
- To create a personalized plan that fits their unique health needs.
- To overcome obstacles like chronic disease, unhealthy habits, or burnout.
- To balance physical health with emotional and mental wellness.
- To address the root causes of health issues rather than symptoms alone.
People want guidance that looks at all sides of health, not just quick fixes. That’s why the demand for holistic health coaches is growing.
How to Become a Holistic Health Coach
Good health is a basic need. Everybody’s looking for health support.
This is why health coaching continues to be a growing field. The National Institutes of Health estimates that there are over 5,000 board-certified health coaches just in the US.
If you feel drawn to becoming a holistic health coach, here’s a clear roadmap to get you started:
1. Gain basic knowledge.
Before coaching others, it’s important to understand the basics of health, nutrition, mindset, and behavior change. Look for training programs that cover a wide range of topics to give you a solid foundation.
Aside from that, work on your coaching skills. Make sure you’ve practiced active listening, powerful questioning, and goal-setting before your first session.
2. Identify your niche.
There are many types of life coaches out there. A holistic health coach is just one (and you can further specialize).
Decide who you want to work with and what challenges you want to help solve. Examples of niches include women’s health, chronic disease management, stress reduction, or any other area of health and wellness you feel passionate about.
3. Enroll in a reputable certification program.
While it’s not mandatory, getting a holistic health coach certification helps you gain credibility. It also equips you with coaching techniques.
Choose programs that are accredited and offer a comprehensive curriculum covering coaching skills, health sciences, and business training.
4. Get practical experience.
Start working with practice clients within your network. Volunteer in community programs and develop your coaching style.
This gives you real-world experience working with different clients and challenges. You can also ask for testimonials to build your social proof early.
5. Build your coaching business.
Decide if you want to work independently, join a wellness center, or offer corporate wellness programs.
Whichever pathway you choose, make sure you plan out your operations, marketing and sales strategy. Get clear on the services you offer and launch them on your professional website or social accounts.
6. Market your coaching services.
Learn how to get clients as a health coach. Make use of your online presence to engage audiences and get leads. Think social media marketing, emails and virtual events.
Give potential leads a taste of what it will be like to work with you by sharing valuable content. Produce blog posts, guides, how-to’s and inspirational content to bring them value.
Remember: Consistency in marketing helps you build a loyal client base.
7. Keep growing and learning.
Stay updated on new research, coaching methods, and health trends. Consider continuing education, especially if you have a certification to maintain.
You can also attend workshops or take short courses if you don’t have a lot of time. Another way is to find a mentor who can offer advice and share best practices.
What Do You Need to Be a Holistic Health Coach?
To be a successful holistic health coach, you need a mix of personality traits, skills, and coaching credentials:
- Empathy and the passion for helping others
- Ability to set goals and motivate others
- Strong communication and listening skills
- Basic knowledge of nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness
- Business skills to run your own coaching practice
Do you need a degree to become a holistic health coach?
No, you don’t need a traditional college degree to become a holistic health coach.
But clients will look at your credentials, so having related expertise and experience helps. Many coaches take specialized coaching certifications. Others come from a background in dietetics, nursing or psychology.
What matters is establishing your authority. Formal training or not, it boils down to what solutions you provide and what goes on during your coaching process.
What Is a Certified Holistic Health Coach?
A certified holistic health coach is someone who has completed formal training and met the standards of a recognized program.
Certification shows clients that you have a solid foundation and professional skills. It backs up your expertise and sets you apart from untrained coaches.
Some corporations and clients look for certification for hiring a coach, especially for competitive niches like business coaching, life coaching, and health coaching.
How to become a certified holistic health coach
Becoming certified boosts your credibility and helps attract high-paying clients. Follow these key steps:
- Choose a certification program: Look for programs that match your values and style. Make sure they cover both coaching essentials and health science.
- Complete coursework: Engage fully in classes, assignments, and practice coaching calls.
- Pass certification exams: Take written or oral tests and get a score of at least 80%. Some programs also require practical demos to assess your coaching skills.
- Gain coaching experience: Work with real clients to sharpen your skills and build confidence. Document your coaching hours and submit them if needed.
- Maintain certification: Many institutions require continuing education to keep you up-to-date. Check their requirements.
- Leverage your credentials: Claim your certificate or digital badge and announce the news on all your accounts. Showcase your achievement and start onboarding new clients.
4 Holistic Health Coach Certification Programs
Getting certified can open doors, build trust, and increase your confidence as a coach. A certificate is like a badge of honor that validates your expertise.
If you’re looking for holistic health coach certification options, there’s a lot to choose from online. Start with accredited courses and training programs.
Here are some top options to explore:
Accredited holistic health coach certification
Look for reputable organizations that offer formal training. They can guarantee recognition and a packed curriculum that can enhance your coaching.
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) Certified Health Coach Training: This covers nutrition, coaching techniques, and business skills. It emphasizes an integrative nutrition approach and is popular worldwide.
- American Council on Exercise (ACE) Health Coaching Certification: Their program includes holistic principles, behavior change science, and coaching skills.
Holistic health coach programs
If you can’t commit to accredited programs right now, you still have other training options available.
- Wellcoaches Health Coach Training: You’ll be trained on coaching competencies, motivational interviewing, and health behavior change.
- Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA): FMCA trains coaches to work alongside health professionals to support clients with chronic health issues using a holistic approach.
How to Be a Holistic Health Coach
There are many career pathways available to a holistic health coach. Here’s what you can do to get into holistic health coaching:
- Start your own coaching business: Be your own boss and meet one-on-one clients.
- Work in centers or clinics: Get hired by wellness centers or holistic health clinics and meet clients there.
- Establish partnerships: Work together with gyms and yoga studios as one of the expert care providers there.
- Offer corporate wellness programs: Reach out to corporations and HR practitioners to help with individual and team well-being.
- Teach workshops or group coaching sessions: Provide holistic health guidance to bigger groups.
- Create digital products or courses: Build your own holistic health course and resources, and sell them online.
Women’s holistic health coach
Another way to become a holistic health coach is to niche up. Connect with women who need support to address unique issues like hormonal balance and fertility.
Here are some top women’s holistic health coaches you can take inspiration from:
- Alisa Vitti: Known for hormone health coaching and her Flo Living platform for women’s cycle health.
- Jennifer Wider: Focuses on women’s empowerment through mind-body wellness coaching.
- April Likins: Board-certified health coach who helps high-performing women overcome stress and burnout.
Holistic health and wellness coach
These coaches support broad health and wellness goals for diverse clients. Learn from their approach:
- Christine Schedel: Blends her expertise with compassion to help clients manage chronic illnesses and reset their well-being.
- Preethi Rao: Integrates science with mind-body-spirit wellness to create lasting lifestyle changes.
- Beth Wright: Helps clients achieve sustainable health with personalized plans that blend functional medicine, fitness, and nutrition.
Consider becoming a wellness coach as well if you want to branch out.
How Much Do Holistic Health Coaches Make?
The earning potential in holistic health coaching can vary widely. On average, the annual salary of holistic health coaches ranges from $37,500 to $73,000.
- Average salary: $48,790
- 25th percentile: $37,500
- 75th percentile: $48,790
- 90th percentile: $66,000+
These figures change depending on your experience, niche, and business model.
How much does a holistic health coach cost?
Hourly rates for holistic health coaches typically range from $13 to $35 per session. The average falls under $23 an hour.
Coaches offering packages or group coaching can charge more by bundling their services. You can also diversify your income streams by selling digital products. Here’s how much those are priced:
- One-on-one coaching packages: $1,000-$5,000+ per client
- Group programs/masterminds: $1,500-$15,000+
- Courses and digital offers: $50-$500+
Certified holistic health coach salary
Certified coaches often command higher fees and steady clients. Their annual salaries can reach $60,000 to $100,000+, especially those with a strong online presence or niche expertise.
Certification and experience increase trust and justify premium pricing. It also opens opportunities to work with specific audiences and larger companies.
How to Start a Holistic Health Coaching Business
Starting a health coaching business is more than just pursuing your passion. It takes planning and marketing know-how.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to direct you to the right path:
- Define your niche and audience: Get clear about who you want to help and how you can give them advice better than anyone else. There are many life coaching niches you can explore.
- Register your business: File all the paperwork to legalize your practice.
- Set up legal and financial basics: Don’t overlook contracts, health coach liability insurance, and bookkeeping as you launch your business.
- Build a professional website: Make it easy for potential clients to learn about you, your services, and to book sessions online.
- Create a Magic Pill offer: Design offers that reflect what your clients really need, whether it’s a done-for-you system or deep reflection.
- Leverage other people’s audiences: Turn virtual events and guestings into a lead generation machine. Gain visibility and clients who want to work with you.
- Attract clients with lead magnets: Try webinars, free consultations, or downloadable guides to introduce yourself and build trust.
- Continue learning and improving: Ask for feedback and adjust your approach to serve clients better.
Holistic health coach business names
One of the most exciting steps to launching a business is coming up with a name. Here are some ideas to get you inspired:
- TrueBalance Health Coaching: Shows the outcome you want to achieve.
- WholeVitality Coaching: Highlights your whole-person approach to healing.
- MindBody Coaching: Emphasizes the aspects of coaching you want to focus on.
- Nurtured Journey: Reminds clients that they will be supported as they progress.
- Empowered Living: Makes clients feel motivated by their coaching experience.
- Soulful Wellness: Builds the connection between soul healing and holistic health.
- Radiant Health Coaching: Reflects positivity and brightness.
- Serenity Wellness Coach: Gives off peaceful and calm vibes.
- Renewed Focus: Appeals to clients with the resolution to shift to a healthier lifestyle.
- Healthy Horizons: Gives clients a hopeful image to look forward to.
Balanced and Sustainable Growth
Becoming a holistic health coach is an exciting and meaningful journey. You’re making a real difference, guiding others towards healthier and balanced lives.
With the right training and systems, you can build a fulfilling career in holistic health coaching. No need for a large following or fancy gimmicks. Just a Magic Pill offer that provides real value.
If you’re asking, “Can I really charge this much?” “Are my services worth the price tag?”
The answer’s YES. Especially with a proven system to back you up and help you succeed.
Sara grew her email list to 5,000 and started earning by the thousands. Layla grew her net by 300%.
Is it your turn?
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