What Is a Wellness Coach? How They Help & How to Become One

People can hire a coach to help them make improvements in almost any area of their lives. If they want to advance professionally, for instance, they may seek out a career coach. Or maybe they want to improve their sports performance. In this case, they might enlist the assistance of an athletic coach.

Another option is to reach out to a wellness coach for help. To better understand what wellness coaching entails and why someone would hire this type of coach, we must first define what wellness is.

Wellness Defined

Many times, the terms ‘health’ and ‘wellness’ are used interchangeably. However, they are two very different things.

Health is generally defined as “the state of being free from illness or injury.” Put another way, health is a lack of disease or bodily damage. You are considered healthy if you have no major health issues or concerns.

Conversely, wellness is “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health” according to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) (1). So, while health is a state of being that is free from disease or injury, wellness is the active pursuit of this state. 

What Is a Wellness Coach?

If wellness is all about action, a wellness coach is a professional who helps clients take these actions. Sometimes this involves giving them the tools needed to make a positive behavior change. Other times, it requires stoking their motivation so they keep moving forward. 

Another important aspect of being a wellness coach is helping clients obtain holistic health. Holistic health is whole-body health. Sometimes referred to as integrative health, it requires looking at a person from several different viewpoints. It considers their physical health and their emotional health, spiritual health, and more.

This broad approach to health operates under the notion that people are complex and multifaceted. Thus, helping them achieve optimal health requires looking at all areas of their life because they are interrelated. One example is integrative nutrition.

Integrative nutrition isn’t just about eating foods that are high in nutrients. It is also about people’s food-related thoughts and beliefs. It even encompasses how they eat, where they eat, and other eating behaviors. So, integrative nutrition is much more in-depth than nutrition in general.

How a Wellness Coach Helps Clients

A health and wellness coach works with clients to overcome some of their biggest health challenges. Maybe the client leads an overall healthy lifestyle but struggles with nutrition. In asking a few questions, you learn that they’ve been unsuccessful with weight loss in the past because they are an emotional eater.

In this instance, you might suggest making a lifestyle change to lower their stress levels. By reducing this emotion, they are less compelled to eat. This makes the weight loss process easier because it removes the power of this trigger.

But your responsibility as a wellness coach doesn’t stop there. Not only do you help clients come up with the actions they can take to improve their health, but you also help them institute them. 

In the example of stress eating, you would work with the client to come up with different actions they can take when they feel this emotion emerging. This could include going for a walk, calling a good friend, or sitting in nature and giving themselves time to process how they are feeling.

You also serve as an accountability partner. If the client knows you are going to ask whether they’re taking the actions they said they would, they are more likely to do them so they can tell you that they did.

A wellness coach is also tasked with keeping clients motivated. Behavior change is hard. Its difficulty can cause clients to want to give up. It’s your job to keep them going. With the proper encouragement and motivational cues, clients are more inclined to achieve their health goals.

Where Does a Health and Wellness Coach Work?

As a health and wellness coach, you may be able to find job opportunities in a variety of settings, including:

• Healthcare organizations: Many hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations employ health and wellness coaches to work with patients to help them manage chronic conditions, improve their overall health and wellness, and make lifestyle changes to support their health goals.

• Corporate wellness programs: Many companies have wellness programs that offer health coaching and other services to employees to help them improve their health and well-being and reduce healthcare costs.

• Fitness centers and gyms: Health and wellness coaches may work in fitness centers and gyms to help clients develop exercise programs, set goals, and make lifestyle changes to support their fitness and health goals.

• Private practice: Some health and wellness coaches may work independently, either in person or virtually, to provide one-on-one coaching services to clients.

• Online coaching platforms: There are a variety of online coaching platforms that connect health and wellness coaches with clients who are seeking coaching services.

How Much Does a Health and Wellness Coach Make?

The salary of a health and wellness coach can vary depending on several factors, such as location, level of education and experience, and the type of organization they work for. According to Salary.com, the average health and wellness coach salary is $63,146 (2). Per ZipRecruiter, the average salary for remote health and wellness coaches is $53,366 (3).

Often, health and wellness coaches who work in private practice or who have their own business may have the potential to earn more than those who work for an employer. Some health and wellness coaches may charge hourly rates, while others may charge a flat fee for a package of coaching sessions.

Also worth noting that the demand for health and wellness coaches is growing, as more people are looking to make lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being. This may result in increased job opportunities and potentially higher salaries in the future.

Wellness Coaching vs Health Coaching vs Life Coaching

Sometimes clients are confused about what type of coach they want or need. Based on what they’re trying to achieve, is a life coach or a health coach best? Or maybe they need to hire a wellness coach for that specific goal? Figuring this out can feel incredibly overwhelming. If you’re feeling this way too, it helps to know how each type of coaching is different.

A health coach typically focuses on improving a client's physical health and well-being, a life coach focuses on helping clients achieve their personal and professional goals and improve their overall quality of life, and a wellness coach focuses on improving a client's overall well-being and quality of life by addressing various aspects of their health and lifestyle.

Here are some of the differences between the three professions:

1. Focus: A health coach focuses on physical health and well-being, a life coach focuses on personal and professional development, and a wellness coach focuses on improving overall well-being by addressing various aspects of a client's health and lifestyle.

2. Expertise: A health coach typically has training in nutrition, exercise, stress management, and other areas related to physical health, a life coach may have training in areas such as communication, time management, and goal setting, and a wellness coach may have training in multiple areas of health and lifestyle, including nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep, and emotional well-being.

3. Goals: A health coach's goals may be focused on improving physical health outcomes, such as weight loss or managing chronic conditions, a life coach's goals may be focused on achieving personal or professional goals, such as improving relationships or advancing in a career, and a wellness coach's goals may be focused on improving overall well-being and quality of life by addressing multiple aspects of a client's health and lifestyle.

4. Approach: A health coach typically takes a more structured and prescriptive approach, providing clients with guidance on diet and exercise, a life coach may take a more open-ended and exploratory approach, helping clients discover their own path to achieving their goals, and a wellness coach may take a combination of approaches, depending on the specific needs and goals of the client.

Ultimately, the difference between a health coach, a life coach, and a wellness coach comes down to the focus of their work, the specific goals and needs of their clients, and the range of expertise and approaches each individual coach uses to help their clients achieve their goals.

What Does a Health Coach Do?

A health coach helps clients improve their health and well-being by providing support in areas such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, and lifestyle changes. A health coach works with clients to develop a personalized plan to improve their health and achieve their wellness goals.

The duties of a health coach may vary depending on their training and expertise, as well as the needs and goals of their clients. However, some of the responsibilities of a health coach may include:

• Conducting an initial assessment of the client's health and wellness status.

• Helping clients set realistic health and wellness goals.

• Developing a personalized plan to achieve those goals.

• Providing guidance and support on nutrition and healthy eating habits.

• Developing a customized exercise program for the client.

• Providing stress management and relaxation techniques.

• Helping clients identify and overcome obstacles to their health and wellness goals.

• Holding clients accountable for their actions and commitments.

• Providing motivation and inspiration.

• Providing ongoing support and encouragement throughout the client's wellness journey.

What Does a Wellness Coach Do?

A wellness coach is a professional who helps clients improve their overall well-being and quality of life by providing guidance in areas such as physical health, emotional health, stress management, and lifestyle changes. Wellness coaches help clients to develop a holistic, personalized plan to improve their overall wellness.

Duties of a wellness coach may vary depending on their training and expertise and the goals of their clients. Some wellness coach responsibilities may include:

• Conducting an initial assessment of the client's overall well-being.

• Helping clients set realistic wellness goals.

• Developing a personalized plan to achieve those goals.

• Providing guidance and support on nutrition and healthy eating habits.

• Developing a customized exercise program for the client.

• Providing stress management and relaxation techniques.

• Helping clients improve their emotional well-being and resilience.

• Providing guidance on improving sleep habits.

• Holding clients accountable for their actions and commitments.

• Providing motivation and inspiration.

• Providing ongoing support and encouragement throughout the client's wellness journey.

What Does a Life Coach Do?

A life coach helps people identify and achieve their personal and professional goals. Life coaches work with clients to help them improve their lives by providing guidance, support, and accountability.

What a life coach offers will vary depending on their training and the needs of their clients. Some opportunities a life coach may offer include:

• Helping clients identify their goals and aspirations.

• Developing a plan to achieve those goals.

• Providing guidance and support as clients work toward their goals.

• Helping clients overcome obstacles and challenges.

• Holding clients accountable for their actions and commitments.

• Providing motivation and inspiration.

• Providing feedback and guidance on personal and professional development.

• Helping clients improve their communication and interpersonal skills.

• Helping clients manage their time and prioritize their tasks.

• Helping clients develop strategies to achieve a better work-life balance.

Wellness Coaching Process

The first step in the coaching process is to help the client identify areas of wellness where they struggle and could benefit from some help. These areas can fall into one or more wellness dimensions. Among them are:

• Physical wellness: a person’s weight, physical activity level, sleep patterns, and more

• Mental wellness: cognitive wellness, encompassing how they learn and how they problem-solve

• Emotional wellness: how they recognize, understand, and accept their feelings; and whether they deal with their emotions in a healthy way

• Spiritual wellness: a person’s connection to a higher purpose or finding the meaning in their life

• Social wellness: relationships and interactions with others, from family members and friends to co-workers, social groups, communities, and the world at large

• Environmental wellness: having a home, school, and work environment that supports optimal wellness

During the first coaching session, the wellness professional uses techniques to learn more about the client’s challenges. They also seek to understand how the client feels about the change process and their reasons for wanting to change. This involves using skills such as motivational interviewing.

After obtaining this information, the coach works with the client to set wellness goals and develop a plan of action. Subsequent sessions are used to monitor the client’s progress, making changes as needed to increase their levels of success. 

Reasons to Consider Becoming a Wellness Coach

Why become a wellness professional—especially if you’re already working as a personal trainer?

As a wellness coach, you get to help clients overcome challenges that extend outside the gym. In addition to teaching them about exercise and nutrition, you can also help them implement ways to improve their mental wellbeing or build stronger relationships.

Working as a wellness coach allows you to work with individuals or with businesses and organizations. The latter is sometimes called a corporate wellness coach. In this role, you might help develop and institute a corporate wellness program. Or you could be hired to work with employees or group members one on one.

Wellness coaching offers another income avenue. You broaden your client base to include people who want to improve wellness in multiple areas. Other health professionals may even reach out to you as a resource for their clients. The opportunities are endless.

How to Become a Certified Wellness Coach

While coach training isn’t required, taking a wellness coaching program helps you learn and build upon the skills required for success in this role. Having a wellness certification also increases your credibility. Potential clients equate certification with a higher level of expertise. It reassures them that you know how to provide results. 

If you plan to work for a coaching company, this employer may require certification to apply. Thus, earning your certification ensures that you meet their minimum requirements. (Always check with them first to learn whether they want certification from a specific agency. This keeps you from completing a course only to learn that it wasn’t the right one.)

Other tips for finding the right coach training for you include:

• Choosing a nationally recognized coaching program so your certification is honored and respected

• Reviewing the course syllabus to ensure that it teaches the information you want and need to be a successful wellness coach

• Checking payment options so the training fits into your budget

• Considering how the course is offered, such as online courses providing maximum convenience

The more research you do upfront, the happier you will likely be with the coach training you choose. 

Or maybe you’re more interested in becoming a Certified Health Coach instead. ISSA’s health coach training teaches fitness professionals how to promote positive behavior change in clients with unique health conditions. This helps them better reach their health goals.

References

1. What is Wellness? Global Wellness Institute. (2022). Retrieved 13 April 2022, from https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/what-is-wellness/

2. Health and Wellness coach salary. Salary.com. (2023, January 26). Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://www.salary.com/research/salary/posting/health-and-wellness-coach-salary

3. Remote Health and Wellness Coach Salary. ZipRecruiter. (2023, February 16). Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Remote-Health-And-Wellness-Coach-Salary