Posts by Michelle
How I became a health coach
In my 20s and 30s I completed two university degrees and in 1995 joined the corporate world of Public Relations. I had a series of progressively increasing roles over the next 10 years and ended up in a management position, overseeing a corporate communications team for a government agency. I had a good salary, great…
Read MoreHow to bring focus to your health coaching sessions
Ever feel like your coaching sessions have no focus? You chat about a variety of things, but there’s no real specific outcome. You leave the session wondering if your client really got what they needed. This week as I listened in to some buddy coaching sessions, I noticed that many new coaches don’t take time to set…
Read MoreHow I got my first few health coaching clients
I get asked a lot about how I got started as a health coach. And as a new health coach you are probably wondering about how to get those first few clients and how to market yourself. And while marketing is not my area of expertise, it’s sometimes valuable to hear what others have done.…
Read MoreWhy I don’t do Health Histories and what to do instead
As a health coach you may have been taught to do a free health history consult as a way to get to know a potential client. This technique is taught by many health coach training programs. On the surface it seems like a good idea. Get to know your client, open up the conversation around their health and well-being, figure out…
Read More5 ways to interrupt a talkative health coaching client
This week I had a mentoring call with one of the students in my Health Coaching Essentials Course and she was wondering how to interrupt a talkative client. I’ve definitely had this experience with clients who go on and on and on and you can barely get a word in. Sometimes they get lost in stories, share the play-by-play…
Read More5 step health coaching framework
One of the biggest challenges new health coaches face is knowing what to do during coaching sessions – they don’t have a roadmap to follow. In this tutorial, I share the 5 essential ingredients of an effective coaching process so you know exactly what to do every step along the way. This is the process…
Read MoreHow to coach clients with health challenges
Have you ever had a client who has a complex medical history? Are you worried about what to do in these situations? Wonder if it’s in your scope of practice to coach someone with a serious medical condition or health challenge? In this tutorial I cover all of this, share the coach approach and give…
Read MoreHow to handle feelings and emotions with your health coaching clients
I’ve been wanting to discuss this topic for awhile. This week I had the pleasure of listening to a talk from a coaching master and loved his approach to dealing with emotions in coaching. This can be a scary one for new health coaches. What if my client gets upset and cries? Do I talk about emotions and feelings or is…
Read MoreHow to ask clear & focussed questions
In listening to new health coaches practice their skills, I notice a common trap is to ask very wordy, unclear, leading and stacked questions. I wholeheartedly admit I am guilty of this and it’s an area I’m constantly working on. If you notice that you ramble on, ask multiple questions in one or find…
Read MoreWhat if your client doesn’t get the medical help they need?
Have you ever had a client who you suspect needs some medical help/advice/tests? Or wonder what to do when a client demonstrates serious symptoms and does nothing about it? A health coach wrote to me about this scenario and it’s a good one to discuss as we’ll all likely encounter this at some point. She…
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