When you are training to be a coach you are told you need to have a “niche” or understand what you’re “passionate about” and focus on that. Many coaches struggle with this because we want to help everyone and don’t want to turn anyone away. I am sure my point of view or focus will evolve over time, but it did get me thinking in a broader sense.

What are some of my core beliefs as a coach?

What is my approach?

When you work with me what can you expect?

Every coach has a different style – some will be a great fit for you and some are not going to build that rapport with you that you need and deserve.

So I am going to give you a little peek under my hood and verbalize what my style is….

I am practical

For many years I have tried to balance work/home life and truth be told I am STILL working on it. Some programs may expect you to make massive changes on DAY 1. And sometimes people are ready for that amount of change, which of course I would support. However, it’s more likely that between family, health issues, the house etc, etc you need to make changes a bit more slowly. Additionally, you have to do it in a way that allows you to still function in your day-to-day life. And I get that sometimes you have to make economical decisions of when you can afford to try or do something new. This leads me to my next point…..

I believe simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact

It’s not as sexy as handing you a blue pill that will magically change your life, but the truth is that simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact on your health. Currently, in our society people have been taught that we should be able to take a pill and that will fix everything and not have to change some of our lifestyle choices.

Give me that statin so I can continue to eat at McDonald’s everyday. YIKES!

How is that working for you? Ever watch the myriad of prescription drug commercials and notice the list of side effects are longer than the benefits?

In reality, what you eat, how your sleep, where you live/work and your social interactions have the biggest impact on your health. You can make simple changes to all of these that make a positive impact and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

I believe you are unique

Just as I mentioned that while not every coach will be a fit for you - not every change you make is going to work. Every person is unique and their body chemistry, genes and physiology is distinctive to them. My suggestion is to look at this as an experiment. We might try something that may work for many people, but not for you. In that case, it’s not a failure, but rather more data about you and your body. There is always something else to try.

I want you to be empowered and accept responsibility

It’s time to take back your own health. In this day and age, I don’t believe you should hand over your health to a doctor who may only see you for 15 minutes. He really doesn’t know you and your uniqueness. Instead, help your doctor to help you. Become educated – there are so many books and websites that can supply helpful information. If a doctor has told you something that doesn’t ring true for you, go and look it up. Don’t follow blindly. Trust, but verify. Are you on information overload? Health coaches can work with you to weed through all of the information and find the material that is most specific to your situation.

“When the student is ready – the teacher will appear” - Theosophists

But most of all to work with me as your coach, I need you to want to be your own advocate and be in the game with me.

I don’t accept the standard premise of aging

How often have you heard....

“..for a woman your age you are doing well…” or “this is just what happens as you get older. What can you do?” UGH!

It sounds defeatist to me. I am not sitting back and waiting for the grim reaper and neither should you.

I adhere more to the “add more life to your years than years to your life” philosophy. The truth is while there are far more toxins, additives, processed food and pollution we have to contend with – there is also much more science and resources to help you age better. There are quite a bit of new discoveries being made right now and the sooner you implement some of these strategies the better you will age.

I like to follow-through

I try to be the type of person that does what they say they are going to do. As a coach, I will be right there for you and you will have my full support. Part of my job as your coach is to write up the goals we co-create together and help you to fit them into your life. By me following through and creating accountability, it helps you to stay on track and make progress.

I want you to be willing to have new experiences

Part of the fun we can have (yes I said FUN) is that you can try something new that you may not have considered or (gulp) may be out of your comfort zone.

For instance:

You used to have a lot fun in dance class – what if you tried again?
Want more social interaction – try a class of some sort
Always wanted to try a Spartan race –let’s try and get you ready for that
Nervous to give that presentation? How can we prepare you?
What if you tried those new blue blocker glasses at night. Would you sleep better?
Want to eat better, but don’t know how to cook? Invite friends over to teach you and make it a fun social event.

You never know where one experience will lead you – sometimes new doors open that you never even knew existed. You may discover new parts of yourself, see old parts in a new way, or find goals adjusting themselves to who you really are.

I believe the body is amazing at healing itself

In the U.S. especially, we try to subvert the body’s natural healing mechanisms with prescription drugs and other procedures. And then we wonder why we not getting better or experiencing side effects. You can NEVER fool your body – Mother Nature always knows.

Of course there is a time and a place for medications and western medicine is really good in emergencies and surgical repairs. However, many times if you discover what your body needs and you supply it – then you just need to get out of the way and let it do its thing. Again, most of the time means that you need to make some sort of lifestyle change, but the rewards can be startling.

I am part of your support system

As you are coached, you may start to change how you see the world, what you consider to be important, what actions you take and how you relate to people. Those around you can find this unsettling and even threatening – and may as a result try to “pull you back into line”.

“One more candy bar isn’t going to hurt you!”

As your coach, you will know that I am always here for you and I am your advocate. One of the perks of having me as a coach is that I don’t come in with any preconceived notions of what is right for you and I don’t have a hidden agenda.

I believe there is always hope

No matter your situation, whether you have cancer, alzheimer’s or just leaky gut, there is always something that can be done or tried. You may think you have tried everything, but may have never addressed the root cause of your illness. That can sometimes be hard to detect on your own especially when you don’t feel well. Either working in conjunction with your doctor or just one-on-one we can explore where the illness is coming from and work together to rebuild your health. We have all heard stories of people making miraculous discoveries – why can’t you be one of them?

I feel lucky and honored that I get to work with people and help them improve their wellness by changing parts of their lifestyle. I understand it’s a process for people that often requires changes to their current habits and that isn’t always easy. If you haven’t yet been successful in making your desired changes, consider getting a health coach. It can make a huge difference in your success.

If you like what you have read and want to learn more, click here for a free 15 minute consult. Or got to my Facebook Page: Chameleon Wellness and like the page so you can continue to get updated on health information.

My Coach Approach