W.H.Y. Coaching

Sometimes it’s helpful to get a little bit of background on a coach before making a bigger commitment, so I’d love to share some of my journey to becoming a Master’s trained, Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

I grew up in a home that stressed the importance of health. My dad is a family practice M.D., and spoken and unspoken rules of the house included the following:

-One dessert per day (a dessert tended to have broad implications, as even a fun-sized candy bar would count!)
-30 minutes of fun time on the TV or computer
-Getting outside for some sort of activity
-Always going to the bathroom, washing our hands, and getting a glass of water whenever we would come home.

While we believed in modern medicine, if we weren’t feeling well, we were told to make sure we’d had a normal bowel movement, had drank plenty of water, and had moved for at least 15 minutes that day. If so, then we could take further steps.

And this was my childhood. It fostered a healthy relationship where I trusted medicine, but knew there were steps I could take towards preventative health. We were encouraged to take care of ourselves holistically. I loved it and wanted to share this knowledge with others, but also knew I did not want to pursue medicine like my dad. Still not sure what I was doing, I thought an undergrad in Biology would at least point me in the right direction. Taking classes like Microbiology and Cell Biology were fascinating, but it was all at the microscopic and more scientific level. While these were great classes, I wanted something more accessible to people who just wanted to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.

My senior year of college, my professor and mentor helped me set up an independent study where I would actually be coaching a client (who was my very obliging fiancé!). I loved getting to try different methods of coaching, figuring out what did and didn’t work for my “client,” and digging deep into his motivations. But, again, my fear was that this was as far as it would go.

I graduated and began life post-college, without the intention of pursuing any higher education. However, my previous professor and mentor met me for lunch one day and really pushed me to look into what evidence-based coaching programs were out there. I took the plunge, and ended up finding the Integrative Health & Wellness program at Creighton University. The biggest plus was the Creighton is part of the National Board of Health & Wellness Coaching accredited programs. So after I completed my Master’s, I could sit for the National Board Exam.

Long story short, this was one of the best decisions of my life. I found a program that stressed evidence-based, client-centered coaching. It allowed me to dive into mindfulness, different stages of motivation, and put to words what I had been longing to express for so long.

It’s been a little over a year and a half since graduation, and a year since I took my board exam. I’m grateful to be part of an accreditation program where I have to be learning continually–both for my sake and my clients’! Check out nbhwc.org to learn more about this amazing organization.

What’s your W.H.Y. for what you do? And how are you growing in that area?