Health Coach

A health coach, also referred to as a health and wellness coach or holistic health coach, is a professional who helps individuals achieve their personal health-related goals.

In some cases, a client’s goal is to get healthier by adopting better health management strategies. For instance, the health coach may help a client eat a more nutritious diet, reduce stress, or develop better sleep routines.

In other cases, the goal is to eliminate unhealthy behaviors. For instance, a health coach can work with the client to help them give up smoking, curb a food addiction, or leave a toxic job. Health coaches often deal with a complex set of issues, so their job often encompasses the territories of nutrition coaching and fitness coaching.

What does a health coach do?

A health coach provides people with the guidance, encouragement, and accountability they need to make positive changes to their lifestyle. As a health and wellness coach, you’ll use coaching strategies to help your clients improve their diet, fitness, and emotional or psychological wellness.

Below are examples of a few typical tasks and duties of a health coach:

• Consulting with clients to understand their goals
• Goal setting and tracking
• Providing basic wellness education
• Referring clients to medical professionals as needed
• Providing emotional support and encouragement
• Using regular communication to ensure client accountability
• Skills training

This is a collaborative process whereby the client discusses their issues and goals. As the coach, you then craft a long-term plan that will not only enable the client to change their behaviors but also empower them to adopt healthier practices on their own in the future.

While health coaches often provide one-on-one support, they can also provide coaching to groups. They may work with clients in person or work from home as an online health coach.

What a health coach doesn’t do

Health coaching is a sensitive field, and it’s just as important to understand what you shouldn’t do as a health coach as it is to understand what the job does involve. If you overstep or provide the wrong type of service or advice, you could find yourself in hot water.

Here are examples of things you generally can’t do as a health coach:

• Diagnose medical conditions
• Treat diseases or major health issues
• Tell clients what to eat

As a health coach, you’ll only be qualified to provide guidance to healthy individuals. Although health and wellness coaching isn’t regulated by the government, there are strict laws and regulations dictating who can work in health care fields.

In other words, if you’re not appropriately registered or licensed to provide medical care, you’re not allowed to provide services or give advice that could be construed as medical care—even if you meant well or didn’t realize you were straying beyond the realm of health coaching.

Because health coaching isn’t a regulated field, there are no legal requirements for health coach education or certification. Technically, anyone can call themselves a health coach, even if they have no experience or qualifications. However, that doesn’t mean you should.

It’s widely considered unethical to provide health coaching services without proper education and training. Besides, formal education and certification can improve your employability and earning potential as well as ensure you have the skills you need to be a great health coach.

College degree

There are no strict health coach education requirements, and it is entirely possible to become a health and wellness coach without a degree. With that said, many professional health coaches have at least an associate’s degree or higher level of education in nutrition or a related field.

If you don’t have a degree, don’t worry. You can still become a fully qualified health coach through other means—though you will need to make up for your lack of formal education. For example, to get board certified, you need to have at least a 2-year degree or an equivalent amount of related work experience, meaning you may be able to bypass the educational requirement.

Specialized health coach training

A college degree is a stepping stone to certification, but it focuses more on the academic elements, like the science of nutrition. To be a great health coach, you need more than that—you also need to acquire specific coaching knowledge and skills.

Targeted health coach training is the only way to truly prepare yourself for this field. It’s also a requirement if you want to get certified.

A health coach training program will educate you on the following specialized subjects:

• Mindfulness
• Motivational interviewing
• Positive psychology
• Behavioral change theories
• Coaching strategies
• Client–coach partnerships
• Health goal identification
• Plan development
• Ethics and legalities of health coaching

Practical skills training is also part of each program, giving you a chance to learn and demonstrate the hands-on skills you’ll be using while working as a wellness coach.

Health coach board certification

Getting certified isn’t technically required, but it is something you need to do if you want to be considered a legit and reputable health coach. The best health coach certification is arguably the National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) credential awarded by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).

The NBHWC is an organization that issues certificates to health coaches and various specialists. They work closely with the providers of health and wellness coaching programs to establish a unified standard for how health and wellness coaches are trained.

To be clear, the NBHWC don’t offer their own training health coach courses. Instead, you need to sign up with an approved NBHWC partner. Once you complete an accredited health coach certification program, you’ll have to take the National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) board exam to get your certification.

Here is an overview of NBHWC certification requirements:

• Education: Associates degree or higher education OR 4,000 hours of work experience.
• Health coach training: Completion of an approved health coach training program.
• Experience: 50 health coaching sessions.

Getting NBHWC certified can take several months or even over a year, and you can expect it to cost you around $2,000 or more overall.

Coaching skills

As a health coach, you need to be able to build a trusting and supportive relationship with your clients. In addition to the job-specific technical skills you’ll learn in school and in your health coach program, you’ll also need these soft skills:

• Emotional intelligence
• Compassion
• Good communication
• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Client management
• Goal management
• Conflict resolution

These skills will help you establish a good balance between being an empathetic and trustworthy guide and being a leader capable of creating an effective and inspiring action plan.

Liability insurance

Like the case with many of the other requirements for health coaches, getting insurance isn’t a legal requirement. However, it’s absolutely essential for all practicing health coaches. Without insurance, you’ll be putting yourself at great financial risk.

Getting insured is particularly important if you don’t have a medical license. Unfortunately, there is a risk of lawsuits if you accidentally cross the line between health coaching and medical care. Health coach insurance will help keep you covered in the event you ever face claims or lawsuits related to bodily harm or medical costs.

Becoming a certified health coach may seem daunting because of all the requirements involved, but thankfully it’s a pretty simple process. Below are the steps you’ll need to take to get certified as a health coach.

1. Get a degree (or relevant work experience)

To be eligible to sit the NBC-HWC exam, you need to have an associate’s degree or higher level education or 4,000 hours of work experience. The NBHWC doesn’t specify what subject your degree needs to be in.

If you’re going the alternate route of getting certified as a health coach without a degree, then you’ll need to fill out a form providing details about your work experience. The NBHWC doesn’t specify what counts as suitable work experience, and it seems that they evaluate eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

2. Complete an approved health coach training program

To get certified as a health coach, you’ll need to undergo some type of formal training or education. It’s up to you whether you choose to get a degree in a related field or opt for the quicker and more targeted route of enrolling in a specialized health coach training program.

To qualify for certification, you’ll need to get your degree or training from an approved institution. As long as you pick from the NBHWC’s list of approved training programs, you can’t go wrong.

Here are some popular examples of places to get health coach training:

• Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN)
• Wellcoaches
• American Council on Exercise (ACE)

Some training programs offer in-person education, but you can also get your health coach certification online by enrolling in a virtual health coaching program. Getting trained can take anywhere from a few months to more than 1 year to complete. The cost of these programs also varies, but you can expect to pay somewhere in the range of $2,000–$10,000.

3. Gain health coaching experience

Health coach certification is useful for acquiring the knowledge needed to become an adept health coach. However, it can’t replace real world experience.

With NBHWC certification, real world experience is required before you can even register for the exam. Specifically, you need to do at least 50 sessions of health coaching.

For a coaching session to qualify, it must meet the following criteria:

• Occurs after you pass a practical skills assessment within an approved training program
• Is at least 20 minutes long
• Consists of at least 75% coaching facilitation, not education
• Is not with friends, family, or current classmates

Some training programs include a practical, hands-on component where you get to put your skills to the test. But if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to get that experience before you can apply to take the exam for board certification.

One way to do this is to find a health coach mentor. You could also intern for a health coach or start offering your own health coaching services at a discounted rate.

4. Pass a certification exam

The last step is to take the NBC-HWC exam. It’s best not to wait too long—you’ll have a limited time frame to sign up for the exam and pass it. The institution where you completed your health coach training should specify how long you’ll have to take the exam.

In terms of what you can expect, the exam is 4.5 hours long and consists of the following components:

• 15-minute tutorial
• 150 multiple-choice questions
• 2 sections, (1 hour and 52 minutes each)
• Break of up to 15 minutes between test sections
• 15-minute post-test survey

The exam will cover topics related to coaching fundamentals, health and wellness, and the ethical and legal implications of health coaching.

The NBHWC requires recertification as well. You won’t have to take the exam again. Instead, you’ll need to complete 36 continuing education units within 3 years. In addition, you’ll have to pay $75 every year to renew your certificate.

You’ll find health coach jobs available in a variety of settings. Here are just a few examples:

• Fitness centers
• YMCAs
• Educational facilities
• Hospitals and health clinics
• Veterans affairs facilities
• Corporate wellness companies

Some health coaches also open their own private practices, offering services to people in their community. Others work virtually, providing services to clients nationwide.

What you do in your role as a health coach will vary depending on the environment you work in. For instance, a client who’s receiving health coaching as a complimentary benefit at their place of employment may have different health goals from a client found at a gym who’s aiming to make major lifestyle changes.

The best place for you to work as a health coach depends on your training, your professional background, and what interests you. When choosing a certification program, this is something to keep in mind since there are different kinds of health coaching certifications that will enable you to work in specific environments.

Health coaching is a great side hustle for nutritionists and other qualified medical professionals. However, if you don’t already have a degree or relevant work experience, it’ll take a lot of time and money to get properly qualified. In this sense, it’s not a practical side hustle for people who are looking for a quick way to start making lots of money.

While there’s technically nothing stopping you from starting a health coach side hustle today with no degree, training, or health coaching certification, there are major risks and ethical issues associated with doing so. You could unintentionally cause harm to your clients and put yourself at risk of lawsuits.

With that said, if you’re passionate about improving the health of others, then becoming a wellness coach could be well worth the effort. It’s a line of work that offers plenty of flexibility to work independently, making it a great option if you’re interested in pursuing a full-time career where you’re working for yourself on your own terms.

Plus, it offers a ton of opportunities for growth and advancement. You’ll also get a chance to work in a variety of environments, which will make the work both exciting and challenging.

That said, health coaches don’t make a ton of money. And with all the time and money it takes to become a health and wellness coach in the first place, you’ll need to decide whether it’s worth the commitment and costs.

How much do health coaches make?

Health coaches typically bill clients weekly or monthly rather than hourly because of the multifaceted nature of the role, and many charge somewhere in the range of $50–$300 per month for each client. Online estimates for average health and wellness coach salaries in the United States generally fall in the range of $50,000–$80,000 per year.

How much you earn as a health coach depends on a range of factors, including how many clients you have, the scope of services you’re providing, the coaching format (e.g., in person or online) and where your clients are located.

How much does it cost to become a health coach?

The upfront costs for becoming a health coach are relatively high. The table below shows a breakdown of how much it typically costs to become a certified wellness coach.

NBHWC Health Coach Certification Cost

How long does it take to become a health coach?

The amount of time it takes to become a health coach varies from person to person. If you don’t have any prerequisites to fulfill, then it’ll be whatever time is needed to complete your health coach training program. Many health coaching programs take up to a year to complete.

Getting certified takes a little longer since you’ll have to complete 50 health coaching sessions and then take the NBHWC exam. This requirement alone can take up to a year or so to meet. All in all, this adds up to at least 1–2 years.

Alternative side hustles to health coaching

For some people, a health coaching side hustle is too costly or time-consuming to start up. If you want a simpler and lower-risk side hustle, here are some good options to try:

• Personal trainer: Get a personal training certification and help clients achieve their fitness goals.
• Life coach: Offer clients more general coaching to help them navigate broader life challenges.
• Content creator: Start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast about health and wellness.
• Influencer: Post on social media about your own health and wellness journey, then partner with brands to earn money by promoting products to your followers.

Most of these other side hustles offer a quicker and cheaper way to start earning money in the health and wellness space.