Health coaching

Do you want some change?

We’re all human beings. We realise that change is sometimes necessary. But it can be hard to change. It can be scary, challenging, frustrating and seemingly impossible. It can also be adventurous, insightful and fun!

You are probably familiar with feeling stuck. You want progress but feel like running around in circles. Maybe you’re not even starting to do anything, productive or not.

No time. No money. No help. No energy. No headspace. No hope. No motivation.

Everything would be just fine, if you didn’t think a change is necessary. If only there were no reasons to change and no bad consiousness. No dreams of a life in happiness and ease.

From my own experience I know that even the best reasons, reasons like strong pain, long-term health consequences or even the wellbeing of my own child are sometimes not enough to change a habit or behaviour. It’s not laziness, lack of motivation, being a bad person or a loser. There is much more to it.

Health coaching offers a way out of the loop of dreaming, trying, getting frustrated, intimidated or resentful… and spiral down this pathway. Instead, let’s spiral up again!

Why „health“?

„What topics do you coach?“, I get asked a lot by interested people. While, for me, coaching is more about the HOW, and less about the WHAT, I do call myself „health coach“. So, quite obvious topics that come up in a health coaching session are nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, dealing with pain or an chronic illness, following a health care provider’s prescription, finding the right therapist or therapy, and the like.

But health is more than the opposite of disease and pain.

A healthy person is one who can live fully his unavowed dreams.

Moshé Feldenkrais

What do you need to be healthy in a broader sense? To feel alive, capable and content?

Maybe a new hobby? Social connection? Feeling worthy and having a purpose? Less financial worries? More fun and play? More connection to nature? Acceptance or being more present in your life?

Health coaching can be about all that, too.

What is a health coach doing?

„So, if I want to lose weight, you’ll write me a diet plan and check, if I follow through?“

No. But it could look like this:

I listen to you telling me, what losing weight means to you, what experiences you have dieting or trying to lose weight. You create a vision with me of who and how you want to be. We find out, if losing weight will get you what you really want. And if you think it does, you define a specific, reasonable weight loss goal.

Depending on your condition and situation I talk to you about whether a referral, a collaboration or a check-in with a health care provider would be appropriate. If it is, I offer assistance with finding the care that serves you and your ideas.

In case a lack of information is what is holding you back (it rarely is), I’ll share some well-selected knowledge on nutrition with you. Always with your permission and feedback and only in a helpful way.

In regular sessions I guide you finding motivation, learning from past experiences, seeing your strengths, taking on an optimistic view, gaining confidence and creating tiny little action steps towards your goal. The time between our sessions will be as important as the sessions themselves.

We’ll find out what could hold you accountable without you having to rely on me as the coach. Maybe you want to continue coaching for a while, maybe you don’t need me anymore and want to tackle your next goals without me.

You already have what you need, and together we will find it.

William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick

In a nutshell: As a health coach, I

• facilitate self-learning, growth, change and progress,
• listen without judgement,
• refer to or collaborate with health care providers and help clients preparing for an appointment,
• share information in a helpful way and within my scope of practice.

„Couldn’t I just talk to a friend instead of a coach?“

Undoubtedly, friends are important and can be priceless to rely on. Maybe a friend has got really good coaching skills, or don’t need coaching skills to be supportive.

As a professional coach I leave myself out of the conversation. YOU are the centre of attention. I have good listening skills and I’m present with you. I communicate in a way that facilitates learning, progress and optimism for you. My expertise is communication, behaviour change, goal setting, positive psychology and the like. I am also bound to a code of ethics.

As HEALTH coach, I’m also able to understand your health issues, to spot red flags, to recognise and keep my scope of practice and to provide information in a way that is serving you.