Health Coach: How to Become One & My Journey

My Journey to Become a Health Coach

Let’s start from the beginning. I’ve always been passionate about health and wellness, as I was influenced by my mom who was always health conscious growing up. However, I didn’t always have the healthiest relationship with my overall health and wellness – that I know for sure. 

However, and especially through my journey with IIN, I’ve learned to Puembrace the parts of my story that scare me the most. Putting our struggles out into the world make us human, & allows for growth to happen. As I was going through IIN, I looked back at what my narrative and my story that I’ve lived by has been throughout my life.

For me, I’ve ALWAYS been a people pleaser, cared what other people think & wanted to be liked. I used to associate being the “fun one” (aka drink WAY too much) & being “skinny” with being liked. Which obviously in college lead me to gain the dreaded freshman 15 or for me 20-25? I then turned to the most ridiculous things such as the Special K Diet and simply not eating enough to the point where I would get light headed when I would stand up and I worked out obsessively. This all stemmed back to grade school where I was ‘chubby’ and a ‘loser,’ and where I learned and believed this narrative to be true.

I’m grateful to have SUCH a different mindset on life and my overall health now. I know that being “skinny” has ZERO to do with the type of person you are & skinny DOESN’T matter, health does. The second that I started only worrying about pleasing myself & what will serve me in my journey is the second I was the happiest. Now was there a single moment where I had this revelation? Not necessarily. It came gradually with age, maturity and learning how to love my body vs. hating it and wanting to change it. That’s where I saw the biggest transformation in not only my body, but in my overall happiness as well.

I truly believe that you need to say NO when something doesn’t serve you, get in touch with yourself, know what your needs/wants are, & don’t compromise that. Be your own BFF & cheerleader. You CANNOT look to external forces to make you whole, you have to be whole on your own & love yourself. I met the love of my life when I was living exactly this way, on my terms, confident & needing zero external validation. I didn’t NEED his validation, I WANTED his partnership. He never gives ONE SHIT what anybody thinks, he’s fearless and I’m grateful for him encouraging me to be the same every single day.

Said partner (hi, nick) is also the person who encouraged me to start this platform and my blog, PurelyPope. He saw that everyone close to me was always asking me for recipes, workout advice, etc. and he pushed me to feel my fear of starting a blog and go with it. What led me to IIN eventually was the yearning desire to add more validity behind the message I was sharing with my community. I also wanted to have the training to help women, especially young women get into this same mindset that I’ve been able to develop over the years of leading from a place of love with your health.

Health Coach FAQ

Some of the top functional medical professionals in the world have called health coaches the FUTURE of medicine, including Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Weil. You get a chance to learn from them directly throughout the IIN curriculum.

• What is a health coach?
  • A Health Coach is a wellness professional who assists their clients in not only setting goals, but achieving them and by doing so helping them be the healthiest version of themselves. Whether that’s gaining more energy, stress management, weight loss, food relationships, etc.
  • A doctor may prescribe more vegetables, but then your health coach is there to assist you to implement that into your daily life and hold you accountable. Health coaches take a holistic approach to wellness by looking at not only what you eat, but all other areas of your life as well, such as sleep, spirituality, career, relationships and more. 
  • As mentioned, health coaches are the future of healthcare. They don’t replace your doctor, but rather add to the team. Health coaches can work alongside doctors, therapists, chiropractors, etc. and help to fill to void that doctors don’t have the time to fill by providing both nutrition and lifestyle coaching & guidance. 
• What do health coaches do? How do you monetize?
  • The possibilities are endless! Health coaches are in high demand and it’s one of the fastest growing fields – and NO that does not mean that it’s too ‘saturated’ – everyone may have the same message, but we all have different modes of delivery. 
  • Health coaches can work 1×1 with clients, in group settings, offer online courses, write/publish books and ebooks, develop health food products and consumer goods, work as consultants for spas, restaurants, schools, work alongside a doctor on their team, etc. I told you – possibilities are ENDLESS! You can monetize via ALL of these outlets. 
• Where did you go to school?
  • I went to the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, a global online school that has trained over 100,000 students and graduates in over 155 countries!
• Why did you choose IIN?
  • IIN Created Health Coaching. and thus has been the longest running institution for health coach training. 
  • Bio-Individuality. IIN approaches health and wellness in a very non-judgmental way. They preach that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to health. What works for one person may not work for all, and I love this – we’re all unique and we should be treated as such!
  • You learn from the best of the best. Some of my teachers included Dr. Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Gabby Bernstein – ever heard of them?! LOL. You learn from over 85 experts throughout the course in fields ranging from functional medicine to coaching to business. 
  • The alumni! I look up to SO MANY of IIN’s graduates, and I’m honored to have gone through the same training as them. Some of them include the founders of Sakara, Melissa Wood, the founder of Purely Elizabeth and more. All women that inspire me greatly!
• How long is the program at IIN? What is the structure?
  • You can choose between a 6-month accelerated program or the 1-year program. I opted for the 1-year as I had a full-time job while completing the program. I typically spent 5-8 hours a week on the school work.
  • Throughout the program, you will go through 40 modules that are released on a weekly basis and it’s a go at your own pace system. All of the content is online and you learn through a combination of video lectures, reading materials, assignments, quizzes and tests. 
• What will I learn at IIN?
  • You will learn everything you need to know to become a successful health coach! That includes three main pillars: Nutrition, Coaching and Business. As mentioned, there are 40 modules throughout the program, each of which focuses on different areas of health and is led by experts in a variety of topics including finance, coaching, marketing, dietary theories, mindset and more. Check out the curriculum guide here.
• What is a sample class like at IIN?
  • Love that you ask! You can actually take a FREE sample class here. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!
• Online classes scare me. Is there a sense of community? 
  • Even though the classes are online, there is a huge sense of community with IIN. Graduates of the program will speak to you and give you guidance with open arms – it’s such a collaborative network and community to be a part of.
  • During the program, you’re put in a private Facebook group with your graduating class, which is great to connect. Additionally, you’re connected with a ‘coaching circle’ of fellow students led by an IIN graduate towards the end of the program. It’s great to connect live with these people over the phone and practice coaching scenarios and connect.
• Is IIN a reputable school? 
  • Yes! IIN is a licensed vocational school. Their curriculum is reviewed regularly by the New York State Department of education and held to their standards. This means that the content is constantly being reviewed to ensure you’re consuming the most up to date and accurate information.
  • IIN has also partnered with multiple U.S. and international academic institutions you decide to pursue further education. The IIN Certificate is eligible for up to 40 credits towards a bachelor, master or doctorate degree a variety of institutions. 
• What does IIN tuition cost?
  • Tuition varies, however, by applying with an IIN graduate referral, you get a friends and family discount 🙂 of $2,000 off tuition when paying in full or $1,000 off with a payment plan. 
• Why should I become a health coach?
  • You should become a health coach if:
    1. You want to turn your passion into a full-time career, that doesn’t feel like ‘work.’
    2. You want to have independence, create your own schedule, be your own boss and have unparalleled flexibility. 
    3. You want financial freedom and to make a generous income doing what you LOVE!
    4. You want to make a lasting impact on the world by inspiring others by spreading health, love and light!
    5. You want to wake up and feel GOOD about the work that you’re doing. 

My Life as a Health Coach

As I’m writing this, I’m smiling ear to ear because I just can’t believe that I am a full time health coach!! I recently graduated (in January 2020) and embarked on taking this full time in March 2020. I lost my job due to COVID-19, but I’m a big believer in ‘everything happens for a reason,’ and I couldn’t be happier to be in this position now. More on channeling that perspective here. 

I’m still working on building it up, but since launching I’ve been able to speak with over 50+ women and help them implement positive changes and habits into their lifestyle. I’m working on my first ever full e-book and I cannot wait to continue to build and encourage women to be the best version of themselves!

Seal the Deal!

Now I know we covered A LOT in this post, but if you have any further questions at all, feel free to reach out and shoot me an email. I’m happy to speak with you personally if you would like to get more info on IIN. If you didn’t catch my drift already, I’m obsessed with IIN and it truly changed my life for the better. If you’re ready to make the leap, click the photo below and apply!

PS: By applying through my link, you’ll get $2,000 off tuition when you pay in full or $1,000 off when you choose one of the IIN payment plans!

xoxo!Alysia (Purely) Pope