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40+ Ways To Use A Health Coach Certification, From The Traditional To The Unexpected

Author:

Emma Barker

April 10, 2023

mbg Marketing Associate

By Emma Barker

mbg Marketing Associate

Emma Barker is a Marketing Associate at mindbodygreen. She attended Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business where she worked part-time as the Affiliate and Talent intern at mindbodygreen prior to joining full time after graduation. She currently lives in Connecticut.

Image by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy

April 10, 2023

There are many professional opportunities available for people with a passion for nutrition, health, and well-being. If you have the desire to launch a career in the well-being industry, you've likely heard of health coaching.

Over the last few years, there has been an increased demand for qualified health coaches. As the number of people suffering from chronic disease continues to rise, we've seen a shift toward a more holistic approach to health care.

Health Coach Certification

In conversation with mindbodygreen co-founder Jason Wachob, clinical nutritionist & mbg class instructor Kelly LeVeque said, "There is a big enough demand that now insurance companies are looking to reimburse health coaches for their services and doctors offices, like functional M.D.s, are hiring health coaches."

If you are interested in health coaching, we recommend enrolling in a National Board for Health & Wellness (NBHWC)–approved training program (like mindbodygreen's). The NBHWC is a nationally recognized organization that has become the gold standard in the health coaching industry and operates to ensure that professionals within this field are qualified and up to date on best practices. The NBHWC offers health coaches the opportunity to sit for an exam and earn the National Board Certification credential, NBC-HWC.

Once you're certified, there is a wide range of career paths available for health coaches. We've rounded up a list of 40+ options to give you a sense of the (pretty much endless) professional possibilities:

Launch your own health coaching business. Host group coaching sessions or work one-on-one with clients.
Work in a hospital. Encourage and support patients in achieving self-determined health and well-being goals.
Work for a functional medicine practice. Works among a staff of medical doctors looking to recommend health coaches to support their patients.
Work for a telehealth functional medicine practice like Parsley Health. (Psst...mbg class instructor Will Cole, D.C., also hires health coaches at his Functional Medicine Telehealth Center.)
Work in corporate wellness. As health care costs rise each year, large companies are looking to create corporate health coaching and wellness programs for their employees.
Work on a functional care team. Work alongside functional M.D.s, fitness trainers, and health coaches to provide holistic care to clients managing chronic conditions.
Work in schools, colleges, or universities to help students make healthier lifestyle choices.
Work in a rehabilitation center or an addiction facility. Act as a mentor or accountability partner for someone who is recovering from addiction.
Work for a wellness resort or at a wellness retreat. Connect with guests and help them establish set health and well-being goals.
Work in a health spa.
Work for a licensed physical therapist. Provide personalized health coaching services for clients looking to achieve optimal health and feel their best.
Are you a registered dietitian? While you're already an expert in the health sciences field, a health coaching certification would allow you to build expertise in behavior change principles.
Work for a health care/insurance company.
Work for a naturopathic doctor, offering clients health coaching services.
Are you a certified personal trainer? Broaden your scope of practice and current expertise by offering health coaching services.
Certified yoga instructor? Complement your yoga practice with a health coaching consultancy.
Build a remote health coaching practice and guide clients around the country virtually.
Do you work in the culinary industry? Build on your passion for cooking, food, and nutrition.
Work in corporate HR to help others improve not only their professional lives but also their personal health and well-being.
Work for a semi- or professional sports team. Help athletes manage their health and well-being.
Work in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Are you an acupuncturist? Combine health coaching with ancient Chinese philosophy.
Are you a reiki master? Go beyond energy healing and help clients set self-determined well-being goals to achieve their greatest level of health.
Massage therapist? Help clients reduce stress and release pain with both massage therapy and health coaching practices.
Contribute to or write articles for an online health and wellness publication.
Host live events at your local gym or fitness studios.
Speak at conferences or workshops.
Start a motivational speaker series to offer insights into goal-setting, resilience, and more.
Are you a mental health counselor or therapist? A health coaching career could offer you more freedom and flexibility and could allow you to take a more holistic approach to mental health.
Are you a social worker? Broaden your scope of practice and assist clients in setting self-determined goals.
Are you a chiropractor? Offer your clients chiropractic health coaching.
Are you a nurse? Build on your current skillset and become a Nurse Health Coach.
Are you a Pilates instructor? Go beyond movement practices to help clients achieve optimal health.
Work for a health coaching app such as YourCoach, SimplePractice, PracticeBetter, Quenza, and more.
Write an e-book.
Create an online course to help people implement healthy habits and behaviors.
Start a social media group to connect with people, share information, and offer your coaching services to potential clients.
Volunteer in communities with limited health and welfare resources to help people build and implement healthy habits.
Become a community health worker. Reach out and engage with members of your community to help them gain access to resources that will allow them to build and adopt healthy behaviors.
Work with military service members and veterans.
Become an instructor or visiting faculty member in a health coach training program.
Create a coaching niche such as coaching individuals experiencing grief or helping women through menopause, and offer your services to a target audience.
Work remotely for a telehealth coaching platform like Noom or Optavia.

The takeaway.

There is no one way to be a health coach. Once you receive your certification, you can apply the new knowledge on health coaching in your existing field or start anew in specialized coaching, mental health care, communications, and beyond. Ready to get started on your journey? Check out mbg's Health Coach Certification program.