A health coach, or health counselor, can be an auxiliary health care professional to help individuals clarify their health goals, and supports changes over long term that are enjoyable, sustainable, permanent, and conducive to optimal health.
How is a health coach different from other health care professionals? I can guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you. I won't give you a meal plan like a dietician would, or count calories. I can get you inspired about healthy, new foods and ways to approach life. I can't replace the advice of your MD or other physician, but I can be a support that takes your total health into account, and give you accessibility beyond the paradigm of the 15-minute office visit.
Based on your health goals, I can support you in the areas of nutrition, personal care, work-life balance, personal relationships, and daily maintenance. That involves breaking down your goal into steps, tracking your progress, and looking for those things that always seem to get in your way. We'll co-create a plan that will teach you how taking small steps in one simple area of your life can get you motivated to take even bigger steps in more difficult areas.
No one diet works for everyone. As a Health Coach, I have studied all the major dietary theories and will help you discover what approach works best for you at this point in your life.
I received my training to practice Health Coaching at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories - combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern nutrition concepts. I have a background in art, community-supported agriculture and organic farming, and as a worker-owner in a health-food store co-op in North Carolina. My restlessness guided me on to gain experience running a Chicago chiropractic and natural health clinic, work as a Seattle urban gardener, and earn a certificate in horticultural studies.
