Recently I was interviewed by my colleague Evey Schweig, also a health coach (that's Evey in the photo). She asked me to explain what a health coach was, and how I work with my clients. Here is the transcript from that interview. The video version will be posted soon. Have you ever read a video transcript? I do from time to time when I do research on health topics. It's not your typical blog post, let's just say that. But I hope you learn a bit more about me and what I do, and why I do what I do.
Evey: I’m here today with Mary Ellen Zung, certified holistic health coach. Mary Ellen started her health coaching practice in 2013 after working for most of her career in human resources for a large service company, and then in sales, client services, and operations in the corporate child care industry. She has a Bachelors degree in Psychology, a Teaching certificate, and trained with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified health coach. She is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, the International Association of Health Coaches, and the Natural Life Business Partnership.
Welcome Mary Ellen!
Mary Ellen: Thank you Evey for having me.
Evey: Yes, great to have you here. Let’s start at the beginning. What is a health coach, and as a health coach, how would you describe what you do?
Mary Ellen: Great way to begin. In short, A Health Coach is a supportive mentor and wellness authority helping clients feel their best through food & lifestyle changes. Each client is unique, and so each wellness program is tailored to meet the clients' needs.
Just like a sports coach, or a career coach, I help train, guide, educate, encourage, support, and hold accountable. I'm like a guide on the side.
I not only work with individual clients, but I also conduct health and wellness workshops in workplaces, and in the community, at libraries, fitness centers, and such. I also provide group programs, and teach a 26-week diabetes prevention program for people with prediabetes.
Evey: Okay, I get why someone would need a health coach – if they wanted to improve their health. But people generally go to the doctor for their health.
Mary Ellen: Yes, people generally go to a doctor when they don’t feel well, they have symptoms that are not normal, or they are injured. Of course there is a place for medical doctors, but much of what we go to a doctor for in this country is illness caused by lifestyle.
· We are stressed, or pressed for time, so we don’t eat right.
· We eat fast food, because we don’t take time to cook. Processed food can be a root cause of some brain issues, gut issues, skin issues, overweight, and fatigue.
· We see a rise in depression, anxiety – and people self medicating with food or alcohol or sleeping pills.
· More and more people are becoming overweight each year which can cause more health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.
· Diabesity is a term used to describe the continuum of health problems ranging from insulin resistance and overweight to obesity and diabetes. Diabesity is the underlying cause of most heart disease, cancer, and premature death.
· These conditions are also 100% preventable and reversible.
Doctors give us a pill, or tell us to lose weight, reduce our stress, but they don’t have the time or resources to help us do this to elevate the problems.
Evey: Okay, so I understand how is a health coach different than a doctor, but how is a health coach different from a nutritionist or a dietician?
Mary Ellen: The term nutritionist isn’t regulated, so technically, anyone can call himself or herself a nutritionist, even with no formal training, license, or certification. Dietitian, specifically registered dietitian, noted by RD after one’s name, or RDN for registered dietitian nutritionist (the terms are used interchangeably), has a specific meaning.
A nutritionist or RD is someone who can help you with a diet and calculate the macronutrients of foods you might need, or need to avoid based upon a certain goal or illness, or food allergy.
A health coach might also do this, but also includes not only diet and nutrition, but also overall wellness including other factors such as physical activity, sleep, stress, relationships, and anything else that is causing unbalance in wellness.
Evey: What kind of person does well working with a health coach?
Mary Ellen: My most successful clients are those who take responsibility for lifestyle change. They are open minded to trying new things, and do their homework.
I know, change is very hard, and not all clients are ready to make change, so I help them with this by starting with where they are and taking small actionable steps. If they are challenged or are not able to make a change, we look at what is holding them back or getting in their way, and try to address those things. People need a lot of support to make change. I ensure that I can support them by listening very closely, not only to what they are saying, but what they are not saying, taking good notes, and using each session to follow up with the action steps from last session.
Evey: You’re talking about your sessions. What can a client expect in a typical session and how long does a client program last?
Mary Ellen: I offer a short program with 3 sessions, also a 6 session program over 3 months, or a 12 session program over 6 months. The 6 month program is generally a good amount of time to make breakthroughs, and important lifestyle changes with some consistency. But a client program can last anywhere from 3 months to 9 months or beyond depending on their goals.
A typical session is about an hour. I meet with clients every 2 weeks in a safe space either in their home it they are local, or on the phone or by Skype or Zoom. I’ve had clients all over the country. We generally start out with a centering activity like just taking some deep breaths, and relaxing in our chair. Then I ask them what is new and good. I encourage the good and there could be some new positive steps or some new challenges. So we talk about those. I also always go back to the action items from the last session, and ask them about the handouts I sent to see if they had questions or what they got from the information. Then with some guidance, the client comes up with a few actions they’d like to try before the next session. After the session, I send them a full set of notes, and other handouts or other items that might help to support their changes or education.
Evey: Wow that sounds very involved and supportive. You must really get to know a lot about your clients. How do you maintain a coaching relationship working with someone for an extended period of time?
Mary Ellen: Yes, that’s true, I do know quite a lot about the client. Often I know more than their closest friend or spouse. So professionalism, confidentiality, respect, and no judgment are absolutes for me. The hardest part is when the coaching program is over, because we feel close and have been in each other’s lives. But it’s also a great feeling because the client feels ready to be on their own, and they can always reach out to me. I have a newsletter that helps them keep in touch with what I’m up to, so they still feel connected.
Evey: Mary Ellen, how would you describe your coaching style?
Mary Ellen: I believe I am compassionate, non-judgmental, a good listener, encouraging, and friendly. But, I also have to make the client understand boundaries such as holding himself or herself accountable for keeping appointments, and following up with the action items.
Evey: Can you tell us about maybe one of your successes with a client?
Mary Ellen: Sure. One very clear case was a woman who came to me and said her doctor wanted to put her on cholesterol lowering drugs, but she asked her doctor to wait 3 months and check her again. We worked together for 3 months to change her diet, exercise, stress, and sleep, and after 3 months she went for a check up with her doctor and her doctor was amazed. She asked what did you do? My client told her and she was so impressed. She did not prescribe drugs and sent her on her way and told her to keep up the good work.
I’ve had lots of other clients reverse conditions for which they were taking prescription drugs and these are by far the most satisfying to me.
Evey: Wow, that’s great. That must be very satisfying. You are making a difference one person at a time.
Mary Ellen: Yes, and also I see the impact on the families of my clients. With all of that new knowledge, my clients can help their children, family members, and others. It's the ripple effect of good health.
Evey: Mary Ellen, thank you so much for having us learn more about health coaching, and how it all works when someone works with you.
Mary Ellen: Thank you Evey for having me.
Thanks for "listening!" Did you learn something new? Look forward to your comments, or questions.