Demand for health and wellness coaches is growing at 5.4 percent annually, which is good news for you. But so is competition.Motive of Health coaching niches is to help clients achieve better overall health.
According to MarketResearch.com, an average of eight health coaches join the industry daily. So if you want to succeed as a health coach, you need to differentiate yourself from the rest by creating a niche where you can specialize and leverage your interests, experience, and resources.
Take a look at the following broad categories, which will help expand your view of what a health coach can offer, then find your specific niche within them. If you want to pursue a combination of sectors, do so by all means.
Holistic Health and Wellness
The goal of holistic health coaching is to help clients achieve better overall health by taking into account different aspects of a person’s lifestyle, such as work, family, and recreation. It also addresses all dimensions of health like physical, emotional, and professional.
Sub-niches. Health coaches usually define their brand based on their coaching methodology or their expertise in solving a specific problem. Or it can be a combination of these two. For example, one health coach may specialize in helping people break unhealthy addictions through a behavioral-cognitive approach.
Qualifications. Typically, you don’t need a license or certification to become a wellness coach unless your specific niche requires you to, such as if you’ll be applying traditional medicine practices. Although it makes sense to have some training, experience, and certification before practicing any profession, these are not barriers to entry for this profession.
But if you want to pursue training and certification, you should look up which schools or organizations have the best opportunities for your chosen niche. To get you started, you may consider the following schools:
- National Society of Health Coaches
- Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
- Duke Integrative Medicine
- Wellcoaches School of Coaching
You can also lookup The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching, a body that provides standards in the industry.
Where They Work. Health and wellness coaches are found everywhere. Some run their businesses online using a combination of Skype sessions, Facebook support groups, and webinars. Others are in wellness centers or clinics.
Executive Wellness Coaching
Executive wellness health coaching is a sub-niche of health coaching and wellness coaching. Executive wellness coaches help working professionals perform and lead better in their workplace.
You can go directly to an executive wellness coach, or your company can hire one for you and your coworkers to help you get better at achieving your goals. Tools tend to be holistic, combining goal-setting, communication skills, mindfulness, and physical fitness to enhance overall well-being and performance in the workplace.
Sub-niches. Sub-niches are as many as the industries out there, from healthcare to IT to sales and marketing. A sub-niche can also be skill-specific or technique-specific. Some executive wellness coaches focus on leadership skill development while others boast of their time-tested coaching strategy.
Qualifications. Although having a coach’s certificate is not required, acquiring one from a training organization like the Center for Executive Coaching can help increase your credibility when offering your services to companies.
Where They Work. Executive wellness coaches usually work in companies that offer professional training and coaching. Some of them are also solo practitioners.
Fitness Coaching
Fitness coaches are different from fitness trainers. Fitness trainers focus on helping someone lose weight, increase stamina, or improve overall fitness through targeted exercise routines and sustainable changes in diet and lifestyle.
Fitness coaches are keener on identifying and addressing underlying obstacles to achieving these fitness goals. They listen to what a client wants and help them pursue sustainable fitness goals. Rather than offer fast and simple solutions, fitness coaches look for ways to help their clients enjoy exercise and appreciate nutrition. The focus is not just on hitting goals but gaining skills that will enable them to sustain the new lifestyle they are forming.
Sub-niches. Sub-niches can be specific to fitness goals like weight loss, body-building, or complementary training for a particular sport. Fitness coaches may also specialize in segments like senior citizens, runners, or people with disabilities.
Qualifications. Fitness coaches are ideally trained and certified fitness trainers. Additional training in nutrition and lifestyle coaching may also be helpful.
Where They Work. You’ll find them in sports centers, gyms, and CrossFit facilities.
Patient Care and Health Coaching
Qualifications. Patient coaches can be healthcare professionals, licensed mental health counselors, or registered nurses. They partner with and support patients for them to be accountable for their personal health goals and healing journey.
They’re usually assigned to collaborate with a team of healthcare providers in achieving overall wellness for the patient. Patient coaches also help patients who need to make decisions by providing information and resources on health processes and medical practices.
Sub-niches. One specific example is IBC’s Connections Chronic Pain Program where health coaches have 10 to 15 years of clinical experience and training in chronic pain management. These health coaches work with patients to help identify and manage pain triggers. They also walk them through the tests, treatments, and assessments involved in their treatment.
Carve Your Niche
There is a wealth of niches and sub-niches to choose from in the health coaching field. Is there one or two that resonate with you the most? Which one will allow the optimal use of your skills and experience?
As you carefully consider career possibilities as a health coach, remember that you don’t have to be everything to everybody. But, given your unique background and personality, there is a niche that’s right for you. And there are people waiting for you to take them on a journey to a happier and healthier life.
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