Imagine this: We’re meeting for the first time, we smile, hug, and begin connecting. The inevitable question comes up… So, what do you do? 

Me: I’m a Health Coach.

You: (Thinking to yourself: What is that? *Racking brain. Scratching head.* Self, hurry! Say something!) Blurt out: Oh, so, like you make meal plans and help people with their nutrition and stuff like that? 

Me, every single time: Actually, I don’t work with meal plans/diets at all. Instead, I help women move away from dieting and learn to listen to their bodies and heal their relationship to food. We work primarily on things like mindfulness, self-care, intuitive eating…

You: OHH! That’s so cool! So… (*Instantly starts telling me about relationship to food.* – Which by the way I loveeee)

I swear. The second someone hears “Health Coach” they automatically think I’m the girl at the dinner table who will order perfectly, watch what she eats, and not make any mistakes, UNTIL I explain myself (and honestly, even then, they only KIND OF get it).

There’s so much stigma around health. Isn’t there?

If you know me personally, have worked with me, or read my daily eats consistently, you know I eat normally, listen to my body, and eat whatever is delicious. I also stop when I feel full, save food for later, and really, just keep food pretty low key. It’s all good. 

Even so, here are some things people have said/still say to me:

Doesn’t it drive you CRAZY when your husband drinks soda? That must really bother you. (Guys, NO. He’s a grown man.) 

Mmm, this is so good!! This is something you would never eat, huh…? (Wait, am I excluded from eating food that tastes good?)

Look what I made! I made it healthier, just for you! (Please, don’t – just make the real deal. I want the most delicious version.) 

You don’t eat that, do you!? My gosh… Good thing we exercised earlier! (I promise, if I need to, I’ll stop eating. Also, I don’t care if I exercised earlier.)

You must think I’m so bad for eating this… I don’t normally eat like this, I swear! Diet starts back on Monday. (Please don’t tell me that you’re starting a diet on Monday. There’s no judgement coming from my end. I’d much rather see you enjoy yourself.) 

I swear, sometimes I think to myself What is it going to take for people to know that I’m not into diets and I don’t “watch” what I eat?

Truth be told: I’m a normal girl, with a story to share, here to help women step away from cyclical dieting and discover the joy/beauty/freedom in listening to their own bodies and not having rules around food.

My clients are usually surprised to learn how LITTLE we actually need to talk about food itself, and how much more we talk about our reactions to it, our mindset, and learning to truly take care of ourselves, our lives, our relationships, and how we want to feel.

Things You Won’t Hear Me Talk About

1. Diets

Unless we’re talking about DITCHING them. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, or you’ve read my story, you know I think diets are unnecessary. Instead, I help my clients learn how to eat their favorite, most satisfying foods in a way that leaves them feeling well (not stuffed, sick, and full of regret).

2. Counting Calories

Again, like dieting, my clients and I will NEVER talking about counting calories, unless we’re talking about moving away from counting and getting rid of those apps we love/hate to download so much.

3. Weigh-Ins

I will never hop on a call with a client and ask what they weigh, or how much weight they’ve lost since our last session. I’m not concerned about your weight; I’m concerned with how you feel. Clients are free to share that they’ve lost weight, but it’s not the focus of our time together.

4. Green Juice

Sure, we’ll talk about a green juice if you had an amazing green juice over the weekend and want to gush about how wonderful it was, how fresh it tasted, and how it made you feel, but there won’t be 10-day juice cleanses going on around here.

True story: I once did a ten day juice cleanse, lost 13 pounds and gained back 15 the next week. CRAP. 

5. Meal Prep Days

If meal prepping works for you, wahoo! I’m happy for you. However, I don’t teach my clients to set aside long days of meal prepping because 1) I don’t do it and 2) I find that it can be more realistic to learn how to cook once/eat twice and make our normal food more simple.

Side note: I’m not against meal prepping, it’s just not my top recommendation as I find people don’t sustain it easily.

6. Nutrition Plans

Never will I ever hand you a nutrition plan or a meal plan to follow. How the heck can I know what’s best for YOUR body? I would feel like I were robbing you of a wonderful opportunity to learn more about your body in our time together. I’m not here to tell you what to do.

7.  Exercise Routine

We will talk about exercise, but it’ll be different than you’d expect. We’ll talk about taking the pressure off exercise, finding what you enjoy, and how you can make a habit of moving more in general. We’ll also talk about letting go of old beliefs that might be holding you back.

8. Health Facts

While we WILL talk about how food makes you feel, I will not jump on a call with you and slam your brain with facts and knowledge about healthy eating. No, our sessions are about YOU. Not me and all of my knowledge.

9. “You-Should-Do’s”

You should do this. You should do that. Every call will include guidance, and sometimes recommendations, but again, this program is not about me. It’s about finding what will work well for YOU. Not Susie, not me, and not supermom down the street. YOU.

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Side note for coaches: If you are a coach who is reading this and you talk about any of the above things in your coaching, I ask that you do not take any offense to this, or compare yourself. Instead, celebrate that we are different.

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Here’s the thing, most people don’t know they could feel better than they do right now. They’re used to feeling badly in their bodies, they’re used to jumping on diet after diet, and being stuck in a negative relationship with food. They think this is just how things are for them.

This is not what I want for my clients. My goal is for my clients to leave our time together having learned new things about themselves… Things they weren’t previously aware of… and not just about their bodies, but also like having new ways to deal with happy/sad life circumstances.

Think of it this way: Wherever you have a need to improve the quality of your life, there our focus will also be. 

To name a few things that DO happen during our time together: You are LISTENED to. YOU get my 100% attention. You are understood, validated, and shown compassion for whatever you’re going through. Shame is removed from anything you experience, and growth always occurs.

In a coaching program with me, you will feel completely supported. I will be there for you, I will get to know you well, and you will feel safe to be open with me whether we’re talking about the emotional, physical, spiritual, or mental aspects of your life. You will not feel judged, ever.

Is My* Coaching For You?

If you’re looking for any of the things I said I do not talk about, I’ll be straight with you, I’m not your girl. These things are not my area, not my joy, and not my passion. And not what I’m able to help you with. If you’re looking for someone to tell you what to do, it’s not me.

However, if you’re looking to dig deeper, to get clear on the things that are holding you back, to clear the clutter, to move through the yucky food stuff (diets, old beliefs, etc), you want to feel more freedom, less stress, and become a more fully expressed version of yourself, then I’m your girl.

If this resonates with you and you’d like to work with me one on one as your coach, I’d like to learn more about you. Go ahead and enter your name & email here to get more info and book a consultation so that we can connect!