Becoming a Holistic Health Practitioner

"How can I do what you're doing?"
"I've always thought about helping people"
"I want to do the kind of work you do"

If I had a dollar for everyone who made one of those comments....I could retire! But I wouldn't because I love my work. What I don't love is people who walk one way and talk another.

Would you trust a heart surgeon who did it on the side?
Would you trust a dentist who fixed fillings for a hobby?

Why trust your health to someone who is not invested in it full time?

These people are comfortable asking me because they know me, personally, and know my work. Interestingly several of them have approached me about being clients and not followed through. In some cases the money wasn't there (how much does it cost to NOT address your health issues?) in other cases they were simply not ready to commit to changing their habits.

If you're not ready to change, how can you teach others?

Worse yet...I just read ANOTHER ad for a school which trains "holistic health coaches" -- it's such a great program because --
* You don’t need to be a fitness expert
* You don’t need to be a medical expert
* You don’t need to be a nutritional expert
* You don’t need to be fit from day one

H-E-L-L-O -- you're going to coach people to health but you don't need to be fit or to have expertise? My grandparents would call those who practice this shysters. I think in today's world it's called MLM. LOL.

The four core values of this company are:
* Commit and deliver on your promises.
* Treat people with respect and be courageously forthright.
* Take initiative to improve everything.
* Work with passion, enthusiasm, and common sense.

These are great values. I bet they make great salespeople. And surely that's part of a nutrition business, but personally, I'd rather work with someone who knows about nutrition and who has had the experience of changing their diet and reaping benefits.

In order to stay current, I read a ton of books. I'm nearing the end of one now about someone who took an ugly raw food journey. He followed people who did NOT know about nutrition. And nearly ruined his health. He DID ruin his teeth and now has more than 30 fillings. Yikes!

When I trained as a Life Coach, the first part of the program was to be coached. For six months. I had to make the changes in my life and to experience being a client.

I've received so many inquiries about becoming a Holistic Health Coach, I am seriously considering creating a curriculum. I've already spoken to the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. They would consider endorsing it and certifying my graduates.

If you are thinking of becoming a Holistic Health Practitioner...please ask yourself, first, are you willing to embrace a holistic lifestyle? It's okay to define what that means for you - it doesn't have to be all raw. However, I think it should come close to the kind of lifestyle or nutrition coaching you plan to offer your clients.

I sure wouldn't want to learn skiing from a yogini (who doesn't ski).
I wouldn't want to learn how to drive from someone who doesn't drive.

Please don't teach or learn nutrition from someone who doesn't eat well and isn't fit even if he/she does work with passion, enthusiasm, and common sense.