In this post: STOP! Before you get that next Coaching Certification! Are you a coach who is also a lifelong learner who is constantly seeking ways to add more credentials to your name so people take you “seriously?” Do you doubt your expertise and readiness to start working with others until you have 'just one more 'training under your belt? Have you been browsing online for different degree or certification programs even when you know you know so much, have life experience, and likely already have other qualifications? Think of this post as a kind of intervention.
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(This video is hosted in the Healthy Wealthy Society, a free group for health coaches & wellness entrepreneurs. If you have trouble accessing this video, you may need to join the group first.)
Why Getting That Extra Health Coaching Certification Won’t Save You!
Are you a health coach that is also a lifelong learner? Often as coaches, we are really into learning and constantly seeking ways to add more credentials to our name. Sometimes though I wonder - are we just doing it so that people will take us more seriously?
Are you a lifelong learner because you just want to know more about your craft, and because you are so incredibly passionate about health, lifestyle and mindset you simply can’t help yourself in learning more? OR are you just chasing the qualifications to put next to your name so that people will take you more seriously?
Do you ever doubt your expertise and your readiness to start working with others?
Maybe you're waiting to get just one more qualification; then you will feel ready and more confident. Maybe you've been browsing online for different degrees or different certification programs, even when you know deep inside that you have other qualifications or life experience that are already valuable. Perhaps you are spiralling down the rabbit hole searching for the qualification that is going to make you ready to be a certified health coach?
Related post: The Ultimate Guide To Coaching Confidence!
Don't get me wrong, I think for many of us it is important to have a health coaching qualification.
This is one of the things we explore in an interview for anyone wanting to join Upswing Mastermind, along with whether you’re right for me, the program, and that I’m the right coach for you. For many, obtaining a health coaching qualification is truly beneficial. For others - you might already have a personal training or yoga certification, or maybe you have an abundance of tools in your belt on various health modalities.
Sometimes your life experience is even enough, and all you really need is the business training.
Have you ever had those thoughts;
“I know I've got a certification, but if I just got one more then I'll feel confident selling myself as a health coach”.
“Maybe if I just did the hormone course, or the gut course...people would think I’m an expert”.
You might worry that people aren't going to take you seriously without enough qualifications, or there might be internal doubt about your own competence. Perhaps you’re hoping to finally find someone else's coaching framework that you can just use instead of trusting yourself in building a unique program, one that's true to you.
Maybe you just keep building up qualifications, but not actually taking action on the tools you already have. It could be because you believe that more certifications will guarantee success, or that more knowledge is what people are going to buy from you. The truth is; it’s generally not.
I hate to say it, but in general, another certification and another modality is not what's going to save you.
You'll often hear the term ‘imposter syndrome’ used in our industry, and it's a real problem. Are we on our path of truly serving people with what we already know, and learning to structure that in a business framework of our own, or are we just chasing qualifications because we don't feel READY?
Related Post: Imposter Syndrome & The Trap Of Productivity
You know, health coaching school is absolutely great. I'm an IIN graduate and most of my clients have an initial certification of one or another.
It’s great to learn theories, to learn education, and to be part of a healthy community, but truth be told - most health coaching schools are pretty crummy when it comes to business and the actual lessons to implement your theoretical knowledge. There is a real lack of training in how to actually package up your offerings in a way that will sell, and in a way that you feel amazing about.
I know that schools offer limited business lessons and modules, but most people who come to me tell me that they're vague, they're outdated, or they just didn't find wild success when they have applied the lessons.
Often it's about the application as well. Schools don't cover the key business frameworks that it takes to grow a thriving coaching business online and quickly. They often miss the important pieces too - like money mindset work that is necessary to underlie your strategy.
Related Post: 3 Money Mindset Tips for Healthy Entrepreneurs
A lot of clients I work with are often scared, even terrified to take money for their services. People's health is in our hands, and instead of embracing and solving that, we often run around in circles looking for other ways that might make us feel more confident first.
It is time to get really honest; you know more than you think.
You already have the knowledge needed to create beautiful transformations for your clients, you just need packages that are structured in the correct way to get results. You need to know how to have conversations with people that explain what health coaching is and what your package can do for them; this is where the confidence comes from.
A recent graduate from Upswing Mastermind shared that after we restructured her packages, her sales process, and niched down on her messaging, she felt truly amazing after coaching her clients. She loves the feeling of confidence that comes when she gets to experience their transformation.
This is confirmation that we just need to get in the game and start coaching with the tools we already have.
Being in the game is what builds confidence, it doesn't come from running around getting different certifications.
This same graduate now has a coaching package structure that she truly believes in and one that she is 100% aligned to. She has worked on her marketing and clear messaging, and she knows how to explain exactly what her strategic framework and result is. She has faced the work head-on that’s needed to move from imposter syndrome through to being a businesswoman, which she has now confidently stepped into.
In fact, in one of the modules in Upswing, there's a piece that asks you to reflect on your biggest personal transformation in the program. A number of my clients have stated that they no longer feel like an imposter. Rather, they feel that they are businesswomen. These are the pieces we work through to really start implementing all of this work.
When you're around other women who are just starting out in a community like Upswing and are experiencing the same fears and anxieties, that is when the shame starts to disappear.
You realise it's not just you feeling this way, it is a normal part of being a beginner. As a beginner, we need to lean in and learn the business step and the personal empowerment pieces to actually becoming a health coach and business owner, instead of running around on the periphery looking for more certifications.
Bottom line is - most of you don't need an extra certification.
What you need is to implement, lean in, and be coached into the businesswoman that you are meant to be with the skills that you already have.
If you want to know more about self-doubt and jitters, check out this video on beating imposter syndrome HERE
Love,
Amanda xx
P.S. Want to learn how to boost your coaching confidence so you feel like a PRO and get MASSIVE results? Click this link to get instant access to my FREE resource on Coaching Confidence >> https://training.amandajdaley.com/coachingconfidence/
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