How I got Certified as a Health Coach

This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a long time. Recently, I’ve been asked the process I went through to get certified as a health coach. I wanted to take some time to talk about the process that I went through that what has made such a huge impact on my knowledge and passion in health and wellness.

The certification program I decided to go through almost 6 years ago is called The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (commonly referred to as IIN). I decided in the fall of 2013 to enroll the same night I found out about the program. It was the most impulsive decision I’ve made, but also one of my favorite investments I have made to date. I heard about the program through an IIN graduate and knew that I wanted this information in my life. It was just a feeling. Normally I need to think about things, journal, think about them some more, sleep on it, analyze, and then analyze some more. But this was just a deep gut feeling that I knew was right for me. I enrolled to start the following January of 2014 and graduated in February of 2015.

I was already eating healthy and exercising at the point in my life when I found IIN, but I had no idea that that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to health and wellness. IIN teaches you about healthy foods and how to cook them, but the curriculum goes so much deeper than that. The program teaches you about spirituality, healthy relationships, a sense of fulfillment in your career, how to begin your health coaching business, a healthy relationship with yourself (the most important one you’ll ever have, in my opinion), and healthy finances. Health and wellness is not just about the foods we eat and the exercise we partake in. It really is so much more than that. Typically, when we are happy and life is going great, it’s easier to fuel our bodies with healthy food, move our bodies, and take good care of them. It’s usually when were stressed that we turn to food for comfort. This is why IIN teaches it’s students about other factors that go deeper than just the surface level of how we fuel and move our bodies. I loved that I learned from so many teachers who came from different backgrounds such as Dr. Oz, Andrew Weil, and Gabby Bernstein. I truly felt that all of the instructors provided unique insight into their specialized area of health and wellness and it truly helped me to gain new perspectives.

I loved my time at IIN; the like minded community I was surround with, the way my mind was expanded, the new ideas and concepts I learned, and the sense of fulfillment it brought to my life. This program was truly more valuable to me than my Nutrition degree. I say this because it was more in line with my beliefs and the way I want to guide others to lead a healthy lifestyle. I looked forward to learning the material and was always engaged and excited about the courses. I worked full time and was finishing my degree when I was going through my certification process with IIN, but it was still manageable. They design the program so that you may still work full time while you are completing it.

If you have thought about getting certified as a Health Coach, I encourage you to try out a free sample class from IIN here. If you’re curious about the curriculum you can view that here. I encourage you to do your research and find the best option for you if you’re wanting to make a positive change in your own life and in the lives of others. Because I am a graduate of IIN, you can receive $500 your tuition simply by mentioning my name.

If you’re being called to becoming a certified Health Coach or gaining more knowledge for yourself and/or to guide others, I really hope you honor that calling. Please feel free to personally reach out to me if you have questions about the program. I would love nothing more than to answer any questions and to connect with you.

With love,

Ashley