by Dr. Debra Arko Novotny, Featured Contributor
Likely you’ve heard having a coach is the ‘in’ thing to do. There’re many reasons’ to have someone help you with health, business or lifestyle. It’s figuring out what type of mentor you need that’s difficult. I do 
health coaching, not business coaching though most of my clients work with a mentor in their business. While these are different coaching programs, the key ingredients of a great coach are the same.
Last fall, a client asked if she should invest money and time in business coaching. It’s a great question. I’ve had company owners, managers, even your basic employee for health coaching clients. Many also have a coach for their business. People think it’s only entrepreneurs who rely on a mentor to help them grow. With our personal growth including our wellbeing, investing with a health coach is essential. If you’re pursuing a career, even in a corporate setting having someone guide you can mean rising to CEO of a large company.
Knowing the key ingredients of a great coach can help you decide what type of coach you can benefit from the most.
First, health coaches and life coaches are not the same thing and often a health coach does lifestyle coaching while a life coach is not qualified to mentor on health and wellness. Having three coaches can be expensive, though trying to find one person who ‘does it all’ can be disastrous to your business, life, and health. Below is a list of traits you want in any mentor. If you’re looking for the integrative health coach, they are indispensable.
The Integrative Health Coach
An integrative health coach is someone who works with your health issues and has expertise in relationships, fitness, careers, and the big one – Spirituality often referred to as mindfulness or mindset. Food, home cooking, recipes, different dietary theories all play a part. Top on the list of key ingredients of a good integrative health coach is they understand what is happening in your life is just as important what you put inside your body.[message type=”custom” width=”100%” start_color=”#D8D8D8″ end_color=”#D8D8D8″ border=”#BBBBBB” color=”#333333″]
The Key Ingredients Of A Good Health Coach
Here is the ingredient list for what a great coach should be.
- They’re happy to see you or hear from you. They create a strong first impression. They’re friendly, create safety, and make you feel okay to be yourself. The smile in their voice is contagious.
- They’re okay with you being a little nervous. It’s their job to help you build confidence and self-esteem.
- They want to hear what you have to say and actually encourage you to speak while they listen.
- They understand your primary health concerns and that life can be a factor. They help you invest in wellness approaches that you choose, not the other way around.
- An integrative health coach or business mentor can emp
athize and support your - They understand that YOU understand what’s going on with yourself and you just need a little help, accountability, or support.
- They care about your family, friends, children, and pets. They really do and know the names and events happening in your life.
- As great listeners, they use mirroring by repeating things you share creating clarity around your future.
- They catch subtle things that are important. The way you turn a nasty shade of green when asked if you like tomatoes or that you ball your hand into a fist when talking about your ex-mother-in-law.
- A great integrative coach introduces humor into conversations knowing that smiles are healing medicine for the mind and the body,
- They love you up. Simply they are non-judgmental and accept you just as you are. Guiding and helping you where you feel comfortable not forcing you or judging you.
- Finally, they help you breathe because they know life can make you feel overwhelmed and that we often forget to just slow down and breathe.[/message]
Integrative Health Coaches Mesh With Business Coaches
A good health coach will hold you accountable for your commitments and they will offer ideas or suggestions that fit you; they don’t spend time ‘telling’ you what you should do better or differently.
In turn, they aren’t a business coach. I remember one of my business coaches a few years back. He wanted to take my bestselling book, Unleashing Your Hidden Potential and ‘rewrite’ it into a book for women and then another ‘copy’ for men. His thinking was it gave me three books to market my business. It didn’t matter to him that they would be technically the same book. It did matter to me. I found another business coach.
A good business coach will recommend a health coach knowing together you have actual success. My business keeps growing because I have someone who embodies things that empower me. A good business coach will have the same key ingredients of a good health coach. My business keeps growing because I have both and they embody things that empower me. I want this for you too.
Good mentors understand that the important component is you. Your happiness is essential to success in health, life, and business. These are the indispensable ingredients in a good health coach or business mentor.
