How to Become a Certified Health Coach

3. Choose a Certified Health Coach Training Program.

There are a growing number of Certified Health Coach / Health Coaching programs on the market today. Before diving into the details of what each program offers, ask yourself some questions about what you want out of a program. 

Here are some questions to get you started: 

How much time do you have each week? 

Some programs are going to require more time than others. FDN coursework requires anywhere from 3-6 hours per week, where others require upwards of 10 hours per week.

What is your budget for a certification program? 

Becoming a certified health coach is a big step, and requires a sizable investment. Many programs, including our FDN functional health certification program, offer monthly payment plans, so think about what size payment you would be comfortable making on a monthly basis. 

And, a word of caution here: simply looking for the lowest priced certified health coach program isn’t going to serve you well in the long run. In fact, we have many students come to us after completing other popular health coaching programs because they realize they actually need more training & knowledge to get their clients the results they want. Oftentimes, investing at a slightly higher level ends up being the smarter choice. 

Do you value certified health coaching mentorship? 

Something to keep in mind with price comparisons is the value you are getting from your investment in the program. Are you simply gaining access to coursework and a certification, or are you investing in quality mentorship & a community of people who want to see you thrive? 

For example, Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) may be one of the more affordable health coaching programs, but they don’t offer the level of support & mentorship that FDN does. 

And, what do you get with quality mentorship? 

• Practical experience
• Expert feedback
• A higher rate of success! 

That’s worth its weight in gold. 

Do you want to take a functional medicine approach?

As we discussed above, getting clear on the approach you want to take in helping your clients will be a determining factor in deciding which health coaching program or functional certification program is best for you. 

If you decide that you *are* interested in a functional medicine route, then The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) offers a health coaching program. However, keep in mind that this program prepares you to play a supporting role rather than a solo role. 

If you want to be a one-stop-shop health practitioner & have your own online business, you’re going to want access to functional medicine testing, which is what the FDN certification program specializes in. 

Getting a grasp of these general questions is key to helping narrow down the best certified health coach program for you. 

Once you’ve obtained your certification, it’s time to get to the fun part!

The work you’ve been dreaming of. 🤩

4. Launch Your Health Coaching Career (or Business)

If you’ve decided to work for someone else, you’ll want to start applying to jobs online. But, if you’ve decided to start your own online health coaching business, then your entrepreneurial journey starts here! 

When starting up your own business, you’ll want to think through which systems (e.g. Practice Better & GetHealthie) & processes you’ll use to provide your clients with an excellent experience. 

Things to think through include: 

• Getting a business license
• Structuring & pricing your packages 
• Marketing & sales calls
• Client onboarding paperwork 
• Collecting payments

The great thing about the FDN Certification Course is that it includes not only the functional testing education & access to ordering labs, but also the foundational business education. 

In fact, FDN recently launched “FDN Business School” – a complete program helping graduates launch & grow a profitable online wellness practice!

5. Build Confidence & Grow Your Career

Now that you’ve graduated as a Certified Health Coach, what’s next??

This is where lots of students get a little….freaked out. 

But it doesn’t have to be scary – in fact, this is the fun part! 

If you’ve chosen to go down the path of starting your own business, just focus on getting your first five clients. 

Want to know the best way to get started with building that client base? 

Through friends and family!  

You can take what you’ve learned and practice on your family while helping them address ongoing health concerns. What better motivator than learning you’ve helped your aunt or best friend get to the bottom of symptoms they’ve been dealing with for years!?

Still feel like you’re lacking confidence? 

FDN has an incredibly supportive community. And as an FDN graduate, you have the option to book additional paid sessions with program mentors. This means if you run into a challenging client case & feel that imposter syndrome kick-in, you can get support behind the scenes! You won’t find this level of support anywhere else.