Holistic lifestyle and wellness coaching is still relatively new and understandably, you may have questions. Many associate this type of coach with the approach and attitude of an athletic coach, when in fact, it’s quite different. Generally speaking, coaching is incredibly collaborative in nature and each coach carries their own style and niche. Some zero in on one particular dimension of health, while others cover a vast landscape.
Broadly, think of coaching as less of a health Q&A and more of a deeper dialogue to sift through stories, beliefs, circumstances standing between you and how you want to feel every day. We can sum up coaching in a few short words: collaborative, intuitive, self-generated change. Where sustainable change is the name of the game in a world where quick fixes are a dime a dozen.
The focus of private and group conversations range from living well in the broadest sense to a deep dive in one particular practice. Coaching is also incredibly effective alongside those experiencing grief, working through a chronic condition, and those already in therapy but needing help implementing action steps from other health professionals into a supportive daily routine. Coaching is excellent as a stand-alone conversation and works just as well in conjunction with other professional supports.
The expertise of a holistic coach lies in the process of change, guiding and providing accountability through every shift that will elevate and enrich your life. Together, a detailed vision of how you want to feel is deliberately designed before setting out a path of small stepping-stone goals. A new “OS,” if you will, is built as a result of this intentional work, producing the tools and confidence necessary for self-generated change long after coaching is complete.
More and more, we’ve come to reflexively seek the outside solution before consulting ourselves. Coaches, and a few other key holistic professionals, are helping people rediscover and reclaim the valuable wisdom of attuning to our inside world—one conversation, one practice at a time.
It’s no coincidence that some of the most effective self-care tools in this space are right in front of us: movement, mindfulness, breathing well, and awareness of attention. When practiced with intention, they become the foundational supports of living well and with purpose. Today, we have no shortage of fancy tools, gadgets, and gizmos at our disposal, just one click away. Having the right tool for the right job is, of course, a valuable thing.
In a world full of quantity, it’s more important than ever to seek quality—skillfully selecting from a few key tools, knowing which tool is right for the challenge at hand, and holding it well. This is a skillset worth working toward.
All conversation has the inherent potential to transform, but how many generate a ripple effect of change? Where one strong step after another grows the self-efficacy to shift again and again in the kaleidoscope of life. Along the way, all truths and values are honored as we co-create solutions to self-support.
Clients who receive the best results from coaching are deeply invested in feeling well, open to investigating all things, both significant and subtle, and want to bridge the gap between just getting by and feeling incredibly alive. They’re curious about living consciously, in pursuit of accountability, and willing to explore and sift through societal messaging. Could this also be you?
Join a group of many, who never knew the support they were missing through coaching until they found their coach. It just might be the partnership, connection, and insight you’ve been looking for. Will this be the year you bridge the gap between just getting by and living extraordinarily well?
Elise Cusimano, MA, NBC-HWC, RYT, is a board-certified wellness coach, meditation and yoga teacher helping clients bridge the gap from just living to living extraordinarily well. She specializes in teaching mindful, integrative and accessible self-care practices both in coaching conversation and in the larger mission of advancing health equity.