When I first graduated as a nutritional therapy practitioner, I wanted to help everyone. I mean, I had so much to offer—why wouldn’t everyone want to work with me? The short answer is: because when you specialize in everything, you specialize in nothing. Having a niche positions you as an expert in your unique field. And who doesn’t want to work with an expert?
Finding your niche is a big part of the Primal Health Coach Institute’s curriculum. Early on, we walk you through a brainstorming session to help you figure out who you’re talking to, what their struggles are, and what kind of services you’ll be offering them. Not only does creating your niche help you get clear on the needs of a specific audience, it sets you apart from other health coaches—which can make or break your health coaching business.
That’s why in today’s post, we’re going to introduce you to 9 health coaches who are dominating their niche markets. We’re talking everything from helping desk jockeys rediscover the joy of movement, to turning back the clock for baby boomers. If you’re worried that these niches are already taken or that they’re oversaturated, don’t be. There are plenty of people out there who need our help.
1. Nicole Jardim
Her niche: Helping young women understand their hormones
Her story: Known as The Period Girl, Nicole believes that hormones don’t have to ruin your life. After battling unpredictable cycles, awful cramps and bloating, and extreme moodiness that started when she was only 17, Nicole made it her mission to help other women reclaim their hormonal health—naturally. She graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, then continued her hormonal health and nutrition training with Chris Kresser, Jessica Drummond, and Dr. Sara Gottfried, bestselling author of The Hormone Cure. So yeah, you could say Nicole knows what she’s talking about.
Why she rocks: Nicole has been there, so she knows what her audience’s struggles are. She also knows where here audience is hanging out. Nicole hosts a weekly podcast called Period Party, and has a huge following on Instagram and Facebook. Though she doesn’t currently offer one-on-one coaching sessions, she leverages other coaching formats that allow her to reach the masses with her affordably-priced hormone health protocols, ranging from ditching your birth control (and all the side effects that come with it) to regulating your period. She even has Fix Your Period apprenticeship for health coaches who want to specialize in hormone health.
2. Ben Medder
His niche: Movement for people who want to reconnect with nature
His story: With a passion for nature, human connection, and play, Ben is a natural when it comes to movement. Plus he’s trained under some pretty amazing coaches, including own our Darryl Edwards, who’s on our Board of Advisors, as well as Erwan Le Corre, the founder of MovNat. Ben’s approach is designed to get people outside and active, and it all starts with reclaiming the basics of human movement. I can tell you from personal experience that walking like a crab and jumping over fences is a lot harder than it sounds.
Why he rocks: Ben makes the idea of moving and playing out in nature totally attainable with his relatable, down-to-earth vibe. He’s a man of action, too, hosting monthly workshops and group movement training throughout Europe as well as weekly classes you can drop in for (if you’re in the London area), and private one-on-one coaching sessions. And if you’re one of his 2.7K followers on Facebook, you’ll know exactly where to find him. Ben keeps his FB page up-to-date with his latest events, classes, and workshops.
3. Amie Tollefsrud
Her niche: Showing health coaches how to create profitable online businesses
Her story: After graduating as an NTP, Amie found herself struggling to get started. Once she did, she realized that the number of clients she was seeing was, as she puts it, “draining AF.” Amie craved the freedom to do what she loved without being tied down. That’s when she switched gears—and switched audiences, developing online courses to help other NTPs, health coaches, and nutritionists create, launch, and scale their own online practices. Now, Amie travels the world full-time as she inspires other health and wellness enthusiasts to do the same.
Why she rocks: Amie knows her target audience doesn’t have a lot of extra funds, so she offers a lot of her content for free on her website Rebelle Nutrition. As a content marketing pro, she also knows how to get thousands of prospects into her email funnel so she can continue to build a relationship with them. And she does. I’m a subscriber who gets weekly emails from her—always with tons of valuable business-building advice, tools, and special pricing for her online courses. The inspiration continues on Amie’s IG page, where she shows all the jaw-dropping places she works from, including Bali and Paris.
4. Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt
Their niche: Resources, recipes, and coaching for the autoimmune community
Their story: I realize that these are TWO coaches, not ONE, but together they’re making a huge difference for people with living autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, celiac disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. Mickey, an NTP, and Angie, an NTC and Certified Health Coach, met while using the Autoimmune Protocol to recover from their own health crises (they have five autoimmune diseases between them), and now share their experiences, recipes, and resources to help others heal on their community-driven site Autoimmune Wellness.
Why they rock: The site is designed to be DIY, giving their huge audience a way to take their recovery into their own hands. They offer tons of free AIP guides, blog posts, and recipes, and host the award-winning Autoimmune Wellness Podcast. They also offer coaching to a small number of one-on-one clients who need more individualized support. The pair are also super transparent about their journey on both their website and social media pages, which makes it hard not to love them!
5. Michael Rutherford
His niche: Making the trucking industry healthier
His story: Michael grew up watching his dad Kevin, a third-generation truck driver and owner operator, help those in the industry run their trucking businesses more successfully and profitably. When Kevin started helping them get healthier too, Michael, who’s a Primal Health Coach and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, wanted in on the family business. Together, the duo specialize in showing truck drivers how to lose weight and reverse diabetes and other health issues using a ketogenic approach to eating.
Why he and his dad rock: Truck driving is in their blood, so Michael and his dad understand the challenges their audience deals with day in and day out. They show that being away from home doesn’t have to equal unhealthy living (I once saw a post where one of their clients made fermented veggies from the cab of his truck!). They know how to reach their audience, too, with Kevin’s daily radio show on Sirius XM, an online Keto course, a Facebook page with 15K followers, and, as they put it, “a truckload of info.”
6. Andre Obradovic
His niche: Physical, mental, and emotional training in the endurance space
His story: After a long career in the military and corporate world, Andre decided to make his health a priority, and trained as a coach to assist others in achieving their fitness goals. His Primal approach to training, which includes stress management, low carb nutrition, and solid rest and recovery, has helped countless clients improve their endurance (and their PRs) in everything from marathons to full Ironman triathlons. In fact, Andre earned 10th in his age group in the Ironman All World Athlete rankings for Australia in 2017.
Why he rocks: As a speaker, ambassador, and coach with multiple endurance and mindset certifications, Andre believes that optimal performance requires a commitment to working the mental, physical, and emotional side of things. The Ironman competitor inspires his 60.5k Instagram followers on a regular basis, and just recently launched an app with tips, techniques, and training guides.
7. Elaine Pauly
Her niche: Reinventing the perception (and reality) of aging
Her story: On her website, Elaine says “getting older is mandatory…deterioration is optional.” She believes that aging doesn’t have to mean shrinking, shriveling, and becoming helpless. After watching her own parents disintegrate with age, she decided to do something about it. The Certified Holistic Health & Functional Medicine Coach helps her clients live long and free of chronic disease—without the typical weight gain, low energy, and “senior moments” that often come with aging.
Why she rocks: Elaine connects with her audience through one-on-one coaching, speaking engagement,s and blog posts on everything from recipes that reduce inflammation to her secrets for staying young. She’s challenging the norm when it comes to getting older, giving aging men and women a healthy, empowering, and youthful alternative.
8. Anthony Treas
His niche: Helping men regain control of their mental and physical well-being
His story: When Anthony returned home from a deployment in Iraq back in 2010, he struggled with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. His quest for finding a medication-free solution led him to complete a Master’s in public health as well as become a certified health educator specialist and health coach. During that time, Anthony learned about the connection between brain health and mental and physical well-being. He also noticed the lack of emphasis on men’s health, which, after years of experience, research, study and education, led him to create his signature program, the S.T.R.O.N.G. Method, exclusively for men.
Why he rocks: Like a lot of our other health coaches on the list, Anthony has dealt with many of the same challenges as his clients. What makes him stand out though (apart from his unique niche) is that he approaches it through the lens of keeping your brain healthy. On his podcast and blog, Anthony interviews leading experts in the brain-health field. You can also find him on Twitter, and working one-on-one with men who want to improve their health, purpose, and personal performance.
9. Ana Gonzalez
Her niche: Creating ready-to-go meals for Primally-minded customers
Her story: This conventional pastry chef turned Primal restaurateur was once sick, overweight, and battling chronic pain. But once she was introduced to paleo, she was hooked. After graduating from the Primal Health Coach Institute, she wanted to help people feel as good as she did, so she transformed her traditional bakery into one that serves paleo treats and meals to the masses. Her storefront, Primal 24/7, (featuring her Primal Bakeshop and Primal Meals on-the-go) is now open in Anaheim, CA.
Why she rocks: Ana walks the talk when it comes to Primal living. She’s transformed the way people think about sweets, creating Primally-inspired desserts for locals and celebrities alike, and has had her creations featured on The Oscars, MTV Award shows, and the Kids’ Choice Awards. With her new line of ready-to-go meals, she’s sharing her passion for paleo with her customers on a daily basis.
Feeling inspired yet?
Remember, having a niche is more than “I work with men” or I help people get healthy.” It’s “I help men who have neglected their health to regain their vitality,” or “I help busy working moms who stress eat to lose weight and reset their metabolisms.” If you have a niche already, great! If not, have a look at some of the brainstorming exercises in this post. And if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out a few other health coaches leading the charge in our industry.
