A lot of the posts here on the Primal Health Coach Institute blog show you how to do things for your business. Like how to generate traffic for your website, how to close a sale, and how to structure your health coaching packages. All of which is great information.
But today, instead of a how, we’ll be diving into a very important why—why your personal story is the most powerful asset you have as a health coach.
In Chapter 1 of the Primal Health Coach Institute curriculum, we help you figure out your story. Why so early on? Because it’s THAT important. Getting clear on what’s driving you to become a health coach allows you to:
- Put more passion into your practice
- Be relatable to the clients you serve
- Stay focused as your business grows
- Feel genuine during your sessions and in your marketing materials
Even if you’re already an established health coach, determining and sharing your story is going to be your most valuable asset. Remember, people don’t buy what you do—they buy why you do it.
Uncovering Your ‘Why’
You probably got into health coaching because of your own health challenges or transformation. While a lot of us want to forget the years we spent battling sickness or extra weight, embracing them is what will make you a better health coach.
For the longest time, I believed that my personal struggles with SIBO, brain fog, and bloating would be seen as weaknesses. After all, who wants to hire a health coach that let herself get so sick? But once I got over myself (and recognized that vulnerability doesn’t equal weakness), I realized that my symptoms didn’t define who I was as a coach. In fact, it’s my story that makes me relatable, and attracts the right clients to my practice. Even though I’m still in the process of healing—and refining my story, empowering my clients to advocate for their own health is what I’m most passionate about.
Take some time to think about how you felt during your health transformation. Maybe you were frustrated, defeated, confused, or angry. Not only will those feelings help you uncover your story, they’ll help you relate to the emotional ups and downs of your clients’ current struggles, ultimately allowing you to connect with them on a deeper level.
Why Your Story Is Different
Even if you think other health coaches have the same story as you, they don’t. No one’s been through the exact same challenges in the exact same way as you have. Your story is more than “I lost 60 pounds by following an ancestral diet,” just like mine is more than “I had SIBO.” It’s your unique details, your feelings, and your personal struggles that set you apart, make you extremely relatable, and position you as a trusted ally—not just another person who’s jumped on the health coaching bandwagon.
If you’re still working on your transformation or you’ve had a relapse in your health, that’s part of your story, too. Don’t let the fact that you’re a work-in-progress stop you from sharing your journey. This is actually a pretty common fear, but remember, all of your experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly) make up who you are as a health coach.
Inspiring Primal Health Coach Stories
Have you heard Ste Lane’s story? He was so self-conscious of his body as a teen that he didn’t want to shower in the school changing room. He used food to comfort himself from daily teasing and his own negative self-talk. He also struggled with a series of crucially embarrassing conditions during that time that eventually healed, but left emotional scars. Ste says he’s compelled to share his story with the world to help others overcome their own challenges and reclaim their health.
Or how about Holly Higgins? Doctors diagnosed her with 10 different mood disorders, and told her she’d be on medication for life. Holly says she drank a bottle of wine every night to cope, was convinced that everyone (even strangers) hated her guts, and had panic attacks that left her shaking. Not to mention the 60 pounds she gained over the course of a few months. Once she realized certain foods were the culprit of her health issues, she used nutrition to heal herself. Holly’s passionate about sharing her story because she knows others are in the same boat and desperately looking for answers.
By getting clear about their stories, sharing their emotional struggles, and being vulnerable even when it feels uncomfortable, these health coaches instantly come off as genuine, likable, and trustworthy.
Share It Any Way You Can
It’s not enough to just own your story—you have to share it with people. That doesn’t necessarily mean unloading your entire health transformation at your significant other’s office party or in line at the grocery store, but it does mean sharing what you’ve been through in relevant social situations, on your website, your social media pages, your blog, email campaigns, and any other places you talk about your health coaching business, because you never know where your next client will come from.
You aren’t doing the world (and your future clients) any favors by keeping your story private. Start by sharing your journey on your website’s About Me page—the more emotive details, the better. Also, consider the content of your Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook pages. A post about why animal protein is healthy isn’t as compelling as your personal story about losing your hair, your period, or your mind because you stopped eating fat for 10 years.
And remember, it’s a process. You maybe not feel super comfortable telling the world all of the intimate details about your health, or maybe you do. Everyone’s different and it’s important to recognize and respect your own boundaries, but the more you thoughtfully share, the more potential you have to be relatable and be seen as a real person by potential clients. Don’t worry about turning people off, either. By being genuine, you’ll attract the type of clients who need your help and want to work with you.
Conclusion
You can have all the ancestral knowledge, coaching know-how, and business-building skills, but if you’re not owning and sharing your ‘why,’ you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. If you haven’t already, take some time to craft your story and see how it can help you become more passionate and focused, and feel more relatable and genuine with your clients.
