Lifestyle choices can significantly impact the effects of chronic health conditions, like diabetes, obesity, heart and stroke disease, fatty liver, arthritis and some cancers.
This is why many health practitioners (doctors, specialists, naturopaths, chiropractors, etc.) will recommend their patients make some changes to their every day habits – maybe to increase their daily activity, or change their eating habits to include more vegetables or fibre. Most doctors will recommend losing weight, and that’s not easy to do.
Health care services can be fragmented, leaving patients with difficulty navigating the Canadian health care system.
Person-centred care, is the idea that patients should be at the centre of the health care system and all persons should have access to health care. It didn’t feel relationship-based and patient-centred to me. After being referred to multiple specialists and getting conflicting recommendations, I honestly felt like I was just broken on the inside.
After a long struggle of trying to figure it out, it was the women supporting me who made all the difference to my recovery – rebuilding confidence in my intution and re-learning to trust that my body knew how to heal. I realized that my passion was to help other women facing the same struggle.
In additon over 10 years of experience as a professional manager working with businesses in strategic planning and effecting change, I became certified as a Healthy Eating and Weightloss Coach and Strategic Life Coach so I could give my clients the very best support. I continue to invest in continuing education each year in the fields of Personal Training and Professional Coaching technique, and continue to stay up to date with the latest research in diet, gut health and hormones.
What is a Health Coach?
Health Coaching is the profession of supporting clients on how to lead healthier lives and act on their doctors recommendations by promoting more movement, modifying meals, and developing mindfulness to better managing chronic health conditions.
Health Coaching is not based in fear or shaming.
There is no judgement.
Instead, Health Coaching is about meaningful conversation, encouragement and support. It is a person-centric practice that combines the journey of self-reflection and incremental changes to help them meet their goals – with accountability, purpose and a focus on results.
I believe each and every person in this world is an individual and has their own path to follow. However, sometimes the path to get to their goals isn’t always clear, and that’s where a coach can help.
What is a Strategic Life Coach?
A life coach may seem quite similar to a therapist. Both of them hold space for you to be heard, and offer a structured way for you to unravel your heart and mind. Many of our methodologies and tools are the same when you look at them on paper.
My experience has been that a therapist will listen to your thoughts and problems and reflect with you to show you where you are, and possibly where in your past led you to that place. A Strategic Life Coach will help you reflect on where you are right now relative to your expectations and help you move you to a place of solutions. A Strategic Life Coach will help you create a plan of action, and then serve as your accountability partner.
When I compare the two roles, I see a therapist as being similar a doctor who will diagnose your problem and then treat it. As a Strategic Life Coach I’m like a personal trainer who will help define your goals, build up your intuition so you can meet them on your own terms, and then guide you through the next level.
My role is to walk alongside you, helping you explore how to live a healthy life.
Does coaching really work?
Research has shown that if two patients are given the same information by their doctor about lifestyle changes, the one who works with a professional will meet their goals over the person who goes alone.
I don’t want you to go it alone.
