EVERYTHING has its Pros and Cons

This morning a client mentioned she had recently tagged our business in a post on Facebook with someone in a community group looking for suggestions of a nutrition/fitness coach. After reminding her she doesn't need to suck up to me (LOL), but that I am always grateful for referals from clients, she sent me a screenshot of her tag amongst the comments to show me (since Facebook didn't feel it necessary to notify us on our business page... ). Another comment caught my attention amongst some of the suggestions of local professionals for this person to consider:

"*Coach's Name* - She's my coach.

She does food and workouts all online and much cheaper than local"

As much as I say "everything has its pros and cons" I'll also add, everything works for somebody. "To each their own" is something we absolutely need to keep in mind in daily life and to this comment, that phrase comes to mind.

As a professional, I want to share some things to keep in mind when deciding who to hire as a coach, as it's a very different landscape than even a decade ago in the industry, let alone when I started over TWO decades ago.

Yikes, where does time go!?!!?

EDUCATION

Even more now than ever in my career, people can EASILY become "certified" in this industry through a quick weekend or online course. For some clients, it doesn't matter if they have a well educated coach or a weekend course coach who just loves to be healthy and help people (I personally know good coaches in both camps).

I think the important thing is...

... Does your coach know their limits?

... Do they stay within their boundaries of their certification, experience and education?

... Do they know what they don't know?

Sadly, I don't feel any particular certifications mean much to the general public specifically (simply because they aren't educated on what's what). But a client knowing this professional has a college diploma, university degree, 'x' number of years experience working with clients etc all lend to the client understanding who they are hiring and the value in the cost of coaching services, I do suggest are all important things to consider. And cost reflects these things in most cases.

FINANCIALS

There's a few sides to this I want share here....

1. Money is TIGHT today for MOST people. Reality in our health, nutrition and everyday lifestyle is that sometimes our options are limited based on our finances. As it should be - we have to be real with ourselves and that's ok. If we use a nutrition example; It's easy to say "Eat organic fruits/veggies". But if it means that "regular" fruits/veggies are what are affordable for you, that's TOTALLY OK and you can be arguably EQUALLY AS HEALTHY and HAPPY as munching on organic celery.

2. If a coach you're considering hiring is "cheap", and this is their career (not a part time gig) consider the basic math side of their reality:

   -This means he/she will need a BIGGER client roster to earn a living in this modern world if cost is low for their services.

   -That means LESS time and ENERGY for the coach PER client.

   -This may mean a less personal touch, more generalized template used for your workouts/nutrition advice, less real time connection .... or a combo of all of the things.

3. If a coach is "expensive" this also means they are limiting their client roster in order to give the best possible attention and guidance to their clients on their roster. I learned this personally, only after 15+ years into my career, that I can give MORE attention and personal touch to my clients by having LESS clients, while being better able to manage my own deep health. It most likely also means this is a long time, full time career for this coach and most likely they've been heavily invested in the profession for many years (i.e. experience).

REMEMBER - NEITHER of these points are "Good" or "Bad".

They ARE a reality and something I feel a client should consider in their decision making process in choosing who to hire as their coach.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? / WHO IS THE COACH?

I found this coach's Instagram account to get an idea of who they are and their business. Very quickly I could see she's a young, fit female and her page/info is very asthetic oriented and generic stereotypical approach to how fitness, nutrition and health are marketed and viewed by most people.

I also couldn't find much detail not only on her education/experience, but even the business itself? It seems you need to message her directly?

I'm not saying this is "good" or "bad" - I'm saying this is WHAT I SEE as a "potential client" if I'm coming across her page. For some this means nothing. For others it's a red flag. To each their own. Most importantly, know what YOU are looking for to best benefit YOU.

Without being able to find any info about this coach's experience/background, I'd say;

-She (appears) to be young?

-Maybe no kids/parental responsibilities?

-Early in her career? (She seems to work remotely and in person?)

-No idea on back story regarding ... well, anything (struggles with weight, why she does what she does, any life experiences that may have driven her in this career path etc...Maybe it's somewhere in a video or something on her page?)

Depending on what you're looking for you'll want to consider these things. Personally, I feel a backstory is important to know as a client if I'm hiring a coach. Example: If I'm struggling with my weight (mentally and physically);

...Do I want a coach who has been through the struggle themselves and can relate to what I'm feeling and experiencing each day?

... Do I want a coach who is naturally leaner and who really hasn't struggled with this type of thing before in his/her lifetime?

What is important for me as a client? Reminder - Neither is good or bad. What do YOU want & need MUST be factored into the decision to help you weigh the VALUE of the cost.

WHO AM I?

-Who are you as a client?

-What kind of attention, guidance, support etc are you looking for?

-Do you enjoy the stereotypical approach to health and fitness? Or do you prefer a deeper, more long term approach?

-What kind of time do you have to dedicate to your health and what type of service best suits that availability?

-Is what I'm considering similar to what I've already tried in the past? If so and it was successful in the past - why did I stop? And therefore, would a similar approach be right for me now?

As always in life, there's tradeoffs and it's a balance between reality (in this case financials, time, resonsibilities) and the help you want/need. In my opinion, BE PICKY. Especially in the landscape of the health industry today;

DON'T settle when it comes to your health.

DON'T "impulse buy" with a coach.

DON'T not ask questions.

DON'T choose your coach based on ONE factor.

CHOOSE YOUR BEST OPTION FOR YOU.