Becoming an integrative health coach is a selfless career path to pursue. It is a means to help people better themselves and attain the health and wellness goals they set out for themselves. Meeting in person is as difficult now as its ever been, making integrative coaching an essential job. For integrative coaches, what careers can you pursue?
Integrative coaches have many career paths to choose from. Private coaching, wellness centers, restaurants, writing, and creating online programs are among the top routes to choose from. There are several ways to effectively use your knowledge as a coach. Choose what works best for you.
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Career Opportunities as an Integrative Coach
Integrative coaches can get their start doing several things. People everywhere feel lost and need guidance to achieve their personal goals. Those goals can range from career goals to social goals to health and wellness goals and more. The need for coaches is especially relevant today as people struggle through the effects of a global pandemic.
The term “essential job” is thrown around a lot today. For coaches, finding work is becoming difficult, but the opportunities are there for the taking. You do not have to meet with a person face-to-face to provide them guidance. Remote opportunities are available and can be as effective as in-person meetings.
Integrative coaches hold several responsibilities. Helping clients can be done in various ways. Your job is to keep your client on track and make sure they are putting in the work to achieve their personal goals. If a client is looking for coaching in only some aspects of their life, your knowledge can help. The more you coach, the better you will become.
After you figure out what your area of expertise as a coach is, put it to use. Your next step will be to figure out where you intend on showcasing your coaching abilities. There are several pathways to choose from, but perhaps your expertise is best suited for a particular coaching role. Let’s take a look at five career paths for integrative coaches.
5 Careers You Can Pursue as an Integrative Coach
There are several opportunities available for integrative coaches. Finding your sweet spot will deliver the best results for you and your clients. Today’s job market is changing the way jobs are done. Adapting to a volatile job market will help you reach your coaching goals. Here are a few ways to do it:
- Private coaching
- Working at wellness centers
- Cooking or working with restaurants
- Writing or blogging
- Creating online programs
The versatility of integrative coaching should allow for several career paths. You can choose to work in a specific area or combine several into one. If you are set on a career path but do not know where to start, use this article for guidance. You are choosing a career in which you help others. Take this opportunity to help yourself succeed.
1. Private Coaching
Time is easier to manage when your focus is centralized. Private coaching can be a lucrative and successful opportunity. The benefits of private coaching are the lack of distractions and the ability to focus on the tasks. Several areas of expertise are open to integration into your coaching strategy. So it allows you to move away, for example, from strictly being a nutrition and exercise coach and merge the disciplines.
If your client hires you to help them with their health and wellness, you can focus extra time on various topics. Private coaching offers you the opportunity to set your rates and develop personal relationships. Spending more time with a client will create trust. Once your client sees results and trusts you, they can recommend you to potential clients.
Word-of-mouth advertising will help grow your career as a private coach. All it takes is developing relationships with the right clients. Coordinating your schedule with your clients will present you with more time to pursue other career goals. Private coaching is a career path that offers you time to write, cook, or work on online programs.
2. Working at Wellness Centers
Working at wellness centers presents the opportunity for steady work. Rather than pursuing new clients as a private coach, wellness centers bring the clients to you. This career path is less volatile than private practice. The issue with wellness centers is the lack of time you will spend with your clients. Building relationships will feel difficult.
Having an influx of clients means booked days. The more clients you have scheduled, the less coaching you can do. If your goal as an integrative coach is results-based, this can be a difficult path to choose. If you feel like your coaching is not resulting in positive results, you do have the option of scheduling time with clients away from work.
Wellness centers might ask you to do group sessions. Group sessions are less personable but do have upside. Coaching several clients can take a toll, but group sessions allow clients to work with others. If your wellness center has an integrative coach department, use it to discuss strategy with your peers.
3. Cooking or Working With Restaurants
Clients often hire integrative coaches to help them with health and fitness issues. If you are passionate about food, this is an opportunity for you to combine your skills. Coaches that focus on health and fitness have several opportunities to reach a substantial client base. Everyone needs to eat. Why not coach people to eat healthily?
- Create healthy recipes.
- Encourage healthy eating habits.
- Nutritional education.
- Network with chefs to develop delicious and healthy food.
Creating healthy recipes will help your clients incorporate good habits into their daily routine. Working with restaurants to cook healthy food will allow you to manufacture food for masses of people. Working with food will give you time to work with other integrative coaches who are looking for food alternatives for their clients.
Going the restaurant route will present early challenges. You will struggle to find clients or restaurants to partner with, but getting over the initial hurdle will be beneficial. You will have extra time to write, work on online programs, or private coach. The cooking route will open doors for you to coach and share your integrative health expertise.
4. Writing or Blogging
Writing or blogging is perhaps the career path that will lead to the highest reach. For writers, getting your content published is the hard part. There are thousands of writers sharing the same knowledge as you. The key is to find what makes you different and to get that content into the right hands. You want to differentiate yourself from your peers.
If you choose to write, you can do so in your spare time. Unless you work for a publication or a blog, your writing should initially be a side job. You will have time to coach privately or work at a wellness center. If your coaching goal is to share your knowledge with a large community, your writing will do that.
Blogging is a way to start your coaching career as a writer off strong. Promoting your blog will help you develop a community of people. Blogging is the best way to share your coaching knowledge with people without any face-to-face interaction. It might not pay the bills at first, but sharing contact info can lead to new clients and relationships.
5. Creating Online Programs
Considering the times, a lot of work is remote or online now. Taking your knowledge and developing an online program will fit into the norm of today’s society. Online programs can mean several things. You can create a website with a step-by-step guide of your coaching expertise and strategy. You can also develop:
- Virtual courses
- Subscription programs
- Membership-based offerings
- Consultations
Online programs allow you to influence a community of people. You can manage your clientele using various membership options and develop personal relations with consulting clients. Online programs are more relevant than ever. Many people do not feel comfortable in public settings and prefer distance coaching.
How Much Do Integrative Coaches Make?
An integrative coach’s salary is dependent on the career path they take. On average, a coach will make about $47,000 a year. This salary varies based on location and job title. Private coaches can set their price points and can make more or less than the national average. The table below will show the average salary in various states.
| Florida | $49,286 |
| California | $50,869 |
| New York | $53,033 |
| Texas | $48,008 |
| Washington | $48,685 |
Salary varies by city. Some major cities offer larger salaries due to population size. Your salary can be higher if you incorporate your coaching skills into different areas. For example, combining private coaching with writing will create more revenue streams. There is potential for an average salary boost in a post-pandemic economy.
How Do I Get Started in Integrated Coaching?
Like most jobs, becoming an integrated coach starts with having the initiative. Do the research and talk to people who are in the field. As an integrated coach, you are choosing a selfless career, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. You are guiding others towards a healthier life.
To get started as an integrated coach:
- Research the career and talk to professionals.
- Understand the responsibility and work that goes into the job.
- Get Integrative Coaching Certification
- Build a business plan and choose your career path.
Being an integrated coach requires a self-starting attitude. People will hire you to coach them towards achieving their personal goals. For you to coach someone to reach their goals, you should be capable of reaching your goals. Once you are mentally prepared to guide others in their journey towards a healthier life, it is time to start.
Conclusion
Choosing to be an integrated coach may not be the most lucrative career choice you can make, but it will bring you self-fulfillment. The versatility of the role will give you several career paths to choose from. In some cases, you can combine several skills and reach a larger community. Integrated coaching will fulfill you if you put in the work. Also, read this article to learn more about some of the best integrative coaching programs.
When deciding on what integrated coaching career path to choose, consider your passions and your areas of expertise. Private wellness coaching, wellness centers, cooking or restaurant work, writing or blogging, and online programs are all effective career paths. Choose the career path that will help you reach your full potential.
If you are in it for the pay, your average salary will range from $45,000 to $50,000 or more. There is always an opportunity to make more money depending on your career path. If this is a career path you want to pursue, be sure to do the work and put yourself in a position to succeed, and provide excellent coaching to a client base that needs it.
