Why I Chose the Health Coach Course

Karen Broadley, CNM graduate, successful Health Coach and Founder of One Simple Thing

‘Finding balance to overcome stress and resolve my health issues’

I was a secondary school teacher for many years and throughout my teaching career, I continually looked for ways to cope with increasing stress levels. Stress made me feel anxious and tired; I also suffered with sleep issues and regular bouts of IBS.

In order to overcome these health issues, I had to find a healthy balance to reduce stress and improve my lifestyle. I began reading books and articles and listened to podcasts about how lifestyle changes can enhance health. I made subtle and sustainable dietary, lifestyle and behavioural changes to improve my digestive issues, relieve stress and feel healthier in general.

A new career where I can change someone’s life

After seeing a CNM advert for the Health Coach course in a yoga magazine, I decided to find out more about it, which led me to accessing the course content on the CNM website and watching a webinar explaining the format and assessment procedure. After gathering this information, I was convinced that health coaching was the new career I wanted to pursue.

Living in a world where physical and mental health issues and stress are more prevalent than ever, I believed that CNM’s Health Coach course would provide the perfect opportunity for me to help others to improve their health and wellbeing and possibly even change someone’s life completely!

All the modules were detailed and fascinating

The first module ‘How the Body Works’ gave a fascinating insight into the interconnectedness of all the body systems and the importance of adopting a holistic approach for improving health. The module on ‘Nutrition for Everyday Living’, showed the importance of using food as medicine – it was really interesting and informative. The final module which focused on coaching skills was excellent. We were introduced to a range of coaching skills, given access to case studies and also we worked with clients; this allowed us to put all the skills and techniques we had learnt into practice. Throughout the course, the tutors responded promptly to email queries and offered valuable suggestions and advice.

Enhanced my coaching and mentoring skills

Studying CNM’s Health Coach course has enhanced my knowledge of nutrition and exercise and further developed my coaching skills. It has enabled me to pursue a new career where I can help, support and coach people to achieve their health goals. As a teacher, I had a lot of experience of mentoring trainee teachers, a role which I really enjoyed and found very rewarding. As a Health Coach I can integrate my interest in healthy living with my skills gained as a mentor.

I now help others achieve better health

I’ve set up my own business, One-Simple-Thing, offering one-to-one consultations and talks for schools and corporate companies. At the moment I’m working with schools to help encourage other teachers to prioritise their health and wellbeing; my talks focus on making simple lifestyle changes to reduce stress and improve overall wellness.

I’m hoping to grow my client base and help as many people as possible to achieve better health. I would also like to work in partnership with other health professionals, such as Naturopathic Nutritionists, to coach their clients who may benefit from health coaching support.

Now is the time to become a Health Coach

Now, more than ever, there is a need for Health Coaches to work with people who want support, guidance and encouragement as they strive to make changes to improve their health, reduce health risks and adopt a healthier lifestyle. If you feel you can help people in this way, then don’t hesitate to pursue a fulfilling career as a Health Coach.

You can find out more about Karen at www.one-simple-thing.com.