What is a Health Coach?

So, practically, what does it mean to be a health coach?

When I told people I was leaving the corporate tech world and ditching machine learning models for holistic healing, many friends were confused. They asked, "So, are you becoming an influencer?" The answer is an emphatic NO—mostly because my Instagram aesthetic hasn’t evolved much since my middle school Facebook albums. So, what is a health coach?

As a health coach, I meet with clients weekly or biweekly to set goals, track progress, explore the root causes of their symptoms, share health research, and discuss how traditional, lifestyle-focused healing modalities from our ancestors can help today. I’m there to help you implement the health plan your naturopath has outlined or be a shoulder to lean on when a doctor dismisses your concerns (e.g., “Your autoimmune condition is just genetic; there’s nothing you can do.”).

Our conversations may focus on food, mindfulness practices, movement, understanding and tracking your lab work, finding the right practitioner team, herbs for stress and digestion, and more.

What Makes Me Different as a Holistic Health Coach?

Every health coach has their style and strengths. My Instagram isn’t full of beautiful salad and smoothie recipes, but I’ll share my favorite accounts for gluten-free and inflammation-taming recipes. As a former data engineer, I love helping people understand their lab results and track what impacts their health. I’m also a meditator, spiritual seeker, herbalist, and yogi, so I can guide you in mindfulness and finding deeper meaning in your health journey.

With a master’s degree that included coursework in bioinformatics and statistics, I’m a nerd about scientific studies. If you’re science-minded, we can dig into research on vitamins, minerals, and foods that show promise for conditions like Hashimoto’s. However, I’ve also studied Ayurveda and herbalism enough to recognize the limits of a purely materialistic, placebo-controlled study approach. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad science has proven the benefits of turmeric, but let's not forget that Ayurvedic practitioners have been seeing this in practice for thousands of years.

As someone who has navigated autoimmune, thyroid, and gut imbalances, I bring embodied wisdom alongside book knowledge.

Can a Holistic Health Coach Help You, and How Are They Different from Other Practitioners?

On your healing journey, you may encounter various practitioners, from traditional MDs to naturopaths or acupuncturists. These practitioners often have strong beliefs about what you need to heal, which can be amazing when you find the right fit. However, some may exhaust their expertise and pass you on, remain rigid in their approach to your thyroid or gut condition, or prescribe major lifestyle changes without support for implementing them (e.g., “Be less stressed. What, like its hard?"). Some focus solely on physical causes, overlooking emotional and spiritual aspects.

This is what sets my approach apart as a holistic health coach. I’m with you throughout your journey—through changes, experiments, and whichever healing modalities you choose. I support you in using your intuition to guide your healing, rather than prescribing rigid solutions. If stress is a factor, we’ll explore meditation, prayer, walking, breathing, or spiritual transformation. I’m passionate about incorporating safe, gentle herbs to address underlying imbalances. If your doctor or naturopath is your OBGYN, I’m your health doula. My agenda is to support you, as someone who has walked this path myself.

Where Are You in Your Healing Journey, and How Can a Coach Help?

You know what you need to do but can’t incorporate meaningful change into your lifestyle.

• We’ll work on small, consistent changes over time.

• We’ll identify blockers—overwhelm, unhelpful thought patterns, or lack of organization.

• We’ll track goals to build momentum and belief that you can feel better.

You want a quick fix to feel better.

• I might not be your person right now. Quick fixes are great, but chronic conditions often require lifestyle changes that take months to show progress.

You’ve seen doctors pushing medication without suggesting lifestyle changes to address root causes.

• I’ll share lifestyle changes from scientific research, traditional healing wisdom, and my own experimentation.

• You can work with your practitioner on medication while we focus on deeper holistic healing.

• I can support you in finding the right naturopath or doctor to manage your medical journey.

You’ve been coping with symptoms for years and are close to giving up on feeling better.

• I’m here to hold the vision that you will feel better.

• We’ll explore triggers and alleviators of your symptoms, try different healing modalities, and measure their impact.

• I’m your research and experimentation partner to find the mindset or modality that moves the needle on your symptoms.

Somewhere else?

• Let’s chat. I love working with people at all stages of their health journey. I’ll give you a realistic assessment of whether I can help or point you in a direction that may be a better fit.

Ready to start your healing journey with personalized support? Reach out to schedule a one-on-one coaching session, and let’s work together to help you feel your best!