Becoming a Health Coach

Back to Her: Coaching Through Perimenopause and Everything Else What happens when your own body keeps throwing you curveballs — burnout, single motherhood, perimenopause symptoms nobody warned you about — and coaching becomes both your business and your survival tool? Megan and Danna sit down with Vanessa Gaitlin, an IIN-trained coach (and one of Megan's earliest connections in the coaching world)...

Welcome to another coaching series where we do a coaching debrief after a real coaching session. Let's meet Tina - this is her Health History. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Goals 00:51 Why Coaching Now 06:58 Mom Guilt and Stress 08:07 Sleep and Gut Deep Dive 16:43 Holistic Plan and Wrap Up Mentioned in this episode: Missed an episode? Don't worry, we have you covered. Check out the link below to the...

How do you become a coach (and actually make it work) without having it all figured out first? If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to be a coach, but I’m not sure I’m qualified… and also I have no idea how the business side works,” this conversation is for you. Megan and Danna sit down with Ben Fox to unpack what it really looks like to grow into coaching , build credibility (even when you’re young)...

How Do I Make It Last? Joanna walked into her final session with the only question that matters: How do I make this stick when things are hard? Travel. Illness. Holiday season. She's exhausted again—and she knows exactly why. A few months ago, she wouldn't have noticed the difference. Now her body tells her immediately when she's off track. That awareness? That's the win. She asked about dinner bu...

She Came Ready Joanna walked into session five with a list. "I have a lot of stuff." That's exactly what a coach wants to hear. She was ready to move on to movement—nutrition felt handled. But Danna pulled her back for a moment. There was something in how Joanna talked about "falling off the wagon" with food logging. Was she disappointed because it actually helped her? Or because she felt like she...

She Feels It Now Joanna messaged before the call: "I haven't kept up with it." Danna braced for bad news. But here's the twist—it was just the logging that slipped. The eating habits? Those stuck. She has energy. She's feeling the difference. That's the whole point. Remember session one, when Joanna asked "How will I know it's working?" She wanted black-and-white proof, and Danna couldn't give it...

Conferences and Congresses - no matter what you call them, they are an excellent resource for health coaches. In this episode, Megan talks about why you should consider attending health conferences, how to prepare before you go, and what to do while you're there. We love to hear from you! Send us a Voicemail Send us an Email Takeaways: Attending health conferences provides invaluable networking op...

She's Doing the Hard Work Good news: Danna's awake this time. And Joanna? She came in hot—full of data from her CGM experiment, eager to keep going, and finally seeing real results. But Megan caught something in this session: a little miscommunication around food logging. Joanna was trying to figure out how to track (weighing her go-to foods once so she'd know the portions forever), and Danna push...

If you’re becoming a health coach (or you’re early in your coaching career), you’ve probably felt the pressure to “have it all together” while the world feels… like a lot. In this episode, mindfulness practitioner and certified coach Gretchen Larsen shares practical ways to stay grounded, reduce stress spirals, and prevent burnout—without pretending you’re fine. We talk about why overwhelm can shr...

When Your Coach is Human Too Danna's been up since 4:30am. She's brain foggy, running on fumes, and didn't have time to review her notes before the session. Megan's listening and thinking: come on, Danna, you can do it. And that's the point. Coaches are human. There's no such thing as a perfect session every time—and showing that to clients matters. Life gets messy. You show up anyway. The real ta...

Behind the Session The first session is done—and Danna and Megan are debriefing. What just happened? What worked? What do listeners need to know about getting the most out of health coaching? Joanna came in like a lot of first-timers: a little anxious, full of questions, not quite sure how coaching works. She wanted a program. A protocol. Something concrete. But that's not how this goes. Good coac...

Chapter 0: Before We Begin Meet Joanna: working mom, twin wrangler, cheese enthusiast. She's got four-year-old twins, a ten-year-old who moonlights as a paid babysitter, and a brain that hasn't known single-tasking in years. She's here because of the afternoon crash—that 2pm slump that wipes her out. She wants her focus back, her energy back, her brain back. But she's also clear about what she's n...

Thanks for listening to the introduction episode for our coaching series with Joanna. This project follows a real three-month coaching engagement with six coaching sessions. We recorded the coaching sessions themselves, plus Joanna’s full health history, plus debrief episodes where Danna and I reflect on the coaching session and break down what we were listening for. Here’s the easiest way to list...

Megan and fellow coach Danna revisit an early episode to unpack functional medicine —what it is, how it differs from conventional care, and how a functional approach can sharpen a health coach’s practice. Expect practical examples (BP meds, antibiotics + probiotics), how to vet providers, and what extra training changed in Danna’s client work. Back in 2018, Megan introduced functional medicine as...

Megan and fellow health coach Danna revisit an early episode on patient advocacy , reflecting on what still holds up in 2025. They cover why women are disproportionately dismissed, how to prepare for medical appointments , when to switch doctors , and how to use online research without catastrophizing. Episode description Back in 2018, Megan shared Jennifer Esposito’s years-long road to a celiac d...

In this trailer episode of 'Becoming a Health Coach,' Megan McCrory introduces her background and the reasons for starting the podcast in 2018 while attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Megan reviews the structure of her podcast, highlighting early episodes that chronicle her learning experience, as well as popular episodes and interviews. She also announces a new co-hosted sho...

Embracing Technology in Health Coaching: Telehealth, Apps, Wearables, and Ethics In this episode Megan explores how technology is revolutionizing health coaching. The discussion covers telehealth platforms, apps, and wearables, emphasizing their benefits and challenges, including data privacy and ethical considerations. Megan also shares insights on AI-powered coaching, advanced wearables, and the...

You've taken the online quizzes. You've seen yourself in every TikTok. You're 97% sure you have ADHD... but now what? In Episode 2 of our ADHD series, Kelly Brändli breaks down the entire testing and diagnosis process—from self-assessment to sitting in the psychiatrist's office. What You'll Learn: First step: Take a proper self-assessment (Kelly recommends ADHD UK's website) What separates "everyo...

Got it! Here's the title and show notes: Title: Wait, I Have THAT Too?! The Signs of ADHD Nobody Talks About ft. Kelly Brändli Show Notes: Three women with ADHD walk into a podcast booth... and somehow actually finish recording an episode. 🎉 This is Episode 1 of our deep-dive ADHD series with Kelly Brändli, ADHD and relationship coach, mom of two ADHD boys, and partner to a late-diagnosed man. Ke...

Thanks for listening to Becoming a Health Coach with Megan J. McCrory . This episode of Becoming a Health Coach features a discussion between host Megan McCrory and guest Danna Levy Hoffmann . They discuss the reasons behind Danna's choice to become a health coach and her journey through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's certification programs. Danna shares her insights on how the program...

Hello, and thanks for listening to Becoming a Health Coach with Megan J. McCrory . When Michelle Leotta became a certified health coach, there was no such thing as board certification and most people had never heard of kale. Join this lively conversation about the industry's evolution and how to get started on your health coaching path from someone who has been in your shoes and continues to move...

Choosing the Right Certification: Becoming a Health Coach Bonus Episode In this bonus episode of 'Becoming a Health Coach', host Megan McCrory speaks with fellow health coach Danna Levy Hoffman about her journey into health coaching. Danna shares her reasons for choosing the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and how convenience and cost factored into her choice. Danna also discusses the initial...

Hello, and thanks for listening to Becoming a Health Coach with Megan J. McCrory. This bonus episode features host Megan McCrory in a conversation with fellow health coach, Danna Levy Hoffmann. Danna shares her journey of becoming a functional medicine health coach and how her grandmother's ill health, passion for food, and her previous business, which was about healthy cooking for kids, influence...

In this episode, Ep. 30 20 Profitable Niches for Health Coaches , your host Megan McCrory discusses the concept of niches in health coaching. She outlines the ways these specialized market segments can aid in customer acquisition and specifies how certain niches can be narrowed down even further. A variety of niches, from weight loss and management to family health and nutrition, are discussed in...

In this episode, Megan discusses how Sparketypes can be used in coaching to help clients find work that brings them joy and fulfillment. She explains the process of diving deeper into understanding the different Sparketypes and how they relate to individuals. Megan shares the importance of having conversations with clients to articulate their thoughts and feelings about their Sparketype profiles....