Corporate wellness coaches have the opportunity to help companies and employees alike by helping employees get on the right track with their health. By creating and implementing sitewide health interventions, such as step or activity challenges, coaches work directly with employees to help them reach their personal goals. As a result, employers are able to save money on their employee benefits costs and employees get the support they need to make healthy lifestyle changes.
The first thing a corporate wellness coach needs to do is establish their credibility. This means getting a strong and clear story together, as well as a solid coaching style and process. This is particularly important when trying to gain management or wellness committee approval for a program. Once a coach has established their credibility, they need to find the right clients and then develop a good rapport with them. This is particularly important when working with a client on an ongoing basis, such as through a monthly coaching call.
A successful coach also knows that they cannot do it all on their own and must build a team around them. This includes hiring virtual assistants and leveraging other health coaches to help them with their workload. This helps them deliver quality coaching to their clients and also ensures that they are staying on top of the latest industry trends and advances.
Another critical aspect of a successful corporate wellness coach is their ability to think strategically about the programs they are running and how to market them. They must be able to articulate the value they are providing in their marketing materials, as well as during meetings with management or other wellness committee members.
The most successful corporate wellness coaches are able to move beyond the traditional nutrition/health coach role and create unique programs that are focused on addressing the needs of the company they are working with. For example, Erin Foushee is the founder of Fortis Wellness, and she has created a coaching business that helps companies adopt a culture of wellness and gives their employees the tools, motivation, and professional guidance they need to make healthier choices. She has also developed a training and certification program that teaches other IIN graduates how to build their own profitable corporate wellness businesses.
Many employers are focused on improving their employee wellness programs, and this can mean bringing in outside providers to run their wellness initiatives. This is a great way for health coaches and other professionals to increase their visibility in the workplace, as well as build new relationships with potential clients.
One of the best ways to do this is by joining a network of health and wellness coaches who can connect them with clients in the workplace. The networks are often curated by companies like Wellness Coaches USA, which was the first to offer onsite health coaching at a workplace and is now an international organization that helps coaches develop their corporate wellness businesses.