FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What is Nutrition Coaching, and is it right for me?

Nutrition Coaching is a collaboration with yourself and a certified coach to make a custom plan to reach and sustain your health and wellness goals. I specialize in mind-body wellness, habit forming and simplifying nutrition for busy people, who don’t have a lot of time, but do want to make improvements in their health and lifestyle. These can range from weight loss/gaining mass, learning tools to plan and prep, improving sleep, reducing stress and increasing energy. If you are ready to take the next step in your wellness journey, I am ready to work with you!

2.  I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know I want to feel better. Can you help me?

Getting clarity on your goals is one of the first steps I help you take in my program. Exploring the deeper reason for the change you desire will help you form a vision and take ownership of the path ahead, and I can help you do that!

3.  I’ve failed before, how can I trust that it will be different with you?

I know it can be hard to feel like you’ve had setbacks. I like to look at it a different way: You’ve tried and tried and tried, over and over. That says a lot about your resilience and courage. So, I appreciate you being so willing and open to try again with me. It might help you to know that I use a behavior-based approach that really tries to get at WHY you might be struggling, and HOW to work through those very normal challenges. We go slowly, one step at a time, so you’re not overwhelmed with too much at once. This helps you progress and build skills gradually, so you feel confident at every step.

4.  What qualifications and experience do you have as a coach?

I am a certified L1 Precision Nutrition Coach, Master Certified Health and Wellness Coach,Certified Stress, Sleep and Recovery Coach.  I'm also a busy mom of four and a wife of an athlete/firefighter/business owner. I have gone through the process of pregnancy weight gain, nursing and weight loss, have lived with my family in Mozambique/South Africa for 7 years where resources are lacking, and in turn became more resilient and creative in getting to my own goals, and have lived through prolonged  periods of chronic stress. I understand how hard it can be to prioritize your health when work and family and exhaustion mark your life! Thankfully, our health journey is not a race to the finish, but rather a learning experience that allows us to grow in many ways during the process. I believe my life experience and empathy allows me to coach well, and relate to the challenges you may be facing.

5.  What do you do differently than other coaches?

I can’t speak for all other coaches, but the one thing I like to bring to the table is the  behavior-based approach that builds skills one step at a time, so that you can create sustainable change. I work with systems to help you form an environment and mindset that supports your goals.  I don’t promote fad diets or an all-or-nothing mindset. I take a gracious, curious view and live by the motto that there are no failures, just feedback, and use all your experiences as objective data that helps us perfect our plan moving forward to get you sustainable results.

6.  How does coaching work?

Great question! Coaching is a collaborative process. We work together to understand your goals, your current roadblocks, and create a custom plan built around what you’ll need to succeed. Along the way we gather information and make adjustments to keep you moving forward. Coaching is a two-way street. The two of us work together on the goals you have created for yourself. And we fine tune along the way, based on what is working well and what needs additional attention. We’ll meet in person or on zoom once weekly. At each session, we’ll look at what’s happened, and what it means. We’ll collaborate on what to do next, based on the data we’ve gotten from your experience. Above all, YOU are the boss of your process and path. I am not here to tell you what to do; I am here as your guide, navigator, and support system. To me, coaching involves clarity and commitment. It’s about taking the time to truly explore and engage with your experiences and provide the best support possible during your journey. A real coach doesn’t just TELL you what to do. Rather, they SHOW you what to do by helping uncover what you already do so well and nudge you to do more of that.

7.  Do you offer free consultations?

YES! I offer a FREE Introductory consultation as a 15-minute phone call so that you can get to know me as a coach, discuss questions and concerns, and most importantly, I can get to know you and hear what goals and desires you have on your journey to health! You can book that call HERE

8.  How long does a session last?

Initial consultations usually are a bit longer, at about 45-60 minutes as I really get to know you and your aspirations for your personal health. We will cover the initial assessment intake form in that session and lay a foundation for the future together. After that, weekly calls/meetings will be about 30 minutes. This can be extended depending on the client’s needs/situation.

9.  Do we communicate outside of sessions?

Yes. Each client downloads the free version of the Healthie App. This is where I book sessions, hold virtual calls, create and update your Wellness Plan as needed, and handle accounts. It includes messaging and documents in your own personal profile so I can send you directly resources and tools as needed. You can use it to take pictures of your meals and record food and many other activities. It is completely secure and confidential, and I check it throughout the day to make sure my clients are receiving 100% support.

10.  When will I see results?

Results really vary from person to person. A lot depends on what your goals are, how many changes you make, other factors like sleep, stress, family commitments, etc. I like to do a little exercise called Want-Willing-Won’t. What do you want? What are you willing to do for it? And what WON’T you do for it? That exercise helps us start to set realistic expectations, given what you’re working with. There are many factors that go into the speed at which you see results/progress. I do my best as your coach to give you all the advantages I can.

11.   What do you expect from me as a client?

I take my role in your journey very seriously and it’s important to me that we both understand all the time, effort, attention, and resources that go into something special like this. What’s most important to me is that you keep a growth mindset and stay consistent with the process. There are definitely times where you might have second thoughts about what we’re doing or why we aren’t moving fast enough. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and maintain honest and open communication throughout the process. And just keep showing up! Honestly, that’s the most important piece.

12.   Will there be a meal plan provided?

No meal plans and that is good news! We don’t consider foods as “good” or “bad”, yet there are better times for certain foods. We will work together on finding what foods work best for you and your goals. I like to find different ways to make nutrition coaching easy and sustainable for my clients. While meals plans can give us the structure and rigidity of what to eat and how much to eat, I have found that many clients often prefer a different approach. We can definitely explore what that means for you as we begin to understand what areas you need support with. While meal plans are common practice in the nutrition field, I’ve found that they can be a little too restrictive with the day to day happenings of real life. We’ll work together to find a plan that works for you and your situation, and yes, it will include how to plan and build meals to help you reach your goals.

13.  Will I have to track food or count calories?

Have to? No. Want to? That’s up to you. I like to use a very simple approach that relies on using something you’re already familiar with - your hands. And it’s been shown to be just as effective with managing portion sizes and helping you reach your goals. We’ll talk more about this in future discussions, but I want you to know that you won’t have to track specific grams, ounces, or calories in food if you don’t want to.

14. How long does the program last? Do you require a minimum commitment?

After the initial assessment, I ask for a monthly commitment, and for payments to be made at the beginning of each month. One month is the equivalent to 4 weeks of coaching sessions. I do not require a minimum commitment of months, but I do recommend starting with a three-month plan, as this helps us really build out a holistic baseline and start to see some changes. Ideally, 6-12 months is an excellent timeline for more profound change. Deep health takes time to establish, and because I am a habit/behavior-based health coach, I deeply value the importance of creating and sustaining healthy habits. My coaching is not a quick-fix, diet-based program. I coach healthy habits for sustainable change.

15.  How/where will meetings take place?

All my work is held virtually via the Healthy app. It is a free app that has secure messaging and all of your data is protected. You can access my coaching anywhere you can get internet access.

16.   In what format do you take payment?

I take payment electronically though the Healthie App.

17.   What are your hours?

My hours are 9:30-4:30 Mondays through Fridays, and I can accommodate clients with weekend sessions in some cases. Although I have set session times, I respond and correspond with all clients as needed through out  the entire week.

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18.  Do I have to download or buy anything special?

You can download the Healthie app, and that’s free. As long as we can get in touch, that’s all you need. There are no extra costs for food, supplements, or anything else.

20.  I want to get started. What's next?

If you are ready to move forward on your route to wellness, you can  fill out the Interest Form and I will reach out to you as soon as I receive it.

If there are any other questions you have that were not answered here, You can book a call to speak with me HERE

I look forward to meeting you and cheering you on as your coach!

You were made to thrive!