People are increasingly seeking ways to feel more in control of their health. COVID-19 also changed many people's perspectives. In a study by CVS Health, 77% of people reported that the pandemic influenced them to pay more attention to their overall health.
As the interest in wellness grows, so does the demand for health coach jobs. Health coaching is an ideal career if you have a passion for helping others live healthier, more fulfilled life. Read on for more information on the different career paths and remote opportunities to work in the health coaching profession.
Table of Contents:
1. Health Coach Career Paths and Job Opportunities
2. Traditional Healthcare Environments
3. How Much Can a Health Coach Make?
4. Top 3 Health Coach Jobs You Can Do from Home
Health Coach Career Paths and Job Opportunities
Your level of education and training, as well as any experience in a related field, will influence your career opportunities. For example, if you have a nursing degree, you may be suited to a health coach job in a private clinic or hospital. If you’ve worked as a personal trainer or yoga instructor, you may want to expand on the services that a local gym or wellness center offers. If you've worked for many years in a corporate setting, you may feel comfortable developing employee wellness programs.
You can also start your career by collaborating with a larger team of professionals. Being a part-time or full-time employee allows you to gain experience and expand your knowledge and network. You could also start your own health coaching business, allowing you to set your own hours and develop within the niche you feel most drawn to.
Here are some common places where health coaches work.
Traditional Healthcare Environments
If you have the clinical experience you may find good job opportunities at traditional healthcare organizations. Health coaches operate from physician offices, outpatient care centers, health insurance companies, or local, state, or private hospitals. This is usually full-time work and there's an especially high demand for health coaches to work in partnership with doctors.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Bridging the gap between patient and clinician
- Helping clients navigate health plan resources that align with their goals
- Supporting lifestyle changes after surgeries or serious diagnoses
- Working directly with a practice's healthcare workers to address ongoing burnout and stress
Gyms
If you already work as a personal trainer or fitness professional, you may want to introduce your health coaching services to a gym environment. You could operate in this role from a private gym, community fitness center, health club, or spa. Gyms often have full-time or part-time positions available.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Partnering with clients to help them establish short- and long-term fitness goals
- Helping clients understand how areas like nutrition and sleep intersect with their fitness aspirations
- Combining health coaching with personal training, if qualified
Wellness centers
Do you have a strong interest or background in complementary therapies, such as acupuncture or yoga? If so, you could collaborate with like-minded individuals at an integrative health center, private alternative therapy practice, or wellness center. You may choose to work full-time at one place or travel between different wellness facilities.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Partnering with clients to establish goals with a focus on holistic wellness
- Collaborating with other practitioners or, with the right training, providing supplemental treatments like reflexology or massage
- Leading wellness workshops or running retreats
Corporations
If you’ve previously worked in a fast-paced business environment, you may be drawn to helping other corporate workers. One way to do this is to provide health coaching as part of a wider employee wellness program. With this type of role, you may be based in an office, often on a temporary or fixed-term contract.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Closing the communication gap between employers and disengaged employees
- Helping busy and stressed employees learn how to better manage stress and sleep
- Running workshops for groups of employees with similar health goals
On your own
Many health coaches are self-employed and set their own flexible hours. Private health coaches usually offer tailored services to individuals or groups of clients with similar goals.
Running your own business comes with freedom, but also more responsibility. To set up a private practice, you must learn how to run a business successfully. You’ll also need to know the business regulations that can affect health coaches in your state, county, and city.
For help with business operations, check out the Sofia platform to help you get your business up and running.
How Much Can a Health Coach Make?
Health coaches are in high demand, but their salaries can range drastically. Back in 2006, Forbes reported that coaches have the potential to make a mean annual pro rata wage of $100,000 or more, even early in their careers.
More recently, a 2021 report from Marketdata LLC analyzed around 128,000 health coaches and found their hourly rate to be between $25 and $100 per hour. The wage you can generate in health coaching will depend on:
- The perceived value of your services
- How much work you’re willing to put into your business
- How effective you are at marketing
To learn more about the business of coaching and find resources for marketing, check out our article “How to Make Money as a Health Coach.”
Top 3 Health Coach Jobs You Can Do from Home
Because health coaching is a consulting role, you can easily meet with clients over video calls and work from anywhere. Here are three health coach jobs you can do from home.
1. Set up your own health coaching business
Setting up a health coaching business is a completely viable and exciting opportunity. As a self-employed health coach, you can speak with clients over the phone or via a video call. And you’ll do it all on your own terms.
Because you don’t have an in-person location when running your own business remotely, you’ll need a solid online marketing strategy. This is one of the few means to promote yourself to your ideal clients. You should constantly be testing different marketing strategies, but ultimately you need to show up where your target clients are searching for help with their symptoms or health goals.
If this is online, you can use sites such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to promote your coaching services. At the same time, platforms like Sofia Health allow health coaches to connect with potential clients that are searching for specific services in the wellness space.
2. Work remotely for a wellness company
The demand for health coaches is growing as an increasing number of people are searching for a more holistic approach to treating their health. More health-based companies are employing remote health coaches that work with clients via chat, over the phone, or on a video call.
You may find remote health coaching opportunities with virtual health and wellness companies, health insurance companies, or other related businesses.
3. Become a health and wellness writer
As a health coach, you can turn your knowledge into well-researched, informational articles. You may be able to make a good living as a freelance writer for various health and wellness companies and online publications. As a writer, you can work on your own schedule to support a rapidly growing online interest in health and wellness.
You can also start your own blog to promote your coaching services. Writing with SEO in mind will increase your chances of appearing on the first page of search engines. You can even monetize your blog with product reviews, affiliate programs, advertisements, and sponsorship or partnership opportunities.
Sign up for Sofia Health and Promote your Health Coaching Services
There are many opportunities in the field of health coaching, whether you want to work full-time or part-time, for a company or on your own, and remotely or outside of your home.
To learn more about the fast-growing field of health coaching, take a look at our comprehensive career guide on How To Become a Health Coach.
The Sofia Health platform allows clients from all over the world to find independent wellness professionals. As a new health coach, this offers you exceptional exposure to an engaged audience that already exists (and is growing).
To understand the expenses that come with starting your own online business and how to calculate your return on investment (ROI), download the free Sofia Health Financial Roadmap for Practitioners. You can also find valuable health coaching business tools and resources at four wellness co.
