This week amid the Coronavirus madness I found a haven of support and learning where I was introduced to wellness coaching.

It is now a year since I became an International Coaching Federation (ICF) approved professional coach. Six months ago I added career coaching to my skills but when this course became available I knew I had found my niche.

Wellness is now a multi million pound industry. But at the same time our state of well-being has deteriorated. Many of us are struggling with our diets, lack of exercise, feel stressed and anxious and are overly critical of ourselves. Not a good formula for living a happy life. Whilst many ‘remedies’ offer a sticking plaster approach coaching felt, to me, a more long term, sustainable way to improve wellness.

I undertook the course with Full Global Coaching which is the company I had previously trained with. It is the first company to have a wellness coaching programme certified by the ICF. So we were in new and exciting territory.

So what is wellness? And what is wellness coaching?

One definition of wellness is ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. But this does suggest that if you have physical or mental health problems you can’t experience wellness. I don’t believe this. It may make it more challenging but wellness is the right of everyone.

So what is wellness coaching? It is a process where the coach provides a safe environment for the client to explore those issues that are impacting on their wellness and to identify goals and strategies that will result in long term changes. The coach’s role being to lead, challenge and encourage them in the process.

Sounds simple doesn’t it. But it is very powerful. I remain amazed as to how coaching can bring about a transformation.

Most of my coaching experience to date has focused on career development and the transformation into retirement? But I’m particularly interested in wellness as it seems to underpin the motivation for doing those things that we know are good for us. Exercise, good nutrition, quality sleep, having meaningful relationships and having fun. But things get in the way and often what gets in the way is not well understood.

Take exercise as an example. Most of us know what we should be doing. The WHO guidelines are notorious. At least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes at vigorous intensity and strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week. But 40% of people don’t do any exercise and only 20% hit the recommended amount. Could wellness coaching improve these statistics?

A tool that can be used to support the process is the Wheel of Wellness (my feature image). What struck me when using the wheel is that it is the segments on the right that are the obvious measures of wellness and may be the motivation for going to a coach. But it is the other half of the wheel which is often more fundamental to our wellness and can sabotage our attempts to lead a healthier life. Most of our conversations during the course were focused on the left of the wheel. A little frustrating for me as I love talking about exercise. But the greater good and all that.

I spent three days with eleven amazing women. A number of them were experienced coaches, a number were like me. Just starting out. It may have been the subject but it was a more supportive, cohesive group compared to previous coaching courses. But no men which I felt a little disappointed by. Three quarters of suicides in the UK are men. A focus on wellness could impact on this awful statistic.

So a lot more to say on my experience and a lot to think about and process. There were parts of the course that I wasn’t comfortable with and other parts that I need to introduce for my own wellness. But in the meantime I am the proud owner of a Certificate in Wellness Coaching.