Wellness Coaching: The Market Is Growing

What does the future hold for the wellness coach market?

Three experts weigh in.

The wellness market appears to be on the brink of a shift toward total self-empowerment, requiring more personal wellness responsibility on the part of the consumer. “The implication here is that we, as wellness coaches, must be ready and able to support those clients who are experiencing this changing paradigm,” said Melody Mayo, a wellness coach based in Atlanta. “The wellness coaching market stands to sustain huge increases in clientele as an increasing number of people recognize the importance of lifestyle balance and maintaining real and total health (i.e., not just greater levels of fitness).” 

In the past, clients have sought out various forms of health “consultants” to give them direction, but the recent trend shows that people are beginning to move towards creating a lifestyle that fits their individual needs, and that means figuring out how to tailor the approach to the individual–hence, the need for strong wellness coaches. “A strong coach will be able to provide much more than the lip service that has been so prevalent in the wellness industry up until now,” said Mayo. “People want and need to feel like they are in the driver’s seat and, as they become increasingly ready to embrace that responsibility, we need to be prepared to support them.”     

As people grow older and more mature and continue to live active lives, their interest in living well becomes more important than living longer. “This is where wellness coaching fits in,” said Margaret Moore, Founder and CEO of Wellcoaches Corporation. “Wellness coaching is a field that barely existed ten years ago and is focused on helping clients develop and sustain robust mental and physical health.” 

Moore foresees the next financial crisis will be around healthcare costs and will be even more devastating in scale than the recent financial crisis. “People are spending their health rather than investing in it. Baby boomers are getting to an age where one’s body starts to show signs of wear and tear and if you haven’t taken care of it, it wears out pretty quickly,” Moore said.    

With 70 percent of health care costs related to preventable diseases, we have a responsibility to take good care of our health, not just our finances. According to Moore, “If we don’t collectively do this, it’s going to get extremely expensive — both personally and society-wide. People are awakening to realize that pharmaceutical companies aren’t going to cure obesity, diabetes, strokes, and heart disease any time soon, and what remains is to live a health-promoting lifestyle day in day out. They are saying to themselves: It’s up to me. How am I going to do this? And who’s going to pay for my health care in the future?”  

The qualifications and training standards for wellness coaches as well as the distinction between wellness coaches and health coaches is under debate.

Moore is working with other leaders to create national standards and certification for health and wellness coaches, a step she sees as crucial to professionalizing the space for consumers and in medicine. 

Technology is playing a huge role in the evolution of every industry – nowhere more prominently than in the health and wellness sectors. “Thanks to the Internet and mobile phones, Americans are wired together in an informational network that facilitates remote health/wellness coaching. Delivered at a fraction of the costs of face-to-face care, mobile wellness counseling allows coaches to stay in touch with individuals between appointments,” said Dr. Brian Alman, Founder of TruSage International. “It can also provide the personalized support individuals need to do the ‘finish work’ – i.e. extend the efficacy in order to maintain the last ten percent of any fitness, weight loss or disease management program. Typically, this ‘finish work’ is the hardest to achieve —and the greatest predictor of long-term success.” 

Alman said the personalization is as important as the interaction, feedback, monitoring and delivering of content that is experiential for immediate and long-term results. Researchers from San Diego State University have demonstrated cost-savings, improvements in self-care, reduction of medical visits and significant improvements in adherence to medical regimens, including weight loss and wellness programs. 

The huge growth of smart-phones, instant messaging and cloud computing allows coaches to deliver the right information on-demand.  “Clients (both businesses and individuals) want convenient access to effective, affordable wellness advice. Digital support (calls, texts, video and messages) helps coaches keep their patients on track and motivate them to stay the course,” said Alman.    

The wellness coaching market stands to expand dramatically as more people live longer and continue to recognize the importance of maintaining total health. Mobile technology helps wellness coaches deliver results for their clientele.