Confessions of an Imperfect Health Coach

When I first started in health coaching, I had a need to portray myself as someone who had it all figured out because I so wanted to have it all figured out.

I mean, we all want to have it figured out, but the truth is, we are all a work in progress. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been a Type A perfectionist. Through health coaching and entrepreneurship, I’ve learned — reluctantly– to check my perfectionism at the door.

Inspired by a post I read recently that deconstructed the myth of the perfect health coach, I felt inspired to share with you, my readers, some of my own dirty little “secrets.”

My Dirty Little Health Coach Secrets

1. I freeze my green juice: As much as I’d like to make fresh green juice every morning, circumstances just won’t always allow it. So I do the next best thing — make a big batch, divvy it up into individual mason jars and stick it in the freezer. It works for me and I’m all about sanity-saving shortcuts.

2. There are days when all I want to do is eat cupcakes and watch The Real Housewives of NYC: Don’t get me wrong, I freakin’ LOVE greens and grains and all that jazz (and yes, reality TV is my guilty pleasure) but there are days when I don’t even want to look at a salad or a green smoothie. On the days when my sugar addiction comes back to haunt me, I usually know how to pull myself out of it with some healthy comfort food but sometimes, I just eat the cupcake.

3. Almost everything I do, I start before I’m ready:  After waiting almost five years to enroll at IIN, I decided I would never be the one to hold myself back from a dream again. My blog would have never materialized had I waited until I was ready nor would have my romantic relationship. If something I want is in front of me, I go after the opportunity. This is most often where I have to relinquish perfectionism. Sometime there are spelling mistakes, other times things don’t work out exactly as I envisioned but it’s all part of the process.

4. I don’t always buy organic: I believe in organic and do my best to shop organic, but sometimes the store doesn’t have it or its just outrageously expensive. I pick and choose what I’ll bend on and what I won’t. So kale? Yes, always organic. Avocados, not so much. Most important is that I’m eating well.

5. I’m still working on myself: You name it, I’m working on it. Whether it be my meditation practice, my body image or  my relationship with myself. I believe that my imperfections make me a better, more compassionate health coach.

I’ve been humbled by my clients. In fact, some of my own breakthroughs happen when I’m coaching. It’s no coincidence to me that so many of them struggle with similar challenges I have. My clients are my greatest teachers and because of them, I’m grateful I found health coaching.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me what makes you perfectly imperfect and how you embrace it by leaving a comment below.

If you love what I’m sharing here and feel inspired by it, share it back using the social media buttons at the bottom.

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