Receive $2250 off + exclusive bonuses for IIN with my discount: www.iamsahararose.com/become-a-health-coach I started my career as a Holistic Health Coach and wouldn’t be here today, sharing this podcast with you if I didn’t take that plunge. And I know so many of you are also searching for your dharmas to make that shift, so your career can be in alignment with your highest self. In this episode, I sit down with my alma mater Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Head of Brand Jim Curtis, to discuss all things health coaching in today’s world. We discuss why health coaches are more needed now than ever before in this post-COVID and quarantine world, the various careers available for you as a Health Coach, taking your education towards being an emotional eating, digestion, hormonal, spiritual, self-love or life coach and how IIN is a launching pad for so many people’s careers. We also discuss how to choose the right program, using IIN towards your masters and the difference between IIN and all other schools. If you’re ready to create a new career for yourself in the wellness world, then you gotta listen to this episode! Receive $2250 off + exclusive bonuses for IIN with my discount: www.iamsahararose.com/become-a-health-coach Pre-order my upcoming book Discover Your Dharma and receive your bonuses: bit.ly/30BXuGU
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Transcript
Episode 314: What You Can Do As a Holistic Health Coach with Jim Curtis
By Sahara Rose
[0:12]
Namaste. It’s Sahara Rose and welcome back to The Highest Self Podcast, a place where we discuss what makes You, Your Soul’s Highest Evolvement.
[0:19]
We have officially made it to September, back to school season, and we are feeling the huge energetic shifts. We have confronted so much this year, and also had so many realizations of who we want to be and how we want to show up in the world in this new evolution in our lives.
[0:38]
And I know so many people right now are considering career shifts. You are maybe not feeling fulfilled at the career that you are in, or perhaps you lost your business, or you lost your job because of Covid, and now stepping into something new. This is what’s happened with my husband, he’s definitely looking into more of his spiritual sides – so with every ending there is a beginning. Or maybe you are a stay-at-home mom and you’re wanting to get out there; maybe you just graduated from college, but you are considering something that allows you to use your gift of wanting to help people out into the world and take the concepts that you love to learn about in your free time, whether it is Holistic Health, or Ayurveda, Self-Love, Manifestation, whatever it is, and really bring it out to help other people go through that process. In fact, it brings you so much joy to be able to sit with someone and learn about the nuances and their mind; why do they keep going back to eating muffins in the middle of the night; or why can’t they exercise; or why is this hormonal issue there; or why is this happening on a deeper soul level. If you are that person, then being a Holistic Health Coach is going to be such a fulfilling career and just a first step for you, because what we’re really going to talk about in this Episode is everything that you can do as a Holistic Health Coach.
[2:00]
So, as many of you know, this is how I started my career and I was working as a one-on-one Health Coach for about 5-6 years, and I wouldn’t be here today sharing this Podcast, writing books, having my Rose Gold Goddesses Community, giving talks, everything that I do, honestly, would not be here had I not started at IIN, which is Institute for Integrative Nutrition (which is the school that I went to back in 2012).
So, at that time I was just looking for help for my own health problems, I had a host of health issues, I had Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, which means I didn’t get my period for two years; digestive issues; all sorts of things. And I just wanted to learn more about it for myself because it was a passion of mine, and that naturally made me want to help others, and that led to everything else.
[2:46]
So, I know so many of you are also looking to make your mess your message, and are searching for that true Dharma, your soul’s Purpose – and this is really the time that we could take action and move towards it.
We’re in that Vata season; we’re in that Virgo season; it’s time for us to take that idea and then take action on it because the world is shifting and like we’re going to be speaking about in this Episode, Health Coaches are really needed than ever before. And this is the perfect opportunity for you, as we’re already going to be at home for the next couple months, to take that time to be starting your career. Imagine graduating from school in the next couple months and being able to start your career with the certificate as a Holistic Health Coach
[3:25]
So, in this Episode I sit down with IIN’s Head of Brand, Jim Curtis, who has had an incredible story of healing himself which he’ll share with us in this Episode. Then we answer all of the questions basically that you have of – what are the different niches that you can have; what if you want to work with more spiritual or life coaching or emotional eating; what’s the difference between this program and that program; and all of the things available for you when you make this decision to become a Holistic Health Coach.
[3:55]
I know myself, I had so many questions. I did not know a single person that went to the school before I signed up; I definitely did not have a discount or anything, I paid the full thing, and I was really, really scared, and I wish I had someone who was answering the questions and showing me everything that was possible for me after graduating. So I wanted to create this Episode for you, to give you that resource and show you that it is possible and that IIN can truly be a launching pad into so many different types of careers. All it really takes is just saying ‘Yes’; ‘Yes’ to your soul and ’Yes’ to that desire within you that is wanting to do something more.
[4:28]
So, today I am an IIN Ambassador because I am so grateful for my own education there and I’ve teamed up with them to offer you a $2250 discount off of your tuition at IIN (that’s $2250), you can also receive my bonuses, including my How To Create a Thriving Health Coach Career which I give you my tips, tricks, everything that I have learned as a Holistic Health Coach, from one-on-one health coaching to group coaching, to online programs – all of that I share with you on this Webinar which is my first bonus. We have a second bonus which is a Business Coaching Call (with myself, Jim and the CEO of IIN) where we share with you more business strategies etc., and we’re also going to be giving you reserved seating at the next IIN Live Conference because they have these amazing Live Conferences. Now, they’re going to be doing it all again all around the country once everything opens up, and you’ll be able to have reserved seating for that. So, all of those discounts are available for you if you do decide to enroll as a Holistic Health Coach. You can find that link in the show notes, wherever you’re listening to this Podcast, if you just click the ‘Info’ you’ll be able to see it – click that link, I share more information about IIN; more about my story; and you just tell them that you were referred by Sahara Rose and you’ll get all of those discounts and bonuses available for you.
[5:43]
So, without further ado, let’s welcome Jim Curtis to The Highest Self Podcast.
__________________________________________________________________
[5:48] Interview
[5:48] Sahara:
Welcome Jim to The Highest Self Podcast, it’s so great to have you here.
[5:51] Jim:
It’s so good to be here! You know I’ve been wanting to be on this Podcast for quite some time.
[5:55] Sahara:
You manifested it!
[5:58] Jim:
I did! I’ve been waiting for you to ask me. I’ve been thinking about it and feeling it, and now it’s happening, so I’m really happy to be here.
[6:05] Sahara:
Oh yes! So the first question I’d love to ask you is what makes You, Your Highest Self?
[6:09] Jim:
You know, that’s a fantastic question! What makes Me, My Highest Self is connecting to a higher power. So, I need to reconnect, on a daily basis, to something that is greater than me or else I get stuck in ego, and start to act small. So, what makes Me, My Highest Self is really connecting to my own higher power – then I’m big; then I can expand and help other people; and I can spread the word; and I can do the work. But if I’m not connected to my higher power, than I’m my lowest.
[6:44] Sahara:
Yes, it’s like when you’re stressed out about something and then you meditate, you come back to it and you just see it from such a different perspective and you’re like “Why was I so stuck in this hole when I could have looked at it from this greater lens, and it’s not a big deal anymore?”
[6:58] Jim:
Yeah! Or when you start to focus on things based on your ego, and then when you kind of come out of it and say “What if my ego didn’t matter? What if I didn’t matter as much? What if I had something bigger than me, would this still matter?” And often times it’s “No” those things matter because my mind is telling me they matter; but what is my heart telling me? Then I can rise above it and those little annoyances or something someone said, it really becomes nothing.
[7:32] Sahara:
So true! So, you have an incredible story of healing and transformation. So, can you tell listeners how you got, personally, into Health and Wellness?
[7:42] Jim:
Sure! Well, I started about 20 years ago, and I was just kind of like that guy that was in the Fraternity and wore his hat backwards, and could crush a beer can on his forehead, but that was me, and in fact I did all of that. But I was also an athlete, and sports was my thing. I got recruited to college to swim, I was always very athletic until I started to feel some pain in my chest. And then one day I was riding my bike and the next morning I woke up and I was numb on my left leg, and so, we knew something was wrong. And my mother being a nurse in the ER and often didn’t get excited about anything, but with this she said “There’s an issue.” So, I got an MRI, way back when MRI’s took an hour and a half to do, and they found lesions on my spinal cord, which, to make a long story short, progressed, progressed and progressed, and every month would be a new issue until I woke up one day and I couldn’t walk.
So, my journey started there. And it started with fighting that; it started with transitioning my sense of self from “Okay, I’m this tough guy, an athlete that can do anything” to “Now I can’t at all.” And in fighting it, fighting it, still getting a job as a Trader on Wall Street, and just fighting kind of where, what I know now is, was kind of my Purpose, was my path was leading me – I was constantly trying to stray from that path and it constantly kept putting me on the path.
So eventually, I went to see about 200 different practitioners all over the world, and I kind of got a handle of what I was dealing with (although I was never diagnosed, it manifested just like many other things), and I got a handle on it, and I still walk with a limp today and I have some issues, but overall, I’m really healthy. But what this has allowed me to do, it’s allowed me to help start major websites that now the world uses, and it helped me to open up my own Wellness Center; and to write a book; and to give a TED Talk; and to now be Head of Brand at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (which has allowed me to be on your Podcast).
So, I’m continually blessed every day, as long as I can keep my head out of kind of this sickness mindset.
[10:09] Sahara:
Such a beautiful story! And I think that so many of us – we resist the path that we’re meant to be on. And the Universe keeps on showing us, and sometimes it takes that break-down moment and growing through pain, and then we realize that “Oh, I don’t have to grow through the hardest situation ever, I can start to grow through Joy, grow through nuances” and then your listening powers pick up, and then before it manifests into this huge brick wall, you can make those changes.
[10:38] Jim:
I love that! I love that you said that! And I never even thought of it that way until you said it. But I used to, almost brag; I learned, but I learned slowly. I need to hit rock bottom before I learn, and everything (believe me) from my illness to love relationships going array, to everything I thought that – once I was just a tough learner; I hit rock bottom and then come out of it. But now I’m learning through Love, and now it’s a lot easier to learn, I don’t have to be in the most traumatic situation to actually get a lesson. I can kind of, actually, look at how I’m feeling, and what’s happening and how I’m behaving; change that behavior, get a lesson and do it in Love, and it’s a lot easier. I love that you said that, I never thought of it.
[11:22] Sahara:
Yeah. I mean, I think that we don’t know it until we have to get to that point, and then once you get to that point, you’re like “Is there a better way for me to do this?” Because we’re all on a growth path, so it’s like “Okay, am I going to keep banging my head against the wall to learn” or am I going to be “Okay, I know not to do that anymore, I’m going to do it anyways” but I think it’s layers of resistance and then the more intuitive you become, it can just feel like a little whisper, a little caress, and you’re like “Okay, that’s that feeling that something’s off.”
[11:50] Jim:
Yes! Yes!
[11:52] Sahara:
Globally, we are going through it; we are going through the biggest Shift; the biggest Mass Awakening, especially of Health right now. There has never been a time, ever, in our lifetimes, or even in the past 100 years (I don’t know what it was like during the Spanish Flu) but a time that all of our conversations are around Health. We open up the news, we talk to someone, I mean even physically we see everyone wearing masks, so it’s like Health is on the forefront of our minds. And so many people who were completely in avoidance or ignoring health are suddenly, for the first time, becoming a little bit more curious about it. And then the people who already were curious are really taking that up a notch. So, there’s just such a huge demand right now for people to support.
So, what are you seeing, especially as Head of Brand at IIN and really working in this field for the past 2 decades and having your salt room (which I had the pleasure to experience when I was in New York) – what are you seeing now, especially with the Wellness, Spiritual Space post-this Coronavirus world?
[12:57] Jim:
Well, what I’m seeing is a much higher increase in demand for Health Coaches, and a much higher increase in demand for Health Coach Training.
So, typically, 9.000 to 10.000 people will go through the school year, and this year it’s more like 12.000. But not like that, there are more people reaching out to find a Health Coach. So, and I think, and when I say Health Coach, and this is a little bit of a scare because we want to eat to build you immunity, right? But also, it’s so much more than Covid now because we have this political structure; we have social injustices that are just bubbling over and need to be resolved; we have all of these different things that are weighing on people emotionally and waking them up spiritually.
So, they are coming to places that can not only teach you how to eat for your immunity, for your medicine, for your connection to other people and intimacy, but they’re coming for, really, what we teach first and what we call “The Primary Foods” is that connection to the higher power; relationships; what to do with your career; the purpose in life; and really living in a state of love, to which, often times, especially when I talk to my guy friends that are not really into this, it’s like “Okay, living in a state of love?” I’m like “Yes! That’s actually a thing!” Check out Ram Dass, you can actually start to teach yourself living the state of love even when you get angry.
So, that’s what we’re starting to teach more of and that’s what people are coming for. So, we’ve seen a revolution, like you said, and it’s really showing up in the amount of people that want to be a part of it.
[14:38] Sahara:
I am one hundred percent seeing that, and people are seeing how interconnected it all is. Not only do we have the Covid, but we have the Mental Health Crisis around this right now, we have people that are in total isolation, and a lot of old habits are coming up, whether it’s emotional eating; or it’s addictions; or it’s eating disorders; whatever was there, but you may have able to distract yourself, has just come completely in your face. So I’m seeing, more than ever, people are like “I have an addiction with eating sugar at night because I’m so stressed from work or I hear on news. Or I have this issue that I deprive myself of whatever it is” and there’s no running away from it anymore. And I think where people get stuck is they can’t fix it on their own. They’ve tried and they’ve tried, and they’ve reached this point that they’re like “I need someone who can help me with my problem” but I think the issue is they don’t know who. Your doctor’s not going to help you with that or your average therapist, and I feel like that is what makes Health Coaching so unique because of all of the niches that people choose afterwards.
I remember myself, when I graduated back in 2012, I had a completely different niche, I just switched niches so many different times – at first I was actually working with people with eating disorders because that was my background and it kept shifting maybe more digestive or can’t eat focus etc.
So I think, what I’d love you to share with the listeners right now is, a lot of them, they don’t want to be a Nutrition Coach or a Health Coach or something like that – what are the different niches that they could take from doing this program?
[16:08] Jim:
If you don’t want to be a Nutrition Coach, don’t be, because there’s so much more that you can be in that sense because we have – and like you said, the doctors are not going to help you with this; the doctors are going to give you a prescription and when you’re triggered by everything in the world – it’s like we got every trigger possible thrown at us this year, and it’s like, okay, sometimes you just need someone to talk to that can say – you know, when you’re triggered and you’re in the grocery store about to buy donuts, and you need someone who can have the ability to say “Why are you going to buy donuts, not choose celery; Why are you feeling that you’re about to choose donuts? Can you be aware that you were just emotionally triggered and now psychologically, unconsciously, you’re looking for security in donuts.” So, that’s kind of what we teach
So, some of the specialties are Emotional Eating – that takes a psychological route of “Why you’re doing this?” and then figuring it out. And guess what – a lot of eating disorders come from emotions – emotional eating (we get into that as well).
If I was (because I’m an emotional eater) to do this again now, I would do the Health Coach Training Course and specialize in Emotional Eating. That’s one way to go.
We have a lot of people that come to us that have gone through their yoga training, the Yoga Teacher Training, and they want to eat well for fitness, but also have that spirituality aspect. And that’s the Circle of Life that we teach, and all quadrants of your life need to kind of be hitting it and wants to be at your best, and so that’s someone who can specialize.
There are people – we have Hormone Health Courses so that you can add that on to your specialty and specialize in Hormone Health.
Ga Health is a big one – that’s the micro-biome, that’s gets into Depression; that gets into other things and you need to be able to not only eat for that, but lower your stress, learn techniques to lower your stress. And then I say to folks, maybe you don’t want to join Health Coaches to coach people and consumers, or patients or clients that are coming to you; maybe you want to be the Health Coach that coaches Coaches – meaning, I’m a Health Coach; I’m a Coach, I’ve always been a Coach, I’m a Teacher, and I coach Coaches or Executives – meaning, I specialize in, someone wants to build their business, how do you build your business to be the best Health Coach to get the most out of it and to have the most clients and not as your Advanced Business Coaching. So you can get all that at IIN but even in this, the core curriculum of the Health Coach Training Program, we teach pieces of that, so you can say “Okay, this is where I want to go” and then you have the tool kit to be able to switch if something else interests you, like you did.
[18:56] Sahara:
I love that so much! And I think that having that niche is major because people – I know for myself, when I graduated, I thought if I was as versatile as possible I would get the most amount of clients possible. So anyone I met – Bodybuilder – “Sure I’ll help you!” Someone wanting to get pregnant – “I’ll help you!” Someone wanted to lose weight – “I’ll help you!” And obviously it wasn’t very sustainable because I would spend all this time trying to research about this one person’s issue and then when they were gone I’m like “Okay, well, what do I do with this?” It helped me figure out what I do and don’t like, but it’s like if I had a thyroid issue, do I want to go to the jackibal trades or do I want to go to the thyroid whisperer or whatever else it is. You want to go to that person and I think people feel like “Oh well, if I’m not a Doctor, if I don’t have my Masters in that thing” I know for me, coming from a family that education was so important, I had that block of “Should I go get my PhD in Nutrition or my Masters or something like that?”
So, if someone’s thinking about “Do I do that type of schooling or IIN?” What are the differences there?
[20:02] Jim:
So I just want to say one thing to what you were saying, which is, just think of healthcare as more advanced to us; look back at healthcare in the 1800s, 1900s, you went to the doctor, and now you go to the Endocrinologist, the Cardiologist, the Neurologist, whatever it is, and Health Coaching is moving in that direction as well. So if you go to a school and just like “Okay, I’m going to become a Dietitian or a Nutritionist” they talk about Diet and Nutrition in regard to very specific science, which is great, if that’s what you want, but with a Health Coach, your spectrum really opens up because you know how to then, as a Health Coach, your job is to advise and to guide. So if someone goes to a Dietitian and gets their blood test and they give them a “You should eat this” and then typically what happens with a patient, they go to a doctor and come home and forget what they said or they’re confused. And a Health Coach is really there to say “Okay, clearly this is the issue X” and your Nutritionist gave you X but, okay, now “Call me when your; or Here’s your supermarket buying guide” and then you can’t just eat, you have to also meditate; you have to get a grad to internal; what’s happening in your job; and what’s happening in your relationship; how you’re relating to people because that’s the major indicator of happiness, and a Health Coach can do all that, and then you can start to specialize in the things that you do best. Other educational courses really are much longer and I think they kind of pigeon hole you (in my own opinion). Not to mention, really how Health Coaches that are coming and being trained and doing their work that is steeped in experience – meaning, I have gone through this and then I got the training to be able to coach you in it, built upon my experience – and that’s super-powerful.
I’ve gone through a trauma, I’ve learned, I’ve recovered and now I want to show you; and guess what – I’m certified to do so. As opposed to “I’m interested in some medical or some Dietitian, and I’m going to learn about the nuts and bolts and then give you a prescription.
[22:17] Sahara:
Exactly! I think I would much rather want to take advice from someone who’s gone through my same problem because they’ll know the triggers; they’ll know “Okay, when you’re awake at midnight and really craving that same cereal that you always eat and this is the thought in your mind, here’s what’s worked for me; here’s some tools etc”. versus someone who just maybe read it in a book and might intellectually know, but doesn’t know all of the triggers that come with something like that.
I think we all know, there’s not someone that’s like “Wait! Sugar’s bad for you, what? You’re not supposed to have bread!? What?!” It’s the reason why we keep going back to it. And what I also love about IIN too is – I remember I was working a lot with eating disorders and one woman had binge eating, she would get into sort of like a trance and just start binge eating. And that actually helped me deepen into my own spiritualty because I started to guide her through meditations of like “Okay, what’s happening? What’s the emotion that’s showing up right there?” And we were able to trace it back to when she was a child and she wasn’t allowed to buy sugary cereals, because her mom wouldn’t let her do it, so she would go to her friend or neighbor’s house and suddenly eat as much of the cereal as she could before her mom got there. So it became kind of like a neurological bliss in her mind of like “When I’m here with the cereal, I’ve got to eat as much of it as possible” and she would X out of the world. So when she was able to realize “Wow, it’s coming from this 8-year old self who feels like I’m not allowed to eat this even though I’m now 40 years old, then she was able to have so much more compassion for herself and the work became so much less around “Why do I keep doing this? I’m such a shitty person, why am I doing this?” verses “There is a wounded child within me that needs healing” and that work shifted so much.
So I feel like that is what is the unique thing that a Health Coach gets to hold space for, is the deeper, spiritual, emotional component underneath that because without that you’re never going to solve the issue.
[24:12] Jim:
I couldn’t agree more, and it’s like how do you build that awareness in someone so they know what they have to work on? So they’re not knowing what they don’t know, and just knowing that they have an issue, and as a Health Coach, you’re a Guide to be able to help people through them, and it’s extremely powerful. That’s an excellent example, did she get better?
[24:34] Sahara:
She did, she got so much better and now she actually works in the Wellness Space herself.
[24:38] Jim:
I love that, I love that! You know, when you light someone up like that and they see a result, you can’t help but not want to do that yourself and help other people.
Let’s say you have a real desire to, and often times in this reason, and something else I want to say, but often times people have a real desire because they’ve been helped and now I’m lit and I want to help the world, and go forward, and kind of share that light, but I can’t possibly charge for it, that’s wrong, and so I’m just going to be a Health Coach that doesn’t charge. And part of that is making a living for yourself and earning, so that you can be in a comfortable, safe place, secure, with income, so that you can then go out there.
So in Health Coaching, we teach the business aspect too because, okay, you could be spiritually great, you could be eating great and physically great, and now you have a block against business; you don’t know how to get started or you feel as though you’re not work earning. And that means that you’re not there yet because it’s okay to have a fair price and receive something for your efforts, especially when you’re helping, so we kind of teach that as well. It’s like be the best you can, and make a great living, you deserve it, and in doing so, you’ll be better capable of helping more. So we teach all that stuff.
[26:02] Sahara:
And I think that was definitely my biggest block, and also my biggest learning from doing IIN because I have always loved to help people. And I think a lot of people who are drawn to this work – they are that person who their friends and family come to when they have an issue; when they had a break-up; whatever it is; so it’s almost like they find such a sense of joy and fulfillment doing it, so they feel wrong, they feel like it’s icky or slimy to charge people for doing it. And also, a lot of them are Kapha Doshas, which is that Earth Energy type, so those people are naturally just healers, they want to connect with people and dive deep. So, at first I would have $20 consultations on my website and I was like “How come no one’s coming to me?” Well probably they weren’t going to trust me with their life and all of their issues and I’m like $20 consultations – I did not listen to what IIN taught me, I went off, I was like “No one’s going to pay me that much” because I had my own worthiness issues, I thought “If I’m just the cheapest Health Coach out there I’ll get the most number of clients” which in retrospect is hilarious, but that’s what we go through.
But it was so fascinating for me because then, even when I would start, I wouldn’t obey. IIN suggests about 50 minutes to 1 hour consultations, I would let them talk for as long as they needed to – 2 hours, 2.5 hours, text me whenever you want, I’ll hop on a call with you – and I thought that was me being the most helpful but it was actually enabling and it was also me not showing boundaries to myself. So, once I actually started to take into account everything IIN shifts of like ‘How to do the first consultation; How to set up the program and agreements’ and all of the paperwork, I would not have known any of that stuff, but it allowed me to actually help people at a greater capacity.
[27:40] Jim:
Yes, yes! And you said boundaries. You know, we operate better with boundaries. When we set up emotional and mental boundaries for people in our lives and for ourselves, we gain a little bit of a sense of security – I know where it is. So, you burn out if you let people talk for 4 hours straight, and also they’re not getting as much of it because they don’t have time to reflect and just kind of thrown it all up on the plate at once, so, you figured it out, for sure.
[28:14] Sahara:
So, do you recommend for someone who is thinking about becoming a Health Coach – do you recommend that they kind of start working with people in a program, like a 6-month program, or do you suggest people do one-off consultations as well?
[28:28] Jim:
After they’ve gotten their degree and they’re ready? Within IIN we have some practical experience. You have to go out and start coaching people; we say a minimum of 6. So you get your friends and family and you’re like “I’m going to do a Health [inaudible 28:40] and I’m going to give you a coaching session and we’re going to go through this”. And I say, really, during that time, while you’re at school, do 12, do 15, do as many as you can and you have time for, so you really feel confident and ready to get out into the world and set up your marketing funnels, and set up your Zoom Webinars to attract clients, and offer what people want. Often times, what I’m hearing is that, sometimes people don’t have the financial flexibility to have a one-on-one hour long Health Coaching session every week – so get them to bring a friend, get them to bring two friends and have a Zoom coaching session around the issue that they all kind of have in common. And you can do that really effectively now with Zoom, and then get a combination as see what you like working with Ga’s because once you start actually getting paid for it and finding who you can benefit most, you’re going to find your specialty. So, you’re like “Okay, maybe I specialize in group coaching for women who are 35+ dealing with emotional eating, and I can get them in a group, and I can get them resonating with each other and resonating with me, and they walk out there feeling emotionally empowered – that’s great” Or maybe I’m just “I’ve realized that through group coaching, I’m better at one-on-one with someone, and I’d like to work with moms who are dealing with feeding their family, not having time to connect to their higher power.”
So, test it out and see what you enjoy the most because when you enjoy it the most, you’re going to drive the most value. So, that’s what I always recommend.
[30:16] Sahara:
I love that! And there’s so much flexibility now that things are on Zoom because you can actually see a lot more clients; you could be at home and see so many clients throughout the day; do group programs. And that was another question that I know a lot of people have – they’re not sure if they want to do the one-on-one thing; they’re not sure if they’re a Coach; they’re more interested in doing Online Programs, Courses, maybe a Membership Community, Writing Books. Can IIN help them achieve those goals as well?
[30:43] Jim:
Yeah, so listen to some of our grads – Melissa Wood-Health, you must know her, she’s become a fitness phenomenon, I think I may have seen you so some of her fitness. She’s an IIN grad and she went on to be fitness and she’s created her own fitness App and courses, and that kind of thing.
Daniel, from Sicara Life – she started Sicara Life, which is a food delivery service, which has done really well.
Sarah at the Well, which is one of the premiere Wellness Centers in New York City.
Yourself Sahara, who’s become extremely successful with writing and speaking in all your courses that you do.
We’ve had grads that have even stated up large schools – The HCI, as a competing school that the graduates have gone on to start. So, you can do everything from one-on-one coaching to – we have maybe 10.000 authors that have graduated from our course and didn’t take our Launch Your Dream Book Course – So, writing books, TED talks, we’ve got a lot of TEDEx speakers, so there’s a lot of different things that you can do. It’s not only, like you were saying before, relegated to “Okay, I’m going to be in an office and I’m going to wait for that person to come, and I’m going to talk to him for an hour, and when they leave, that’s it.” If the world was really open to you in terms of career potential.
[32:00] Sahara:
It’s so true because always ask me, they’re like “Well, because you’re doing spiritual stuff, how did IIN help you?” and I’m like “I wouldn’t be doing spiritual stuff had I not started at IIN. I wouldn’t have had the confidence.” It’s like when you sign up for a school, it’s like an energetic container, you’re saying “I’m putting my focus into committing to achieve this goal, this milestone” and it’s like reading a book, it’s not the same, even if the exact same information was in a book, it’s not the same because you’re not moving through a curriculum, you’re not receiving this certificate at the end to really commemorate it. So, if I had not signed up for IIN, honestly, I probably would’ve gotten distracted somewhere along the path, signed up for whatever job or whatever thing I could have gotten at the time, and I think Source would have worked through me, somehow I would’ve found my way back, but it definitely wouldn’t have been as early in my career as it had, so I’m super-grateful. Because at the time, when I signed up, I didn’t even want to be a Health Coach, I just wanted to learn about Health for myself because I had health issues, so it really just pushed me on that path to keep listening and keep listening. And I love that Sicara Life, it’s like a food delivery service; or Lathan Thomas who we’re going to have on the Podcast soon, she works with doulas and midwives. But it all comes down to the same information, confidence and courage that we got from signing up at IIN.
[33:20] Jim:
I think you’re right; I think you’re right! And I hear that a lot, I just did this so I could be healthier or because I wanted to do something, or something interests me, I was led here; I didn’t want to be a Coach; I wanted to do this to make my life better or my family’s life better. And then they go on to say “Oh! Shoot! This could actually be a career! I’m going to get going” Or they don’t and they just opened up to this Pandora’s Box of Spirituality and Wellness has opened up; and by that they automatically don’t want to eat refined foods. When you have a connection and you’re feeling your best and like “Okay, God’s Light is shining down on me (if you believe in God) and I am feeling strong and emotionally connected” you don’t really want to go and eat processed foods or McDonalds. You want that stuff when it’s like “Okay, the world; I don’t know what to do, I’m confused, I’m overwhelmed or I’m unhappy.”
So, we teach that, with crowding out – meaning when you get your spirituality, your relationships, your career in the right perspective, you don’t have to have all the will power to eat appropriately, it just kind of falls in place because you’ve crowded out the bad stuff. You start drinking more water, you start eating some healthier foods when you go for a snack, and that just leads to feeling better in your body and eating better because you don’t want to be doing all that good stuff and then putting garbage in your life.
And as a Health Coach, often times people like “I couldn’t possibly give advice to someone” and as a Health Coach you’re not actually giving that advice – a lot of it is listening, and you ask a question; you allow the person to explain what’s happening in their lives; and then you identify a path for them that maybe better; and then you keep identifying and keep identifying, and so hopefully they keep moving down that path, as opposed to a prescriptive Medicinal Doctor or Nutritionist or Dietitian.
[35:26] Sahara:
And that was such a game-changer for me, the high-mileage questions, because I went into it thinking “Okay, if someone is hiring me to be their Health Coach, I need to be rambling off as much as I can during that 3 hours.” So, I felt like if someone is paying me for something I have to talk as much as possible, when the opposite was true. I had to learn how to just listen, to ask questions, and that was where the real progress was had. And that’s a template that you can add to anything, and what IIN really teaches you is to hold space. To hold space, let someone come to their own conclusions, because when someone comes to their own conclusions, it’s so much more valuable for them than someone else telling then what to do.
[36:06] Jim:
You know, you probably felt like you were listening in other areas of your life and holding space in other areas of life because all of a sudden you’re holding space for someone, you’re listening to someone, and you’re like “Okay, this is effective, I’m going to listen more often, I’m going to hold space more often for other things outside of my clients, maybe my husband; maybe my job; maybe my mother” and then all of a sudden your relationships start to get better. It is a continuum, it’s a circle, all this stuff is connected. So, if you want to be healthier in all areas of your life, it takes a few key levers. You can better explain that, but that’s where it is, that’s why I recommend it to everybody.
[36:45] Sahara:
Totally! It’s such a great template because I think a lot of people feel like “Oh, well, I don’t need a certificate to be a Coach. I’m already doing it myself, I don’t need a certificate” but I feel like going to a school gives you a template of like tried and true methods, and where we are right now, we might think that “Oh, I’m creating this new methodology and I know better” and it’s great, maybe you will create your own methodology, but if you’ve never studied what works, then – there’s a reason why it’s there, there’s a reason why coaching is the way that it is; why you have people ask questions etc.
And what do you suggest for people who fell like “Well, I’m already living this so I don’t need to go to school to become a Coach?
[37:28] Jim:
One thing to live it for yourself, it’s another thing to have a formula and some training, and how to live it, and teach or show, or guide people how to live it themselves. That’s a big difference.
Before I got training I was like “Well, I’ve experienced everything so I could just tell people what I experienced” and it’s just not that at all. You build upon your experience with actual learning and skill so that you can guide someone down the path, and it’s a much more effective way.
And guys, not to mention, you need to learn how to earn from this. We all want to be healthy in our financial lives as well, and Health Coaching is no longer fringe. Think about chiropractic 20 years ago, people are like “Who’s? They’re what? They’re cracking your back?” Insurance didn’t even cover that, and now, 20 years later, massages are covered by insurance, chiropractic is covered by insurance; and we are there for Health Coaching now too. We started this Health Coaching school 30 years ago and people were like “Health Coaching what? That’s weird!” And now, we’re all the way to the point where BA/MA is partnering with insurance companies to study the effectiveness of Health Coaching of what’s called CPT1 Codes. When we get to CPT3 Codes, maybe a year or two down the road, after we get the data, Health Coaching will be covered by insurance – and that’s a fantastic thing, so exciting, you’re like “You’ve hit the main string!” Yes, very good, because you can make more money and people have to pay you less out of pocket as insurance will cover it, but that means that there will also be more regulation.
So all those people try to go to a doctor now that didn’t graduate Med School and didn’t have a certificate or doesn’t get a continuing educational credits.
And, so, down the line, I predict a year a two from now, it will be required to have a fully licensed certificate by a school that is audited and licensed by a State Department of Education. And that’s why I always say be careful with where you go. And I’ve written a few emails and I’ve written a lot about this because I’ve been seeing a lot lately, people capitalizing on this “Trauma of the World Today” and the desire to be healthier and to be a Health Coach, or to get a Coach. And all of a sudden, literally, 60 schools have popped up offering Health Coaching, and what’s interesting is that it’s always based on price – it’s like “Get your Health Coaching degree for $1500 or for $249 you can do whatever it is” and I just say be careful because you want to invest; you want to go to a Harvard. You don’t want to invest in someone that has set up a Health Coaching School because they knew how to do it technically, and then when it comes time to be regulated by the Government (which it will; as soon as you get insurance paying for something, it’s regulated) your certificate means nothing. You need to have a school like, and IIN is, and there are other schools too, but INN is certified and audited and licensed by the New York State Department of Education. We have a number of different colleges that credits count towards; it is constantly updated with content; we’re going through a few million dollars in costs in due of complete overhaul of the course now, and we’re doing it, and I think you’d be hard-pressed. Often times someone will say “Well, I’m going to go to this school because they’re a graduate of IIN and they recognize what was wrong with IIN and they just made it better in their course” and I say to that “God bless, because our students can do that! I’m so proud of you, I’m so incredibly proud of you!” IIN has literally 160 employees and in working like I work, 80 hour weeks, and these schools have come and try to recruit me to work for them. And if they’re trying to recruit me to work for them that’s because they think we’re the best; and because we are. You can’t just graduate and start something like this. With a 160 employees we’re barely getting it done.
So, be careful, be skeptical, and that’s not in life, but when you’re making a decision that costs you an investment in your future, really, be smart about it.
[41:45] Sahara:
Yeah. I mean, I see this happen a lot too and all sorts “Get your certificate in three days; get your certificate for $200” and what those things are – they’re giving you their certificate, but what does it mean? It’s like I can hand you a certificate for your Highest Self Podcast Grad now, but that doesn’t mean anything, that doesn’t mean anything in the world. So I think that people don’t realize that yes, right now, at this moment in time, people can do that, but it’s just going to be like being an acupuncturist; being a chiropractor etc. there are going to be more rules and regulations. Already Mark Heimen and so many different doctors are hiring exclusively Health Coaches to be working for them. Are you hiring? I know one doctor is hiring only IIN Health Coaches.
[42:25] Jim:
Dr. Frank Lipmen, he’s the man, he only hires IIN Health Coaches, but Well, which is kind of where Dr. Frank Lipmen is kind of the Head of (has his own practice in New York City). If you guys haven’t heard of Well, it’s a wonderful place, as soon as it opens I’m going to be back, but they only hire IIN Health Coaches. But my own Modern Sanctuary in New York City, I only hire IIN Health Coaches. But that’s just a small area, there are hospitals like Peace Health, they cost those systems, they send all their people through IIN exclusively, so —– Clinic has Health Coaches, some IIN, they may get some other training, that’s where Mark Heimen is. But so, more and more because we have that very trusted brand name; our grads get hired first.
[43:16] Sahara:
Yeah, I mean it’s like, the Internet is a Wild, Wild West, and it’s very hard to monitor different things that are happening, but go with – Like for me, I think the biggest thing was the fact that so many bloggers are people that I had looked up to. I kept seeing IIN on their website but I’m like “Okay, there’s something to this place that all of these different people who are inspiring me, all happen to have congregated there.” I wish it was in person, I was like “I want to be with everyone in person!” but now, it’s a no brainer, everything is online, so it’s like “Do you want to pay for complete college tuition or something that was created online?” And it is actually, I was fortunate enough to be there last year and just seeing the studio and everything; the design is created for having the best online experience, whereas now we’re seeing so many universities trying to go online but it’s their first time doing it, they don’t know how to do it. And online education is so different than that in person, but then there’s also the option of several different universities that you can take the credits towards your Masters.
So, can you share a little bit more about that?
[44:22] Jim:
Yes, there are University of Maryland, there are five or six different universities across the United States that we’ve selected to partner with, that if you’re going for your Masters or any higher education, these credits, up to 40 credits (which is actually a lot, that could be a full year of school) counts towards it. So, there’s more information on the website about that.
But it is online – you spoke at our Conference last year, that was a lot of fun, a couple thousand people came, got the Community together and had a lot of fun. This year we actually planned 7 big events like that, and I know because I was trying to get you to speak at another one in California, we had to cancel it, but it will be back.
[45:02] Sahara:
And Deepak Chopra was speaking too. It’ll happen next year.
[45:04] Jim:
Yes! It was you, Deepak and a few others. I was so excited about it.
[45:11] Sahara:
It’s like what schools do you just casually see Deepak Chopra speaking at your school event?! There’s no other school that your teachers are like “Mark Heimen, Gaby Bernstein.” People who really are doing incredible things, these are who you get to learn from and it really does make a difference.
[45:28] Jim:
Yeah, and a lot of events will be back next year, hopefully, or maybe a little bit later than that, but we’ll see how the world goes.
[45:34] Sahara:
Yes. And there’s a great The Facebook Community there, each class had their Facebook – Are you guys still doing the Facebook Groups? When I went there…
[45:40] Jim:
Yes, we sure are. We’re doing Facebook Groups – the Facebook Groups and the Coach Moderated Groups, and then The Coaching Calls are all ways that you get real time – people have long-lasting friendships because they meet on these Coaching Calls. And we kind of set you up with a coaching buddy; someone in your Coaching Call that you can call while you’re studying or to bounce things off of – and it’s really long-lasting relationships. And then, of course, Message Boards and Private Communities within Facebook.
[46:11] Sahara:
Yeah, it is so important for people to have a sense of community that you feel like you’re doing this at the same time. I signed up for this Sports Nutrition Certificate thing because I wanted to learn more about the nutrition, and they literally sent me a textbook and sent me a quiz, and the certificate was I read this book and fill out this quiz, this open type quiz, that was the certificate.
[46:35] Jim
It’s only $1000.
[46:36] Sahara:
Yeah, no human interaction, it’s literally a book and a quiz, and I was like – imagine if that was my only experience or my only background. And there are so many “certificates” that that’s what it is, but you need to feel, especially on this online world, you need to feel like you’re part of a school; you’re part of a community; you have someone to ask questions to, otherwise, honestly, you’re not going to do it, most people never even graduating from those certificates because there’s no accountability there.
[47:04] Jim:
You don’t finish. It’s not interactive enough or you don’t read the material or something like that, that’s basically the kind of things. We do Student Surveys a lot (What you like; What you didn’t like) and the best feedback is what you didn’t like because we don’t have to guess what people want, we just go in there and change it.
[47:25] Sahara:
So now you guys have the two tracks that people get to choose from if they want to do 6 months or 12 months. So, for people who are listening and thinking about “I know I want to do this, I’m just not sure do I want to do the 6 months, 12 months, what’s the difference?
[47:37] Jim:
So now we have the 6-month accelerated course which we call it “In Spanish Assists” so a lot of the content it’s subtitled, it’s in Spanish, a lot of the documents are in Spanish, so it’s Spanish Assist.
And then we have English 6-month accelerated, and then the 12-months.
And so, with the 6-month program, it’s the same exact thing as the 12-month program which is open the modules and you take the quizzes quicker, it’s probably about 10-11 hours a week, whereas the 12-month program is 5-7 hours a week.
[48:11] Sahara:
Okay. And I know the next start date for the year long program in September 21st and do you know the next start date for 6 months or same time?
[48:21] Jim:
Same time. It’s back to school. Whether you want to do it fast or you’re ready to take a full year, it’s back to school and we are hoping to get really big September 21st class, and it seems like there is a lot of interest, so we’re excited for it.
[48:38] Sahara:
Yes, I mean it is. It’s Vata season – Vata is the Fall Energy of New Change, New Ideas, Creation. And whether you’re technically going back to school or not, you’re feeling that. It’s Virgo season which is putting things into action; and also we’re just getting out of the most crazy past six months of Coronavirus, and quarantines, and all of these realizations people have been having of like “Okay, I want a career change, I know that I don’t want to go back to my desk job; or maybe I even lost my job or my business, and I’m wanting something that actually makes me feel good every day that I’m helping the world.” So, if this is you – you know, the next six months to a year are going to go by anyways. That’s really what helps me understand, like “They’re going to go by anyway, so I could either graduate from a school in this time or be back at square one wondering what to do with my life and I’m so glad I just took the plunge and said yes!” So, if anyone’s listening right now, honestly, you’re never going to regret education; you’re never going to regret growth and fulfillment; and if you resonate with my work, you resonate with the work of all people we just mentioned who went to IIN or teach at IIN.
Just seeing in my Rose Gold Goddesses Community, the conversations, because we have a Coaches Support in there too, and a lot of them are IIN grads and they’re like “I had no idea what to expect, but my life has improved so much from doing IIN because I’m doing the work myself.” I think that was the coolest part, I was getting Health Coached by everyone else in the group too, so it’s like you’re looking at “Oh wow, I have this, I have that, where is it coming from?” So, it’s like personal development on top of career and business growth.
So, I’m excited for everyone that’s going to be signing up.
[50:15] Jim:
Me too. And you know what, we don’t typically do this, but folks that sign up with you, or whoever listens to this Podcast, just have to mention your name and our Admissions Representative will take care of them with a special payment plan and special prices.
[50:29] Sahara
Yes! So, we do have a special offer for you guys, that we will be giving a $2250 off discount for pay in full as well as $1500 for payment plans. They have amazing payment plans. We also have some bonuses for you – I actually recorded an actual Webinar of everything I’ve learned on How to Have a Thriving Health Coaching Career – how I got my first clients, how I transitioned to group coaching into online programs, into memberships, kind of wanted to do those things; how your Dosha has to do with what you could be the best at, all of the questions that people have around How much money can I make? How can I structure this? How do I that? Super-nerdy, all of the things, I answer that all for you in this Webinar. And then, we also did a call with Linda as well, a couple months ago, like a business coaching call, so they’ll have access to that; and then also reserved seating whenever the next IIN Live Conference is.
So, take advantage of that guys! The nest start date is September 21st, right around the corner. If you’re listening to this later, there will be another start date too, I’m assuming in the Winter, in November, perfect, so be sure to head over to the show notes (wherever you’re listening to this) on the Podcast, you’ll see the link there; you’ll find it on my website, click the link so you can get those bonuses, get enrolled and get started with your future. We’re excited for you.
So thank you Jim so much for being on the Podcast today.
[51:50] Jim:
It’s always fun talking with you, thanks!
[51:52] Sahara:
Namaste.
[51:52] End of Interview
___________________________________________________________
[51:52] Sahara:
Are you feeling on fire, ready to take on the world and launch your career as a Holistic Health Coach?
So head over to my show notes or my website iamsahararose.com you’ll find that link has more information for you, be sure to tell them you were referred by Sahara Rose to get your discount, get your bonuses and get started. September 21st or in November if you’re listening to this later, their start dates throughout the year whenever you’re listening to this, you can get on board, receive this discount, receive my bonuses and begin your career as a Holistic Health Coach and see where the journey takes you.
So, I’m soul excited to see all that you create, whether it’s books or Centers, or Retreats, or whatever else it is, and please know that the world needs it right now more than ever.
So, thank you for stepping up into your Dharma.
[52:41]
If you loved this Episode, I would love to send you a free gift which is the first half of my unreleased book “Eat Right for Your Mind Body Type“. This is a different book than “Eat Feel Fresh“. My first book ever which is not released anywhere, and I am gifting it exclusively to those who leave a review of my Podcast in the iTunes store. So all you’ve got to do is head over to iTunes where you’re maybe listening to this podcast and leave a review, take a screenshot that you’ve left it and email it over to me at [email protected] and I will send you back the first half of my unreleased book “Eat Right for Your Mind Body Type“, which goes all into Ayurveda, Doshas, Plant-Based Nutrition, Body Types – all of the things in a really fun and engaging way. So this is my gift to you for free for supporting the Podcast. Every single review I personally read. It really helps the Podcast be listened to by more people so we can raise the vibration of the planet together, and I am soul grateful to have you on this journey.
Thank you so much for listening and I’ll see you on the next episode. Namaste.
Episode 314: What You Can Do As a Holistic Health Coach with Jim Curtis
By Sahara Rose