Wellness coaching is a proactive and powerful way to make lasting changes in your health and well-being. It is centres around helping you through customised plans to maximise your mental and emotional health, enhance physical health, and improve daily habits. An ideal wellbeing coach is someone who will support you along the way, keep you motivated and assist you in concentrating on establishing attainable, realistic objectives.
Whereas therapy gets at past struggles, wellness coaching is grounded in the present and the future. This guide explains what a well-being coach is, what they do, and why they are now indispensable to personal and professional life.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is Wellbeing Coaching?
What is a Wellbeing Coach?
A wellbeing coach is an expert who supports others in achieving healthier mental and emotional states, physical health, and overall wellness. Unlike therapists and counsellors, well-being coaches offer practical instruction, empowering clients to set goals and enact real-life changes. They support overall health and wellness through a positive mindset, stress management, nutrition, sleep and maintaining regular physical activity.
How is Wellbeing Coaching Different from Therapy or Counselling?
Therapy often involves dredging up the past. It is designed to treat mental disorders like anxiety or depression. Well-being coaching, in contrast, is forward-looking. It enables you to set realistic, attainable goals for the future and work towards them.
| Therapy | Well-being Coaching |
| Treats mental illness | Focuses on personal growth |
| Licensed medical professionals | Trained but non-clinical experts |
| Looks at past trauma | Future-oriented goal setting |
| May include medication | Emphasises behavioural change |
What is the Core Philosophy Behind Wellbeing Coaching?
The foundation of well-being coaching lies in empowerment, accountability, and proactive behaviour change. The coaches apply a holistic health approach, focusing on physical, psychological, and social areas. Their focus is on self-care coaching, lifelong personal development and ensuring employee wellbeing with mindfulness in work and life.
To learn more, read: What Is Health and Wellbeing Coaching and Why Is It Essential
What Does a Wellbeing Coach Actually Do?
Well-being coaching offers structured support and guidance to individuals or groups in order to help them reach their wellness goals. They utilise tools such as:
- Goal setting strategies.
- Frequent accountability sessions are a way to keep clients on course.
- Practical guidance and tips for enhancing employee wellbeing and organisational wellbeing.
Coach trainers help clients overcome obstacles such as stress and burnout and become healthier and more effective.
What Wellbeing Coaching Is – and What It Is Not
Well-being coaching is about progress, not perfection. It helps people move from surviving to thriving using simple, actionable steps. However, it is not a replacement for clinical care.
| Is | Is Not |
| Self-care coaching | Medical treatment |
| Focused on the present and the future | Focused on past trauma |
| Encourages well-being improvement | Offers diagnoses or prescriptions |
| Builds habits, not cures | Replaces therapy or psychiatric help |
What Are the Benefits of Working with a Wellbeing Coach?
Working with a well-being coach offers several significant benefits:
- Improved mental wellness strategy.
- Enhanced employee engagement and employee satisfaction.
- Effective stress management techniques for workplace stress.
Statistical Evidence:
In one survey commissioned by the International Coaching Federation, 70% of health coaching participants reported having an increased level of confidence and stress reduction (ICF, 2021).
A 2021 UK study by CIPD revealed that businesses with a formal corporate wellbeing program experienced absenteeism levels 31% lower than average.
What Character Strengths Are Used in Wellbeing Coaching?
Most coaches use the VIA Character Strengths model. It includes traits like:
- Kindness
- Perseverance
- Self-control
- Hope
- Gratitude
These help in shaping strong, motivated individuals. A wellbeing coach builds on your strengths to drive long-term change.
Is Wellbeing Coaching Enough to Improve Overall Wellbeing?
Wellbeing coaching is powerful, but it works best with a full wellbeing strategy. It’s not a cure-all.
To improve total health, you may also need:
- Therapy
- Financial advice
- Medical checkups
- Wellness interventions
When added to a wider workplace wellbeing plan, coaching becomes more impactful.
How to Know If You Need a Wellbeing Coach?
Consider seeking a wellbeing coach if:
- You struggle with consistent stress or burnout.
- Your goals seem unattainable without structured support.
- You need a customised wellbeing support plan.
Checklist for needing a wellbeing coach:
- Difficulty managing stress
- Unclear personal or professional goals
- Poor work-life balance
- Struggling to maintain healthy habits consistently
To learn more, read: What Does a Nutrition Coach Do? Services, Benefits, and Impact on Your Health
Meet Our Wellbeing Coaches
At Wellbeing Tribez, our coaches are culturally competent, trauma-informed and provide support with heart. Cheryl and Chantell lead a team that believes in diversity, kindness and actual progress.
Funmi Oni – Ataraxia Coaching
Funmi is an ICF-certified executive and life coach working in ADHD, career and personal development. With over 30 years of experience, she enables professionals, neurodiverse adults and young people to discover the tools and strategies needed to succeed and live true to themselves.
Inside My Art Project
Inside My Art Project is based in London and provides Art Therapy services to children, adults and communities. Their sessions are all about painting, sculpture and movement to help with mental health, trauma recovery and self-expression in a safe and relaxed environment.
Nigel Jordan – River Jordan Counselling
Nigel is an award-winning integrative counsellor focused on Black and minoritised communities. With over 15 years of experience, his therapeutic work is trauma-informed, culturally competent, healing-centred, advocacy-driven, and focused on long-term mental well-being.
Richie – Richie Fitness PT
Richie combines fitness, nutrition and mental wellness to provide his clients a complete training experience. The Bedfordshire-based coach provides tailor-made packages to help people lose weight, get stronger and change their lifestyle, and he’s coaching clients across the UK, whether it’s online or in person.
Esther – Wellbeing Fitness Coach
Esther, a mum of five, is a family wellbeing coach. She makes fitness fun and approachable, while helping families establish healthy habits with workout plans, nutrition tips, and all-around wellness guidance that’s easy to follow and filled with results for all ages.
Ready to Get Started?
Wellness coaching is the practical, easy way to optimise your mental and emotional strength, enhance your physical well-being and establish a healthy lifestyle. It teaches you how to set goals, set and achieve them, manage stress and grow a better quality of life. Whether you want to become incredibly self-aware and productive or implement a wellbeing initiative in your workplace, a wellbeing coach provides all the tools and support you need to make that happen.
Ready to take control of your wellness journey? Start your coaching for wellbeing today and experience the powerful benefits of guided transformation. Book your first session now!
As one of our clients said about our coach:
“Funmi is brilliant coach. Her friendly demeanor and open communication style makes you feel safe to share your thoughts and feelings. I surprised myself and became very vulnerable during our first session. Her voice is just so warm and understanding that it allows you to dig deep and open up without feeling judged.
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