When you’re a new coach, or even a few years into the game, a lack of confidence may start clouding your perceived coaching ability and general assessment of your worth.
Not too long ago, during a bout of low confidence, I told my business coach, “I feel like I’m not really a health coach unless I’m coaching at least one active client.” Where did that come from? It’s as if my idea of a health coach was strictly defined as someone who is paid to coach people one-on-one.
What about all of the coaching I was doing on social media and on my podcast? What about all of the business elements I was applying, or the systems I tirelessly built to attract new business growth? Did those factors not provide enough validation that I am indeed a health coach?
Give that a moment to chew on for yourself. Do you have any limiting beliefs regarding your skills or your chosen path as a new health coach?
If it’s overall confidence you struggle with, or your ability to be an effective coach or business owner, check out this list of 19 ways to help build more self-confidence as a new health coach:
Overall Confidence
1. What Can Others Count on You for?
Set a timer for 10 minutes and give this some thought…write down the things others can always count on you for. Try to think of at least 2 or 3 things. Next, brainstorm how you might weave these traits into your next coaching endeavor or content creation. Playing to your strengths fosters confidence.
2. What’s Your Greatest Fear About This New Journey?
Confess it out loud. Then, consider what you would say to a close friend or sibling in response to that same statement. Say to yourself, out loud, the advice you would give that loved one. Be genuine. This is called self-compassion, and it leaves the space needed for acceptance and personal growth.
3. Consider Your Level of Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is the belief you have in your own abilities to meet the challenges you face, or to complete the work ahead. It represents your overall belief in your ability to succeed. Do you struggle with some half-conscious belief that you won’t be able to make this coaching vocation come to fruition? Now that you are more aware, take your journey in smaller steps so your self-efficacy has time to grow—and self-doubts will diminish.
4. Is it Imposter Syndrome?
Do you battle with feeling like you’re a fraud, like you’re not really qualified or legitimate? Learn how to acknowledge these common feelings, and reframe your thinking with the helpful tips in this article.
5. Share With Your Cheerleaders
Share your latest ideas and wins with someone who makes you feel confident and supported, and—perhaps, more importantly—stop sharing your goals with people who squash your confidence. Elle Russ, author of Confident as Fu*k, says “At some point you’re the insane person for continuing to include them…I exclusively share my goals and dreams with people in my life who get just as excited and hopeful about my ideas and plans as I do.”
6. Connect With Those Who Are Confident
Mark Sisson, Founder of The Primal Health Coach Institute, shares his thoughts inside Elle’s aforementioned confidence book: “Forming social connections with a confident person is more likely to have a payoff for you because they are going to get more things done, and get more resources. Confidence is often a reflection of actual accomplishment and success and ability, and the more of those people we have around us, the better off we are going to fare.”
Business Confidence
7. You’ve Overcome Obstacles Before
Think to yourself, “What’s the greatest obstacle you’ve overcome in your work life?” Write it down. And write, in the second-person, what this says about your ability to overcome business-based obstacles. You’re coaching yourself here. Nice job.
8. Start Building Momentum With Something You’re Good At
What’s your favorite thing to do related to your coaching business? Or what are you best at? Do more of that for a week straight, and use that momentum to build more confidence and motivation.
9. Start by “Selling” Freebies
If it’s the selling part that’s difficult, try “selling” a freebie to get your feet wet. Create something high value, like a PDF guide, recipe book, or niche grocery list, and offer it to your followers for free. This helps to grow your email list, gain trust and authority with your followers, and it’ll help you practice selling your offers.
10. Fear of Rejection?
Consider this Marcia Martin quote:
“…it’s silly to be afraid that you’re not going to get what you want if you ask…What are you afraid of? Who cares if you don’t get it when you ask for it, because, before you ask for it, you don’t have it anyway. So there’s really nothing to be afraid of.”
11. Start Tracking Your Daily Wins
Your confidence gets zapped when you focus on all of the things you haven’t done or should be doing. To balance out the score, it’s very effective to start writing down your daily wins. Big or small, these wins are the proof your confidence needs to take the lead.
12. Consider Currency Besides Money
Money is one of the primary means we have of measuring our self-worth, but it’s not the only currency you are rewarded with as a new coach. You learn a massive amount of new skills and information, you help people on a deeply insightful level, and you learn from your mistakes with each experience. Like tip #11, make notes of the various incoming currency, and your perspective will improve.
13. Start Coaching Clients Right Away
Do whatever it takes to just start coaching. Whether it’s a group challenge, helping a friend, offering to trade your services, or full-priced client attraction, confidence comes with experience—and experience comes with coaching.
14. Hire a Business Coach
“A business coach is somebody who helps you move from where you are to where you want to be, and does so by solely focusing on your goals.” Sound familiar? Coaches need coaches, too. Find yours, and gain confidence.
Coaching Confidence
15. Try Coaching Role-Play and Peer-To-Peer Practice
Part of our curriculum at The Primal Health Coach Institute includes finding two fellow coaches with whom you can perform a series of role-plays that put you in the coach position, the client position, and a neutral observer. Without a doubt, the best way to learn is by practicing.
16. Use Your Story to Be a More Confident Coach
What’s the greatest obstacle you overcame with your health, or helped another to overcome? Write your story out (if you haven’t already, seriously, stop what you’re doing and write your whole story). This is your unique coaching gift. Use it with confidence.
17. What Are You Hiding?
Is there something about your health or life that you’re hiding from your audience? Your resistance to share this authentically and stand in your truth can feed into your subconscious and hinder your confidence. I know from experience that hiding my personal struggle with ADHD didn’t help nearly as many people as it did once I finally came out with it. With authenticity comes increased confidence.
18. Explore This List of 35 Tips to Get Out of Your Own Way
19. Remember That Coaching Is Collaborative
Take comfort in knowing that coaching isn’t a teacher-student, or doctor-patient, relationship. “It’s to collaborate with clients to co-create their program and then walk side by side with them, nudging them down paths they should see, pointing out potholes and missteps they should avoid, and asking them where they want to go next,” explains John Berardi in his book Changer Maker. You don’t need all the answers.
Print out this article and circle your top 5 tips to try. Now, add them to your calendar so you’re ready to take action.
