Health Coaching Is Not About Giving Advice: It’s About Helping People Find Their Own Solutions

When people hear the term health coaching, they may picture someone telling another person what they should eat, how often they should exercise, or what changes they need to make to improve their health. Yet that is not the role of a health coach.

Health coaching is fundamentally different from giving advice. Rather than providing a list of solutions, health coaches help clients identify their own goals, explore what is getting in the way, and discover realistic strategies that fit their lives. The coach does not have to have all the answers because the goal is not to tell someone what to do. It is to help them become more confident and capable of making meaningful changes themselves.

Advice Gives Answers. Coaching Builds Ownership.

Giving advice is often well intentioned. If a friend says, “I’m exhausted all the time and I never have time to exercise,” it is natural to respond with a solution: “You should get up earlier and work out before work.”

The problem is that even good advice may not address the real reason someone is struggling. Perhaps mornings are already hectic. Maybe the person has tried exercising before and lost motivation. Or perhaps what they really need is more sleep, not another activity on their schedule.

A health coach approaches the conversation differently. Instead of immediately offering a solution, the coach might ask:

• “What would you like to change?”
• “What do you think is getting in the way?”
• “What have you tried in the past?”
• “What do you think might work for you?”
• “What would feel realistic with your current schedule?”

These questions shift the focus from the coach's answers to the client's experience.

That distinction matters because people are generally more likely to follow through with a plan when they have had a role in creating it.

The Client Is the Expert on Their Own Life

Health coaches may have knowledge about behavior change, motivation, goal setting, and healthy lifestyle practices. But the client is the expert on their own circumstances.

A coach may know that regular physical activity can support overall health. The client knows whether they have access to a gym, enjoy walking, have young children at home, work irregular hours, or prefer exercising with other people.

Rather than assuming which solution will work, a health coach helps the client explore their options.

For example, instead of saying:

“You need to exercise for 30 minutes five days a week.”

A coach might ask:

 “What kinds of movement do you enjoy, and where could you see yourself fitting more of it into your week?”

The second approach gives the client an opportunity to think about what is actually sustainable. Maybe the answer is walking during lunch. Maybe it is dancing at home, taking a weekend fitness class, or playing outside with their children.

The solution comes from the person who ultimately has to live with it.

Health Coaching Encourages Self-Discovery

One of the most important principles of health coaching is that lasting behavior change is more likely when people understand their own motivations.

A coach might help someone who wants to improve their eating habits explore questions such as:

• “What does eating healthier mean to you?”
• “What would you like to feel differently?”
• “When do you find it hardest to make choices that align with your goals?”
• “What is one small change you feel ready to try?”

The purpose is not to find the perfect answer. It is to help the client develop awareness and identify a step that feels meaningful and achievable.

This process can also help clients become more aware of their own strengths. Someone who says, “I never stick with anything,” may discover through coaching that they successfully changed another habit in the past or have already overcome challenges they initially thought were impossible.

That realization can be more powerful than any piece of advice.

Coaching Isn't About Solving Every Problem

Another important difference is that health coaches don't have to solve every problem a client brings to the conversation.

Sometimes the most valuable thing a coach can do is listen.

People often have a clearer idea of what they want than they initially realize. They may simply need a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where they can think through their options out loud.

A health coach can help clients slow down, reflect, ask meaningful questions, recognize patterns, and consider possibilities. The coach provides structure and support without taking responsibility for the client's decisions.

This also helps create a relationship based on partnership rather than authority.

Small, Personal Changes Can Be More Sustainable

Advice often comes in the form of broad recommendations: eat better, exercise more, reduce stress, get more sleep.

While these recommendations may sound simple, putting them into practice can be much more complicated.

Health coaching recognizes that meaningful change often happens through smaller, individualized steps.

A client who wants to improve sleep might decide to put their phone away 30 minutes before bed. Someone who wants to become more active might start with a 10-minute walk after dinner. Another person might decide to prepare one additional meal at home each week.

These may seem like small changes, but they can create momentum. As clients experience success, they can build confidence and decide what they want to tackle next.

The Goal Is to Help People Become Their Own Problem-Solvers

Perhaps the biggest difference between advice and health coaching is what happens after the conversation ends.

If someone receives advice, they may depend on the person giving the advice to tell them what to do next.

Health coaching aims for something different: greater independence.

Over time, clients can learn to ask themselves:

• What do I want to change?
• What is getting in my way?
• What options do I have?
• What feels realistic for me?
• What is one step I am willing to take?

Those are skills that can extend far beyond a single health goal.

Health Coaching Is About Partnership

Health coaching is not about having all the answers. It is about creating a partnership in which clients feel heard, supported, and empowered to make their own decisions.

A health coach does not need to provide a solution to every challenge. Instead, they help clients uncover solutions that are personally meaningful and realistic for their lives.

Because ultimately, lasting change is not something a coach can give to someone.

It is something the client discovers, chooses, and builds for themselves.

Ready to Learn More About Health Coaching?

If you’re interested in developing the skills to help others make meaningful, sustainable changes in their lives, professional training is an important place to start. The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) sets standards for health and wellness coach training, and completing an NBHWC Approved Training Program is a required step for those who want to pursue the National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) credential. 

Emory Continuing Education’s Health & Wellness Coaching Certificate emphasizes the coaching process, behavior change, client-centered communication, and the practical skills needed to support self-directed change, with training aligned to NBHWC standards and competencies.

Explore the program and discover how you can begin your journey toward becoming a health and wellness coach.