This is a slightly belated graduation blog post, I actually graduated from the Institute For Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in January! IIN is “the world’s largest nutrition school” which offers online-only nutrition education. I started this post and then abandoned it in my drafts as I was super busy teaching yoga six days a week – blogging definitely took a backseat!  I know a lot of you are looking at signing up to online courses so I think it is definitely time for me to share my honest review of IIN’s full year course.

I previously set out my thoughts six months in, which might be a good read before coming back to this post. It sets out the premise of the course, the time commitment required and what to expect.

The second six months of the course were a little different so I’ll quickly cover these off:

Things I Loved During The Second Six Months

• The group Coaching Circle calls – being an online course, 90% of your studies are solo, in your own time and pace, but the six Coaching Circle calls (taking place at a fixed time over a six week period) are a chance to connect with your classmates from all over the world. I was a bit nervous about these but my group was SO lovely and I’m now Facebook friends with most of them and love seeing how they are now applying their learning and taking it forward.
• I was the youngest in my Coaching Circle group (I’m 32) and it was super inspiring to know that no, your life doesn’t end at 30 and it’s never too late to learn something new or take your life on a new path.
• The focus on coaching skills – the skills I learned in terms of active listening, asking open ended questions and being empathetic have been SO helpful, both in my work as a yoga teacher and in my personal relationships.

Things I Loved Less During The Second Six Months

• The content – there’s a slight shift away from nutrition and into areas like the environment, relationships and finances. While I still enjoyed this content, it took the focus off of going more in depth into nutrition. The mix of content aligns with the idea of the “circle of life” where all areas of your life must be in balance and, while I love this approach, it sometimes felt like the scope was becoming very broad at the expense of depth.
• The second six months focuses a lot on setting up your health coaching business, if you don’t plan on one-on-one coaching then some of this content won’t be fully relevant (although there is still a lot you can gain from it). The modules on setting up a website and social media won’t be applicable if you’re already doing this (but obviously not everyone has a background in blogging and in my Coaching Circles the nervousness around the online marketing and content creation element was a key concern for many).

My Thoughts…

Doing this course really has changed my life! I have made small tweaks to my diet which have made me feel healthier but more importantly, my mindset around health has totally changed. I started this course while still working for a corporate law firm, studying at weekends and yeah, ok, sometimes at my desk and finished it a full time yoga teacher. It felt like a great companion for me during what was a really pivotal year.

The key message of the school is one I love – bio-individuality. There is no one sized fits all diet and lifestyle and for each of us, our needs change over time. This really helped me to see through a lot of wellness dogma and learn to tune in to my own body . The school does not tell you to set up detailed meal plans for clients, but to guide your client to make the right choices for them. Yes, you can share quick and easy recipes, or give tips on choosing the healthiest options when grabbing lunch at the office but it’s not about being prescriptive and telling someone “this is what you should eat”. I coached a good friend of mine (for free!) throughout my studies, we spoke very little about what she was actually eating but by helping her to change her mindset and lifestyle she lost 10kg and kept it off!

Finally, the circle of life tool is one that I continue to revisit. A few weeks back I was teaching 25 yoga classes a week, drinking my green juice and running 10km on my one day off but I realised that I’d totally forgotten about “joy” so I made sure to connect with a friend and arrange to take her puppy to the park for a few hours. In our current times, despite my entire routine being disrupted I’m still able to check in with myself and make sure I’m keeping life in balance as much as I can.

What Am I Going To Do With My Certification?

I am not currently health coaching. I feel like the market for online coaches in Dubai is very saturated, and while I do believe there is space for everyone, it’s not something I’m currently pursuing as a career or an income stream. Before Coronavirus hit I was being kept plenty busy with my yoga teaching and I’m reluctant to spend time marketing programs and don’t want to turn my social media into a “heath coach” account. I think there will be ways I can share my knowledge and coaching skills but it won’t be via one-on-one coaching.

I’m aware that there is some critique of “health coaches” and it can sometimes seem like everyone is a coach of some sort. Yes, the entry barriers to coaching are relatively low but not all coaching courses are made equally… My course with IIN took a full year but I’ve seen courses advertised on Instagram which promise to make you a “qualified health coach” or “vegan nutritionist” in a weekend! If you do decide to practice as a health coach, it is absolutely key to keep within your scope of practice (IIN is very clear on this) and to NEVER describe yourself as a “nutritionist” unless you are…actually are a nutritionist?!

These day I’d expect prospective clients to ask for my  qualifications (my yoga clients certainty are interested in how I discovered yoga and whom I studied with) and its important to never mislead them.  I genuinely believe that health coaches can be transformational but we must be honest about our abilities and never sacrifice client health for personal profit, as with everything, knowing when you are out of your depth and when to ask for help is so, so important.

For now, I use my learning in my own life, when talking to friends and family about health and wellness, and when teaching yoga. Coaching and teaching are ultimately about guiding and helping people. It’s really helped me connect with a client when they come to me and say “I want to lose weight, will yoga help?”. I can help them unpack their “why” and find out what their motivations are and how I can really serve them. Often wanting to “lose weight” is a sign that they want to make changes in their lives which will make them happier, weight is just a tiny part of it!

If You Think This Course Could Be Right For You…

I would love to chat more about this course with you, please drop me a message or connect with me on Instagram and I’ll be happy to answer any questions and help you work out if this course if right for you.

The course and its further reading will definitely keep your mind occupied if you’re stuck at home for the foreseeable future (if you opt for the accelerated course you’ll get access to two modules a week and will graduate in six months’ time!)… I think if you approach this course with an open mind and with a passion for learning, you will love it, learn a lot and make amazing connections with like-minded folks.

I am an IIN Ambassador so I’m able to offer you a 15% discount on the course fees (for which I will receive a small affiliate commission). I actually signed up with a discount from another ambassador myself, so it’s nice to be able to continue the “ripple effect”!

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