ONLINE NUTRITION COACHING: THE MAKING OF A GOOD CLIENT + COACH RELATIONSHIP
As coaches, our number one priority is supporting our clients in working towards their goals. We have a strong team of coaches who will do anything to encourage their clients, have the tough conversations and celebrate the big wins, but coming into this process, it’s important to know that a lot of those things depend on how you show up each week and the relationship you have with your coach.
In today’s post, I’m talking all about the client + coach relationship and how to really get the most out of your work with a coach. Whether you work with one of our coaches or have worked with any sort of coach in the past or are thinking about working with a coach, understanding how you can bring your best to the table can make or break your success in reaching your goals.
THE CLIENT + COACH RELATIONSHIP IS A TWO-WAY STREET
While we certainly don’t ask for prerequisites from our potential clients, we do believe there are some key things that help you build a strong relationship with your coach and ultimately get the most out of your time together. Remembering that all relationships are a two-way street and while your coach can provide their expertise and experience, it’s also important for you as the client to show up each week. And realize that “showing up” doesn’t mean having your best week each and every week or perfectly tracking your macros every day! Showing up means that you:
have a growth mindset and a desire and willingness to change
are willing to trust your coach and the process and be patient with your progress
are open to new ideas and are willing to share feedback with your coach
are open and honest in your communication and your expectations
Let’s take a look at some of these ideas a little bit closer and break down ways to create a strong relationship with your coach.
GROWTH MINDSET
In our little corner of nutrition and lifestyle coaching, a growth mindset means that you believe you can develop, improve, and cultivate any ability through effort and practice. Sometimes this means recognizing that perfection isn't possible, necessary, or sustainable. You have to be willing to make mistakes, sometimes a lot of them, and to actively learn from those mistakes. While some instances may feel like you’re “failing”, being able to not label an experience as “failure” or attach your worth to an outcome (like a specific number on the scale) is part of this idea. You aim to look at the process neutrally to determine how to handle things differently next time and use all situations as a learning experience. Most of all, you seek, accept, and apply feedback as much as possible and sometimes this includes responding to questions from your coach or continuing the conversation beyond just checking the box of submitting your weekly check-in.
LETTING GO OF A SET TIME FRAME
When we start working with clients, we ask for a minimum commitment of 6-months because we believe it takes at least that long to start seeing long-term changes. Unfortunately, diet culture and many influencers on social media have led us to believe that making big life changes can seemingly happen overnight and because of that, it seems like it happens pretty easily. When starting work with a coach, it’s important to realize that just like there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, there is no set timeline for these changes. That doesn’t mean that we’re just shooting in the dark and hoping something happens in a few months - part of it means remembering that it has taken time to develop the habits and tendencies we currently have. Many of the behaviors and beliefs we currently practice were learned as a child or were intergenerational behaviors or dialogue. When working with a coach, we utilize a longer time frame not to say “sorry, you won’t see changes until six months” - that’s not true at all! It just means that we know that sustainable changes - solid habits, composition changes we can maintain, confidence in our nutrition knowledge, etc. - take time. Those who commit to a year or more of working on building solid habits are more likely to maintain or continue progressing than those who only commit to 30- 90 days. We often see the most success with clients who are willing to prioritize building habits and giving themselves space to trust the process over racing toward results.
REMEMBERING YOU AND YOUR COACH ARE A TEAM
We believe that the accountability aspect of working with a nutrition coach is one really valuable part of the client and coach relationship. However, that also doesn’t mean that hiring a coach is going to solve all of your problems or that they’re there to do the work for you. As the client, you have to genuinely desire to do the work and execute the plan. You desire constructive feedback and are open-minded to suggestions, even if they’re different from what has maybe worked in the past. You may have had success one way for a certain result, but those results may not have lasted or they may not apply to where you are in your journey now. In other words, you recognize that there is more than one way to work toward a goal and you’re willing to work together with your coach to get there. Part of this is also putting aside your ego and remembering that you came to a coach who has experience and training in this area. In exchange, your coach will always do everything they can to guide and support you. Ultimately, you trust the process and your coach just as your coach trusts you to share your wins and struggles. Your coach is on your side and wants you to succeed as much as you do!
HAVING HONEST CONVERSATIONS & GIVING FEEDBACK
I would argue that communication is perhaps the most important part of any relationship and that’s no different when it comes to working with a coach. Part of our work with clients is touching base through a weekly check-in, which includes gathering objective data as well as the client sharing subjective information about how their week is going. Getting the most out of your check-in is up to you as the client. That includes your objective data, like staying honest in your food logs, logging foods accurately, and not hiding any intake from the coach as well as providing other relevant information such as stress, sleep, hunger, etc.. Along with that, providing thoughtful feedback to your coach each week in your question answers and not just providing a number on a scale of 1-10, one-word sentence responses, or rushing through the check-in as something to immediately get off of your "to-do" list. The more you can give your coach, the more they can help you, so taking the time to fill out your check-in questions each week with as much relevant information as possible allows your coach to support you as much as possible!
We obviously believe wholeheartedly in the value of nutrition coaching and all that it has to offer you in pursuit of your goals. Aside from accountability, your coach is there to guide you, encourage you, support you and also have tough, but heartfelt conversations with you.
Working with a coach will not magically get you the results your looking for, but by showing up as a collaborator and cultivating an honest and open relationship with your coach, you can absolutely work together to reach your goals and beyond.
We are committed coaches who work with committed clients and love nothing more than helping our clients find a sustainable approach to nutrition that allows them to work towards their goals without white-knuckling their way through yo-yo diets. Learn more about our KLN team here!