How to SHINE as a Health Coach Online
/You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:14-16
It’s noisy in the online world these days, isn’t it?
As Christian Health Coaches, we have an amazing opportunity to be a voice that is set apart, uplifting, and adds only a comforting clarity to the noise. What you choose to post, write, stream and share to your platforms is more important to your reputation than ever before.
Remember each time you sit down to create content, that each reader or viewer may only see you that once.
And we were called to SHINE.
Your chance of “drawing them” into your community (your funnel) and setting yourself apart as unique in a crowded internet world could be limited to that one share!
Powerful to think about, isn’t it?
Keeping this in mind each time I sit down to create has helped me to continually see each piece of content as a possible ministry, and each piece as its own opportunity to SHINE!
But this doesn’t have to be a complicated process!
Here’s the top ways I’ve discovered to SHINE, taken from my personal journey of over a decade working my health coach business online.
1. Be yourself (But the BEST version of yourself!)
There’s so much messaging out there these days insinuating that when we are ourselves, it’s not good enough. I want to challenge this today and tell you, “YES, YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!”
That’s right, starting right now. With no further improvements.
Especially when you “show up” as the BEST version of you (ready to work, ready to listen, ready to share your beautiful self!)
Good enough to get on video. (Yes, without “eyebrows on fleek” and teeth whitening and further hair styling.) Your audience just wants to get to know you! They want to hear your voice and see your inflections and body language and feel “leaned in” on by you!
If you’re JUST NOT READY yet, even after my encouragement here today to show your beautiful face on video, consider doing a podcast or slideshow/how-to videos with your voice on it only. There’s many ways to let your audience know you better without jumping on Facebook live. (Yet!)
Whether writing posts, creating graphics, or making videos, use your special language and let your unique personality show. For instance, I say “ya’ll” and I say “love you” often in real life, so I like to let that part of me show online. I enjoy fresh food, trying new recipes, being out in nature, walking in the evening sunset, fur babies, rainbows, mountains, cactus and all. the. birds. and bugs!
I share all of this through my content.
I’ll never hold a candle to the Kardashians, or even reach the masses the way they do - and I’m SO OK with that. I’m only supposed to reach the precious lives God has already set up for me to touch! And I’ll do it without any plastic surgery or gallons of makeup - I’ll do it by being ME every time I show up!
Action Step:
What “flavors” of you will you bring to your business platforms? Think of the things that are part of “your signature” and be free to add those into your sharing.
2. Tell Stories about your own journey – invite your readers into your life!
Tell your stories. Tell them from a healed perspective, from a HOPE perspective, from a place of love and serving. Try to keep it light and hopeful, while truthful (sounds contradictory, I know - but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you’ll feel the nudges when to say what!)
Encourage your followers through your sharing, that they will overcome or heal or find relief in their own experience.
Your truth-telling (said in love) will do these things for your followers:
It lets them know they are “normal” for struggling, and that sometimes you struggle, too! It truly helps to offer an alternative to the modern-day, perfection-centric, “image-focused” presentation commonly found online. Your “realness” gives them HOPE that if you can overcome, they can too!
Encourages your readers to tell THEIR stories in your community, too! By relating your stories to them and their lives, you bond with them, and naturally invite them to open up and share, which creates powerful peer healing.
Gives them ideas and strategies that could work for them, too! By sharing how smoothies, essential oils, supplements, and gentle fitness, drinking more water (and all kinds of other things) has changed your life, or your family member’s, or your client’s - well, you get the idea. These things become real and possible for them, too.
3. Validate your readers, but don’t victimize them – they are looking to be empowered.
It’s our “Holy calling” as coaches to be an incredible support to those who are often misunderstood or unsupported in their lives because of chronic pain and illness that doesn’t “just go away.” Especially in the religious realm, chronic suffering is often considered (and openly stated to them) as a lack of faith or a hidden sin in the life of the sufferer.
We’ve got to be different!
As someone who has personally been suffering from chronic illness and pain (because one often leads to the other) for over 9 years now, I have often been told by my readers and followers (and especially clients) that my compassion for them was a turning point.
If we come across judgmental, we’ll just push them away. Trust me, when someone is experiencing a pain flare or an especially bad day, the judgmental statements can be just too much. (The final straw, even.)
Let’s be the voice of grace and have a spirit of compassion as we are so privileged to sit with the hurting among us.
On the other extreme, the temptation can be to pity our readers and clients - this is just as harmful and ineffective.
Instead, let’s speak life, hope and easy-to-apply strategies into their lives instead! When you speak hopefully but convincingly with confidence that what you’re sharing will bring relief, you’d be amazed at how that confidence spreads to the ones you’re reaching.
Soon, you’ll get the messages or comments from grateful followers that tell you excitedly, “that smoothie really did work - I have brain clarity today!” They TRIED what you suggested because you were confident in it, and they FELT THAT and they chose to believe it would work for them, which fueled their decision to DO IT! It’s a beautiful cycle.
I can be understanding of someone’s pain at the same time that I encourage adding a morning smoothie to help aid in decreasing inflammation quickly and bringing them some sweet relief. If we make it our goal that everything we write and share on our platforms is to just bring a little bit of relief to those we serve, relief is what they’ll experience!
And in the day-to-day life of someone who is truly hurting, a little relief is a big deal.
Another purpose of letting our light SHINE on our platforms is to grow our community and send people through our Mission Map! (Business funnel)
Here’s 25 ways to do that!
4. Speak strongly. But with kindness.
Be bold and courageous as a lion, wise as a serpent, but gentle as a dove. Whether in written word or spoken audibly through a podcast, video or workshop, everything we share can be strong, but kind.
Ask yourself as you write your outlines and prepare your sharing: Am I edifying my readers? Or talking to them as I would a friend?
Are you speaking and writing out of an approach of “sitting with” someone (meaning, REALLY hearing them, feeling with them, holding space for them) instead of “standing over” them? I promise you, your readers and viewers WILL feel it (either way!)
Your followers feel something from you every time you post. Might as well leave them feeling warm and fuzzy.
Action Step:
Take note of your last 3 shares on social media - what did your tone sound like? If you didn’t know you, and you watched or read them, what would you feel like after? Take a few minutes to really look at it and journal this out.
Moving forward, how will you frame your words? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you speak in love.
5. We teach as coaches. Especially on our platforms. But, not everything you share has to be a “teaching point” every time!
It can be light, fun, and generate conversation, and still effectively “teach” your readers! Your posts should be varied in style and not always “oh, here goes Coach Sally again on her soapbox!”
Some of the ways to “lighten up” the atmosphere on your platforms:
Share Q’s whether in a graphic or through a post - ask silly, light, bonding questions If you need ideas on some good Q’s to use, you can find a post with 57 of them HERE.
Ask them to post pics - of their dinner, fave new recipe, fur babies, kids, gardens, grandbaby love, the weather in their area, etc. The list is long of interactive, bonding things to chat lightly about with your followers!
Create infographics that encourage interaction BUT feel like a game to your readers - ones like “give yourself 1 point for every food listed here that you have in your fridge right now” or “guess the vegetable” from a closeup pic you take at the grocery store!
There’s many creative ways to “teach” without your social media sharing feeling “teachy.”
Action Step:
What 5 ideas can you come up with right now to share regularly, but bring JOY to your followers from the posts?
Your purpose in creating, curating, and then sharing posts and videos to your platforms is multiple:
Building your community
Drawing your people into your funnel
Making an income
Supporting your followers in their journey
Strengthening your reputation as a go-to expert coach in your special area of healthy living
Spreading the message of HOPE and HEALING
As you do the work to create the content, listen to your followers. They’ll give you clues on who they are, and what their greatest challenges are. You’ll serve them well through your efforts and you’ll SHINE online, just as God intends!
Hey! Before you go, be sure and grab your free training : 25 Ways to Meet & Serve Clients