What is Functional Health Coaching?
Functional medicine addresses the root causes of illness and aims to address chronic disease, caused by the mismatch between our bodies and the modern environment, through diet and lifestyle interventions. Functional medicine is a holistic, patient-centred, collaborative approach to health care. It treats the patient as a whole person. Functional health practitioners work with a team of nutritionists and coaches to support their patients on their journey towards wellness.
Coaching is a vehicle for helping people to achieve a higher level of well-being and performance in life and work, particularly when change is hard.
The Process
When you embark on a coaching relationship with me, I ask you to undertake a commitment to 8 coaching sessions. This is because you are going to go through a process of change. Change does not happen instantly, in fact, it is a life-long process. You need to be committed and ready to take those first steps, which will be an 8 week journey of weekly one hour meetings.
We start with creating your vision for health and wellness. Visioning can be a challenge for some, and for others it flows with ease. The purpose of a vision is to be able to achieve a shift in identity that aligns with your core values and strengths. When you shift your identity, the world shifts with you. What is an identity? It is a present-tense statement about yourself that describes what you are in essence (even if at the moment it is an aspiration). An example of an identity would be “I am a healthy, fit person, full of energy”. Your vision is the motivator behind your goals.
In our second session you determine your long term goals, as opposed to weekly short-term goals. Goals can be divided into outcomes, such as: I want to lose 5 kg in three months or process: I am going to go to the gym 3 times a week, for an hour each time. The goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Together we explore the five pillars of health: nutrition, exercise and movement, sleep, stress-management, and energy creation. We will also touch on reducing the toxic load we are all exposed to in the form of radiation, chemicals, and other pollutants.
What Happens in Each Session?
All sessions last up to one hour, depending on your time preference. They follow a set framework, of engaging and talking about your experiences of the last week, setting your agenda and focus for our session, exploring your focus, your reasons, your values, your strengths in achieving your desired outcome, and finally planning for the coming week, establishing small steps you are going to take.
You take notes during our sessions and commit to at least one small step a week. You determine what it is, I do not put pressure on you, I do not tell you what to do, my role is that of listening attentively to you, asking you thought provoking questions, reflecting what you have said, sometimes getting it wrong, and being a vehicle for your self-discovery and behaviour change that leads to growth and desired wellness.
As a Functional Health Coach I share pertinent nutritional and lifestyle information with you. If necessary I recommend that you speak to your health practitioner and have relevant blood, urine, stool and breath tests to give an indication of what, if anything, may be driving your condition.
Pricing
My fees are $A995 per 8 session package. This includes not only the weekly one-on-one zoom sessions, but also limitless WhatsApp messaging, emails, and sharing of materials with you. Payment options are to pay in full and receive a 10% discount, or to pay the full price in two payments.
After the initial 8 sessions, you may choose to continue with weekly or fortnightly sessions on a monthly payment basis. We will set new goals, re-examine your vision, and continue to move forward.
Food Prep and Cooking with Me
For people who understand the link between home cooked food and health, but are not confident in the kitchen, I offer zoom cooking lessons. Grab your computer, phone or tablet, gather your ingredients and let us work magic together. Cooking sessions A$75 per hour. Any questions prior to or after our cooking sessions will be answered by text message. Don’t hesitate to ask anything at all!
Next Steps
If you’re interested in working together please contact me for a free 45 minute strategy session in which we can get to know one another and ascertain whether we are a good fit.
I did a series of coaching sessions with Deborah and I've come out with such clarity and motivation. We discussed and worked on areas involving exercise consistency/habit forming, career clarity, improving sleep hygiene, and self-expression. It was all done with such ease and grace from Deborah, she made it a completely safe place to explore and share. Through her support and guidance I've found a new sense of confidence and self-assurance. Thank you so much Deborah!
— Ange Wotherspoon