Developing Your Unique Coaching Philosophy: The Foundation for Up-Leveling Your Business

Your coaching philosophy is unique to you and it's what sets you apart from other coaches out there. By taking a closer look at your coaching style, process, and clients, you'll gain clarity on where you're headed and who you're serving. 

As a coach, your unique coaching philosophy is the foundation upon which you build your business. It is the set of beliefs and principles that guide your coaching style, approach, and the way you interact with your clients.  Selling as a coach is dependent on developing your philosophy and speaking to the right people that resonate with what you offer.

Developing a strong coaching philosophy

This is crucial for up-leveling your marketing and having a clear idea of where you're headed. When you get more clear on your personal coaching philosophy and what you stand for and why it matters to your clients, you'll be able to talk about your business in a completely new way that speaks directly to your dream clients.

Many people think this is going to be hard. They focus on their “elevator pitch” instead of what makes them unique and bold.

Don’t feel unique or bold? Let’s fix that.

Your coaching philosophy is not just a set of words that you put on a website or a business card. It is a reflection of your personality, your values, your experiences, and your unique perspective on coaching. It is what sets you apart from other coaches in the same niche or industry. No one else serves their clients exactly the way you do. No one else speaks to their dream clients' problems or offers the exact solution the way you do. No one else facilitates their best-case-scenario results that they lay in bed at night wishing for the way you do. That's your unique coaching philosophy.

It's your special sauce and it's a living, breathing asset in your business that may change over time, so don't get perfectionistic about it. Just start with what you know right now and it will become more clear as you go.

How do you develop your unique coaching philosophy?

What is your philosophy statement? How do you even figure it out? First, start by examining your style, process, and unique clients by answering the following questions.

(Yes, you’re going to need to write the answers. Don’t do this in your head.)

What do you believe in that you sometimes find yourself being nervous to say out loud? 

What guides your coaching approach with your clients? 

What kind of clients do you enjoy working with the most and why? 

What makes your coaching style different from what your clients have tried before and how would you explain that to a 5th grader so they would understand it? 

These are some of the thought-provoking questions you can ask yourself as you start to create your coaching philosophy. 

For example, let me tell you a little about my own coaching philosophy. 

Everything I teach on my podcast and in my programs is run through the filter of my personal philosophy. I don't teach anything about marketing on social media because I believe social media is a ticking time bomb, especially in our industry. Simple is always best when it comes to everything in your business. 

Clients are everywhere waiting right now, and it's just your job to make it easy for them to find you. If you’re struggling to get clients it’s only because people don’t know what you do or what results they will get when they hire you, which is a very simple problem to fix. (Remember, simple is always best.) And finally, personal development and examining your mindset are the key. Changing the way we think about problems and challenges, in general but specifically in our businesses, makes everything that we do way easier and more fun.

Many of my clients start out thinking they want a step-by-step roadmap to making money as a holistic health practitioner, but it doesn't work because they haven't learned how to think about their business and how to approach problems. Instead of copying someone else's style or method, it's important to develop your own unique coaching philosophy that speaks directly to your dream clients. So, after reading through this framework, take some time to put pen to paper and create your own unique coaching philosophy.

Avoid mistaking specific tools or tactics as philosophies. 

Rather, focus on your way of teaching, problem-solving, and addressing your clients' health issues as being your philosophy. Strategies and tactics change over time, but ways of approaching challenges and problems can be applied to every part of your life and business.

It is also important to think about your best clients, not just the worst fit clients, when doing your marketing or selling your services. By knowing who your ideal clients are, you can create messaging and content that resonates with them and positions you as the perfect solution to their problems. Leveraging your unique coaching philosophy can differentiate you from others in the marketplace, and help you attract and retain your ideal clients solely through your marketing copy and the conversations your people are having on your behalf when they’re referring you to other potential clients.

Your people won’t refer you if they can’t articulate what you do, why it’s the best solution available, and how you’re uniquely qualified to deliver the results. But if they can do those three things because you’ve gotten solid on your unique coaching philosophy, look out. They are going to fill up your entire pipeline.

Conclusion

Developing your unique coaching philosophy is a crucial step in up-leveling your nutrition or health coaching business. It is the foundation upon which you build your marketing strategies, create networking opportunities, and ultimately scale your business.

Most of all, you getting clear on your unique philosophies is what creates a strong connection between you and your future clients.

They’re paying attention, and they want to work with YOU.

By taking the time to ask thought-provoking questions of that genius brain of yours, and teasing out exactly what you believe to be true and would love for your clients to know, too, your coaching philosophy will easily come forth.  

Remember, your coaching philosophy is a living and breathing document that may change over time. Writing it down can help you get clear on why it's important to you and as you become more confident in your voice, your marketing will become more specific and confident, too. 

Your bold ideas and unique twist on coaching will differentiate you from others in the marketplace and will repel many people. That’s by design. They aren’t your people. 

It's okay to revise and refine it as you grow and evolve as a coach, and as long as you always keep your clients' needs and goals at the forefront of your philosophy, you can’t do it wrong. Best news of the day.