My Health Coaching Journey

My Health Coaching Journey

I was lucky enough to have grown up during a period when playing outdoors was THE primary leisure activity. My penchant for play was so pronounced that I was constantly reminded that I could not ring anyone’s doorbell before 9:00 AM. My favorite school subject was gym and I took up running in high school just because it seemed like a fun thing to do. If I wanted to win races though, I had to watch what I ate.  Too much fat and fiber in my stomach during a race was a recipe for disaster.  This fostered my interest in Diet and Nutrition and was certainly a compelling factor in my decision to choose Food Science as a major in college.  It also helped that the professor who taught the Introductory Food Science course was a runner (and juggler).

Although it sounds a little pedestrian, Food Science is far from that.  Food Science is the Biology, Chemistry and Engineering of food.  It proved to be a rigorous curriculum where many students drop out once they learn that it is more science than they bargained for.  For me, this course of study provided a fundamental appreciation of the molecular interactions within foods.  Unlike many of my class mates who went on to work for Campbell Soup or Kraft foods, I somehow landed my first job in the Pharmaceutical industry developing drugs for the treatment of cancer and AIDS.  The allure of drug development (and the compensation) were so strong that I ended up staying in the industry for the next 28-years.  …and somehow managed to earn a MS and PhD in Food Science along the way.

It wasn’t until sometime in 2013 that I came to the conclusion that searching for the next billion dollar molecule for the treatment of 21^st century diseases was a losing proposition.  However, I also noticed that all of the diseases that I was working on had an underlying solution related to diet and lifestyle.  It was then that I decided to pull my expertise in Food Science and medicine together to craft a new career where I could coach and inspire people to stay healthy to prevent them from getting sick in the first place.

My journey started with attendance at an Integrative Healthcare conference in NYC.  While vetting a variety of Alternative Healthcare companies I met someone who had graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), a school that provides certification in Health Coaching.  My new friend seemed well-versed in the field and described a career that was exactly what I was looking for.  Once I got home I did a little deep dive on IIN and attended the online introductory webinar.  It seemed a little Amway-ish and hokey but I trusted this person’s judgement and registered for the program.

I have no regrets.  IIN provided me with all of the tools that I needed to teach people how to live peacefully and how to eat mindfully.  I learned how to communicate with those who are overwhelmed by the challenges of healthy living.  Most importantly, I learned how to build a Health Coaching practice that meets my vision of bringing health and wellness to the masses.  In just one year from my departure from Corporate America, I am now the proud owner of a Brick-and-Mortar Integrative Healthcare practice, EGGLRock Nutrition, providing dietary and lifestyle intervention strategy for disease prevention and health maintenance.  This achievement could not have been made possible without the skills that I acquired at IIN.