So you want to be a health coach?

This blog has been written for anybody who is interested in learning more about the IIN (Institute For Integrative Nutrition) 12 month health coaching course… also known as “the world's largest nutrition school”.

I wanted to write a review on The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, otherwise known as IIN, having studied there, I frequently have people ask me about the course and the details about it. So this is my truthful and unbiased review on the course. If you wanted to trial a free class, you can click here and check it out for yourself. 

My background came from Exercise Science and Nursing, I spent 6 years at university studying because I couldn't make my mind up about what I wanted as a career. I knew I loved exercise, health and wellness, but I also wanted to give back in some way, shape or form so after studying Exercise Science & realising there was no real path for me there, I jumped the boat to complete a B. of Nursing - because it made sense to me and totally aligned with my purpose.

If you’ve read my story, you’ll know how I became to be so passionate about nutrition and lifestyle, not only nutrition for the body but nutrition for the mind and soul too. At the time I was involved in fitness competitions, I remember asking my coach at the time, who was training me for the International Natural Olympia in San Diego, why the food I was eating was helping me loose body fat and feel better - but she didn't have an answer for me (which secretly frustrated me, I wanted to know the science behind what I was doing), all she could say was “I don't know, it just works”. 

That led me to jump online and start searching for a way I could learn about the new lifestyle I was living, I never intended to coach anyone, I just wanted to learn about it for my own personal knowledge. I came across IIN multiple times (I don't know if they just have a really epic ad words campaign on google or it was the universe trying to give me a sign - whatever it was - it worked!). 

Fast forward 2 years into the future and I graduated and ended up creating my own online holistic health program which today has over 8000 paying members from over 20 countries around the world (I graduated in September 2015, this blog was written in 2017).

I’m now a full time holistic nutrition coach and I can honestly say, this is the most rewarding job. Its fulfilling, its fun, I'm continuously learning every day and I get to meet some extraordinary people at the same time. Today I run a beautiful online program called The Healthstyle Emporium, a 4 month holistic health, wellness and nutrition program thats 100% online.

Not only has the program grown incredibly fast in the last couple of years (I launched the program with 9 clients in March 2016) but I've had the opportunity to link arms with gorgeous, like minded and passionate people and health coaches - who help me run the program, making it even more spectacular, and it wouldn't be anywhere near as amazing without them. Some of The Emporium wellness coaches have studied at IIN and some haven’t but everyone is just as valuable as one another.


So how did I put all of this together? Many people ask this question.

Im going to be completely honest, the IIN program was what I felt to be short, 12 short months and it was all over. But that doesn't mean the content was invaluable. In that 12 months you’re given a new module every week, filled up with different videos, slides, readings and audios to listen to about topics such as nutrition, lifestyle, exercise AND business start up. I didn't have a single marketing or business bone inside me before this course, but the fact that they also implemented this segment along with ‘how to market your coaching practice’, ‘how to market yourself’, ‘build your website & business card’ and so on, really helped me to make the decision to have a crack at this and build my own company.

They really put an emphasis on helping you figure out ‘your why’, your target market, who your perfect client is, what type of program you want to run plus more. It was like a mini business school, all whilst learning about the fundamentals that a health coach needs to know in regards to health and wellness. My website and my social media was all created by me. I created this website myself, all the graphics, the logo, my marketing campaigns, the content, my newsletters, my blogs, my videos and even my social media. I’ve never paid anyone to help me construct it together, and I really think the business side of IIN helped me figure out where to start with that. However, and I do want to be honest, their business component doesn’t actually teach you anything about how to create a successful practice and create a steady flow of income, it only teaches you how to set up the basics to get the ball in motion, but not how to continue on… if that makes sense. Which is why I have also created Babes In Business alongside The Healthstyle Emporium.

Babes In Business is an online mentoring hub and a beautiful community of women and men from around the world who are either wanting to start up with wellness business, or already have and need the support of making it BIG. I provide my personal blueprint of how I built my company from start up to today, I personally mentor you myself, and you get access to all our business development, personal development, mindset hacks and tools to help you create an abundant and thriving wellness business. You can check out BIB here and also check out our podcast, Babes Talking Business, here.

In terms of the program I created, The Healthstyle Emporium, a lot of the content within it is a mixture of what I learnt during my time with IIN, and also a mixture of my two separate degrees I did prior too. My people / coaching skills were definitely taught to me via IIN, we had these awesome coaching calls with other students and tutors once a month, that really helped with communication skills… thats certainly something university never taught me.

So what did I learn at IIN?

- Business and marketing skills, 
- How to coach clients, 
- How to find clients, 
- I learnt about goals and resources to give to clients according to their health goals, 
- I learnt about hundreds of different dietary theories (and tried several myself), 
- I learnt about holistic health, not just health regarding food and exercise.  Things like spirituality, emotional health, happiness and total life balance, 
- I learnt about natural remedies and medicinal foods, 
- I was empowered to make a huge ripple effect in the world,
- I learnt about the importance of micronutrients, 
- I was taught to treat and view my body differently as well as others and life in general, to what I ever had the pleasure of even considering. It changed my perspective on a lot of things in life. A total life and mind flip. 

I sat in online lectures and learnt from over 100 world-class global leaders and educators (and celebrities) who are leading physicians, researchers, doctors, health advocates and nutrition experts such as Joshua Rosenthal, Geneen Roth, David Wolfe, Dr. Libby Weaver, John Douillard,  Barry Sears, Mark Hyman, Dr. Oz, Deepak Chopra, Gabrielle Bernstein, Lynn Goldstein, Pierre Dukan + more.

PROS of IIN

- You can do it all online, 
- You can go at your own pace (I was working full time at the time and training for international competition and I was still able to pass every exam), 
- There were only 3 exams (all online), 
- It was all done through an app on my iPad and iPhone so i could download lectures and listen to them while exercising and commuting, 
- I met some amazing people from my class who I am still in contact with today, some are working with me on my program too, 
- It's recognised in Australia and you can get 100% liability insurance here with your certificate, 
- You still have access to all your material for 1 year after you graduate, 
- It was inexpensive compared to a bachelors degree and I could pay it off as I went interest free, 
- I got a free iPad when i joined! Whooo. Plus books i'll keep forever that will help me with goal setting, journaling, business building & an awesome book to refer back to when clients come to me with specific health concerns and questions I'm not sure how to address, 
- Super easy to use online, so if you're not tech savvy, you are in luck, 
- Anyone, any gender, at any age can do this course. You don't even need a qualification of any sort to attend. 

CONS of IIN

- It's only 12 months (some people might like that),
- There is no anatomy or chemistry module, like there would be with a Bachelor in Nutrition.
- You can't use your certificate for any university credit here in Australia, 
- A year after you graduate, you lose access to all of the content, lectures, slides and audios unless you download everything onto your ipad through the IIN app, 
- I never ended up learning the actual science behind body fat loss (that was the reason I initially wanted to study - lol - BUT, having said that, I now understand that weight loss is SO much more than this and that the 'science' of weight loss comes hand in hand with loads of other important implementations).

All in all, I give it 2 thumbs up. I wouldn't have been able to build my brand and business to what it is today had I not attended. There is also no way I would ever be able to teach my wellness coaches within The Emporium, how to successfully find clients and build their own businesses and also how to coach our clients, that was all taught to me during the course. I can't speak for any other nutrition schools as this is the only one I have attended but the fact that some of the most successful people in the wellness field have attended this school such as Melissa Ambrossini, Jo Whitton, Sarah Wilson, Pete Evans & The Merry Maker Sisters + more, gave me confidence that IIN was a good choice. 

IIN also changed me and the way I look at health, food and how I look after myself. I’m honestly in better shape now physically and mentally, than I ever have been before (even when I competed internationally for Australia). It's safe to say I definitely did some unexpected soul searching at IIN and truly found myself. The knowledge I gained at IIN has also allowed me to earn a 6 figure income, something I was never going to achieve as a registered nurse (sadly).

If you would like to ask me any questions about IIN or you would like me to refer you to the school so that you can receive some more information, just comment below or click either of the two options below to get access to the course curriculum and / or a free class :)

If you’re wanting to know more information about how you can be a wellness coach for The Healthstyle Emporium & work with me, I would love to connect with you, you can do so by heading to the contact me section of my website!

I hope this has helped you with your decision on becoming a health coach & answered any questions you may have about the course. I would love to hear your opinions below in the comments section, if you can leave it in a respectful manner.

Wishing you all the health & happiness,

Chani x