How Business Coaches are Wounding Healers...and What We Can Do About It

Are you one of the thousands of healers who has signed up for an online training that promises to teach you the secrets of building a six-figure business? Maybe you have your finger on the trigger and you are about to lay down your credit card in exchange for yet another program that you think will be the answer to all your business struggle.It just kills me to see how many smart, savvy business coaches are preying on vulnerable healers and how much time and money is being wasted on expensive and inappropriate coaching.

I first learned about this problem last year when I built my Women in Wellness community. I had been teaching Holistic Health courses at multiple universities for 10 years and I noticed that my students really needed career training and mentoring once they graduated. At first, I was just working with my students, but then we opened to the public. As more and more women inquired about my group, I found that some of them were carrying big trauma from previous relationships with coaches.

In one conversation, a meditation teacher told me that she had paid a coach more than $30,000 for a year-long training to learn how to be a professional speaker and now that the training was finished, she was no closer to that goal then when she started. An energy healer told me that she completed a $24,000 training about how to do sales and marketing, but the information was useless because she didn't have time to implement all the techniques and what she really needed was a virtual assistant who could manage it for her. The most astounding story came from a woman who leads healing retreats - she had spent more than $100,000 on coaching and she still didn't have a profitable business.

I want to scream when I hear these stories. I think that some business coaches are wounding healers by enticing them into programs that are not a good fit for their level of experience, their lifestyle, or their competency with technology. In fact, one business coach admitted that she sold the "destination" not the "journey" because no one actually wants to hear about all the work you need to do to be successful - that would prevent them from signing up in the first place.

What are we going to do about this? Here are my top 3 tips for protecting yourself against unethical business coaches:

1) We need to be much more discerning about the coaching programs we choose. We have to be aware that not all coaching programs are right for all people - even if there are 5000 testimonials on the website and Oprah said it's her most favorite program in the world. I'm just as vulnerable to "shiny object syndrome" as the next person, so when I see a training that I want to take, I have to walk away from the computer, take a few deep breaths, consult with a trusted friend or advisor, and then wait at least 24 hrs before making a decision. I have to have rational reasons for signing-up ("everyone is doing it" is not a rational reason); I have to have the money to pay for it (maxing out my credit card doesn't count), and the program outcomes have to clearly align with my business goals.

2) We need to be much more aware of the manipulative tactics that some coaches use to prey on healers. Did you know that FOMO (fear of missing out) is one of the strongest motivators for people to buy? (Buy now. Last chance. Ends today!!!!) Did you know that coaches try to appeal to your most basic human desires - hunger, sex, survival to name a few - to sell you things that you don't need? Somewhere, deep down inside, we know all this is true and yet we want a silver bullet solution to our challenges so we buy the program anyway. It doesn't work that way. Just like your health requires daily maintenance and care, so does your business. You can't buy your way to success with another $4,000 course about how to be successful. Which leads me to my final tip...

3) We need to be honest with ourselves and others about the fact that there is no "quick fix" for a career in health and wellness. Working in the wellness industry is AWESOME. There are so many perks to being a wellness professional such as personal freedom, changing people's' lives, living a healthy lifestyle, having your own schedule, being surrounding by like-minded people, traveling around the world, being of service and doing work that you love. But the path of the wellness entrepreneur can be a brutal and arduous path. It requires a WARRIOR spirit and a rock-solid heart. It also requires a helluva lot of skills that you are going to need to develop over a period of time.

It's a confusing mess out there sometimes, but a little clarity goes a long way. Trust me, I've been working in the health and wellness industry for more than 15 years and I know that you can find a coach that's right for you - I've had several amazing coaches and mentors - just follow your heart AND your head and you'll get there.

If you want to talk about any of the coaching programs that you are considering, or learn if the Women in Wellness Club is right for you, schedule your free Discovery Session with me today.