As a practitioner, I enjoy discovering creative ways to make integrative health coaching more accessible to clients who may not be aware of its powerful benefits. Health coaching offers an opportunity for an individual to consider health from the inside out and in relationship to all other parts of their lives. Clients learn to listen to their own wisdom as we discover how they will actualize the vision that is most aligned with their heart and the changes they desire to make. As a coach, I serve as partner and support my clients while they create, practice and achieve their health goals!
We decided to offer a Health & Wellness group series in 2025, which intentionally framed each “quarter” of the year to support positive behavior change. Some participant responses included:
- “This coaching process helped me reflect and build consistency in my personal health. It provided a safe and reassuring space to meet with others who are serious about improving our ways of living.”
- “I’ve strengthened my ability to manage daily stress through physical movement and by dedicating time to my spiritual health.”
- “I have been reminded in the best possible way to pay attention to my life and that if I do this, the strength that I need, it is already embedded inside me.”
- “I think my major breakthrough came in the form of understanding that I must pay attention to my own life because it is my one life and I am worth it. If I keep this in mind I can make reasonable choices on a daily basis.”
Often, participants expect me to begin by quoting statistics and providing information about why they need to exercise, start eating more veggies, sleep more, manage blood pressure, etc. While I am able to offer those things, clients soon understand that the assessment begins in a different place. First, I want to know more about their “Why” to allow me to partner with the current version of them that will create their next chapter. A powerful relationship of trust is developed as we listen, ask questions, develop action steps and report back about our experimentation. I have spent the year listening to women reclaim courage, reconnect with knowing and center their health needs.
After one guided body scan to engage with our hearts, we listened as a group member spoke of her awareness of fully inhabiting her body for a moment to simply notice. “Heartbeat found…”, she spoke with a fierce knowing in her eyes of her value and understanding that her life matters as a result of her practice. She had reconnected with an important part of herself and tried to describe her experience to us through words. We all understood.
In an earlier session, a participant shared her decision to invite additional health care practitioners into her life to support new health goals. Now that she was clear about what she wanted to work on, meeting with health care professionals to discuss her needs and options for wellness was no longer intimidating. This woman understood that partnering with doctors, discussing options, and asking questions put her in the best position to achieve her health goals with medical and therapeutic support. We all related.
In another session, a member described her experience with self-talk and learning to trust the voice that offers both accountability and grace. Personal health goals were achieved while creatively navigating a journey that offered hard lessons and every opportunity to give up. When things became difficult, she remembered her vision and exercised the power of choice. We all celebrated.
In a later session, a member offered a reflection on how she wanted to leverage skills in an area of health in which she was stronger against an aspect of her health in which she desired to finally make some positive change. We reflected on our histories and made a list of our collective strengths and existing skills that could be leveraged within the health areas that were more challenging. Together, we created a resource that would support our practice. A list of personal habits, behaviors, and beliefs across each area of health was proof that we had all done hard things and succeeded. These tools were available to access whenever we chose. We all contributed.
As we moved through the year, simple exercises and reflections that supported health goals included being present within and aware of our bodies. Typical daily routines have evolved into ignoring our natural body signals, which communicate that something needs attention, until the point when discomfort is no longer manageable. Noticing when there is a place in our body that is requesting care, like a stiff neck, tired eyes, a full bladder,t, or an achy join requires intention and practice.
When was the last time that you paid attention to the wonder of your breath? The fact that many of us don’t have to remember to inhale and exhale is a miracle, but when we focus on breathing intentionally and deeply, it supports our health practices.
Some of us are runners, walkers, swimmers and chair yogis. Others like to strength train, dance, stretch, and cycle. There are so many more ways to move the body and I am curious if you have ever considered what your body enjoys the most. How does your body like to move? What is natural for you? Does it depend on your mood?
Radical rest has emerged as a topic for us to consider in recent years and in this current season. We acknowledge that rest (including sleep) is the opportunity for our bodies to reset, restore, and heal. If rest signals to the body that it is time to heal, what do you need to prioritize this natural and cost free self-care practice?
In 2025, group and individual discussions included nervous system regulation, activating healing with our spoons, and the health benefits of brief sun exposure and fresh air. Each participant committed to live into their personal Vision of Health through small actions each day, and we honor their experiences and accomplishments!
This year, we will gather to discover how reconnecting to the heart and the womb supports our goals for wellness and healing. The premise is that both the heart and the womb (literal and figurative) are centers of knowing for each of us. What is your personal vision and recipe for health? What are the messages that you need to pay attention to now? How will you honor the season that you are in? How is your inner world and daily experience offering information about what needs to shift? What needs to be released for improved well-being? We will address all of this and more through discussion, coaching, prompts, and practice.
I hope you will join us this month as we focus again on improving areas of personal health through reflection, discussion and practice in our 2026 Health & Wellness Series: Reclaiming the Heart & the Womb! Registration is open! Click here.
In service to our collective good health,
Solita A. Denard, Certified Integrative Health Coach
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