Become a Certified
Food Story Coach®

Does this sound familiar?

  • You’re tired of talking to your clients about calories, meal plans, and “good” food versus “bad” food.

  • Your patients aren’t making meaningful changes to their diets and lifestyles even though you’re providing them with all the education and information they need about nutrition.

  • Your clients say they know what to do...but they aren't doing it.

  • You're uncomfortable discussing emotions or feelings with your patients because it seems outside the scope of your practice.

  • New clients disappear after the first appointment or two, even though they said they were ready to commit to improving their health.

How would it feel to…

…guide your conversations to empower your clients to build confidence, improve their health, and get the results they deserve?

…engage more deeply with your patients to assess their true needs and watch them experience transformative results?

…have confidence asking your clients about their relationship with food, along with the feelings and emotions that accompany it?

…help patients understand their own food story and how this relates to their personal goals and/or struggles with food?

…learn how to discuss industry flaws as well as solutions with your clients to help them see the bigger picture and escape the shame-blame-guilt cycle?

…attract and retain more business through client success, raving fans, and strong referrals?

$600.00
For 3 months

Sliding scale pricing is available. More info here.

As a Naturopathic Doctor I have found these coaching skills invaluable and deeply in line with the principle of treat the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Food Story Coaching provides a great starting point to address your patient/client’s mental health, as many of the deep-seated issues that apply to dietary choices are often impacting their life in many other ways. This helps you understand them on a much deeper level, which is invaluable when formulating appropriate treatment recommendations and referrals. This process also helps address and overcome the shame associated with dietary and other health behaviors by helping the practitioner and patient find a deeper understanding of the root cause of their dietary and lifestyle choices.

—Dr. Marisa Soski

 

In the Food Story Coach Certification Program, you’ll learn to:

  • Utilize advanced coaching techniques, styles, and approaches to better engage with your clients

  • Strategize specific concerns, roadblocks, and issues you’re having with patients

  • Maximize your ability to both provide information and be a client-centered coach, increasing the success of those you work with

Upon completion of the program, you’ll be an expert in:

  • Guiding your clients to tap into and explore their relationship with food

  • Advising your patients on nutrition change, addressing both science and Food Story

  • Supporting your clients in starting, navigating, and sustaining changes long term

About the Food Story Coach Certification Program

This is an advanced coaching program for wellness professionals who are familiar with Food Story Coaching and eager to develop their expertise in the philosophy, process, and techniques of this powerful, highly-effective paradigm.

As a Certified Food Story Coach, you’ll improve the health outcomes of your patients and clients by empowering them to address their relationship with food and supporting them through the process. This creates a profound expansion in their ability to implement sustainable dietary changes.

$600.00
For 3 months

Sliding scale pricing is available. More info here.

what Food Story Coaches are saying…

Ian is a master when it comes to coaching and most importantly as a coach of coaches. Since I’ve started my business I felt like there was a missing piece of the puzzle, and this was it—to have an experienced, out-of-the-box thinker who can push me to be a better coach and provide a better service to my clients.

—Lee

Food Story Coaching offers a perspective that literally changes everything. This work is a game-changer in a world filled with providers pushing the "if you were just good enough and tried harder" message. Fostering a healthy relationship with food and self strips away guilt and shame and reveals sustainable and peaceful change. Give yourself and your beloved clients/patients the gift of love, acceptance and ultimately, true wellness.

—Audie

I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I’ve been learning, practicing, and accomplishing in this course and I just have to say, thank you. Coaching makes me a better human. Everything we are learning is applicable to just about all parts of my life. It’s mind-blowing the cross-over of behaviors like deep listening, being present, holding space, allowing silence and discomfort and how that fosters deeper connection and empathy. While I’m careful not to coach, educate, or otherwise nutritionally inform my family or friends, I am finding great benefit to using some of these techniques to have better conversations and connections.

—Sarah

Food Story is really the missing link when clients are looking to make nutrition/lifestyle changes but find themselves struggling to to maintain or even start to make those changes. Ian's food story approach and mentorship program has been invaluable to me as a practitioner. I was already a fan of Ian's food story coaching philosophy, but participating in the mentorship program has been a real game changer for me and my clients. I have more confidence to coach clients through their challenges and know support is always there whenever I need it in the group! And as I've gained confidence as a coach, I see even more success with my clients who explore their food story with me. When we can explore their food story together, without judgement, clients are able to see more clearly why change has been hard for them and start on their own personal path for lasting change—both personally and nutritionally!

—Kristin

Program Structure

Part I: Education

This portion consists of eight (8) weekly modules with video lessons, reading assignments, writing assignments, and practice or reflections with real-world application. You'll develop an in-depth understanding of topics such as:

  • The psychology of coaching

  • Advanced coaching techniques around goal-setting, overcoming cultural beliefs about food, and the guilt-blame-shame cycle

  • Neuropsychological forces that impact clients' ability to make dietary changes

  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed coaching techniques

  • Food anthropology and our proprietary approach to food culture

Part II: Mentorship

This portion consists of 12 weeks of practice and high-touch mentorship with your instructors. You'll use your coaching skills with clients and/or patients while developing a solid understanding of how your own food story impacts your work as a practitioner. Part II includes:

  • Real-world Food Story Coaching with clients/patients

  • Review, feedback, and supplemental coaching from us to refine your skills and build your confidence   

  • Peer-to-peer Food Story sharing group

  • One-on-one mentorship with a Certified Food Story Coach®

What You’ll Learn

  • Advanced coaching techniques, styles and approaches to engage better with your clients

  • Strategies for specific concerns, roadblocks, and issues you’re having with clients

  • How to maximize your ability to be both an educator and a health coach, increasing client success

The Food Story Coach Certification Program will allow you to:

  • Understand the foundations of coaching psychology and behavior change
    (in other words, how and why this work actually works)

  • Receive advanced coaching materials, suggestions, and insights

  • Ask specific questions and receive personalized feedback

  • Watch, critique, and participate in Food Story Coaching sessions

Ian’s program helped me significantly with my business. In the year and a half I’ve been working with him, I managed to get better results for my clients, faster results, more testimonials, and I’m able to charge a premium because of those results. My clients refer their family members, their friends…and they’re so proud of their progress that I don’t need to do much to get new clients.

—Liat Nadler

 

Module Breakdown

Module 1: Food Story Coaching Theory

Module 2: Food Story Coaching Theory, cont.

Module 3: Culture

Module 4: Culture, cont.

Module 5: Clinical Application: Session Flow

Module 6: Clinical Application: Strategies for Common Topics

Module 7: Clinical Application: Strategies for Powerful Emotions

Module 8: Considerations For Your Practice

Following completion of the educational modules, you will begin a 12-week mentorship program to integrate, practice, refine, and apply your new knowledge and skills. Mentorship includes:

  • Coaching practice with feedback and suggestions from your instructors

  • One-on-one mentorship with a Certified Food Story Coach

  • Food Story sharing group with other wellness professionals

Mentorship was what I needed to turn the business of my dreams into a reality. I was familiar with the concepts of Food Story Coaching, but didn’t know how to market myself or integrate the work into my sessions with clients. With customized support from Coach Ian and connections with other nutritionists and coaches who offered tremendous encouragement, I finally built up the skills and confidence to start putting my food relationship coaching services out there. After just a few months of mentorship, I hosted a 5-day Food Story training, and 40 people signed up!

—Caroline Hinchliff, MS

 

Questions for Caroline? Email us at info@foodstorycoaching.com to start the conversation.

$600.00
For 3 months

Sliding scale pricing is available. More info here.

FAQ

Still have questions?

  • This certification program is open to wellness professionals who have completed the Coaching Fundamentals course.

  • This is a fully online course that you can participate in anywhere with a strong internet connection. The education modules are presented asynchronously. The mentorship has both asynchronous and synchronous components.

  • This course is presented in 20-week format: 8 weeks of education and 12 weeks of mentorship.

    To complete the entire program in 20 weeks, plan for a minimum of 4-5 hours each week. You are not required to complete the education modules in 8 weeks, however, your mentorship component cannot begin until all education modules are complete.

  • You’ll submit written reflections and recorded practice sessions for feedback from your instructors. There is no testing or grades, just personalized feedback and support.

  • Although existing clients are helpful, they are not required. You’ll be able to practice with other students in the program. You can also recruit coworkers, friends, or acquaintances to practice with.

  • Currently this program doesn’t offer Continuing Education Credits or Units, but likely will in the future.

Don’t see your question answered above? Drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with the information you need.