What Does a Wellness Coach Do?

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What does a wellness coach do? In short, a wellness coach works alongside people to figure out what better health looks like in their own life, and then helps them actually get there. Setting a health goal is one thing, but sticking with it is another, and that distance between intention and follow-through is the space a wellness coach tends to work in¹

Broadly, the work tends to come down to a few things: helping someone clarify what they want to change and why it matters to them, taking honest stock of where they are now and what's getting in the way, and then working through the possibilities together until a realistic approach takes shape.¹

According to Mayo Clinic^®, a wellness coach may help someone get clear on the change they're after, the reasons behind it, and what's standing between their current situation and the one they're aiming for. Often the issue isn't a lack of knowledge, since people frequently know what would help, but rather the challenge of turning that knowledge into something that holds up in the middle of daily life. Helping bridge that gap is much of what the work involves.¹

How a Wellness Coach Works With People

One thing that may set wellness coaching apart is that the coach isn't there to issue instructions. Mayo Clinic describes the role as building a working relationship in which the person is the one who lands on their own next step. Instead of prescribing a plan, a wellness coach may help someone look honestly at what a change would cost and what it could offer, and think through possibilities and fresh angles together with them.¹

In practice, that may look like:¹

• Helping someone name the change they want to make and the reasons that make it matter to them
• Taking stock of where things stand now and what's standing in the way
• Weighing what a change might cost against what it could offer
• Surfacing possibilities and fresh perspectives the person may not have considered
• Helping sort through available information and shape it into an approach that fits their circumstances
• Listening closely, asking questions, and inviting honest feedback along the way

Plenty of professions exist to teach people and dispense expert guidance. Coaching tends to play a different part. A wellness coach stays beside the person, helping them sort through all the available information and shape it into a personal approach to health that suits their own circumstances.¹

What Areas Can Wellness Coaching Cover?

Because well-being looks different for everyone, a wellness coach may open by helping someone pin down what wellness means in their own life. When it comes to wellness coaching, just about any part of life that bears on a person's overall health can be fair game, which gives the work a fairly broad reach.¹

For one person, that personal definition of wellness might center on movement and sleep; for another, on stress or money or connection. Some examples can include:¹

• Relationships
• Work and professional life
• Learning and personal growth
• Physical activity
• Managing stress
• Spirituality
• Financial health

With that picture in hand, a wellness coach and the person they're working with may take stock together, sorting out which parts of life are going well and which could use some support.¹

A Relationship-Based Practice

More than anything, wellness coaching may be built on relationships and collaboration. Mayo Clinic frames the work as centered on changing behavior through conversation and connection, which puts a premium on skills like listening closely, asking good questions, and inviting honest feedback along the way.¹

The label itself is also worth understanding. Requirements and credentials associated with wellness coaching can vary, and there is no single universally required credential for individuals using the wellness coach title.¹

Who Works With a Wellness Coach?

Because that relationship is the vehicle for the work, coaching tends to suit people who want a thinking partner rather than a set of instructions. What brings someone to a coach can vary widely: one person may be focused on movement or sleep, another on stress, work, relationships, or financial health. What they tend to share is a willingness to do the sorting themselves, with someone alongside them, rather than being handed a plan to follow.¹

Building Skills for Wellness-Related Work

Since wellness-related work centers on supporting people, it may draw on a mix of communication, leadership, and an understanding of how to promote health within a community.

For those interested in building these kinds of skills, a degree program is one structured option. Rasmussen University's Health and Wellness Bachelor's degree, for example, is built around skill areas including leading and managing within healthcare environments, drawing on public health insight, advocating for integrative health and wellness, and taking a holistic approach to preventative care and individual wellness.²

If the idea of supporting wellness initiatives resonates with you, exploring wellness as a field may be a useful next step. Rasmussen University's online Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness is one option worth exploring for those interested in studying topics related to wellness coaching.²

Earning a degree does not guarantee employment or specific job outcomes. Employment conditions in your area may vary.

¹Mayo Clinic Press, What is wellness coaching? Answering common questions, at https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/living-well/what-is-wellness-coaching-answering-common-questions/ (accessed June 23, 2026).
² Jamie Friend, What is wellness coaching? Answering common questions, (May 23, 2024), at https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/living-well/what-is-wellness-coaching-answering-common-questions/ (accessed June 23, 2026).

Mayo Clinic^® is a registered trademark of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 200 First Street Southwest. Rochester, Minnesota 55905.