Should All Coaches Be Health & Wellbeing Coaches?

When people hear the word “coach”, they often think o f sports, business strategy, or leadership development. But more and more, the conversation circles back to health and wellbeing. After all, if we’re not looking after our minds and bodies, how can we truly thrive in any area of life?

I listened to a Health & Wellbeing Conversation hosted by the Association for Coaching recently, with Anthony Eldridge-Rogers, who posed an interesting question: “Are we all Health Coaches Now?”

Should all coaches, regardless of their niche, also be health and wellbeing coaches?

I outline below my thoughts on the case for and against and offer a middle ground.

The Case For Wellbeing in Every Coaching Practice

Wellbeing is the foundation of success.

Whether your client is trying to grow a business, achieve career goals, or improve relationships, their energy, resilience, and emotional balance will shape the outcome. Supporting clients in these areas, even lightly, creates deeper, more sustainable results.

The mind-body connection can’t be ignored.

Stress, burnout, and lifestyle habits affect performance in every domain. A business coach who ignores a client’s stress levels may help them achieve short-term results, but long-term success requires a focus on wellbeing.

Clients expect a holistic approach.

People are increasingly looking for coaches who see the whole person, not just the professional or the athlete. Adding a wellbeing lens builds trust and adds value.

The Case Against Every Coach Becoming a Wellbeing Coach

Expertise matters

Health and wellbeing coaching isn’t about throwing around generic advice like “sleep more” or “drink water.” It requires training in areas such as behaviour change, motivation, and habit formation. Not every coach has this background, or should pretend they do.

Dilution of focus

Coaches are most impactful when they stay aligned with their core expertise.

A leadership coach might touch on stress management, but going too deep into nutrition, exercise, or mental health could distract from their true value proposition.

Boundaries are crucial

Coaches must know when an issue is outside their scope, particularly when it comes to mental health or medical advice. Encouraging all coaches to wear the “health and wellbeing” label risks blurring those important lines.

A Middle Ground: Wellbeing Awareness for All Coaches

Instead of asking every coach to become a health and wellbeing coach, perhaps the better question is:

Should every coach have a foundational understanding of wellbeing and how it impacts their clients?

I believe the answer is a clear yes.

• All coaches should be equipped to spot signs of burnout, stress, or imbalance.

• They should know how to have supportive conversations and when to refer clients to specialists.

• And they should understand that wellbeing is not separate from performance, it underpins it.

  
  

Final Thoughts

Not all coaches need to be health and wellbeing coaches. But all coaches benefit from weaving wellbeing awareness into their practice.

Why? Because true transformation doesn’t happen in silos. A client may hire you for career coaching, but they’ll only thrive if their health, energy, and mindset are supported along the way.

As coaches, we don’t have to do it all, but we do have a responsibility to honour the whole human sitting in front of us.

Your View

Do you think every coach should integrate wellbeing into their work, or should their work stay a specialist field?