So, what do you do?
You know that awkward question at a party?
So…… What do you do?
Random incoherent answers follow.
Equally random appreciative nods follow.
All of my career, I was a technologist.
So this question was easy-peasy.
In fact, I looked forward to answering these questions.
A wine glass dangling in my left hand and a cheesy elevator pitch ready in my mind.
And in all honesty, I have been guilty of asking this question myself to fill the awkward pauses in conversations.
Here are some versions of my answers along the way.
Version 1:
Person A: What do you do?
Me: I am a software engineer.
Person A (Thinking): Ah.. so typical..every second south asian does this. But still impressive. Stable job. Good salary. Pictures me furiously typing C++ code behind a dark terminal all day.
Few years later…
Version 2:
Person B: What do you do?
Me: I am a Product Manager at Amazon.
Person B (Thinking): Super impressive. Amazon is so awesome. But what does she manage? What is a PM? Also selfishly wondering if I can track his/her delayed package.
Few years later…
Version 3:
Person C: What do you do?
Me: I am a Director of Product Management at Viacom.
Person C (Thinking): Wow. Director. Fancy title. But what is Viacom…maybe that MTV channel company …oh wait, I believe they make movies…But what does she do in a company that is making movies? Confused. But that is a fancy title.
Version Today:
Person Z: What do you do?
Me: I am a health coach. I have a wellness company called Her Shakti. And I support my clients, typically of immigrant backgrounds to be healthier and happier.
Person Z (Thinks): Wait.. what? What does that mean? What is a health coach?
Fortunately, I no longer get this question at parties, because… there are no parties happening anywhere!
However, I am glad Person Z asked!
This is a question I get frequently asked, during my client discovery calls.
And honestly I don’t blame Person Z or anyone wondering what the heck a health coach does.
This is not something we learn in school.
Health coach is not someone we have grown up around either.
Professional coaching has been around for a long time, around 25 years per my research. And it has largely existed as executive or business coaching and then more recently as life coaching. Health coaching is a relatively new field and there are some serious initiatives to integrate it into our healthcare systems.
But this comes up literally in every discovery call I have with a potential client. What exactly does a health coach do? And how does it differ from a dietician? Or a therapist?
I will leave you today with a brief definition in this post to digest.
“Health coaches are experts on human behavior, motivation, and health. They are change agents, who help their clients set and achieve health goals and build new habits.
”
— CHRIS KRESSER
In the next post, I am going to break down the areas a health coach can impact, what health coaching really entails and who should be working with a health coach. Stay tuned.
So, what do you do? Just kidding.
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