Veteran Insights from a Seasoned Coach with Tina Haupert

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
All right, my friends, I've got a true veteran health coach on the podcast with you today.
And I think this is important because I want you all to know that while
Health coaching is a relatively new and quickly growing industry.
There are some folks who've been at it for a long time, and I just think that's inspiring to know.
My guest today is Tina Haupert

(00:20):
She's a business buddy of mine.
We're in a mastermind group together.
And she's one of the longest standing health and wellness practitioners online that I know of.
So she's been at it since literally 2008.
She's a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner.
She's a certified nutrition coach.
She's a podcast host.
She's an author.
She's a wife.

(00:41):
She's a mom.
And she's the founder of Carrots and Cake, which is a virtual functional nutrition practice and healthy living brand.
She and her team work one-on-one with clients using functional testing to support metabolism, hormone health, and sustainable weight loss.
Tina was diagnosed with all sort of colitis over a decade ago.
And so she's a passionate IBD advocate.

(01:02):
But also, we speak a lot in this conversation about helping our clients advocate for themselves.
Inside the healthcare medical industry, which is in the purview of health coaches.
So there's lots of cool stuff to learn here from a perspective of working with clients, growing a business.
Even some of the protocols and programming conversations we have here are useful, whether you're new or advanced or anywhere in between health coach.

(01:26):
You're going to get a lot out of this one.
So please enjoy my conversation with Tina Haupert.
Hi, I'm Erin Power.
I'm a health coach, a health coaching educator and mentor, and your host of Health Coach Radio.
This podcast delves into the art, science, and business of health coaching.
Whether you're aspiring to land a coaching dream job or to embark on your own entrepreneurial adventure, we cover it all.

(01:51):
Our mission is to help you grow your career, elevate your income, change the lives of the clients who need your help, and leave a lasting mark in this rapidly growing field.
It's time for health coaches to make an impact.
It's time for Health Coach Radio.
All right, I'm excited to be here with Tina because Tina and I are kind of like business buddies.

(02:11):
But actually, you've been at it a long time, Tina.
I'm.
I would actually, I don't even really, I don't really even know your full, full origin story.
So I would love to hear it.
I'd love to hear, like, when did this all start for you and why?
Yeah, from the beginning.
Yeah.
I've been on the internet for 17 years, which is crazy.

(02:34):
I just feel like where I started to where I am is just.
Like such a big difference.
Like, I feel like I'm a totally different person, which makes sense.
I, 17 years.
Hopefully, you change a little bit.
But yeah, I started a free blog on the internet, and it was in 2008, so February 2008.
Coincidentally, it's actually National Carrot Cake Day, the day I started, which is kind of funny because the blog was called Carrots and Cake.

(02:57):
So, total coincidence.
Didn't even find that out for many years later.
But yeah, started a free blog.
I was working a nine to five, you know, doing that whole thing, desk job.
And I had been reading blogs, you know, getting drinking my coffee in the morning, reading blogs.
I mean, that was kind of
The height, or maybe even the start, of blogs.
So I started my own blog.

(03:18):
I was like, you know what?
This seems kind of fun.
And I was engaged to be married.
So I really just wanted to look good, feel good, shape up for my wedding day.
So I started documenting my meals, recipes, workouts, and then the wedding planning.
And I think that's where people really started to connect with me.
Because, yeah, the food was interesting, the workouts, the recipes, you know, all that was great.

(03:39):
But it really was like the behind the scenes, you know, like the early days of reality TV, and I was showing all the different parts of wedding planning.
So, I was a blogger for a very, very long time.
I would blog multiple times a day because this was before Instagram and TikTok and all of that.
So, I would literally blog like three times a day, which was crazy, just kind of documenting my whole life.

(04:00):
And I grew a really big readership.
It was in the height of the Julia and Julia days, all of that and the books.
It was in the height of the Julia and Julia days, all of that and the books.
Oh, yeah.
So I was like in the OG space on the blog.
But yeah, did that for a long time, became an influencer.
I mean, obviously, brands started noticing how blogs and everything were working and all that.

(04:23):
So I did that.
I worked with every brand under the sun.
And then over time, you know, my readers would reach out and they would ask me nutrition questions and they kind of wanted coaching.
So it just became a natural transition to go into the nutrition space.
And macros became really hot at that time.
So I did the macro coaching thing for a long time.
So, in 2019, oh, actually, I should back up.

(04:46):
I'm giving the full story.
So, I'm vlogging, blogging, blogging.
I'm this healthy living blogger.
That's what I'm promoting myself as.
You know, look how healthy I am.
Look at my lifestyle.
So, so healthy.
And then in 2011, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
So, that really like threw me for a loop and it really stopped me in my tracks.
I was like, What am I doing?
Am I actually healthy?

(05:06):
And I mean, looking back, there's a lot of things.
That maybe I would change as far as running marathons and not eating carbs.
And there's a lot of things in my past that I was like, oh, yeah, that probably wasn't very healthy.
But this diagnosis really threw me for a loop and it really made me question everything.
So that was 2011.
Went through the whole traditional medical system, a lot of medications, a lot of doctors, appointments, all of that.

(05:30):
And I never got better.
You know, I never had long periods of remission.
So eventually I got to the point where I was like, I need to figure this out myself.
Like, what is.
Happening with my doctors and the medications and all of that.
It's just not working.
So I ended up becoming an FDN practitioner.
FDN stands for functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner.

(05:51):
So it's a mouthful.
But really, what the training taught me was how to interpret certain functional labs and use that data.
To make recommendations for our clients and obviously myself.
And those tests just gave me way more data than the traditional blood work because I had done colonostopies, so much blood work, and every time I reviewed them with my doctor.

(06:11):
Everything was normal.
I was pretty healthy.
But then I was having like terrible flare symptoms.
I was exhausted.
My hair was falling out.
I was just pretty miserable.
Like, ulcerative colitis should probably give some of those details.
Yeah, please do.
Yeah, please do.
So it's an inflammatory condition where, I mean, my symptoms were urgency, diarrhea, blood in my stool, mucus in my stool.

(06:35):
And at the worst, I was going to the bathroom 20, 30 times a day.
You know, always looking for a bathroom.
You know, always looking for a bathroom.
I was canceling trips and vacations because I was so worried about, you know, having an accident or finding a bathroom.
So it really impacted my life.
So, once I found FDN and became a practitioner, I was running these tests, and there was so much dysfunction on these tests.

(06:56):
I was like, actually, there is something wrong with me, and there are things that we can do to get better.
That was really eye-opening for me.
So all of this happened 2019.
2019 was like the year where like everything changed.
And it just made so much sense to add the functional testing to what I was already doing with clients.
So I was doing the nutrition coaching and the macros.

(07:17):
But the testing, oh my gosh, so much data, so insightful.
Obviously, it helped me personally, but it just made sense to help our clients.
And also around that time, I had been blogging multiple times a day for more than a decade.
I was just burned out.
I just didn't want to do it anymore.
And you know, a lot of people had moved over to Instagram and other platforms and everything.

(07:37):
So.
I just needed to let the blog go.
And I think I just kind of needed the permission to be like, you don't have to blog multiple times a day.
You don't have to document your whole life.
So that was a big change.
I mean, some of my followers didn't really like that, but others went for the journey with me.
And then, yeah, since 2019, I've been offering the testing, coaching women.

(07:58):
We work with women.
35 plus, you know, perimenopause, menopause, a lot of hormone issues, a lot of weight loss goals, body composition goals.
And yeah, since 2019, have slowly grown my team.
So it was just myself and an assistant and a coach.
And now we have five practitioners.
So we have really grown over the years.

(08:18):
Now I just we're full service, functional, nutrition, coaching, and that's what we do today.
So that was a long story, but all the highlights.
Oh my gosh.
I have so many follow-up questions, so many threads to pull.
So, first of all, I just want to take a moment to just bathe in the nostalgia of blogging.
So, first of all, I just want to take a moment to just bathe in the nostalgia of blogging.
Because that was such a cute time.

(08:40):
I used to just like you, I used to just get my morning coffee or whatever at work, and I would literally sit at my desk and read blogs.
Like, what's the how did we have time to do that?
Like, what's the how did we have time to do that?
But we did.
I had a little blog too.
I just and I remember just like writing random musings about my day.
Now, I didn't monetize my blog.
Mine was purely just like an online journal that I think nobody read.

(09:01):
But I'm so interested in this.
I had a conversation with a guy just a couple of years ago on this podcast who still has a monetized blog.
Because people still do, right?
Because people still do, right?
People still do.
People still do.
And he was touting it as like this major opportunity.
People are missing out.
Long-form content is where people are going back to.
And, you know.
So to me, it's interesting because you had so much like equity in your blog.

(09:25):
Because like you said, brands started reaching out to you as you became sort of more prolific blogger.
And so you were earning some kind of income.
earning income from the blog?
Was it like and so like to walk away from that, had the income slowed?
Or was it just you were just kind of feeling like less mission driven to be a blogger?
What was it?
Yeah, I think it was all of those things.

(09:47):
Yeah, the opportunities maybe weren't as frequent, but at the same time, things really changed.
Because, like you were saying, in the early days of blog, you could.
Blogs, you could put whatever you wanted out there, and it wouldn be random usings and thoughts and random things from my day and photos of my dog.
And you know, it was just kind of whatever I wanted to put out there.
And then, yes, as you started working with brands, initially it was very fun.

(10:07):
You could say whatever you wanted.
And over time, there were brand boards and talking points, and it just became
I don't know, it wasn't as free, I guess.
And there was a lot of influence from whatever brand you were working with to put out there, and they'd have to review your
Content and approve it.
And I remember I did a lot of recipe development back in the day, and I did cookbooks and all of that.

(10:30):
But I remember there was a brand that they wanted certain colors in the food and in the background.
And I was just like, I get it.
But at the same time, it just took away kind of like the fun and the creativity from it.
So, yeah, over time, it was a combination of just feeling kind of stifled on like
The creativity and the fun part of it, or the enjoyment of it.

(10:51):
And then I was just burned out because I was blogging everything, like all my meals, all my workouts.
It really was like this journal, like a live journal.
And then around that time, I had a baby.
So my son, you know, I shared him on the internet as a baby, but as he got older, it just felt, I don't know, uncomfortable to share his life.
He was becoming like a little person.

(11:12):
And I just, I don't know, I felt kind of weird sharing so many details about him as he got older.
So that was kind of another reason to just kind of shut down the blog.
And, you, the blog still exists.
I mean, we post our podcast up.
So it's on there.
So it's on there.
It lives on.
It lives on.
All that content is there.
Although I've unpublished some of the personal stuff with my son.
But yeah, a few things happened there where I was like, all right, we're done with the blog.

(11:34):
But yeah, a few things happened there where I was like, all right, we're done with the blog.
Right.
And so this is the time when people used to say people were jumping moving to Instagram and Instagram has become this major thing.
I'm just curious because since we're on this topic, there's so many topics to cover, but
If we left blogging because of burnout, I'm just cur like I'm just curious how Instagram's feeling for you.

(11:55):
Was it more like what you're looking for?
Quick, short, sharp?
Kind of less involved.
Like, did it immediately feel better and does it still feel better for you?
Yeah.
I mean, I think it was a better.
Fit at the time because I feel like I can focus on what I wanted to share, and it wasn't constantly, oh, this is my life and my family.

(12:15):
All of that.
So it was a different way to show up.
And then also, kind of around that time, we got into the coaching.
And then also, kind of around that time, we got into the coaching.
So I really enjoyed working with women and having kind of like that face-to-face time with them instead of just
Pushing out content to the Internet.
So I don't know, it just felt more meaningful to work with these women one-on-one with the coaching.
And I just enjoyed that more.

(12:35):
I don know if I just needed a change.
But yeah, it just
Yeah, it just felt different as far as you know, moving to the coaching side of things.
Yeah, it's a really cool trajectory into coaching because, like, ultimately, whenever I have these conversations with coaches, we all
We all started somewhere.
We all left something to become a coach.
And for you, it was like you left blogging, in a manner of speaking, to become a coach.

(12:59):
And I just think that's so interesting.
Like, that's just.
you know, of course, you had an origin story from corporate to blogging, from blogging to coaching.
So it's sort of this, because you've been at it for so long, you've had these sort of multiple transitions in your identity.
And so it's interesting.
So, yeah.
And I guess with Instagram, like it has become, especially for women, like the clients that you work with, similar demographic to who I work with, they are kind of in a manner speaking shopping for this kind of information on Instagram.

(13:25):
So it's nice to be there.
Amazing.
So your, I'm really curious about the all sort of colitis stuff, if you don't mind.
Like, first of all, first of all.
Thank you for sharing what your symptoms were, what your lived experience was, because I've had clients come through my program who have irritable bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, and they'll describe to me kind of like

(13:48):
Why this is a problem they need to solve.
And it is without a doubt one of the most heartbreaking clusters of symptoms that people can have.
Like to just be able to have to sort of check out of your life because you have to be near a bathroom at all times.
Just incredible.
Just incredibly terrible.
So I'm really curious when you started going down the functional testing route.

(14:09):
Like, what did you uncover?
What were some of the imbalances and the sort of things that you were able to uncover that was missing in your previous diagnosis attempts?
Oh, yeah.
I mean, the data was fascinating.
But, real quick, so there's a difference between IBS and IBD.
So I have IBD, which is Crohn's and colitis.
And it's a little bit different in the sense that it's more of like an autoimmune disease versus.

(14:33):
I mean, there's so many reasons for IBS.
I all those people are just thrown into a bucket.
But IBD is a little bit more serious in the sense that, like, it does affect your whole body and your system.
You can lose your colon.
Yes.
It's a tough one.
But anyways, as far as the testing, yeah.
So I would run blood work, everything looked good.
And, you know, even my colonoscopies, my doctor would say.

(14:54):
I see a little bit of redness in inflammation, but like there was no other info besides that.
It was just like, here's another medication, and then that one would work until it didn't work, and here's another medication.
Have a colonoscopy every two years.
And I just felt like every time I would go into the doctor's office, I'd have all these questions-like a whole page of questions about food and supplements.
All these different modalities, and my doctor would just be like, Here's the medication.

(15:18):
I don't know what to tell you.
Like, they just wouldn have any answers.
So, with the functional testing, yeah, I would see mineral deficiencies, hormones, a hot mess.
Cortisol issues, running stool testing.
We saw bacteria like out of balance.
We saw low bacteria for me.
Leaky gut and inflammation, sensitivity to gluten.
So there was like so many things on these tests that I was like, oh my gosh, there are

(15:41):
There are things out of balance, and it just kind of gave me the information to actually start making changes because I think at the end of the day, like
IDD, there's a lot of lifestyle stuff that's associated with it.
So for me, it's stress 100%.
When I stress out, like work, it just sends my nervous system, you know.
When I stress out, like work, it just sends my nervous system, you know.

(16:01):
Into a tailspin, essentially.
And then, even more recently, I've done genetic testing with a different with a practitioner.
And my body just loves inflammation.
So it's like, once my body gets in that state, it's really hard for it to get out.
So.
I've just learned a lot over the years, but like the functional testing has given me so much information about my body that, you know, my doctors just gave me like non-answers for like years and years.

(16:25):
And it was just really frustrating because I would just like leave the doctor's office like in tears because I was like, I have no answers, I have no direction.
Like, the only solution is more medications, and they weren't even working that well.
Like, I was still having symptoms.
Like, I was still having symptoms.
Interesting.
What is it about your genetics that loves stress?
What is that all about?
No, it loves inflammation.

(16:46):
Inflammation, yes.
Inflammation, yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
So it gets
Into like an inflamed state, and it's like, cool, we're just gonna stay here.
Like, I guess it doesn't have the off button.
So, again, my practitioner explained this all to me, but he went through it.
And he's, Yeah, your body just really loves inflammation.
And I was, Well, yeah, wow.
And I was, Well, yeah, wow.
No, I, I'm just in my own little rabbit hole in my head because it's, What would be the what would be the necessary?

(17:07):
What kind of adaptation is that?
Like, what the purpose?
Maybe you're the, maybe you're the
the hypervigilant one in the human tribe.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Yeah, that's what I think.
I think I'm just very sensitive to things.
I think I'm just very sensitive to things.
That's what I've gathered from all the stuff that I've done.
That's what I've gathered from all the stuff that I've done.
Oh, that's really interesting.
I've never done any genetic testing.
I've got a colleague who does, she has a genetic
weight loss program.

(17:27):
And so it kind of tracks down some genes that would potentially encourage fat hoarding, fuel hoarding.
And so it kind of tracks down some genes that would potentially encourage fat hoarding, fuel hoarding.
But, like, I always geek out on why, what is that adaptation?
What is the body trying to do?
What is, you know, what are your genes trying to do?
They're interesting.
It's interesting because I just think it's really cool to know yourself in that way.

(17:47):
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(18:53):
You know, this brings to mind your experience with the doctor.
And, you know, it's always so tricky, and I'm sure you feel this way too.
Like, I would like my clients and my peers to trust their doctor.
I would love them to have a good relationship with their doctor.
I think that's really important.
So like you went in with these really brutal symptoms that were disrupting your whole life.

(19:19):
And then the doctor says, Well, it looks normal.
So you're normal.
And you're like, no, I'm not.
And you're like, no, I'm not.
Yeah.
Take the meds.
Yeah.
So just to extrapolate this, I mean, because here we are, now we're midlife women, and you're working with women in kind of a perimenopause transition now, right?
So, I feel like sometimes this is happening too with menopause symptoms.

Like, for me, my main menopause symptoms, I had two main symptoms (19:41):
deep bone pain.
Not joint pain, it was bone pain.
I could really specify that.
And I wanted to run off in the forest and be alone.
Those were my two symptoms.
And so mercifully, I could have that conversation with my doctor.
I found a doctor who I could say, I want to run off into the forest and be alone.

(20:03):
And she would write that down on my chart and adjust my hormones accordingly based on what I was saying.
So this brings up sort of to light this sort of many medical advocacy piece.
I'm just curious, like, do you do you help women or how do you help women have these conversations with their doctors?
Yeah, that is a big thing over here.

(20:23):
And I mean, I always say to ladies, I'm like, I would love for you to work with us, but at the end of the day, I just want you to be healthy and you need to advocate for yourself because.
I just think it happened to me so many times.
Like I said, I would go in, like literally with a piece of paper with all my questions and just get blown off.
And I would just.
You know, I feel awful after that appointment.
And I probably had waited weeks and weeks for it.
You know what I mean?

(20:44):
So it's really frustrating.
But a lot of times, sometimes we'll give them scripts and we talk about how to speak up for yourself.
We do have documents where there are certain blood work and markers for them to request, and maybe some like optimal ranges to be in.
And really, just like the education piece, just like letting them know, like, if something doesn't feel right.
Like, you should speak up.

(21:05):
Like, you are the expert of your body.
Like, you are living in your body every single day.
And if something doesn't feel right, like.
You should say something because I don know.
You should say something because I don know.
There are good doctors and bad doctors.
I don't want to say that all bad, there are all bad doctors.
I do have a wonderful primary care doctor, and she listens and takes the time.
like you said, like writes everything down and she's always interested in things that I bring to her as far as like the functional space.

(21:29):
But yeah, I think
Really, like you, you are the expert.
And I always tell ladies, I'm like, if it's not feeling right or you don't feel like yourself, you've got to speak up.
And if that doctor is not listening to you.
find another doctor.
And the advice that I always give them, like ask your sister, your cousins, like your aunts, like people at your gym or women at your gym, like get referrals.
Because there are good doctors out there.

(21:51):
I know it's annoying with insurance and jumping through hoops and specialists and all that, but at the end of the day, it's so important to have.
a doctor on your side who really listens and can really help you because that's the worst.
Like I cried in my car multiple times.
Like it's been a journey.
And yeah, I mean, that really has fueled.

(22:12):
Becoming an FDN and really being like an advocate for women.
And I am happy to give everybody all the free info, and I just want them to be healthy at the end of the day.
And I am happy to give everybody all the free info, and I just want them to be healthy at the end of the day.
Exactly.
And we all do, right?
It's one of the more more disempowering relationships, the doctor patient relationship, you kind of feel like you don't have you don't you're not smart enough to speak up in that appointment.
I have felt that way too.

(22:32):
Totally.
But this is interesting.
Like this to me is
I like to think about what, like, what is the health coach?
I'm just going to use the word phrase health coach because here we are, health coach radio.
What is what is the health coach's sort of, what is our purview?
What is our role?
And you just nailed it.
So, first of all, I love this idea of like almost quasi-role playing the conversation with the doctor.

(22:55):
So, first of all, I love this idea of like almost quasi-role playing the conversation with the doctor.
Yeah.
You know, like, here's what you can say.
You know, like, here's what you can say.
And then, what if, what if they say this back?
Like, we can do that.
That's right in the realm of helping the client self-advocate, teaching them how to do it, teaching them how to have that conversation.
That's really cool.
So you have a script, but like.
Let's walk through it, okay?
Let's just role play this before you go in.
That's absolutely in a health coach's purview.
Anything in the realm of resources and education?

(23:17):
anything in that realm is in our purview.
But I think it's all in the spirit of equalizing the power dynamic in that relationship.
And I just don't think people generally know that they can
for lack of a better term, push back, argue, or have a have a person-to-person conversation with the doctor.

(23:37):
They're not really the boss, not a boss subordinate relationship.
It's a it's a

Partnership ideally, and so you know, this is what I tell my clients too, especially as we get into the menopause world (23:41):
there's going to be some pavement pounding.
The best doctor for you might not be your doctor.
The best doctor for you might not be your doctor.
It might be a different doctor.
It might be a different doctor.
It might not be an OBGYN.
It might be something else completely.
And it's just crucial to do this so we can be healthy and happy.

(24:03):
Yes.
I always tell clients, I'm like, if it's not working out with your doctor, like, you can fire your doctor.
I'm like, it is okay to do that.
Cause, yeah, some people have been, well, I've been with this doctor for like 20 years.
And I'm like, but it's not working out at this phase of your life, you need something different.
So, again, just reiterating kind of what you said.
So, again, just reiterating kind of what you said.
Absolutely.
And you brought up kind of the insurance model.

(24:24):
This is something I always struggle to talk about because I'm Canadian.
But so it's a little different, similar but different.
But so it's a little different, similar but different.
We have our own problems up here.
From case in point, everything is free.
So, free doctor, free doctor, free dietitian, everything's free.
And it's sort of hard.
To convince someone to do that pavement pounding, because sometimes you might end up paying out of pocket for this, but in the interest of feeling amazing, I do think a lot of women, not everybody, they get to that breaking point where they're

(24:53):
There's a certain self-awareness that probably your ideal client has.
They come to work with you because they want answers, right?
Do you find that?
So, who are these women that, like, what's their sort of prevailing?
kind of personality trait?
Is it are they solutions oriented?
Are they deeply frustrated?

(25:13):
What's their who are these women that you work with?
What's their who are these women that you work with?
I think exactly what you said, like they're just at their breaking point where they're just not getting answers.
Or, you know what, I hear a lot that I always feel bad, and this happened to me too, that you go to your primary care.

You express all these concerns (25:26):
my thyroid, my hormones, my weight, and then you get referrals to specialists.
But then that specialist is booked out for months.
So you're just kind of in limbo for like
Four months or like five months.
And then, you know, you have that appointment.
Then again, like, you just are not getting answers.
And it's like months and months before these ladies actually get answers or start feeling better.

(25:48):
So I think a lot of times they are coming to us after kind of going through this system and being really frustrated and getting a lot of everything's normal.
Like everything looks good, but then, yeah, your hair is falling out.
You know, you're yelling at your dog, and you know, road rage.
You know, you're yelling at your dog, and you know, road rage.
And you're like, what is wrong with me?
Like, I am not who I thought I was.
But yeah, I think they finally get to that point where they're like, I will pay you to help me because I am not getting solutions from the traditional system.

(26:12):
But yeah, I would say they're definitely at that point.
I need answers because what I'm doing is not working.
I need answers because what I'm doing is not working.
Yeah, it's like a rock bottom.
But that's interesting.
That's an interesting perspective you just brought forward, which is if somebody is kind of in the medical system
That is a slow moving system just because of doctor shortages and all the reasons.

(26:35):
It's a system problem, ultimately.
Time is passing.
Time is flying by.
So it's sort of like you get, again, I go back to these solutions-oriented women that can look at this objectively and say, hmm, I guess I could wait for this specialist appointment, but what could I do in the meantime?
I can adjust my food, my lifestyle, supplementation, sleep, stress, all this kind of stuff, right?

(26:56):
So there's that's that's the kind of person who is actually kind of taking the bull by the horns.
I typically think that's who
health coaches end up working with.
It's the clientele who are more sort of self-directed or have that vibe.
Yeah.
Well, I'd love to talk to you about sort of like how you ply your trade.

(27:17):
So and I know a little bit.
I going to pretend like I don't know what you do.
But I most pr take us through, like, what's kind of your flagship program and how does it work?
Yeah, so I mean, we have two very strong programs, and I guess it kind of depends the type of support you need.
So we have the one-on-one coaching, where you work with a coach one-on-one.

(27:40):
And we run three functional tests to get that data.
And a big part of working with these clients is that personalization because they are the people.
They've gone to their doctor, they've gone to the specialist, and they're like, it's
It's not working.
Like, I need a different approach.
And maybe they're the ladies that like the data because the testing is so interesting.
And I do think it validates a lot of these ladies' symptoms and concerns.

(28:01):
So, yes, we run those tests and then we work with the coach 101 to really implement these tests because you can run the data, get all the data, the tests, and everything, but if you don't actually make changes, you're just not going to get the best results.
You know, a lot of times helping ladies with nutrition and lifestyle, and you know, a lot of the foundational things with that data in mind.
So, those ladies get amazing results.

(28:22):
And then we also have a group program, which I typically coach those clients, and it's a lot of fun.
So it really kind of depends on the woman's personality.
Like, do you want the one-on-one attention or do you want the group support and the camaraderie?
And, you, it's all women, I would say.
35 plus, I mean, we have ladies, I would say 40s, kind of like the target market, but we have ladies in the 50s and their 60s.

(28:42):
And again, it's women that they've probably done a lot of things.
but they just want a little more customization and personalization.
And in that program, we offer one functional test.
It's our favorite.
It's the HTMA.
It's a mineral test.
It's wonderful because I always say it's low-hanging fruit.
It's just telling you what your body needs nutritionally.
You to go to the grocery store, you got to eat.

(29:02):
So let's feed your body what it needs.
So, we always run that test with those ladies.
But that program, it's a four-month program.
So, it's a little bit more accelerated in the sense that, like,
We just get to the point.
Like, let's figure out what's going on with your body, your thyroid, your blood sugar, your hormones.
Like, are you strength training?
And get you results.
So, we really bring in a lot of different pieces, but it's really all about getting this woman results.

(29:25):
And I would say, like,
90% of our clients want to lose weight, change their body composition, but they also just want to feel better.
I feel like a lot of our clients are like, I'm so dang tired.
I just don't have energy.
I'm not as motivated as I used to be.
So, we do work on a lot of the health things too.
But I think a lot of people come to the program for the body composition changes.
So, that is obviously part of it.

(29:46):
But I think instead of guessing or winging it, it's really about let's get the data.
Let's figure out what your body needs and then let's actually have a plan and do the things.
So it really is comprehensive.
We bring in
A lot of stuff.
A lot of stuff.
A lot of stuff.
I love it.
No, I'm a huge fan of over-delivering on the coaching program, probably to a problematic level.
But okay, so we get this one-on-one.

(30:07):
program that has three functional tests.
And these these clients are working with a coach.
So you have coaches that and practitioners that work under you.
So there are are they
Are your clients assigned to one coach and they work with that coach the whole time?
Yep, exactly.
And we try to match them up as far as the coach's specialty and kind of where they are and like what phase of life.
And we try to match them up as far as the coach's specialty and kind of where they are and like what phase of life.

(30:27):
Because, you know, we have a coach that has like little kids at home and then we have a coach in menopause.
So I think matching clients up with those women in their individual stages of life, I think it just makes sense as far as them kind of understanding and connecting and all of that because
you know, telling somebody who has two little toddlers to like a meal prep or do X, Y, and Z, like it's not the same as telling somebody a menopause where their kids are, you know, out of the house.

(30:52):
I think it's nice matching people up at similar phases of life.
They can just connect.
And then on the other front, you know, if somebody has like a lot of hormonal problems, we have a coach that's really into that.
We have another one who's really into kind of like the mental health because she went through some mental health stuff.
And she has like a few specialties.
So we kind of match people up with what's going on with their health too, so they can get the best results.

(31:15):
Oh my gosh, you just name dropped mold.
Mold is my current like fear.
Mold is my current like fear.
Because I just don think about mold.
And I'm sitting here in my office and I live in an old cottage, we'll call it.
And I'm looking at my windowsill and there's something
On it that is black.
And it's like, I hope that's just dirt.
Yeah.
Anyway, I'm not going to worry about mold on this conversation.

(31:36):
I'll bring that up later.
Okay, so that's cool.
So the one-on-one, so this is for the people who
Who really want that focused, personalized attention?
And so is it like a weekly coaching call they get?
How does that where I'm really getting to the weeds on the delivery because I love this stuff, but is it a weekly coaching call?
Yeah, so we do check-ins, so weekly check-ins.
We use WhatsApp, which is like voice messaging, but it's just a way to keep in touch so you can do a quick test.

(32:00):
Or text, you can send like a photo, you can send a video, you can send a long voice message.
So that's how we keep in touch.
But we do start the program with a live intake call to really get to know this person.
And then they have a live review session of their test results and all of that.
And then the coaching starts.
So there's a lot of FaceTime.
I think we estimated it's like a good five hours of like

(32:21):
Communication and going through the tests and reviewing and the protocol and recommendations and all that.
And then you start coaching.
So we really try to spend a lot of time with our clients because
You know, I think a lot of times ladies don't realize certain symptoms could be really significant to what is going on with their out, like the bloating, like, oh, I'm just always bloated.
And we're, that's significant.
Let's talk about that.

(32:41):
Or like acid reflux.
You know what I?
They're like significant.
I think ladies don't realize.
You know, they're peeing three times a night.
And I'm like, let's talk about the peeing at night.
So, like, we really dig into like
All of the symptoms and really get to know them, past history, like what they've tried.
And yeah, like, I think really like hearing women and really understanding where they are is like important because.

(33:05):
You know, we don't want to be cookie cutter.
And I think the more personalized we can be, and the more we can get to know the client, less the results they're going to get.
100%.
So, like, the personalization piece is.
Is the opportunity.
I think a lot of health coaches, when they imagine starting in their practice, and as a health coaching educator, I teach this to health coaches.

(33:25):
You do need to have some kind of like
General protocol.
There's a general protocol that generally we're more or less following.
But the individual has to execute that protocol, and it's in the individual's lived experience that the personalization comes in.
Right.
So I think I'm a really staunch advocate for having a high touch coaching relationship, personally.

(33:47):
And I know that there's competing sort of viewpoints on that.
You know, the client who's able to just send a quick WhatsApp voice note to say, hey, you know, I woke up three times last night to pee.
Is there anything there?
Having their little lived experiences and having an opportunity to share it kind of in the moment, I think is really useful.

(34:08):
Because to your point, people, women, women, people, all of us.
irrespective of gender, have really normalized a lot of things that end up being symptoms.
And and you you mentioned acid reflux.
I had a client working with me on weight loss in in a it was a twelve week program at the time.
Now it's six months, but it was twelve weeks.
And she got to like week six or something.

(34:29):
And she said on our coaching call, she said, Oh, by the way, my I didn't I haven't been taking my acid reflux medication for the last few days.
And I'm flipping through my notes.
I'm like, what?
I don't have, you didn't, what acid reflux medication?
I don't have this anywhere in my notes.
She like oh, I didn't mention it because I've been on it for 20 years.
It's just normal.
I'm like, no, it isn't.
And like, here, here.
bloating, acid reflux, fatigue, brain fog, a lot of these symptoms, women chalk up to being frazzled or menopausal or whatever.

(34:57):
And it's really nice.
This is why I think the high touch personalized coaching relationship is such an incredible game changer because it's how women are and we keep saying women because we work with women.
It's how the client is feeling.
And that's, there's, there's multitudes in that information.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I always say the more info you can give us, the better, like the better results you're going to get.
Cause, like, really, like, understanding the client, especially like.

(35:20):
When they get to plateaus or they're stuck, or they're having trouble making changes, like that's really where the coaching happens.
And the more we know about you, the more we can help you troubleshoot and get those results.
But
Like you said, like if you're missing these details, it's like, well, like, this is important, you know?
So, like, we want to know all the things, and WhatsApp is amazing.
Like, they technically have 24-7 access to their coach.

(35:41):
Because, yeah, things pop up, things change.
So, like, we want to hear from them.

And that's what we say (35:46):
like, we want to hear from you.
Don't ghost us.
Exactly.
Over-message us if you need to.
Over-message us if you need to.
Yeah.
It takes a little bit of training too.
This idea of I guess I could generally categorize it as mindset, although that's a vague term.
But the way I think of it is, especially because we work with women and on weight loss, there's a lot of programming about how it's supposed to go.

(36:09):
Like one of the things I push, I get pushed back against is shouldn I be losing one to two pounds per week?
And it's like, oh, that freaking, that, that freaking soundbite that came out of the weight loss era of the 2000s.
I don't know how, I don know if it gonna be one to two pounds per week, but if you quit, it's definitely gonna be zero pounds per week.
So don't quit.
Like, come to me with this feeling of discouragement.
Come to me with these questions of is this really working?

(36:32):
Sometimes I find, and I'd be curious to know what you think, or how you how what kinds of mindset work you end up doing with folks because
In some cases, and this is going to sound simplistic.
I think the food stuff is actually really easy.
And we all know to eat more protein and get more steps and go to bed earlier.
Everybody kind of knows that on some level, but it's a lot of the mind stuff.

(36:53):
That tends to derail.
Do you find that?
And how do you work through that with your clients?
Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Especially like the weight loss piece, because, like you said, everyone's like, I'm going to lose two pounds a week or five pounds a week.
I've had people say that, and I'm just like, that doesn't really or shouldn't happen.
But yeah, I think setting those expectations right up front.
So I mean, we I think we say something like that in our like in like introductory onboarding paperwork.

(37:16):
So I mean, we I think we say something like that in our like in like introductory onboarding paperwork.
You know, that like some weeks you might not lose weight.
You know what I mean?
Just like letting them know.
And then, of course, you know, like the slower you lose it, the more likely you are to maintain those results.
But yeah.
really setting like some of those expectations.
And we almost have like a protocol that we deliver early in the program.
And usually like the first step is like getting you feeling better.

(37:37):
And like we always say, if you feel crappy, it's going to be really hard for you to lose.
Wait, especially if you're tired all the time.
Like we have an energy issue there.
So we really try to set expectations right up front that step one is getting you feeling better.
Getting the hormonal symptoms under control, getting you pooping every day, like some of these foundational health things.
Getting the hormonal symptoms under control, getting you pooping every day, like some of these foundational health things.
And then we will focus on fat law.

(37:59):
So it is a little tough for the ladies that come to us that are so desperate to lose weight.
But at the same time, I don't think those are the people that always come to us either.
But at the same time, I don't think those are the people that always come to us either.
So I guess my messaging is a little bit more on point.
So I guess my messaging is a little bit more on point.
But I would say the majority of the ladies that come to us are very healthy.
They just need a few tweaks.
But it's really like setting those expectations upfront.
But yeah, we've had many a conversation of walking ladies, talking them off a ledge as far as expectations go.

(38:22):
Yeah, but I mean, you made a good you made a good point around programming.
I think when we think about how we're programming, there has to be some
Quick win.
Oh, yeah.
But the quick win might not be what the client wants it to be.
It's not immediately my pants are going to be falling off.
It's like, well, that will come downstream.

(38:43):
What if you slept better?
What if you had more energy?
What if you could get to the gym?
Get off the couch and go for a walk.
What, you know, there's these quick wins, right?
Reduction of bloating, maybe reduce water retention so you feel less puffy.
You know, people.
commenting that I look like I've lost weight even though I haven't.
It's little quick wins like that, and then encouraging them to persevere really to get the long

(39:05):
Get that long game outcome, which is typically our fat loss, and massive health improvement comes.
I think a big part of our job is to just help people not quit.
Yeah.
Which they're really prone to doing sometimes.
That's not their fault.
I think that's a consequence of kind of a messed up industry a little bit.
Okay.
I want to just come back to your other program, the group program, which you kind of articulated as being more of an accelerated get this done and move on.

(39:30):
And you do predominantly the coaching in that
in that program.
How do you do that?
How do you facilitate?
Is it WhatsApp as well?
No.
So with that, we use Kunjabi and their coaching community, I guess.
You, it's like kind of like Facebook.
It's a little bit better organized.
And, you know, for the people who don't want to be on Facebook, I think it's a good opportunity.

(39:50):
But all of the call, we have live weekly calls every single week.
And it's a mix of a topic, so me teaching about something, and live coaching.
So it's I don't want to it's like chit chat.
But it's also kind of like, how are we doing?
Where are we?
You know, how did X, Y, and Z go?
Because they have homework every single week, like actual action items of things that we need to do.

(40:11):
So it is a little bit like reporting back.
How are we doing?
So I would say probably like
20 minutes is chit chat and coaching and feedback and questions.
And then maybe like 30 to 40 is
Me teaching about something or talking about a topic or giving homework or, you know, this is the next thing that we're going to work on.

(40:31):
And then there's that community for them to all keep in touch and ask questions.
I'll post polls in there and we'll do giveaways and you know, all those things to kind of motivate these ladies to keep showing up and doing things and all of that.
So, yeah, it's a little more.
So, the one-on-one
It's VIP.
Like, we are doing everything for you.
We're giving you everything.

(40:51):
It's so personalized.
The group, it's a little bit more.
And not DIY it's not DIY because I'm guiding them, but it's a little bit more on the client to do the things and show up.
So it's a little different feeling.
Yeah, I like that.
I like that as a product suite.
I think it's nice to have the white glove thing and then an equally valuable, but maybe accelerated or potentially l slightly lower ticket

(41:18):
price, both high value programs for different people.
And am I correct?
The one on one is like an evergreen program?
Yeah.
And and group, you do you launch that cohort style?
Yeah.
So three times a year.
Nice.
Cool.
That's nice.
A lot.
Yeah.
So then all the all the ladies in the group are at the same they're all marching along the same

(41:43):
Path and so the homework you know is commensurate with wherever they are, wherever they all are in the program.
That's cool, that's really cool.
I love that, yeah, yeah.
I love that, yeah, yeah.
We have guest speakers, and yeah, and we had a sleep expert.
This week, because so many of these ladies struggle with sleep.
So I was like, all right, we going to get an expert on here.
So I was like, all right, we going to get an expert on here.
So, yeah love guest speakers from time to time, too.
So, yeah love guest speakers from time to time, too.

(42:04):
Honestly, sleeping.
Honestly, sleeping.
Listen up, coaches.
Sleeping is, I think, going to be one of the next boom industries in the Health of Months World.
I swear what, because I do weight loss.
When people fill in their intake forms, it's like, I'd like to lose 20 pounds.
I'd like to, you know, feel great and know how to eat whatever.
And then invariably, the third goal is, I really want to sleep better.

(42:25):
It's like, oh, okay.
So I really do think I bumped into a gal at a networking event who was specifically a sleep coach, and I was just obsessed with this idea.
Like, yes, we need sleep coaches.
Amazing.
So your business is is completely virtual, obviously.
I know you mentioned at this at the start of this conversation that you do kind of like chit-chatting about the business stuff and maybe inspiring and empowering health coaches.

(42:51):
I don't know.
Do you have any words of advice or wisdom to maybe the new or new-ish coach who's trying to start virtually?
Because you've been in it for so long, like since the early days of blogs, and you've really evolved with technology, evolved with online platforms.
Or I guess, like, if you were starting out new, what advice would you give yourself?

(43:11):
Do you have any kind of little
top three sound bites you might give to somebody who's trying to kick off in this industry?
Good question.
Good question.
I think they're kind of related.
Is really knowing your target audience and who you want to work with.
I think that is really key.
Because in my early days, I was like, anybody that wants to lose weight or anybody that wants to do macros, and you know, we worked with.

(43:32):
Like 22-year-old women, and then we worked with women in menopause, and we were just kind of all over the place.
I think over the years, we've really narrowed it down to you know 35 plus.
I think our 40s is like
Target market.
And I would say most of the women who come to us, they're doing a lot of the things right.
You know, they are not beginners.
So they really want to take their health to the next level.
So, really getting clear on who this person is, and maybe even some of the things that they struggle with, like really the specific stuff, because I think the more you can speak to that, the better.

(44:02):
clients you're going to get in the sense that like you really are able to help them.
And then I would focus on one offer and just crush that offer.
You can always add in more offers.
But that is a mistake that we made.
Is you know, we had so many things, we tried so many things.
I mean, it's definitely my fault, but there's a lot of things I like, and you know, like I like learning a lot of health.

(44:22):
Things light me up, but I tried too much over the years.
And in recent times, we've really narrowed it down to these two main offers.
And that's our focus.
But we had too much going on.
But I think you should do one thing really well.
And then from there, maybe out on something.
But don't start with a million things.
And the simplest solution is a best solution.

(44:43):
So anything you can do to make it simpler, it's going to be better.
Oh, hell yeah.
Well, I just want to reiterate to the listening audience how impactful that last piece of advice is coming from Tina because
One of your jokes in our mastermind that we're in is, Hi, I'm Tina, I have 74 offers, and the number climbs.

(45:04):
But that's just, that's just probably it.
A consequence of having been in the industry for so long.
So just having done so many different things that, you know, the offers accumulate, and now it's sort of like, now I feel a little chaotic or lost.
Like, what am I doing?
So what you've done is you've kind of backtracked into a focused effort, which is great.
You needed to do that.
But I absolutely echo your advice.

(45:27):
For health coaches to focus on one thing.
And I would say focus on that one-on-one personalized coaching relationship, get those really nice, predictable outcomes for the person you love to help.
Eventually, you can create a group program.
Eventually, you can have a
You know, free online workshop, whatever, you can have all these things, 21-day challenge, whatever it might be.
But personally, I didn't do my first.

(45:50):
21-day challenge until I'd been doing one-on-ones for six years.
I did six years of one-on-ones in the trenches with hundreds and hundreds of clients before I was like, okay, now I can, now I can extrapolate this into a 21-day program.
Like, so.
I think that was really sound advice.
And it's meaningful coming from you because you had built so many things and then recognized the value in focusing sort of after the fact.

(46:15):
Yeah.
Cool.
I've done everything.
You have.
You literally have.
It's amazing.
I mean, honestly, we really scratched the surface in this conversation, but
You know, through telling your origin story, you really have been in the game for a long time, like literally, OG.
And you're still here.
You know what I love?
You're still here doing it.

(46:35):
You're still here working with clients, you're still with clients.
Like, there is a long game component to health coaching.
So, I think one of the soundbites I get a lot from health coaches is, well,
The health coaches who are just starting out sometimes say, it seems like everybody just jumps to business coaching immediately.
It's like the train, the trainer.
Nobody's really staying in the health coaching.

(46:55):
Is there really an industry here?
And there is.
You persevered through it since
Forever, basically.
Since the dawn of the Internet, you've been persevering in the trenches with clients.
So it's really cool to hear that long story.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I know.
My husband's always like, you should go into business coaching.
And I'm, yes, I love business, but you know what's better?
It's helping these ladies because I was that.

(47:17):
Woman crying in my car because I wasn't getting answers.
And I was like, nobody should go through this.
There's a better way.
And I feel like I have lived.
And I feel like I have lived.
Some of this and hopefully have found the better way, but I just don't want ladies to go through this.
So that means more to me than the business side of things.
I mean, I like the business side of things, but I don't want it to be my career.
I mean, I like the business side of things, but I don't want it to be my career.

(47:38):
I mean, the thing is, like, you had such a powerful health transformation, as many of us did, and you still remember.
Like, I still remember the feeling of.
Like, I still remember the feeling of.
Feeling better, and I don't.
I'm not, I'm not ready to move away from that.
By the way, I did move into business coaching and I immediately was like, This is not for me.
I'm out.
It's you know, know thyself, right?
It's just not my zone of genius.
So

(47:59):
But there's lots of lot there's so many folks for us all to help.
So, you know, thank you for being in the coaching space for so long to prove that it is
Such a viable industry once you really zero in on what you can help people with.
Cool.
Well, Tina, tell us where folks can find all your stuff.
I know you have a cookbook, for example.

(48:20):
We didn't mention the cookbook.
I do, yeah.
Back from my macro days.
So if you're into the whole macro thing, it is a macro cookbook.

But the way I do advertise it is (48:27):
if you don't really like to cook and you like simple recipes, this is for you.
Amazing.
I just like to eat.
You know, I don't need a big complicated recipe.
So, great cookbook.
It's called the Everything Macro Diet Cookbook.
It's on Amazon, Barnes and New Bible, and it's simple, straightforward recipes.
I would say the majority of it's gluten-free, but you could always add your gluten in if you want to.

(48:52):
For anybody who doesn't like to cook, but they want to eat healthy.
Right.
Cool.
Awesome.
Where else can people kind of follow along with what you're doing?
Yes.
So I'd say I'm most active on Instagram.
I'm probably on there all day long, replying to messages and interacting with people.
So Instagram
Carrotsandcake.
com, so carrots, the letter N, and then cake.
And then I have a podcast, and it's called the Fit and Fueled Life Podcast.

(49:15):
And that's the name of my group coaching program.
And that's what I want for all women is to be fit and properly fueled.
Amazing.
Yes, that's is that too much to ask?
I mean amazing.
Well, Tina, I thank you so much for joining me because it's really important for
Coaches to hear from veterans in the industry, and you are one.
So, I really appreciate this conversation.

(49:36):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
It was fun.
This podcast was brought to you by Primal Health Coach Institute.
To learn more about how to become a successful health coach, get in touch with us by visiting primalhealthcoach.
com forward slash call.
Or if you're already a successful health coach, practitioner, influencer, or thought leader with a thriving business and an interesting story, we'd love to hear from you.

(49:58):
Connect with us at hello at primalhealthcoach.
com and let us know why we need to interview you for Health Coach Radio.

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