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Learn more about IIN
In 2019 I finished my studies at The Institute For Integrative Nutrition to become a Health & Wellness Coach. It had taken me years to finally take the plunge and study at IIN. When I finally did, not only did I begin a new career helping others with their struggles and their health, but I also began a lifelong journey of self love and personal development.
If you’ve been on the fence about becoming a Health/Wellness Coach, look no further! I’ll be answering your questions and sharing a bit more about my experience with IIN below.
So, let’s begin!
What is a Health/wellness Coach?
An Integrative Nutrition Health & Wellness Coach is a guide and supportive mentor who motivates individuals to create sustainable changes around their health choices and their happiness, one step at a time. Health & Wellness Coaches educate and support their clients to achieve their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments.
Today there’s a huge void in Western Medicine. Most of the diseases that we are trying to manage are lifestyle related, and therefore preventable if people made better choices about how to eat, how to exercise, how to handle stress, and how to rest, earlier on in life. Today we happily pay for drugs and interventions, but we don’t pay doctors to sit with us and teach us how to eat, exercise, or even breathe. There is a massive demand for a new kind of health professional and here’s where Health & Wellness Coaches come in: they have a crucial and critical role to fill.
During their studies, Health & Wellness Coaches acquire a broad understanding of many different dietary theories and tools to mentor people who seek to improve their overall health and wellbeing. Think of it this way: A Health & Wellness Coach is basically a life coach with an emphasis on food, self care and general healthy lifestyle choices.
What is The Institute For Integrative Nutrition?
The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, also known as IIN, is the world's largest and longest running institution that offers training in health coaching. IIN has provided a global learning experience for ~100,000 students and graduates in over 150 countries worldwide. It provides a flexible online program designed for people who are passionate about health and wellness. Its curriculum includes a deep dive into the critical dietary theories in use today, comprehensive courses to develop coaching skills (like listening, questioning, observation and communication skills), and rigorous training in marketing, finance, and other business areas. Whether you are interested in learning more about health & nutrition for yourself, or you want to launch a new and exciting career, IIN empowers its students to transform their lives and achieve their personal and professional goals.
“People are fed by the Food Industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the Health Industry, which pays no attention to food.”
IIN not only teaches its students about different dietary theories, but also recognizes the importance of other factors, such as career, physical activity, relationships and spirituality on our health. They label it:
Primary Food
Primary Foods are the things that nurture us, but they don’t come on a plate. They are:
A meaningful spiritual practice
An inspiring and fulfilling career
Regular and enjoyable physical activity
Healthy, honest and communicative relationships
These are all essential forms of nourishment. You could eat all the kale and quinoa you want, but if any of your primary foods are unbalanced (say, you hate your job, or you’re in a toxic relationship), chances are, you won’t be healthy or happy. When all these primary foods are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary. IIN Coaches support their clients to achieve all of their goals, from eating the right foods to living a nourished, fulfilled life.
Bio-individuality
IIN also has a strong focus on bio-individuality, the idea that one size does not fit all: “one person’s food is another person’s poison”. By teaching the pros and cons of different nutrition theories, IIN students have the freedom to experiment and see what is best for them, according to their lifestyle, genes, location, etc. Because there is no cookie cutter diet that will work for everyone, IIN Coaches are committed to finding what works best for each individual client.
course curriculum
The curriculum teaches a wide variety of dietary theories. One week you could be learning about the benefits of a plant based diet, and the next you could learn about organic, grass-fed meat. This is something I loved about the course. They don’t preach a right or wrong way of eating, but instead give you lots of information for you to make your own unbiased decisions for your own body (and eventually for your clients’ bodies).
The curriculum also dives into important subjects such as relationships, creativity, physical activity, sleep, goals, career, spirituality, among many others.
Also included in the curriculum is in depth business training, so you can build your Health & Wellness Coaching business from the ground up. They teach coaching fundamentals, marketing, finance, among other important topics that come in really handy once you’re done with the course.
As mentioned before, this is an ONLINE course, so you can enroll from anywhere and everywhere in the world. I personally loved the way the course is set up. Every week, a new module opens up on the online platform. This platform can be accessed from a laptop, tablet or iPhone, which is great for those of us who don’t just study at home. I would listen to lectures while driving to work or while taking a walk, which was honestly so much fun.
There’s a total of 40 modules, and each one touches on a variety of subjects. It’s a lot of information, but it is handed out in a very manageable way. I was working part time and planning my wedding while I did the course, and would study during my afternoons and on Saturdays. At times I got overwhelmed and fell behind, but would always get back on track. It was also a big relief that I never had to “rush to class”, and could study from the comfort of my living room in my pjs :) I’d say I dedicated around 5 hours of my week to IIN. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on my current work load and social events.
Who Teaches the Course?
I’d say 50% of the program is taught by Joshua Rosenthal, IIN’s founder and director. Then the rest of the course is divided between visiting teachers and IIN teachers. The visiting teachers are honestly one of the reasons I joined IIN; the variety of fields and experts on different topics is huge! The list of guest speakers includes: Neal Bernard, Deepak Chopra, Mark Hyman, David Wolfe, Ariana Huffington, Gabby Bernstein, Joel Fuhrman, among many, many others. Learning from leading experts and their sometimes opposing views was one of the things I loved most about this course.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO MAKE A CAREER OUT OF THIS?
Granted, not everyone who does this course wants to create a new career for themselves. Lots of students enroll in this course simply because they want to learn more about nutrition so they can live a healthier lifestyle and share their knowledge with their friends or family. And that’s amazing! Even if I didn’t work as a Coach today, I invested in this course and now have the tools and knowledge that will help me live a sustainably healthy and happy life for years to come. IIN also offers other additional courses, like how to Launch Your Dream Book (which I’m honestly considering 👀). This course is also a great for people who already work in the Health Industry and would like to expand their knowledge on holistic nutrition (like naturopaths, personal trainers, or even therapists).
HONEST THOUGHTS?
To be completely and utterly honest: I loved this course.
It was a truly life changing year for me. It ignited my passion for health and wellness and gave me direction. I got to learn from leading experts on health, nutrition, finance, and other important topics. I studied at my own pace, which was a welcome change after my stressful university days. After years of being confused about my purpose and career path, it gave me a new career, and therefore a new lifestyle which I couldn’t be more grateful for.
What are the cons?
The course is expensive. But I see it as an investment in a.) your health and b.) your career. I personally borrowed money from family and friends in order to pay in full. IIN does have different payment plans and you can pay in installments if that’s more convenient for you.
The flexibility of the course. I really enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to answer to any specific teachers or schedules like you would if you were at university, but I know of people who don’t like having this much freedom in their studies. I guess it depends on your study methods!
And honestly, that’s it for me. I picked my brain trying to find more cons to IIN’s Health Coaching Course but I truly enjoyed my time with IIN & would recommend it to anyone looking for a new and exciting career. I’m sure you can find some posts online outlining some of the cons of this course, but I honestly don’t have anything negative to say about IIN.
I hope this post left you with more answers than questions! If you still have questions about IIN and my experience studying to be a Health Coach, I’d be happy to answer your questions; i’m an open book! Feel free to fill the form below with your questions or you can book a 20 minute call with me and ask anything else about the Program or my lifestyle as a Coach here:
And as an open book, I must disclose: I receive a small commission for every person who signs up and mentions that I have referred them. As on official ambassador for the program, I’m open to talking about the good, the bad, and everything in between. So please keep your questions coming and i’ll be sure to add more blog posts about IIN in the future!
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS: If you’d like to know more and get a special discount for your 1 year course, leave me your email below and i’ll get keep you in the loop when special offers pop up!
