Today, I’m chatting with Gillian Bennett, a nutrition, body image + mindset coach who helps her clients improve their relationship with food through a non-diet approach.

Gillian, a recent graduate of my Wellness CEO Mastermind, also works with macro-based nutrition coaches to help them improve their coaching + communication skills and incorporate mindful eating + habit-based approaches into their programs.

This episode is PACKED with must-have info for health + fitness coaches. You’ll learn how motivational interviewing can help you connect with your clients on a deeper + more meaningful level, why clients REALLY choose to stay with coaches long-term, how to become a more effective coach, and so much more.

Follow Gillian @bitesizenutri: https://www.instagram.com/bitesizenutri/

In this episode, Gillian and I cover:

Gillian’s journey – how she became a health + fitness coach, her personal struggles with food + exercise, and what helped her develop + improve her coaching skills [5:10]

How macro-based nutrition can result in an unhealthy relationship with food [10:15]

Gillian’s perspective that counting/tracking macros (also known as “flexible dieting”) is *A* tool – not *THE* tool – to help people lose weight [12:40]

The approach Gillian takes with macro-based nutrition coaches in her mentorship program to help them serve their clients in a more comprehensive way [15:10]

Why Gillian recommends coaches ask themselves WHY they want their clients to track macros – and if it’s truly worth it [16:30]

How food obsession, food fear, etc can manifest in people who ONLY learn to track macros to lose fat/manage their weight [18:25]

Gillian’s viewpoint that a macro-based approach can have a time and a place [19:55]

The importance of bridging the gap between tracking macros and achieving + maintaining results LONG-TERM (and facilitating healthy food relationships) [21:05]

Why Gillian started mentoring macro-based coaches and how her methods can help improve client retention [26:15]

Clients staying with you because they WANT you, not because they NEED you [28:30]

Motivational interviewing as a client-centered coaching method and how it can help coaches connect with nonresponsive or disengaged clients [30:00]

Keeping the coaching experience centered on the client vs. the coach’s ego + expectations [35:25]

Handling a client’s resistance by answering questions rather than offering endless suggestions + focusing on ONE issue at a time vs. trying to fix EVERYTHING [37:10]

The problem with many programs that claim to teach coaches how to sharpen their coaching skills and why solving problems FOR clients is a bad idea [39:45]

Letting go of strict, rigid timelines in health + fitness coaching and simplifying the onboarding process to help clients understand the necessity of check-ins [42:10]

Sharing more client struggles and fewer client wins on social media [44:25]

How to structure a check-in form in a way that helps clients self-reflect [45:15]

Access the FREE mini-training Gillian shared in The Wellness CEO Mastermind: https://bitesize.ck.page/ccmtraining

Check out Gillian’s website and her programs: https://bitesize.es

Connect with Lynette:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynettemarieh

Coaching With Impact Facebook group (my free business coaching group!):