What is a Wellness Coach’s Salary

Considering a career as a Wellness Coach or Health Coach and wondering how much you can expect to earn? Let’s start with the simple answer: According to PayScale, the average salary for a Wellness Coach is approximately $44,090 a year.

However, for Wellness Coaches, salary and income averages can be deceiving. That’s because you can make a lot more—or a lot less—depending on how much you work (many coaches only work part-time and have other jobs), if you are accredited or certified, your background and how long you’ve been coaching, your business goals, and your flexibility.

So, before you start planning around a specific salary and deciding whether or not becoming a Wellness, Health, or Life Coach is for you, we’re going to cover some important factors you should consider.

Factors That Influence A Wellness Coach Salary

1. Do you plan to coach full-time or part-time?

There are a wide variety of Wellness Coaching jobs, and one of the best things about this amazing career is the flexibility it offers. This is especially true when you are a self-employed Wellness Coach. 

You get to choose where and when you work, how many clients you take on, and how much you will charge. So if you have the resources to quit an existing job and devote all of your time and energy into wellness coaching full-time, that will be a great option for you! 

When we train coaches in our Become a Health & Life Coach (Wellness Coach) program, we teach them to design coaching packages starting at $150 per session to start and provide all the tools to do so.

But if you want to keep your existing position (and salary) and ease your way into coaching, many people choose to do that too. Many new Wellness Coaches find that being able to keep their old job while building up their client base is key to making it all possible—they never have to sacrifice income, and often even end up with a little extra income during the transition period.

What’s really great about becoming a wellness coach is that you can choose how much to charge people, lower or raise your prices according to what works for you. And best of all, there’s no limit to how much you can make!

2. Do you have professional training or certifications?

Wellness Coaching, also sometimes known as Health Coaching, is a fast-growing career that attracts all kinds of educated and talented individuals, from a diverse array of backgrounds. And the skills and experience you gained before starting your journey into coaching can have a significant impact on your earning power. Generally speaking, you do not need to be certified to be a health coach, but, for the most part, getting certified by an accredited wellness coach program can boost not only your credibility but also your earning power.

For instance, dietitians who add Wellness Coaching to their skillset offer a unique one-stop service where clients can get dietary guidance, along with the tools, strategies, and support they need to stick to a healthy eating program.

As a result, it’s not uncommon for them to charge a premium. The same holds true for personal trainers—if they can help people stick to a workout routine and a healthy lifestyle, they’re more likely to attract potential clients and charge a premium.

Many students use certified Wellness and Health Coaching as an add-on or upsell to their current profession since they already technically have a client-base.

Contributing Factors That Can Increase a Wellness Coach’s Salary

In addition to certification, Wellness Coaches with specific backgrounds in areas like dietetics, personal training, fitness, nutrition, yoga, or healthcare may also be seen as having additional credibility, which can increase earning power. 

This might be especially true in a healthcare setting. For example, a Wellness Coach with a nursing background will likely be perceived as more qualified by both the healthcare professionals they work with and the patients they serve. This could not only give them an edge in getting the job, but it could also get them a higher salary.

Do Coaches Need a Health Background to be Successful?

A big part of being a successful Wellness Coach is knowing how to promote yourself and run a profitable business. So it makes sense that those who have run their own business, or with a sales and marketing background, will also generally find success as a coach. 

Specific skills like sales, pricing of services, and knowing how to use social media to your advantage are especially helpful for Wellness Coaches. This is something the school you choose to get your wellness coaching certification from should be able to help guide you with. 

Getting your Wellness, Health or Life Coaching certification from a trusted school, that’s ideally ICF (International Coaching Federation) accredited like Health Coach Institute, can also prove credibility 

3. Who do you want to work for?

When it comes to Wellness Coaching Jobs , who you decide to work for will likely have a major impact on how much you earn.

Self-employed – Entrepreneur

Being self-employed as an entrepreneur is the most flexible Wellness Coaching option. However, it is also the most uncertain in terms of salary and benefits. That’s because the number of clients you have is entirely dependent on you! However, if you’re great at marketing yourself and managing a business, the sky’s the limit. But, if you prefer to have someone else doing the selling, working for a corporation or healthcare operation may be a better option.

Many students who choose Health Coach Institute’s (HCI) training came to us because they want to start their own business and do coaching part-time to supplement their income.

Others really want to go all-in on coaching full-time and quit their corporate grind, and choose HCI because of the tools inside the program that help you set up and launch your own fully booked coaching practice. 

What’s great about training with Health Coach Institute is receiving support from your community and peers within the program. Plus, you receive mentorship from Coach Mentors throughout your training.

Corporate setting

Large corporations offer a variety of opportunities for Wellness Coaches, including counseling employees and operating on-site fitness, nutrition, and health programs. 

Many gyms and schools hire Wellness Coaches with companies like Noom, Calm, and Headspace also hiring Health and Wellness coaches to support their customers and clients.

Corporate positions typically provide a competitive salary and benefits and are a great fit for those looking for more job security. They also take the pressure off to always be marketing and selling yourself, and you’re able to just focus on coaching.  

Healthcare operations

Health care operations like doctors’ offices and hospitals are also a great fit for Wellness Coaches looking for job security and a way to gain access to a large number of potential clients in one place. Whether you work directly for the health care operation, or as an independent contractor on-site, the ability to get referrals is key to growing your client base and increasing your earning power.

Many corporations are paying $65,000 a year and up as a corporate holistic Wellness Coach. 

The bottom line? Your salary as a wellness coach will grow with your experience and your skills.

According to Thumbtack, the hourly rate for Health Coaching jobs in the US can range anywhere between $50 to over $200 an hour. That’s a huge range. Add in the fact that most coaches offer 3 or 6-month programs, and pricing your services can seem a bit overwhelming. Just realize that there’s a lot of variability in pricing your services, and where you start isn’t where you’ll end up!

In order to build a client base, it’s not uncommon for new Wellness Coaches to start with rates on the lower end of the scale. However, as you attract more clients, build a reputation for yourself, gain more experience and confidence, and perhaps acquire new skills, you’ll be able to raise your rates in no time!

In addition, as you gain experience, you will likely adjust your business model to make it more profitable and attractive to potential clients. For instance, if you are coaching one-on-one, you might add online group sessions for an additional fee. 

Or you might utilize new text or email technology services to stay in touch with clients or make billing easier. You may create your own online course, or monetize your wellness coaching on social media through sharing content on YouTube for example, as well. With so many ways to grow your Wellness Coaching business, only one thing is for sure—change will be part of the journey and the sky’s the limit for your earning potential!

Wellness Coach vs. Health Coach

“Wellness Coach” is often synonymous with the term “Health Coach.” At Health Coach Institute, our offering isn’t technically called  a “Wellness Coaching” program, however, we offer a “Become A Health Coach” training program that will give you the tools to become a wellness coach, as well as resources, and training you need to become a successful Health Coach with a dual Life Coach certificate as well!

Why should you check out our Become A Health Coach training program?

Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes our BHC stand apart from other training:

• Learn From Professional Health and Life Coaches – -Fast track your path to success by learning from HCI co-founders Stacey Morgenstern and Carey Peters, who share their combined 25+ years of professional experience and the secrets behind their own multiple six-figure coaching practices.
• Community, Mentorship, and Engagement – Connect with Founders Carey and Stacey, experienced Coach Mentors, and like-minded peers in optional Weekly Live Sessions. These opportunities allow you to grow, connect, and move toward success.
• Dual Health & Life Coach Training – Obtain your Health and Life Coach certificate in just 6 months through our one-of-a-kind program—so you can help future clients achieve health in all areas of their life.
• Accredited by the International Coach Federation – Trust that you’re learning from a world-class institution that is CCE-accredited by ICF.
• Train Online On Your Time – Learn at your own pace via our flexible, 100% virtual training program. Complete the program in as little as 6 months, or take up to a year if you need more time.
• Customizable Scripts, Template & More– Hit the ground running with completely done-for-you scripts, templates, and resources, and two ready-to-use 90-day coaching programs.
• The Support of a Global, Like-Minded Community– Connect and network with a vibrant, tight-knit community of coaches who will support, stretch, and encourage you to build the life and career of your dreams.
• Personal Growth & Transformation– Learn how to make habit changes that stick, find out how to improve your health and well-being through healthy lifestyle design, and work through limiting beliefs that are preventing you from living your best life.

Join Health Coach Institute and Become a Wellness Coach

If you are ready to transform your life and become a Health and Life Coach, click the button below to speak with one of our Clarity Coaches. They will discuss your goals with you and help you chart a clear path to success!