ThriveWise Coaching Academy
Health and Wellness Coach Training Program
Clarity. Confidence. Momentum.
Live, faculty-led training in the skills, theory and professional standards of health and wellness coaching, for coaches who help people build lasting health and well-being.
About the program
Coaching skills grounded in whole-person health
Students learn to partner with clients as they set their own goals and build lasting changes in health, energy and well-being. The program teaches coaching presence, Motivational Interviewing, behavior change theory, positive psychology, and the health and lifestyle topics coaches meet every day.
Graduates who complete every requirement receive the ThriveWise Coaching Academy Certificate of Completion.
How you learn
Three ways you learn
Learn live
Faculty teach each topic live on Zoom with your cohort, with discussion, demonstration and time for questions.
Practice
You coach from the first week, in faculty-observed practice as coach, client and observer, and in recorded sessions reviewed by faculty.
Reflect
Live feedback, written reflections and short practices called The Pause help you connect each skill to your own growth as a coach.
Program structure
How the program is structured
COACH Connect
Live, faculty-led classes on Zoom, 2 hours each, on weekday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM ET. Each class teaches that week's topic through presentation, discussion, demonstration and coaching practice.
Saturday Live Practice Sessions
Four-hour live sessions on Zoom, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET. Faculty teach and observe while students coach one another in trios, rotating through the roles of coach, client and observer, followed by a group debrief.
Recorded faculty lessons
Some topics are taught in lessons recorded by ThriveWise Coaching Academy faculty. You watch each full lesson and complete its quiz. Every topic has a quiz; the passing score is 80%, and you may review and retake a quiz until you pass.
Practice coaching sessions
You record two complete coaching sessions of at least 30 minutes each (PSD 1 and PSD 2). After each one, a faculty member meets with you live for at least 20 minutes of feedback guided by the ThriveWise Practical Skills Rubric.
Practical Skills Assessment
Your final assessment is a third complete coaching session of at least 30 minutes, taken after 60 instructional hours and all ethics and legal instruction. Faculty grade it pass/fail with the PSA Rubric and meet with you live for at least 20 minutes of feedback.
Time commitment
At least 75 instructional hours over the program. Plan on about [CONFIRM] hours a week for live classes, recorded lessons, quizzes, reading and practice.
Learning objectives
By the end of the program, you will be able to
- Explain the role and scope of practice of a health and wellness coach, and recognize when to refer a client to a licensed professional.
- Build a client-centered coaching relationship grounded in trust, rapport, presence and active listening.
- Structure coaching sessions from the first session through ongoing sessions and graduation, including the coaching agreement and confidentiality.
- Use Motivational Interviewing skills, including reflective listening, to draw out a client's own motivation and change talk.
- Apply behavior change theory, including the Transtheoretical Model, self-efficacy and goal-setting approaches, so clients set and reach goals of their own choosing.
- Use positive psychology and strengths-based approaches to support well-being and resilience.
- Take a whole-person view of health: sleep, stress, nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, and the social and structural factors that shape health.
- Describe common chronic conditions, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, inflammation and dementia, and how coaching supports a client's provider-guided care plan.
- Coach with cultural humility and identity-affirming practices that honor each client's identities and experiences.
- Follow the professional conduct, ethical and legal standards of health and wellness coaching, including confidentiality and data privacy.
- Practice coach self-care that sustains a healthy, long-term coaching career.
Curriculum
Program modules
Module 1Foundations of Health and Wellness CoachingScope, Strengths, and Well-Being
- Foundations of Health Coaching and Scope of Practice
- Foundations of Positive Psychology
- Strengths-Based Coaching
- Prioritizing Mental Health Through Behavior Change
Module 2Rapport, Mindful Listening, and Coaching StructureBuilding the coaching relationship and the shape of a session
- Client-Centered Relationship, Trust and Rapport
- Preparation, First and Early Sessions
- Ongoing Sessions Through Graduation
- Active Listening, Presence, and Sharing Information
- Motivational Interviewing
Module 3Holistic HealthMind and Body as One
- Whole Person Perspective and Health Inequity
- Social Determinants of Health
- The Neuroscience of Coaching
- Understanding Mood Disorders in the Health Coach Context
- Understanding Anxiety in the Health Coach Context
- Distinctions Between Coaching and Therapy
- Expanding Your Coaching Toolkit
- Meditation and Mindfulness
- Sleep Is Important
- Trauma-Informed Care Through a Coaching Lens
- Suicide Prevention: Recognizing Risk and Making Referrals
- Safety Planning: The Coach's Role in Referral
Module 4Coaching Theory, Advanced Tools, and PracticeFrom Insight to Lasting Change
- Applying the Transtheoretical Model
- Exploring Values, Purpose, Meaning, and Intrinsic Motivation
- Positive Psychological Resources to Support Behavior Change
- Goals and Goal Setting Strategies, including SMART Goals
- Client Emotions and Energy
- Reflective Listening
- Cultivating Client Self-Efficacy
- Professional Conduct, Code of Ethics, and Legal Compliance
- Diabetes, Prediabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Obesity
- Ambivalence, Sustain Talk, and Obstacles to Change
- Hypertension, Lipids, and Cardiovascular Disease
Module 5Holistic PerspectiveCoaching with a Whole Person Perspective Grounded in Self-Awareness, Humility, and Accountability
- Cultural Considerations and Accountability
- Inflammation, Arthritis, and Chronic Pain
- Social, Structural, and Environmental Determinants of Health
- Substance Use and Harm Reduction/Use Reduction
- Identity Affirming Practices
- Enhancing Client Awareness and Broadening Perspectives
- Diversity as Disability: Exploring Ableism and Internalized Ableism
- Self-Care for Coaches
- Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
- Evoking Change Talk
- Spirituality in Coaching
- Coaching Clients Through Grief and Loss
- Best Practices
Graduation requirements
What you complete to graduate
To graduate from ThriveWise Coaching Academy, you complete all five of the following.
- At least 75 instructional hours. An instructional hour is a full 60 minutes. Breaks, reading and self-directed study are not counted.
Hours Minimum How they are earned Coaching relationships and sessions, behavior change, coaching skills and tools, and ethics and professional practice 60 hours At least 40 hours in live classes; up to 20 hours from recorded faculty lessons Health and wellness 15 hours Live classes or recorded faculty lessons Total 75 hours - Every live session, or its make-up. Attend each COACH Connect class and Saturday Live Practice Session. A missed session is made up as described in the Attendance and Make-Up Policy.
- Every recorded lesson and its quiz. A recorded lesson counts when you watch the full lesson and pass its quiz (80%).
- Two practice coaching sessions with feedback. Submit PSD 1 and PSD 2 and complete a live faculty feedback session after each one.
- A passing Practical Skills Assessment (PSA). Your third complete coaching session, graded pass/fail by faculty. If you do not pass, you complete live feedback and faculty-supported practice, then submit a new PSA by a date set with faculty.
When you graduate
You receive the ThriveWise Coaching Academy Certificate of Completion once tuition is paid in full. The Academy keeps a record of every student who completes the program.
Faculty
Meet our faculty
Students learn from a team that brings together board-certified health and wellness coaching and nutrition. Faculty teach live, observe practice and give each student direct feedback.
Johnna Smith
NBC-HWC · E-RYT 500
Founder and Program Director
Johnna is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and the founder of ThriveWise Coaching and ThriveWise Coaching Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she created the BEAMS whole-person coaching method. She has taught yoga internationally for 25 years and founded TejaShakti Yoga School.
B.A. in Psychology · Postgraduate work in Psychology · National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach · Ayurveda Health Counselor, California College of Ayurveda · Ayurveda Wellness Coach, Shakti School · E-RYT 500, Yoga Alliance
Kristi Ray
Master’s in Nutrition · RYT 200
Faculty · Nutrition and Endurance
Kristi is a nutrition and endurance coach at ThriveWise Coaching, where she leads endurance programming in Charlotte. She coaches beginners through experienced athletes in running, walking, strength, cycling, swimming and triathlon. A six-time Ironman finisher with extensive marathon experience, she teaches the health and wellness content in the Academy.
Undergraduate degree, Meredith College · Master’s in Nutrition, Winthrop University · USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach · Certified Personal Trainer · RYT 200
Enrollment
Join the next cohort
Next cohort: Saturday, June 26, 2027 to Sunday, January 9, 2028. Graduation: Tuesday, January 11, 2028.
Tuition: $4,999. Early bird: $4,799 ($200 off) when you enroll by April 1, 2027. Scholarships are available.
Payment plans: pay tuition in 6 monthly payments over the program, or in 12 monthly payments over one year. The Certificate of Completion is issued once tuition is paid in full.
To enroll, complete the enrollment application, then pay the non-refundable $500 deposit. Your deposit enrolls you and holds your seat. Questions, including how to apply for a scholarship? Request information or email johnna@thrivewisecoach.com.