The Health Coaching Profession is Growing Too Fast to Be Left Unguarded | with Deanna Fournier, NBHWC

Health coaching is growing fast — wearables are tracking everything, AI is entering the wellness space, and more people than ever are looking for support beyond the clinic. But who's making sure any of it actually works? Deanna Fournier and the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching are. In this conversation, Deanna unpacks why a rigorous credentialing body isn't bureaucracy — it's protection. Protection for clients navigating a market that's moving faster than its standards. She makes the case for why health coaching belongs inside healthcare systems, not alongside them, and why the explosion of digital health tools only makes the human, credentialed coach more essential — not less. What you'll take away: Why a governing body for health coaching isn't red tape — it's the thing that makes the profession trustworthy How wearables and AI are creating more data but not more wellbeing — and where coaches fill that gap The access problem: why health coaching is still a luxury for most, and what needs to change Why health coaching belongs integrated inside healthcare, not as an optional add-on What it takes to credential a coach for the complexity of real human health Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Deanna Fournier on LinkedIn Find out more: https://vivalacoaching.com/vivapodcast/