Confessions of a Yoga Health Coach

I am a Certified Yoga Health Coach. Yep, I just said that!

You see, I have been offering my services as a YogaHealth Coach for 10 months, but more importantly, I haven’t felt like a Yoga Health Coach until very recently. I have been following the sage advice from our teacher, Cate Stillman, who encourages us to “Fake it until you make it.”

It has now been 14 months since I first stepped onto the Yoga Health Coach bus. Actually, it’s more like the Yoga Health Coach rocket ship — which has landed me on Planet ‘Holy Cow’ — I’m now in the new & expanded universe of ME!!

My Journey on this rocket ship began with an email from YHC inviting me to explore the possibility of becoming a YHC Coach. I paused for a moment… and then an aligned inner voice said “DO IT,” so I clicked the response button… YES! Please tell me more. Before I knew it, I was talking with Cate, and I knew that I was in the exact right place. Very seamlessly, I was on board the YHC bus — ticket in hand, operating manual downloaded, calendar in sync, payment made, operating systems a go… and GO we did!

I got on the calls, I followed directions, I did the action steps. I kept moving forward, even when I was not sure where I was going. I kept faith in my purpose. I reached out with questions. I believed in the process. I listened to my teacher. Step by step, things clicked into place, and my program started to take shape. Before I knew it, I was coaching a group of 15 women. Everything happened inflow and in alignment, and my program became a reality beyond my expectations.

After several years of trying to teach Ayurveda as a Yoga teacher, I had finally found a systematic, accessible & comprehensive way to share my many years of healing wisdom, and my passion for Ayurveda. Everything I needed was laid out — the action steps, the business model, the Admin Guide, tech support, the support & structure of the community. Yes!!… this system works!

I’ve got this!

And then, sure enough, “Houston we have a problem!”

Fear decided to show up. Overwhelm and self-doubt joined them. Who is at the helm? Me?
Who am I to be coaching and leading these amazing women on this life-changing journey? Yes, I’m an RN and an experienced Yoga teacher. Yes, I have experience and knowledge, along with several card-carrying credentials, but I’m not a Yoga Health Coach… am I?

I remembered the guideline of “reach out when you tweak out.” OK. I contacted my mentor and hopped onto some YHC calls to find connection and guidance. I found it. In these calls, two words emerged: Imposter syndrome.

Oh, it actually has a name?! That’s me! I do feel like an imposter – I am not really a Yoga Health coach, but I’ve accepted these women into my program and they are trusting me. I am wearing the coach hat, but it’s not me. On hearing these words, I felt relieved. I was not alone. It’s OK to feel this way! It’s part of being in process. Then…. I heard the sage advice of “Fake it until you make it.”

This took me back to the beginnings of the other roles through which I serve. As a new Yoga teacher, I was advised to “be willing to suck at this for a while.” I did. As a new RN, I was told to “aim for perfection, but know that you may miss the mark, occasionally.” I did.

Now, I am proficient in these roles — performing them in an optimal, organic, and fluid way. It took time. Like, a long time to get here. It took perseverance, courage, and belief in myself in these roles. It took learning from my mistakes and getting back in the saddle, time after time.

“Fake it until you make it.” Is that really ok? Yes. Yes, because we’re never faking who we are, or faking the wisdom we are imparting, or faking true intention. We are merely “faking” the coach that is in process and beginning to emerge from within.

So, here is my confession: I did “fake it until I made it.” The “I made it “ came today on the final coaching call of my Q2 program. I felt Connection. Fluidity. Confidence. True. Real. I felt the full pulsation of the coach merge with my other roles and flow through me — from root to crown, crown to root, and out into the ether. I am now a Yoga Health Coach.

My journey onboard the YHC rocket ship continues as I orbit through the expanded universe of ME. I recognize that I still have much to learn, but I now trust the process, and I’m excited to see where my journey will take me next.

We, Yoga Health coaches will always be in process. At some level it seems, there will always be a little ‘imposter syndrome’ emerging as we continue to grow and bump up against our edges. We know that it’s part of growing and getting bigger and better in our life offerings.