Health Coach to Health Writer
We all have our own stories that lead us to freelance writing.
For some, it’s an obvious choice after a degree in communications, writing, journalism, or English, some years at a corporation, and then a natural move to freelance writing. For others, the road had some unpredictable twists and turns.
If freelance writing has nothing to do with your college degree, former job, or original plans, you are not alone. Here is my story. How I found my way to health writing (check out my business at katgalwriter.com)
I remember the crushing need to make this work. Nearly a decade ago, I decided to become a health coach. So I enrolled at IIN for their health coach training.
I still remember the excitement when I picked up my IIN welcome box at the post office. There was a training book, DVDs, and other materials. They sent a grocery bag, a water bottle, and a little plush heart that I had since lost.
My world was about to change. It did but not as I imagined it.
Since the age of 14, I have wanted to be a therapist. A therapist and a writer, to be honest, but it was clear that writing wasn’t a possible (or allowed?) professional path to take.
I studied psychology for my Bachelor’s degree. I applied for my Master’s in psych. I got into most schools I applied to…I was offered some scholarships and assistantships, but not enough. Most assistantships only covered three or maybe six credits. Even where I got a full-tuition ride, it didn’t cover living and other expenses. Trouble is, as an international student, you are only allowed to work on campus and only 20 hours a week. That was already covered in my assistantship.
I didn’t see a way to make it happen (financially), so I decided to leave the US and study Children’s Rights instead at the University of Amsterdam. I gave up the dream to become a therapist. And I’ve long forgotten my dream of writing.
I became a social researcher on violence against children’s issues. I loved this work. I should say: I loved the work itself. I loved doing fieldwork, interviewing children, hosting workshops, analyzing data, and then writing long research reports. I was in my element when writing. But I didn’t love every aspect of the job: the bureaucracy, corruption, how my research landed in a drawer instead of helping anyone… I could go on.
Long story short, I pivoted to teaching English then left for an adventure with my then-boyfriend, now-husband. Trotting around (a part of) the world, workawaying at organic farms, and housesitting for a year with only $2,000 to our name sounds sexy. It wasn’t as glamourous as it sounds. All we wanted to do was close the distance and find a place for our international relationship. (Spoiler alert: Three years later, that place became the US.)
During this time, I was obsessed with healing my body from chronic pain (that’s another story for another time) and ran into the all so glorious Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
I was going to enroll. I was going to find the answer and heal myself. I was going to become a health coach and help other people. It is similar to therapy but better. Coaching is more empowering. I was convinced. I can do this online. From anywhere. During our travels. I’ve been living as a nomad for many years by then, being a digital nomad sounded amazing. This was going to be it.
So I enrolled at IIN. And I was attached to a certain outcome. A perfect outcome of a perfectly healed health coach saving the world. No less. (Cute, right?!)
There was one problem. I didn’t realize that it meant running a business. I somehow didn’t realize that nobody was going to just hire me as a health coach to trot around the world coaching. And writing a blog didn’t mean anybody was going to hire me (or read my blog).
It was a learning curve. I joined a bunch of groups. I tried to do everything everyone was recommending. I was jumping from one idea to the next without really committing. I didn’t really believe in myself either. I was taking action, but there was no strategy or confidence. I had some clients. I wrote and sold a few ebooks. I even had two online group-coaching programs, and I had a handful of people enrolling.
Looking back, I think over time, I could’ve actually made this successful. Life had other plans. I never completely felt at home in the health coaching world. But that’s another story for another time.
I have always loved writing. So I started guest-posting at Tiny Buddha, the Elephant Journal, the Huffington post, and other places to promote my work. I can confidently say that I didn’t gain a single coaching client from these posts. Something else happened instead.
People started reaching out, complimenting my writing. Some people asked me to write for them. Some people were willing to pay. Ten, twenty bucks. Pennies. I didn’t know it back then that it was ridiculously low. I didn’t know people were getting paid writing.
Around the same time, I started regularly guest posting at a popular health and nutrition website. My goal was still to promote my health coaching business. But when they launched their first superfood product, they offered me to write in exchange for products.
I started to get curious if it was possible to do writing into a job. I didn’t know freelance writing existed. I had never heard the term freelancing. Or rather, I probably did but never really knew what it meant. I started googling. I learned that freelance writing was a thing. Something lit up inside me. I wanted to do this. But I didn’t feel as desperate as I did with health coaching. There was ease inside. Yet, I still had no idea what to do.
About six months in, I asked that health website to pay me on top of giving me products. They agreed. They offered $250 and products in exchange for 12 short (600 - 800 words) blogs per month. Looking back, it’s not enough. But I didn’t know it then.
They helped me build a portfolio. Eventually, they became a very well-paying client I stayed with for five years! I got a few gigs from ProBlogger. And one of my content coordinators asked me if I wanted to write for her new agency. This was the beginning.
Then I ran into the concept of cold-emailing, and everything changed. I got a few amazing, well-paying, long-term clients. I started raising my rates. I started getting referrals. The rest is history.
Sure, I am oversimplifying on this. The point is, life is not a straight line. I was supposed to be a health coach. But my training and health coaching efforts led me to health writing instead. And I found home.
Are you interested in creating a sustainable freelance writing business without the hustle? Check out my freelance writing course with a step-by-step process of exactly what you need.