Through our health coaching relationship, you will have the chance to explore what you want for your health, and get the support to make it happen. This relationship is different than relationships you may have had with other healthcare providers. While health coaches do know a lot about health, their greatest expertise is in the process of sustainable change – how to make changes that fit into your life and that will last. Health coaches are not here to advise you, to prescribe a plan or to tell you what to do. Instead, health coaches will help you explore many different options, depending on your own level of interest and need. As the client, you will be a very active participant in the process. Indeed, no one knows your life better than you do. So, no one else can better say what is important to you, what you are interested in, and what you are willing to try in order to make healthy changes. To move forward, your health coach will ask you important questions, and expect you to share your honest feedback. This partnership works best when you are able to voice your opinions, thoughts and feelings clearly. The health coach’s job is to listen with deep curiosity and non-judgment, to demonstrate respect for your autonomy, and to provide you with a specific framework for change that has been shown to help thousands of people significantly shift their lifestyles. This process has also been shown to be helpful in allowing you to gain knowledge when you are ready for it, skills as you practice new things, and confidence to make lasting change. This does not mean that the coach will “go easy” on you; in fact, one of the ways in which the coaching relationship works is by helping you stay accountable to your own goals and wishes. The coach will work with you to clarify how you would like the coach to support your accountability.