Our Health Coach Feature series shares the inspiring stories of Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches who are cultivating positive health choices and educating others to live more wholesome lifestyles. Join us on the IIN Blog to read more about what brought our grads to IIN and what they’re up to now!

Joanne Encarnacion is a holistic health and lifestyle coach, wife, and mother of two based in the San Francisco area. Jo graduated from the Health Coach Training Program in 2016 and is now helping empower women to find the best version of themselves through her coaching practice. Jo is also sharing her journey toward a happier and healthier life with inspirational lifestyle tips and fitness advice on her blog, GoFitJo, and Instagram, @gofitjo.

Keep reading to learn the story behind this incredible coach and all she is up to!

 Q: What were you doing prior to enrolling at Integrative Nutrition?

A: I was working at an art + tech start-up called VSCO as the Director of Community and Curation. I managed large teams and projects for the marketing and creative sides of the company.

 Q: What led you to explore the Health Coach Training Program?

A: My own personal health and wellness journey intermixed with my experience as a people manager led me to the idea of exploring the concept of becoming a Health Coach.

Q: How has your life changed after becoming a Health Coach?

A: I’ve been able to find a deeper connection to my life story and now my work as a Health Coach. It’s crazy how the pieces of the puzzle finally seem to fit.

Q: Which topics and modules were most beneficial for you?

A: I think the topics that were most beneficial to me were actually the ones with Health History or coaching call examples. These were the most beneficial because it gave me an insight on how I might be able to operate as a Health Coach and how to approach my coaching calls.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you now?

A: My days are constantly changing depending on what projects I’m working on for my blog. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are the days I typically take my coaching clients.

My days typically look like this:

6:00 am – wake up

6:30 am – workout

8:30 am – breakfast

10:00 am – start my workday, which can consist of coaching calls, content creation, or emails.

12:30 pm – lunch

1:30 pm – meditate

2:00 pm – creative education. I like to carve out time for myself to learn/read every single day. This allows me to just expand my mind a little further.

3:00 pm – my kids get home from school, and it’s a mix between juggling work/homework time

5:00 pm – I try my best to end my day around this time to start prepping for dinner

6:30 pm – dinner

8:30 pm – kids are off to bed

9:00 pm – a quick email check/social media check-in

10:00 pm – I strive to go to bed at this time.

Q: What makes you and your practice unique?

A: I only coach women. After a few months of coaching both men and women I decided it was best to shift my focus to only women. The reason being is that I felt more connected to helping my clients solve the issues they were having/experiencing as women.

Q: How do you help your clients be successful? Is there a recent example that stands out for you?

A: I challenge my clients a lot in their own mind-set, which I think allows them to creatively think of ways to solve their issues using a perspective they may have never had before. I’m often working with my clients on how to build stronger relationships with others through understanding themselves.
One example that stands out for me is a situation where my client needed some guidance on how to navigate through a tough conversation with her husband. I was able to provide her some tools to use to create the space for an open and honest conversation about something really tough.

Q: What do you love about your work?

A: What I love the most about my work is hearing my clients believing in themselves and their efforts of defining their health and well-being on their own terms. One of the first exercises I go through with my clients is defining values. The reason I do this is because I believe that understanding our values allows us to really ground down on a firmer foundation of our intentions. We understand ourselves more when we understand our values.

Q: How have you seen the need for Health Coaches change over the years?

A: I’ve seen a growth in health coaching and coaching in general, which has been extremely exciting especially now as I’m in this field. It’s starting to feel as if more and more people see the need of having someone guide them through life and help hold them accountable toward these changes.

Q: What’s your tip for balancing your family, work, and personal wellness?

A: I’ve stopped seeking balance these days. It’s something we’re always going to be working too hard to chase; I personally believe in harmony more than balance. I strive for harmony in my life and like to think about harmony…like how an a cappella group sings in harmony – you have a mixture of highs and lows, but everything together makes one beautiful song.

Q: Tell us your favorite way to wake up each day!

A: My favorite way to wake up each morning is to Hawaiian reggae music. It just sets my mood.

Has this inspired you to become a Health Coach? Click here to learn more, or take a Sample Class here!