A newsletter made just for coaches like you...a space designed to elevate your skills, strengthen your confidence, and keep you connected to the evidence-based heart of our profession. Whether you’re just beginning your coaching journey or advancing toward the NBHWC credential and beyond, this newsletter will deliver the tools, insights, and support you need to grow with purpose.
Each month, you’ll find practical skill-building tips, research-based guidance, cohort announcements, NBHWC-exam study support, and resources you can use immediately in your coaching sessions.
Our mission is simple: to help you master your craft, stay inspired, and feel empowered as a leader in the field of professional health and wellness coaching.
Let’s grow, learn, and lead...together.
Skill Builder of the Month: When the Client says "I Don't Know"
"I don't know" is usually one of four things: the client is still thinking, the question was too complicated, the answer feels unsafe to say out loud, or they've truly never considered it. The best coach response depends on which of those four it is. So the first move is often to find out rather than to rephrase. Consider the following next steps:
1. Reflect and stop talking. Treat it as a complete answer. "That's a hard one to put words to." Then let the silence do the work. The most common coaching error here is filling the gap with suggestions, which teaches the client that if they wait you'll answer for them.
2. Remove the need to be right. "If you did know, what would it be?" or simply "Take a guess... it doesn't have to be the real answer." Clients often know but don't want to commit to a half-formed thought. The hypothetical framing forces them to say it without fully believing in it.
3. Shrink the question. "I don't know" is frequently an accurate response to a question that was too abstract. Trade "What do you want your health to look like?" for "What did yesterday look like?" Concrete and recent is almost always answerable. This paves the way to receive the deeper answer next.
4. Try using numbers, somatics, or third person framing. If words aren't working, ask for something that isn't words, for example: a number ("where are you on a 1 to 10?"), an image ("if this had a shape, what would it be?"), a body cue ("where do you notice that?"), or another perspective ("what would your sister say if I asked her?").
5. Make the not-knowing the subject. "It sounds like this is uncharted territory for you. What's it like to sit with not knowing?" This is the one to use when the previous four haven't moved the conversation forward. It stops treating the answer as the goal and honors the client's autonomy.
Coaching Asset: Back-to-School Reset
Now that back-to-school season is in full swing, consider doing a reset, either for yourself or with your clients.
Click Here for a Ready-Made Worksheet: Back-to-School Reset
Fall 2026 Coaching Cohort
Last chance to become certified in 2026!
Brand New! We just launched pricing tiers!
Our goal at Expert Coach Center is to increase accessibility to our certification program, while offering various levels of flexibility, support, and idea generation for those hoping to build their own coaching practice.
Enroll Now: www.expertcoachcenter.org/store
Unsure of what to look for in a coaching program? Check out our program checklist to compare accredited programs: Click Here to View
NBHWC Exam Study Hub
Testing in the fall of 2026? We offer a digital study course, study guide, and a peer-led study cohort. Check out our study opportunities here.
Are your CE credits due September 30th? Check out our Continuing Education Course Bundle! Enjoy 7 courses (52 credits) for only $359. Eliminate the decision fatigue and purchase courses for this round and next. Click Here to check it out.
Building Your Coaching Business: Did you hear?
Expert Coach Center is collaborating with Coach Business Training to offer 5 individual courses, including options to bundle! All approved by the NBHWC for continuing education credits.
Courses include:
AI Powered Marketing (3 CECs; $87)
Building Collaborative Referral Networks (3 CECs; $87)
Time Management and Productivity for Solo Entrepreneurs (4 CECs; $97)
Launching your Business (11 CECs; $287)
Applied Business Launch 1:1 Coaching (6 CECs; $597)
Instructor: Karin Mayer, NBC-HWC, ICF ACC
Check out our NBHWC-approved business-building courses here.
Join Us:
Fall Office Hours: Wednesdays 1-2pm cst beginning September 2, 2026
Join ECC staff to bounce ideas, ask questions, and build community.
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87621683470
(No office hours the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.)
We love to hear from our readers!
Click Here to offer suggestions for content you would like to see in this monthly newsletter from Expert Coach Center!
Until next time, happy coaching!
~Holly Miller, Owner of Expert Coach Center
