Kent L. Bradley M.D., MBA, MPH– Chief Health and Nutrition Officer

When we say the word coach, we likely have a person in mind. Because many people carry the title of coach, especially in sports, we may think of this as the basic definition and example of coaching. However, if you are like me, you have experienced the tremendous impact one coach can have, not only for a team, but for specific individuals.

Coaches perform many important roles as strategist, organizer, and even play caller. One of the reasons that the New England Patriots have consistent winners has been because of the strength of their coach, Bill Belichick. One of his strengths is his ability to analyze the opponent and make the best use of his team’s strengths.

Coaching – outside of the narrow focus of sports, and instead, on the broader impact of behavior change and healthy living – involves the ability to highlight and draw from an individual’s strengths, and also, much more.

To understand this broader impact of coaching, I look to another football coach, Coach Hunter, who was less concerned about what happened on the scoreboard and more focused on what happened with your life.

The True Value of Coaching

So, who was Coach Hunter, or simply Coach? He happened to be one of my football coacheswhen I was in high school. When I think of his legacy and enduring impact in my life, I can honestly say he was a confidence builder and habit shifter. He did this through being able to connect and influence in a way that created a lifelong bond of trust and a mindset of ownership.

I remember he would have us watch films, and he would simply point out certain techniques that players did on the field that made them successful. We would go out to practice in drills, applying some of these techniques, and I remember him always praising our effort in practice and pointing out when we did something correctly.

I don’t recall him ever yelling or telling us what to do, but instead he would simply share some ideas or point out what had worked with others. It was up to us to choose what we wanted to do. This reached beyond simply football as he “coached” me through how to navigate decisions beyond high school.

The Art and Science of Coaching

Many years later, I have come to see that Coach Hunter was an amazing example of both the art and science of coaching. He had his degree in counseling and he put that to good use as he creatively applied his knowledge in the context of being a football coach.

Science is the study of the world through observation and experimentation. Its goal is to create a body of knowledge and principles about the world in which we live. The science of behavior change is based on the observations of people and how they behave. From these observations there is built a body of knowledge that serves to help us both understand and predict human behavior.

Art is the expression of creativity. Art is very personalized – the creativity that is expressed may impact individuals differently.

At Herbalife Nutrition, I have come to appreciate the art and science of coaching in full bloom. I have been honored to witness the impact of Herbalife Nutrition independent distributors who have applied their thoughtful approach to support individuals on their personal journey to becoming the best version of themselves.

Each person has their own unique starting point and desired destination. The Herbalife Nutrition coach utilizes core principles of self-efficacy, empowerment, and support, to name just a few to help individuals reach their desired results.

This video of Connie above captures the transformative power of coaching at Herbalife Nutrition. We will be exploring in future blogs more detail of both the art and science of coaching at Herbalife Nutrition.