Institute for Integrative Nutrition IIN Review (and discount!)
Becoming a health coach changed my life. But not fully in the way that I anticipated it when I initially enrolled in a course.
Not only did the curriculum enrich my own health and wellness, but I was equipped with the skills to start and grow a wellness brand and business. And now, nearly 3 years later, I have been reflecting a lot on how much I have grown and changed since that initial “yes” to enroll.
The goal of this post is to share my experience attending the Institue for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and to give a glimpse into what really propelled my wellness career- which are single-handedly 2 of the questions I get most frequently in my inbox!
If you are curious about enrolling yourself, I have recently become an amabassador for the program which allows me to share 25% off of tuition with code KAELYNHANSENXIIN —Make sure to mention this code as checkout, either online or on the phone, for it to be applied. And if you have any questions on my experience, I am always happy to answer over at hello@wellnesswithkaelyn.com
Why I wanted to become a health coach?
This requires us to go back to 2018 when I graduated nursing school. At that time, I was already really passionate about health and wellness— but my own health was very much on the back burner. Over the next couple of years, i developed painful, cystic acne, completely lost my period, dealt with mood swings, inflammation, migraines, fatigue, and never felt good. I knew something had to give.
At this time, I was also working in the emergency room- by nature, a space filled with adrenaline and stress. This hit a peak in 2020— we all know what happened that year 🫠🤪
During this time, I became burnt out and began to pull back on my emergency room job. I started pursuing more holistic health clinic jobs, desiring some direction on my own health concerns as well. And I started playing around with the idea of whether health care was even where I wanted to be— because my experience at that point was seeing a lot of the shortcomings of the healthcare system.
If you are curious about health coaching, you have SO MANY options— whether that is creating and building your own business, partnering with a provider, developing a wellness product, or hosting events 👏
But what if I could help to foster holistic health and wellness? What if I could encourage men and women to live healthier lives and ditch chronic illness? What if I could reframe my own life to be healthier? What if my career could support my health, rather than fuel my stress and anxiety?
I started thinking and praying through all of these questions, and one day, I stumbled upon IIN… It is what initially inspired this idea of becoming a health coach and sent me on a path of researching every different course I could find. Within just a couple months, I was enrolled and ready to start a 6 months course with high hopes and big dreams (both for a future business and my own health journey).
What is IIN?
Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) is an online educational platform with over three decades of experience, which has led it to become the world’s most respected nutrition and health coaching school with the largest global presence in health coaching. That is immediately what sold me on signing up (not to mention a lot of other perks and benefits that I’ll get into).
But right off the bat, I loved that they were experienced. It wasn’t just some new program that shared the latest trends and fads, but true, science-backed, researched information towards better wellness.
My Experience With IIN
By the time I signed up, I had a little newborn at home and was still working part-time as a nurse. This meant that I needed flexibility! I loved that everything was asynchronous meaning that I could do it whenever I was able to! From all the courses I looked into, it was by far the most flexible.
In January of 2022, I was officially enrolled in the accelerated 6 month Health Coaching Course. This looks like modules and videos that you go over at your own pace, plus exams to ensure mastery over the subjects. The second half of the course you start coaching circles, where you get to put what you are learning into practice!
There are so many foundational topics I learned during that time that I continue to reflect back on and implement into my health coaching practice (as well as my very own health)! Things like bioindividuality, primary foods, digestions, stress relief, and quality nutrition are all fundamentals that I use with coaching clients to this day.
Some other things I loved about IIN:
business education- while I loved the health information, I really appreciated that they also covered the business side of things. This was my first official business endeavor, so there was a lot to learn (heck, there still is)! But I can confidently say that IIN gave me a really great foundation
varied health information- everyone knows that health is not a “one size fits all approach”. That is why I really appreciated that IIN provided education on over 100 different diets, and even recommended experimenting with different ones to find what best supports your health, wellness, and bio-individuality.
asynchronous- that means I could do the modules when and where I wanted. I completed some modules during road trips, some during downtime at work, and most from the comfort of my couch!
cost- compared to other programs, this one was significantly more affordable (while still including all the topics and education I was hoping for!)
FAQs
How long does the Health Coaching course take?
When enrolling with IIN you have the option to sign up to a year-long course or an accelerated course. I choose to complete my certification in 6 months on the accelerated program online.
How can I learn more about becoming a Health Coach?
I get asked, “What is a health coach?” all the time— and I get it! I did not know before entering into this field. I have written a couple of blog posts about the topic and compared the credentials of dieticians and nutritionists (and which one may be the best fit for you)! You can also take the quiz on the IIN website, which will help direct you to which course is best for your goals and interests.
Can you complete the course and have a full-time job?
IIN offers the coaching course as a 12-month (one module per week) or 6-month program (two modules per week). Both options are doable with a full-time job, however, only you know your time commitments. I found the accelerated program to be a perfect fit while working part-time and raising a young baby. I appreciated the flexibility to work at my own pace, without feeling overwhelmed!
What is a health coach and what do they actually do?
In short, a Health Coach is a supportive mentor, educator, and source of encouragement! They work with clients, patients, or the general public to health promote healthy habits.
What is it like to study coaching online?
At first, I was a little skeptical about another online course. During my Bachelor’s Degree for nursing school, I had many online courses— and honestly, I really struggled with them. But despite the entire course being online, I didn’t have as much of a struggle with IIN. Unlike nursing school where you are managing multiple different classes and formats, during your IIN education you only have to focus on your coursework for health coaching.
I also appreciate that while it is all online it still has a lot of practical, hands-on practice and application. You connect directly with IIN educators and other students, where you are able to talk and practice the skills you are learning about.
How much does it cost?
The Health Coaching Training Program is currently $4,895. If you are interested in signing up, you can receive 25% off that price with code KAELYNHANSENXIIN just mention it at checkout either online or by phone ✨ They also regularly have promotions, so just keep an eye out! Or shoot me an email and I can let you know of any that I am aware of :)
As always, let me know if you have any more questions!
Kaelyn