Kelly Carter graduated with honors in Human Nutrition from Guelph University and thrived at the Institute for Holistic Nutrition.  But when she started seeing nutrition clients six years ago, she wasn’t seeing the results she wanted for her clients.

“Probably one in a hundred people would stick to what I told them,” Kelly says, “I would spend so much time creating all this content … and then they would do nothing. Some people wouldn't even come back.”

“That’s when I completely changed my coaching.”

The 3 Ways Kelly Can Confidently Promise Results for Each Client

Without time to spare to improve client outcomes and save her nutrition business, Kelly doubled down on three major ways to become her client’s nutritionist for life:

• Starting by building trust
• Working very closely with each client, and
• Understanding the cognitive behavioral side to health choices

Let’s break this down a bit so you can understand how Kelly completely changed her practice from “no results” to operating a results-based practice.

1. Start by building trust

“If you don't trust someone, you won't tell them what you're really feeling or tell them what's going on,” says Kelly, '“You have to make sure that you have trust with that client, because if you go on asking personal questions, they're going to close up and leave.”

Why is trust so important? Not only will trust (and a sense of rapport) lead to staying power, but it will also make it easier to navigate issues with a client.

Once you build that trust, you ask them point blank, "Hey, what's going on? You're not following these recipes, you're not doing this. No judgment, but I really want to help you and I want this to work for you, but something is blocking and we have to figure that out."

2. Work Closely With Each Client

According to Kelly, the secret to success when it comes to one-on-one coaching? Being with them every step of the way.

“My clients talk to me either face-to-face or over the phone every week, at least once. Throughout the week, they can either text me, WhatsApp, email, whatever they can do. They can do it daily, multiple times a day. I don't take on too many clients because I work super, super, super closely with everyone I see.”

“When you come see me as a nutritionist or a health practitioner, I want to be the last person you see. I don’t want you to hop to someone else, because I want to work closely with you. I want to get to the bottom of it and help you to get what you’re looking for in terms of health.” - Kelly Carter, Certified Nutritional Practitioner

Once she started working closely with clients — and touching base with them a few times each week — she started seeing real results and happier clients.

(Psst — using nutrition practice software can save time and help you connect closely with each nutrition client, offering them the personalized nutrition attention they need to get real results. Meal Garden makes it possible to create, curate, and share dietitian-approved recipes, and modify meals and collections based on each client’s unique needs. Why wait? It’s free to join.)

3. Focus on the cognitive side

“You can’t just say ‘stop eating sugar and start eating apples.’ There are some heavy things that people hold onto, and it’s affecting their eating habits,” says Kelly.

In fact, Kelly herself used to struggle with sugar addiction, until she learned about intuitive eating.

“The second that I figured out what was causing my sugar addiction, I don't reach for sugar nearly half as much,” she says.

As a nutritionist or health coach, Kelly believes it’s her job to help clients understand what’s triggering their unhealthy habits.

By understanding how cognitive behavior shapes a client’s health habits, nutritionists can support long-term change.

“A lot of my clients see a therapist as well. I find that clients who do that, it's a lot easier to execute on the nutritional habit part because [they’re] so much more open to understanding what's going on in the background.”

How to Reach Kelly

Check out Kelly’s website by going to kellycarter.ca, follow her on facebook, and learn more about her coaching and programs by clicking here.

Client Engagement, Getting Started, growing your business

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