[Newsletter] The Smartest Coach in the Room

Two short words to uncover BIG motivation Every Saturday, The Smartest Coach in the Room delivers helpful takeaways on the hottest nutrition and health topics and the world’s most effective coaching techniques. (Did some amazing friend forward this to you? [Subscribe here]( The Power of “What” If you’ve hung out with us long enough, you’ve probably heard of “the 5 whys.” It’s a short self-inquiry exercise that helps clients and coaches alike find their true, compelling purpose behind a goal. The below image shows how it works. [An image outlining "the 5 whys."] Why “Why” Matters Finding your “why” is a shortcut to finding your pain: It shows you what’s missing from your life or what you risk losing if you don’t achieve your goal. But it also reveals your greatest hopes for your life. And that clear vision of what’s possible can be a strong pull towards positive change. Your “why” is bigger and more meaningful than a surface reason; it has more fuel to help you stay the course—even when you “don’t feel motivated” or “don’t have time.” Yet asking “why” isn’t always the best strategy. Asking “why?” can also lead to confusion or defensiveness. Rather than helping the person get inquisitive about their actions, it can cause them to justify them. Depending on the context, “why?” can feel a lot like criticism in disguise. (As in: “Why did you think that eating a pint of ice cream was a good idea??” What that question really means is: “I don’t think that was a good idea and I don’t really care why, I just want to tell you I thought that was dumb.”) People may also worry if they can’t answer why. Sometimes, we just don’t know why. (Which is okay.) Sometimes you need a “what” to get to a “why.” As in: 🤔 What is it about this goal that seems so compelling right now? 🤔 What else is happening when you imagine yourself achieving your goal? 🤔 What do you feel accomplishing this goal would say about you? Try it yourself. Experiment and try different question frames when you nudge clients about the deeper reasons behind their goals. Such as: Why? What? I wonder about…? How might it be if...? Can you say more about that? Notice the responses you get from different types of questions. When people land on their deep reasons for change, emotions often come up (eyes welling up, posture changes, alterations in tone of voice). So watch closely. 👀 And if you want more strategies to help people change, check out our [Level 1 Nutrition Coaching Certification](. It combines the science of nutrition along with the art of coaching—so you can learn which behaviors have the most impact on clients’ health, and also how to help clients actually do them. [Become a Certified Nutrition Coach - Join the presale list for the #1 rated PN Level 1 Nutrition Certification]( Take care, Alex :) --------------------------------------------------------------- Alex Picot-Annand, PN2, Holistic Nutritionist Editorial Director Precision Nutrition Home of the world’s top nutrition coaches --------------------------------------------------------------- What did you think of this email? Precision Nutrition Business Insider's #1 Choice for Nutrition Certifications in 2022 --- To view this email as a web page, click [here.]( Precision Nutrition Inc. 18 King Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, ON, M5C 1C4, Canada Finally, nutrition makes sense. Visit us at [www.precisionnutrition.com]( today. Follow us on [Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences](