Create Change in Communities as a Health and Wellness Coach
At the Health Coaches Academy we are on a mission to make health coaching available to all.
Our students and graduates don’t just train as Health and Wellness Coaches - through initiatives like Project RIO, many apply their skills in communities where they’re needed most, creating lasting change. We connect Health Coaches with non-profit organisations, offering support that improves wellbeing and strengthens communities, and we invite those who share our commitment to create meaningful impact to get involved and make a difference too.
Click here to discover our Level 5 Diploma and start your Health and Wellness Coach journey today.
Project RIO – Research, Innovation, Outreach
Project RIO (Research & Development, Innovation, and Outreach) is our commitment to social impact. The Outreach element places Health and Wellness Coaches into charities, community centres, and non-profit organisations worldwide. This gives students and graduates invaluable real-world experience while helping underserved groups. From tackling chronic stress to empowering lifestyle changes, our Wellness Coaches deliver meaningful support where it matters most.
NHS Clapham Begg Surgery: Supporting Sustainable Lifestyle Change
NHS Clapham Begg Surgery in London invited four HCA Graduates to volunteer weekly as part of a pilot programme aimed at bridging the gap between medical care and sustainable lifestyle change. HCA coordinated and enabled this pilot, providing support and supervision to ensure its successful delivery.
Over 8 weeks, patients took part in a personalised health coaching programme designed to support emotional wellbeing, healthy habits, nutrition, stress management, and physical activity. The impact has been overwhelmingly positive: 64% of people supported rated the service as excellent and 91% said they would definitely recommend it.
Patients said that HCA Health Coaches provided a compassionate, non-judgemental space to talk openly, build confidence, and feel more in control of their health. Many reported real lifestyle changes, including becoming more active, improving their diet, reducing alcohol intake, and developing healthier ways to manage stress and menopause symptoms. Participants also described increased self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a renewed sense of motivation to maintain healthier routines.
Finchley Foodbank:
Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Community
Finchley Foodbank is a registered charity based in the London Borough of Barnet, providing food and essential support to individuals and families experiencing financial hardship. Their mission is to uplift people out of poverty with compassion and dignity.
As part of Project RIO, an 8-week health coaching programme, designed specifically for Finchley Foodbank clients, supported participants in making realistic, sustainable changes to improve their physical health, mental wellbeing, and confidence in making healthier lifestyle choices. This project was brought to fruition by one of our very own HCA students, Priya, who saw an opportunity to support this group and worked closely with the RIO team to ensure the project would meet the needs of the group.
The impact of the health coaching programme was clear. Clients reported feeling more in control of their health and wellbeing, often for the first time in years. HCA Health Coaches built strong, trusting relationships that enabled meaningful, lasting change, while also gaining personally from the experience, deepening their empathy, confidence, and coaching skills. To further support trust and comfort, two of the Health Coaches chose to coach in Spanish, the native language of their clients, helping to put them as much at ease as possible.
What Finchley Foodbank Clients Said:
"Working with HCA Graduate Health Coach, Liz was a beautiful and transformative experience. My goal was to improve the quality of my sleep, and thanks to her compassionate support and knowledge, I now sleep more deeply and wake up feeling truly rested.
Liz helped me build a healthier lifestyle with supportive food routines and strategies that really worked. She listened to me with care and guided me every step of the way. Most importantly, we reached our goal.”
CLIENT, FINCHLEY FOODBANK
Nurture & Nourish Project: Caring For Those Who Care For Others
This project recognised the positive impact Health and Wellness Coaching could have on healthcare professionals and carers supporting people with life-limiting conditions.
Two proposed initiatives, one supporting hospice staff in Northern England and the other offering coaching to volunteer carers in an NHS-funded end-of-life programme in the East of England, shared a common aim. These were combined to create the Nurture and Nourish project.
A total of 20 staff and volunteers engaged in a bespoke coaching programme over 6-8 weeks and the coaching was provided online to improve access around shift work. These sessions facilitated staff and volunteers within these caring professions time to focus on their own health and wellbeing.
The Powerful Impact of
Health Coaching
Mindful of the unique pressures facing health care staff, coaches have taken particular care to offer flexible, person-centred support tailored to individual needs. Stress, overwhelm and balancing the competing demands of work and home life were common themes.
Participants experienced meaningful improvements in their wellbeing, including better-quality sleep, greater confidence in managing stress, weight loss paired with renewed self-belief, and increased engagement in activities that support balance and calm. These shifts reflect the impact of having a safe, non‑judgemental coaching space to explore healthier habits, lifestyle changes, and self‑care.
“I would highly recommend health coaching to anyone looking to improve their overall wellbeing and lifestyle."
"My experience has been incredibly positive. Taryn has been supportive, approachable, and genuinely invested in helping me succeed. She offers practical strategies and provides clear guidance. Her ability to listen, signpost useful resources, and set manageable tasks has helped me make meaningful changes in my health, habits and mindset.”
CLIENT, NURTURE & NOURISH PROJECT
Community NHS Reading:
Group Coaching for Long-Term Health Conditions
At NHS Reading, HCA supported graduates Laura and Penny in creating a group coaching programme helping people living with long-term health conditions.
The sessions gave participants a safe, supportive space to share experiences, learn from each other, and explore lifestyle changes together. Patients reported feeling more motivated, confident, and in control of their health, often linking diet and daily habits to symptoms for the first time. The programme was so well received that the practice is now exploring the possibility of further groups and a permanent Health Coach role is under discussion.
HCA Health Coach Graduates,
Laura & Penny
Clara at HCA 3-Day Live Health Coach Training Event, London
Happy In Your Body:
Empowering Women in London
Happy In Your Body is a London-based Community Interest Company supporting disadvantaged women through health coaching, lifestyle medicine, and complementary therapies.
Clara, an HCA graduate, volunteered for several weeks, providing invaluable Health Coach support that significantly benefited the participants through both one-to-one mentoring sessions and group sessions. She dedicated her time to meeting with a group of women weekly to establish their goals and take proactive steps towards better health and a happier life.
“Clara has been a great asset to our program. She has provided wonderful support and recently led a group session for which we were delighted to compensate her."
-Tish, Director of Happy In Your Body
"Health Coaches are really needed out there. We can make such a difference."
"Health Coaches are really needed out there; we can make such a difference. I was eager for hands-on work experience, and when I saw this opportunity, I knew I had to apply. The women I have worked with have undergone life-changing journeys. Imagine the impact if more interventions like this were available. Many are unaware of what health coaching involves, so it's crucial we're out there making our role known."
CLARA, HCA HEALTH COACH GRADUATE
Learn how you can train as a Health and Wellness Coach and create real impact
Find out more about our Level 5, professionally recognised
Health & Wellness Coaching Diploma.
HCA Graduate Health Coach, Jerry, Delivering Group Health Coaching to Bellhaven Clients
Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre:
Supporting Recovery
The Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre offers medical and psycho-social services to approximately 200 low-income clients dealing with substance use disorders. Our students and graduates volunteered their Health and Wellness Coach skills to support Bellhaven’s members in various capacities, with nine participating in a 6-week programme.
HCA Health and Wellness Coaches have helped clients achieve meaningful improvements in their wellbeing. Many clients feel truly heard and supported, celebrating both small victories and life-changing breakthroughs in their health journeys. Health professionals, in particular, have been able to rediscover balance, finally prioritising their own wellbeing while continuing to care for others.
Through their work at Bellhaven, HCA students and graduates have not only supported clients but also grown as Health and Wellness Coaches themselves. Group sessions have sparked fresh innovations and inspired new approaches, while the supportive community of practice and mentoring has helped them build both confidence and competence in their coaching journey.
"I think every person needs a Health Coach"
Hear what the members and staff at Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre said about their experience of health coaching.
Bellhaven Client Feedback
“It has been an incredible journey for me. I have improved in many aspects of my life. I feel much better and much healthier than before. I have regained my focus, dedication and productivity and I am able to complete my tasks on time”
Clovis, Bellhaven Client
“I am really grateful for the opportunity to access a Health & Wellness Coach. The sessions have brought my dream back of running an orphanage. This always looked almost impossible to achieve looking at my current ‘location’. Health coaching has helped this vision to come alive again. It has revived self-awareness, self-value, and self-patience.”
Nkeka, Bellhaven Client
“The experience has been amazing for me. Initially I doubted the whole experience. I counsel people, I don’t want to be counselled. But it was a great experience and my coach Hlengi was amazing!”