During the last 30+ years, we’ve certified over 130,000 health, nutrition, and fitness professionals. Each month, we recognize one of our distinguished graduates who use what they have learned to inspire others and make a difference.
Meet our graduate for the month of May, Parminder Saini, an AFPA Certified Holistic Health Coach
How did you initially become interested in health and fitness?
For the last 10-12 years, I have been actively involved in the health and fitness industry. One, due to my involvement in a few health and wellness start-ups, and two, my own fitness journey. I was working out but then with work, along with my travel schedule, didn’t really help me much. I started to gain weight and felt unhealthy. I finally realized that I could not carry on the way that I was going. My trainer put together a specialized diet and workout plan for me. I started working out regularly and became more conscious of my body. I began to research more about nutrition and healthy eating and decided I wanted to help others just like my trainer helped me.
What certification did you choose, and why did you choose AFPA?
I chose the Certified Holistic Health Coach certification, which included the certified Holistic Nutritionist as well as the certified Health and Wellness Coach certifications.
AFPA came across as a very credible organization with a strong industry reputation. I loved the way the courses were structured and how I could pace myself, keeping in mind my multiple other initiatives along with work. Overall, I was very impressed with the research that has been put into these courses. It not only added to my knowledge but also helped change my own life.
What was your career like prior to becoming certified?
I have been a life coach, innovator, parallel entrepreneur, strategist, and tactician with over 26 years of experience in achieving business growth objectives within start-ups, turnaround, and rapid change environments. Apart from investing in a few of my own start-ups and consulting with Fortune 500 clients, I worked with a pain management company for the last 12 years before acquiring it. Now, I’m rebuilding it to where we can offer coaching, pain relief, and mobility solutions one person at a time.
What is your career like now?
With me now being a certified Holistic Health Coach, I intend to promote my work for the betterment of others. I strongly believe an approach to wellness is the right path forward on your journey to better health. Wellness is when the physical, mental, and spiritual states of a person are in harmony with each other and are perfectly balanced. Holistic refers to the healing of the “whole person,” who is made up of interdependent parts (e.g., the mind, body, and spirit).
Holistic wellness is an ongoing journey and one that, according to circumstances, will change and can change you. I intend to continue providing private coaching and am in the process of launching another start-up that might help bring health and wellness well within reach for minorities!
What are your favorite parts of your career?
I love the people part and my ability to add value to their lives. Watching how my clients’ lives evolve is absolutely my most favorite.
How has becoming certified with AFPA impacted your life?
Being certified with AFPA definitely opened a lot of doors and a lot of opportunities. It helped establish my career in the health space. The most important aspect is the knowledge gained along with the certification to establish credibility.
Do you have any client success stories you would like to share?
Plenty of success stories. I had a painter painting my garage, and with every stroke of the brush, he was cursing out as he seemed in a lot of pain. I got to work with him on his issues and helped him. Another one was where a lady couldn’t work out with her family as she used to and that was leading her to depression. I was able to work with her, and in just 1-2 sessions, she felt so much better that she started doing push-ups right there in my practice and was relieved that now she would be able to get back to her routine…I could go on with such success stories!
Right now, I have an awesome client who has gone through a series of health issues, unhealthy relationships, and toxic people treating them unfairly. Now, this individual is thriving, has been successfully working on making some key lifestyle changes, and is much more confident. I am getting to witness clients who are looking for wellness solutions, have gone through heartbreaks, are facing marital issues, and have the desire to fulfill a dream they have been pursuing for years.
What advice do you give others thinking about becoming certified?
Coaching isn’t giving people feedback, telling them what to do, or teaching or training them. Coaching isn’t a matter of simply listening really well and asking some questions.
Good coaches are collaborative by nature. Coaching requires partnership and dialogue. They want the best for their clients and see them as capable and creative. They trust others to solve problems and make decisions.
If you decide to become certified, you will need to go through a coach training program. AFPA is an excellent source of information about all aspects of embarking on a coaching career. There are a lot of programs to choose from, many of which offer a lot of flexibility and online training.
To connect with Parminder, follow him on Instagram for more information or you can contact him directly at psaini@rossiter.com to learn more.
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