Valerie Taylor, HCT Graduate, Knoxville, Tennessee

About 12 years ago, I did quite a number of cooking spots on a local television station's "lifestyle" program to promote cooking classes that I was teaching at Williams-Sonoma. But as life would have it, after a few years, my attentions were diverted and I stopped cooking professionally. In 2006, I completed HealthCoach Training and have been slowly building my business, albeit with many fits and starts. Anyone hear of the "Bright Shiny Object" syndrome? At the end of last year, I decided to incorporate my love of cooking into my health coaching marketing plan and began teaching cooking classes in my home. I met one of the news anchors at brunch in December and I told her I was interested in coming back to the station to do some cooking spots. She gave me the "yeah, yeah," but in January I followed up with her. Read more

Jerry Ellefson, HCT Graduate, Gold Canyon, Arizona

Loris Sofia Gregory, Newsletter Editor: I recently invited Jerry Ellefson, former HCT classmate, to review an e-book that I thought might be supportive to newsletter readers. Here's his reply.

Thanks so much for sharing HubSpot's "Facebook Page Marketing 2011" with me, Loris. As a professional Internet Marketing Consultant and Coach, I use several Internet marketing strategies in our own businesses and for our clients. I am also the instructor for the "Social Media" class in the Health Coaching curriculum, so I definitely know that Facebook in particular is a very powerful strategy to generate leads for your business and build your brand online. Whether you are a seasoned pro or a complete "newbie," I found this eBook is full of great information and tips about how to use Facebook for building your business and your brand. Read more

Susan Larsen Daigle, PhD, HCT Student, Mandeville, Louisiana

My transition to professional health coaching evolved from my life's journey along the public health pathway. My travels convinced me that health care is a superb vehicle for helping others, making a positive difference, restoring some sense of equity to the community and ensuring that the future will be better than the past. My introduction to health coaching confirmed this belief and found me standing on a threshold to a more personal, compassionate and individualized means to encourage others to take the first steps toward healthy lifestyle changes and a fulfilling life. Over the last few months I have come to realize that HCT teachers Jane Stong and Mona Boyes were beckoning and encouraging me to cross the threshold and create a new reality. Read more