What occurs when a Ph.D. with a ardour for habits change, a knack for curriculum design, and a present for connection leads your well being coach coaching? You get Dr. Shana Walsh—AFPA’s Director of Training and Curriculum, and the chief of our Grasp Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach program.
With a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Train Vitamin, and Well being Promotion, in addition to credentials as a Nationwide Board-Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach, Grasp Licensed Well being Training Specialist, and Licensed Private Coach, Dr. Walsh brings a long time of expertise to each course she touches. From shaping what you study behind the scenes to guiding dwell Zoom periods with power and empathy, she’s each the architect and advocate to your teaching journey.
On this interview, Shana shares her method to constructing student-centered packages, what makes AFPA’s dwell cohort expertise so distinctive, and some enjoyable info, just like the time she did a pull-up whereas hula-hooping.
The Secrets and techniques Behind AFPA’s Curriculum
As AFPA’s Training & Curriculum Director, how do you form the scholar studying expertise?
My position encompasses the complete course improvement lifecycle. This ranges from the strategy planning stage, the place we strategize new course choices and subjects that align with pupil wants, to creating written and video studying supplies, and securing top-tier instructors which can be consultants of their respective areas. I’m additionally concerned in aiding present college students all through their AFPA studying journey. In each stage, I prioritize the standard of the training we offer, making certain probably the most helpful and relevant content material for our college students. It’s extraordinarily rewarding to see one thing go from an thought scribbled on a notepad in pencil to a certification college students can earn to vary the trajectory of their profession and their lives.
What’s one thing most individuals may not notice about how AFPA develops its curriculum?
Most individuals may not notice that we all the time begin by asking, ‘What’s greatest for the scholar?’ The reply to that single query drives each choice we make, from the subjects we train, the educating strategies we make use of, the instructors we choose, and even the little particulars, just like the on-screen colours in our programs (nay for orange, yay for blue).
Past course improvement, what typically goes unseen is how a lot we have a good time alongside our college students. After they earn their certificates and discover success within the area, we’re completely ecstatic. In spite of everything, that’s our final aim: to supply the training they should actually propel them into the skilled roles they search.
How do you guarantee AFPA’s packages keep present with analysis, traits, and greatest practices?
Within the well being business, new analysis is continually rising, offering new data and redefining greatest practices. At AFPA, we perceive that offering our college students with outdated data is solely not an choice, so we take a proactive method as an alternative. We make it part of our routine to observe the most recent problems with main tutorial and business journals, attend business conferences, tune into webinars, and community with different skilled organizations and consultants within the area. We’ve even been recognized to edit a dwell course to tweak a reality or two based mostly on newly gleaned information. We do that to ensure that when our college students graduate, they’ve probably the most present data potential to excel of their careers.
What do you see as among the most respected abilities college students achieve from AFPA packages?
Among the most respected abilities college students achieve from AFPA packages embody:
- Complete Data: Each single certainly one of our programs offers a wealth of information on the subject of examine. For college students actually looking for to achieve experience in a particular space, AFPA is the final word useful resource.
- Holistic Views: At AFPA, we deeply perceive how intertwined all areas of well being are. For that purpose, we infuse holistic views into all the things we train, supporting our college students to see the larger image.
- Sensible Utility and Teaching Expertise: It’s one factor to know what to do, nevertheless it’s one other to have the ability to do it successfully. We don’t simply train the talents, we additionally present ample observe alternatives to use them to actual world eventualities.
- Skilled Confidence and Profession Readiness: Our packages are designed to construct college students’ confidence of their skills, making ready them to excel on their chosen profession journey.
What makes the dwell cohort expertise particular at AFPA?
The Superior Well being Teaching Intensive is the dynamic, dwell part of our Licensed Grasp Well being and Wellness Coach program, and it’s AFPA’s solely dwell course. In a single Zoom room, we unite individuals from throughout the nation and across the globe. Whereas all of us come from vastly totally different walks of life, we share a profound commonality: a deep want to empower others to turn out to be the very best model of themselves. There’s magic in bringing collectively adults of all ages, with their various backgrounds and wealthy life experiences, watching them study and develop collectively. It’s actually transformative.
Study How one can Set Your self Aside as a Board-Licensed Well being Coach
Attending to Know Dr. Walsh Outdoors the Classroom
What are a number of quirky or shocking issues about you that your college students may not know?
I’ve efficiently accomplished one pull up whereas hula-hooping.
Additionally, I’ve scored within the 99th percentile for extroversion on a number of persona assessments. Once I was in first grade, my instructor moved my seat for speaking so many instances, I ended up sitting subsequent to each single child in school.
I didn’t study to experience a motorbike till I used to be an grownup, as a result of as a child I wished to focus all my power on rollerblading.
If you’re not engaged on curriculum, educating, or teaching, how do you recharge?
As a quintessential extrovert, I recharge by spending time with others. Whether or not it’s from good dialog with my neighbors sitting across the firepit, some pleasant competitors in rec pickleball, or absorbing high quality time at residence with my household, the power I get from social connectedness fills my cup.
If you happen to needed to sum up your philosophy on habits change in a single sentence, what wouldn’t it be?
If you happen to change your well being, you alter your life.
Her Recommendation for Aspiring Coaches
What recommendation would you give to somebody who’s on the fence about becoming a member of the subsequent dwell well being teaching session?
If you happen to’re on the fence about becoming a member of the subsequent dwell course, remind your self that this is likely one of the best and inexpensive methods to turn out to be a Nationwide Board Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach. As an NBHWC-Authorised program, AFPA gives a direct and supportive path to board certification with out pointless delays or bills.
In case your aim is to supply a significant service to others by way of the ability of well being and wellness teaching, whereas incomes a dwelling doing work that makes a distinction, that is your alternative. You’ll achieve the talents to assist individuals make actual, lasting modifications of their lives—and be compensated for the worth you present. Well being and wellness teaching remains to be an rising area, which implies there’s room to develop, contribute, and set up your self in an rising career.
On the similar time, this isn’t nearly your shoppers—it’s a transformative expertise for you, too. Via this coaching, you’ll deepen your individual self-awareness, develop important teaching abilities, and construct the arrogance wanted to not solely go the board examination however to really be a terrific coach.
If that sounds just like the sort of profession and private development you’ve been in search of, cease hesitating and enroll in the present day!
📆 The subsequent AFPA dwell well being teaching session begins quickly.
Be part of a worldwide group of aspiring coaches and study from among the area’s main educators.
