Change Agents

The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing has been a thought leader in health coaching since 2005 when it began the first academically-based graduate health coaching program in the United States — a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Integrative Therapies and Healing practices with an emphasis on health coaching. In 2014, the program expanded to include a Master of Arts in Integrative Health & Wellbeing Coaching. 

“You don’t need a master’s degree to be a health coach, but you need a master’s degree to be a leader in healthcare,” says Cherie O’Neill, EdD, FACSM, NBC-HWC, PAPHS, EP-C, CHWC.

Since 2022, the curriculum has been redesigned to attract, inspire, and train a new generation of health coaches and healthcare leaders. 

The curriculum was also shifted to focus on competencies required by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and support students in passing the organization’s certification exam

Another goal was to remove barriers to increase accessibility. The program was shortened from three to two years, reducing the time commitment and cost of the program.

“I was really happy to find out that the University has a program because that meant I had access to scholarships,” says Nandi Tippett, who is in her second semester. She also appreciated the program’s commitment to health equity, diversity within the program, and education about diversity and inclusion. Other students have taken advantage of the University’s Regents Tuition Benefit Program, which provides eligible employees with reduced tuition, and other statewide scholarship programs. Important metrics, such as skills assessments, the number of students who pass the NBHWC exam, patient outcomes, and feedback from organizations where students do internships, will inform the program’s success and future curriculum changes. 

“We’re lucky to be located in Minneapolis, where several health care insurance companies are headquartered and they all hire health coaches,” O’Neill says. “It creates a unique opportunity for us and our students.”

Meet some of the students preparing to partner with patients to achieve their wellbeing goals.

Kaueh Boyer-Holanda was gearing up to become a personal fitness trainer when he first learned about health coaching. “I was also working as a clinic coordinator with a healthcare provider who helped patients with TMJ and head pain, and they told me about it,” he recalls.

Health coaching felt like the perfect way to blend what he learned about mindset and motivation from earning a psychology degree at the University of Minnesota with his passion for health and fitness. Becoming a health coach has taken a big shift in his own mindset. “I’m learning. I don’t have to think of solutions for people,” he says. “Instead, my job is to help them find their own path.”

Being part of the first cohort enrolled in the newly updated curriculum has been a positive experience. “We’re getting an opportunity to give feedback and be teachers as well as students,” he says. As far as what he wants to do after he completes the program, he says, “if I can find someplace where I can do pro bono work and give back to the community, I’ll be happy.”

Wendy Composto spent the early part of her career as a nutritionist in long-term care facilities. “I started realizing that what I was doing was reactionary because, at the point where people were in long-term care, the biggest issue seemed to be that their nutrition could have been impacted much earlier,” she recalls.

She eventually quit and focused on raising her children. Once her kids were in their teens, Composto joined the development team at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, where she does event planning.

One day, an email about the health coaching graduate program landed in her inbox. “Having access to the University’s Regents Tuition Benefit Program for employees helped me decide because it made the program more affordable.” Composto says. “The teachings around self-awareness are already beneficial in helping me understand myself better — like considering what I think and how I project those thoughts to others around me,” she says.

She’s maintained her registered dietician credentials and hopes to spend the next part of her career making an impact by utilizing her nutrition knowledge and coaching skills.

“I look back at how helpful it (coaching) could have been to so many patients,” says Elizabeth Dittrich, a former Mayo Clinic nurse. Dittrich, who utilized integrative healing modalities including acupuncture, cranial-sacral therapy, and Reiki for her own wellbeing, was always interested in a more holistic approach to patient care.

After seeing how health coaching benefited some of her family members, she decided to turn in her scrubs and enroll. “The U has such a great reputation, and the elective courses that are offered drew me in, especially the ones I’m taking now on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”While unsure exactly how she’ll use her health coaching education, she’d knows she’d like to work with underserved populations. “The clinical setting is something I’m comfortable with,” she says.

Rebecca Sandness became interested in behavioral health while working at an outpatient center for children with autism. “I also worked with a health coach for three months and had a transformative experience,” she recalls. “So far, one of the most impactful things she’s learned in her first year of the program is the power of presence. “We’ve been coaching some students at Concordia University in St. Paul, and what I see in them and myself is that everyone is just go-go-go,” Sandness says. “But just slowing down, taking a breath, and really listening to the person you’re speaking creates such a powerful connection.” Sandness currently works as a care coordinator at a company that offers autism and mental health services to infants through adults and hopes she might be able to help the organization set up health coaching services for patients one day.

Nandi Tippett has always centered her work around helping others explore ways to engage with wellbeing. She’s worked as a medical scribe and several Minneapolis-based nonprofits, including Reviving Roots, a holistic mental health space that centers Black wellness. These spaces connected her with doctors, nurses, and mental health experts. “Sometimes it seemed like they didn’t feel they were able to help people like they wanted to,” she says. “But health coaching makes me feel hopeful.” “We’ve had homework about mindfulness, how to communicate non-violently, giving and receiving feedback, and regulating emotions,” Tippett says. ”I love that I’m learning how to help others do that.” Tippett says she’s excited about all the opportunities available to use her health coaching skills. She’s currently considering pursuing a PhD to research the connection between neuroscience and wellbeing with the goal of showing it’s worth funding.