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I receive this question all the time––“Should I study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition”? Like any education program this one has its strengths and weaknesses, lovers and haters, success stories and fails. Today I’m going to share with you my own experience with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), where I received my health coach training in 2012. I hope this is helpful for you if you’ve considered enrolling to further your career, start a new one, or for personal enrichment.
I would also love to hear from those of you who have already done the program; what was your experience? Let’s get that convo going in the comment section below.
FULL DISCLOSURE: After completing the program I became an “ambassador” or affiliate. That means that I receive a monetary reward when people I recommend (via this blog or in-person) enroll at IIN. If you do want to enroll and to use me as a referral, here’s a link you can use to save $$. Still, my experience below does include both goods and bads, so take that into consideration before making your decision 😉
Now, on to my IIN review!
WAS IIN WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY?
I can honestly say it was worth it. I learned a lot about nutrition and business, met wonderful people, expanded my career possibilities, and gained confidence in myself. Now I have a successful career as a vegan culinary and nutrition expert. My career has given me the opportunity to work with clients around the world, and given me the flexibility to travel and enjoy my life. I love that by following my passion I am helping and inspiring others; I see growth and expansion in my future, and that inspires me to continue pursuing my dreams.
I didn’t get a thorough scientific nutrition education at IIN, and I am not a nutritionist. But I didn’t want to become a nutritionist. I wanted to deepen my understanding of how food affects our overall health, so I could apply it to my business as a personal chef and blogger.
Though I didn’t go into the program thinking I would use my “health coach” certification professionally, I quickly realized how valuable people like me can be to society. I don’t think you need to go to a nutritionist to learn how to eat a healthier diet, or to lose weight. I also learned, from IIN and another program that I completed and adored––Holistic MBA––that true health doesn’t just come from what you put into your body, but from fostering physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Sometimes these things can be out of whack, and a health coach like me helps you find the balance again. Being a health coach is a lot like being a life coach who focuses on nutrition––a valuable career, indeed.
WEAKNESSES OF IIN
Some may argue that the fact that IIN gives you a health coach certification and not a deeper nutrition education is its biggest weakness. If you think you are going to go to IIN and become a nutritionist you’re mistaken. The program doesn’t claim to, nor do they offer you, the education or credentials to become a nutritionist. For that you must go to an accredited university and get a degree.
The biggest weakness of IIN in my opinion is the way they make it seem as though, by completing the program you will become a successful health coach. You certainly CAN become a successful health coach. I’m one! However, for me, it wasn’t nearly as easy as IIN made it out to be. When I didn’t have a thriving business by graduation I thought something was wrong with me!
Any entrepreneurial endeavor takes entrepreneurial spirit, ambition, and thick skin. If you don’t have these things you can still work as a health coach, but you may be better suited to work for a company who finds the clients and does the business stuff. Sometimes I wish I were working for a company, because running a business ain’t easy. But it sure is rewarding in so many ways.
IIN will give you tons of business know-how and support, but it’s totally up to you to implement what you learn, to go out and find clients, to be able to charge enough for your services so you can pay your bills, and to keep going when the going gets tough.
HOW TO MAKE IIN WORK FOR YOU
If being a health coach is what you want to do, I support you! Make sure you have plenty of moral support, and the support of other people who understand what it is to be an entrepreneur. If you do the IIN program, make sure you take advantage of the network of other people who are studying there. Like I say in the video, I met one of my best friends through IIN. That alone could be worth the investment 😉
Whether you want to be a health coach or do something else, take advantage of all of the valuable business lectures and learning. The program is structured in a way that allows you to start applying what you are learning right away. Cool, right?
Again, any entrepreneurial endeavor takes entrepreneurial spirit, ambition, and thick skin. In business, like in life, you will make a lot of mistakes but you should learn from each one of them. You can’t let the set-backs, hard work, or tough days stop you (unless this isn’t what you want to do). The only way to be successful is by working really hard, learning as you go, and being patient.
SHOULD I DO THE PROGRAM FOR PERSONAL ENRICHMENT?
I wouldn’t, but then again, I’m very frugal. A lot of people do complete the program for personal enrichment though. They enjoy the structure of the program, and the interaction they’re able to have with other people who are enrolled. I can see the benefit of doing it for personal enrichment, but it just isn’t my M.O.
If you want to become healthier you can hire a health coach, find healthy friends, read great nutrition books, read nutrition blogs and websites, start eating healthier, and watch my cooking show!
Now I’d like to hear from you! Have you completed the IIN program? Why did you choose to do it, and what was your experience?
If you have any more questions about IIN, about my career, or whatever, please leave them in the comment section too. I can’t wait to get the dialogue going.
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Thank you for your blog. I start IIN in July 2023 and I’m excited to start my career in Health Coaching and spreading the Healthy lifestyle movement.
Thank you for this post! I am just starting out with my Health Coach journey! Would you recommend IIN or HMBA (now the Health Coach Institute). Thank you for your advice and help!!
You’re welcome! I did IIN, so thats my pick. I don’t know much about the actual ins and outs of HMBA. However, I do love Stacey and Carey 🙂
Hi, I can see that others have asked similar questions, but I wanted to repeat them for my own reassurance……. I am on the brink of signing up to either IIN or HMBA Become A Health Coach and I’m torn!!!! I like the promise of transformational coaching that HMBA offers, but am drawn to the well-known name and past graduates of IIN!!!! In your opinion, which offers the best education for someone who really wants to become a health coach, particularly focussing on helping others unpick their past dieting/weight loss/body issues??? Thanks in advance
Hey Amy! I wish I had gotten back to you sooner. I hope it isn’t too late. I haven’t done HMBA’s coaching program, but my partner is doing it now. She enjoys it. What I like about IIN compared to HMBA is that the nutrition and business coaching is threaded through the whole program. It seems like they hold off on business stuff in HMBA for a while. It’s really hard to say which one is better for making a health coach. I think IIN provided me with a great foundation, and then HMBA’s other courses (I did 2 others but not the health coaching one), provided me with great reinforcement. IIN does have more name recognition. Not sure how much that is worth when getting clients though. I hope that helps a bit. Good luck!
Now Holistic MBA has a health coaching program as well. I don’t know much about it yet, but my friend Isabelle of theplantiful.com recently enrolled. I’m not sure if classes have started yet.
HMBA is really great for business developement and growth. IIN certainly offers that, but I really understood it a lot better coming from HMBA’s Stacey and Carey.
I’ll do a video with my experience of the program before their next enrollment starts 🙂
How are you liking IIN?
So far so good. It is a lot of information but I believe it will be good for me in the long run. I started IIN back in September. I still have the intention of becoming a health coach to help others, but still interested in the Holistic MBA program. Thanks for your response and looks forward to watching your video about HMBA. Thank you.
Absolutely!! I’m wishing you the best 🙂
Hi! Lovely article 🙂 What did you like most about Holistic MBA? I’m trying to decide between the two…
Thank you!
Hello! I loved how digestible and actionable the content is. I learned a lot about how to get clients, create a plan of action, and build my business. Perhaps most importantly, I gained the confidence to go out and do all of those things 🙂
Good luck! Let me know if you ever have more questions.
Hello Tiffany! Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy and honored to be an inspiration in your life. It means so much to me. Best of luck on your journey. I know how hard it can be when other factors in your life don’t seem to support your lifestyle. But you can do it! xo
Thank you so much for posting this video Jenne! I have been considering IIN for over one year now. I know that the business training they provide is one of their major selling points but I am not convinced that it would be relevant to people outside of the US. I mean consumers all over the world have different buying habits. Besides that it would be quite an investment and as you said I need to know my investment will pay off before I dive in. Anyways you have given me something to think about. Thanks again for your honest feedback.. 🙂
Thank you for watching!
I’ve never considered that. Where do you live?
I can imagine that the technical business stuff that we learned (taxes, biz entities, etc) won’t be the same in your country. However, the stuff about marketing, creating coaching packages, and pricing may be helpful. Also, you don’t have to only coach in your country. I’ve had clients as far away as Japan!
Now that the world is so interconnected, borders can’t hold us back 🙂
You make a good point Jenne! I am living in Spain at the moment. I started considering IIN when I decided to start a food blog. I was looking for some form of qualification because I thought no-one would want to hear/read what I have to say otherwise. In the end I started my blog anyways.. 🙂 Someday down the line I will enrol in IIN though. When the time is right. BTW I love your blog and what you do. I’m not vegan but I do incorporate a lot of vegan meals into my lifestyle. Keep up the excellent work!!
Where in Spain do you live?
I spent a semester in Madrid in college. I traveled around most of the country then, and I visited again a couple years ago. I love it!
Thanks so much for reading my blog! Yours is lovely too. I’ll be following 🙂
I’m in the Valencia region. We love it here! The weather is great, people are friendly and the food is good. Couldn’t ask for more really.. 🙂
How nice! I’d like to visit Valencia. Didn’t make it there when I was in college. xo
Wonderful! I’m glad it was helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
My pleasure! Thank you for the talking points 🙂
Nutrition books;
– The China Study
– Vegan for Her
– The Starch Solution
– Eat to Live
– Thrive
– Skinny Bitch
Cookbooks
– Anything by Bryant Terry
– Veganomicon
– At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
– Kansha
– My New Roots
– By Any Greens Necessary
– Candle 79 cookbook
– Joy of Vegan Baking
Hope that helps 🙂
What does the MBA stand for? Is it some sort of degree?
Hey Mike, It’s Masters in Business Admin. Holistic MBA isn’t a university, so their MBA is more a play on the original concept of the acronym.