What occurs when a Ph.D. with a ardour for conduct 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 Schooling and Curriculum, and the chief of our Grasp Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach program.
With a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Train Diet, and Well being Promotion, in addition to credentials as a Nationwide Board-Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach, Grasp Licensed Well being Schooling Specialist, and Licensed Private Coach, Dr. Walsh brings many years of expertise to each course she touches. From shaping what you be taught behind the scenes to guiding dwell Zoom classes with power and empathy, she’s each the architect and advocate in your teaching journey.
On this interview, Shana shares her method to constructing student-centered applications, what makes AFPA’s dwell cohort expertise so distinctive, and some enjoyable details, just like the time she did a pull-up whereas hula-hooping.
The Secrets and techniques Behind AFPA’s Curriculum
As AFPA’s Schooling & Curriculum Director, how do you form the scholar studying expertise?
My function encompasses all the 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 specialists 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 schooling we offer, making certain probably the most invaluable 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 alter 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 finest for the scholar?’ The reply to that single query drives each resolution we make, from the subjects we train, the instructing 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 usually goes unseen is how a lot we have fun alongside our college students. Once they earn their certificates and discover success within the discipline, we’re completely ecstatic. In any case, that’s our final aim: to offer the schooling they should actually propel them into the skilled roles they search.
How do you guarantee AFPA’s applications keep present with analysis, developments, and finest practices?
Within the well being trade, new analysis is consistently rising, offering new data and redefining finest practices. At AFPA, we perceive that offering our college students with outdated data is just not an possibility, so we take a proactive method as a substitute. We make it part of our routine to watch the most recent problems with main educational and trade journals, attend trade conferences, tune into webinars, and community with different skilled organizations and specialists within the discipline. We’ve even been identified 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 doable to excel of their careers.
What do you see as a number of the most dear expertise college students achieve from AFPA applications?
A few of the most dear expertise college students achieve from AFPA applications embody:
- Complete Data: Each single considered one of our programs gives a wealth of information on the subject of research. For college students actually searching for to realize experience in a particular space, AFPA is the last word useful resource.
- Holistic Views: At AFPA, we deeply perceive how intertwined all areas of well being are. For that motive, we infuse holistic views into every little thing we train, supporting our college students to see the larger image.
- Sensible Utility and Teaching Abilities: 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 apply alternatives to use them to actual world situations.
- Skilled Confidence and Profession Readiness: Our applications 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 element 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 need to empower others to turn out to be one of the best model of themselves. There’s magic in bringing collectively adults of all ages, with their various backgrounds and wealthy life experiences, watching them be taught and develop collectively. It’s actually transformative.
Be taught How one can Set Your self Aside as a Board-Licensed Well being Coach
Attending to Know Dr. Walsh Outdoors the Classroom
What are just a few quirky or stunning 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 character assessments. Once I was in first grade, my trainer moved my seat for speaking so many occasions, I ended up sitting subsequent to each single child in school.
I didn’t be taught to trip a motorcycle till I used to be an grownup, as a result of as a child I needed to focus all my power on rollerblading.
If you’re not engaged on curriculum, instructing, 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 house with my household, the power I get from social connectedness fills my cup.
For those who needed to sum up your philosophy on conduct change in a single sentence, what wouldn’t it be?
For those who change your well being, you modify 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 following dwell well being teaching session?
For those who’re on the fence about becoming a member of the following dwell course, remind your self that this is without doubt one of the most effective and reasonably priced methods to turn out to be a Nationwide Board Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach. As an NBHWC-Accepted program, AFPA gives a direct and supportive path to board certification with out pointless delays or bills.
In case your aim is to offer a significant service to others by the facility 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 adjustments of their lives—and be compensated for the worth you present. Well being and wellness teaching continues to be an rising discipline, which implies there’s room to develop, contribute, and set up your self in an rising occupation.
On the identical 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 expertise, and construct the arrogance wanted to not solely move the board examination however to really be an awesome coach.
If that sounds just like the sort of profession and private development you’ve been searching for, cease hesitating and join at present!
📆 The following AFPA dwell well being teaching session begins quickly.
Be part of a worldwide group of aspiring coaches and be taught from a number of the discipline’s main educators.
