The Four Pillars of Certification

This comprehensive certification integrates four essential pillars, providing a solid foundation to launch and sustain a thriving career as a health coach and beyond.

PHD & Ancestrally Based Living

Dive deep into personalized nutrition strategies inspired by ancestral wisdom. Explore the entire spectrum of the Proper Human Diet — from low-carb and keto to ketovore and carnivore diets — understanding how to tailor approaches to individual needs. Master the use of elimination diets, metabolic repair, and holistic interventions to effectively address autoimmune issues, metabolic syndrome, and overall wellness.

Marketing & Sales

Grow your client base authentically by mastering essential marketing and sales skills. Learn effective strategies for social media engagement, email marketing, creating compelling lead magnets, and ethical selling techniques that attract and convert clients naturally. Gain practical tools to develop your brand voice, increase audience reach, and build meaningful relationships through genuine communication.

Coaching Skills

Develop advanced interpersonal skills and coaching techniques designed to motivate, inspire, and empower your clients. You’ll learn effective active listening, powerful questioning, and strategies to support deep behavioral change. Understand how to navigate complex coaching situations, address emotional eating, troubleshoot client setbacks, and maintain ethical professional boundaries while guiding clients towards sustainable success.


Business Ownership

Gain comprehensive, practical business management skills essential for launching and maintaining a profitable coaching practice. Understand foundational business elements such as forming an LLC, managing finances, budgeting, understanding taxes, and legal essentials. You’ll also learn to confidently price your services, create compelling offers, manage profitability, and sustainably scale your coaching business.

Your PHD Academy Curriculum

A guided progression from nutrition foundations through coaching practice to launching your business— six modules built to take you from student to certified coach.

  1. 1

    Nutrition Foundations

    Proper Human Diet Foundations and Metabolic Sciences Part 1 — the food science behind what we eat and why it works.

  2. 2

    Metabolism & Lifestyle

    Metabolic Sciences Part 2 (Digestion & Metabolism), PHD Lifestyle Factors beyond the plate, and PHD Practical Applications.

  3. 3

    Coaching Fundamentals

    Understanding the role of a Health Coach, Foundational Coaching Skills, and supporting client progress through coaching.

  4. 4

    Client Engagement

    Client Assessment & Goal Setting, the Discovery Call, and Documentation for coaches and clients.

  5. 5

    Advocacy & Applied Coaching

    Understanding Advocacy and putting it all together through a full Coaching Case Study.

  6. 6

    Launching Your Practice

    Business Ownership from budgets to legalities, Niching Down, Content 101 (Social Media Basics), and the Final Exam.

Ready to Become a PHD Health Coach?

Take the first step toward turning your passion for health into a meaningful career. Apply to the PHD Health Coach Academy and start your journey toward becoming a Certified Proper Human Diet Health Coach.

From our graduates

What coaches say about the program

Reflections from the first cohorts of PHD Certified Health Coaches — in their own words.

  • You really taught not just PHD but how to market, how to protect our business practices, effective coaching methodologies, and how to grow sustainable coaching practices. Our coaches are actively coaching and upholding extremely high standards for themselves and setting the tone that we can then emulate in our own practices.

    Becky Gosky

  • PHD Health Coach Academy equipped me to effectively coach clients who want to improve their health. The information and examples given during our classes, and the peer mock coaching sessions, gave me confidence that I can help others become a better version of themselves.

    Karen Burton

  • This program is top-notch, with cutting edge information and experienced leaders that will guide you to confidence in starting your own business. The group participation in live sessions and community engagement within the cohort was supportive, encouraging and helpful. You won’t regret making this commitment.

    Lynn Albin

  • The educational structure was thoughtfully designed and provided clear training in PHD, coaching techniques, and the practical aspects of working as a coach. As a participant from Norway, I found that attending the course remotely worked seamlessly.

    Heidemarie Nordahl

  • I found the PHD Health Coach Academy to be worth every penny — and then some. The instruction is thorough and complete, and extremely well arranged by very experienced professionals already in this industry.

    Bradford Tozier

  • No fluff, no overcomplication — just clear, honest coaching rooted in real physiology. You didn’t just teach what to say, you taught how to think as a coach. Because of this program, I now feel confident helping people cut through years of confusion and take real steps toward better health.

    Russell Harbaugh

  • This course goes beyond coaching techniques. You’ll learn the principles of the Proper Human Diet, how to translate them into meaningful client change, and how to build the systems and structures that support a thriving, sustainable coaching business.

    Angela

  • This was Proper Human Coaching, no doubt. I came in with missing pieces in my journey to becoming a health coach, and I left 100% more confident, with the blanks filled in. If you are looking to help people go on a health journey based on PHD, you are in the right place.

    Darin Berntson

  • This program offers a comprehensive foundation in all necessary aspects of health coaching — from proper human dietary theory, practical coaching skills, client intake and management, business structure, and approaches to package pricing and marketing. I graduated confident and fully prepared to hit the ground running.

    Frances Claire Ruiz

  • The PHD Academy has taught me the ‘A’ and ‘B’ of the art of health coaching. I’m extremely grateful for the profound knowledge and the professional approach this program delivers. I felt appropriately challenged, well-supported, and continuously encouraged to grow my competence and coaching skills.

    Nadia Hristova

  • I highly recommend PHD Academy. The lessons were thorough and the coaches were phenomenal in their specific field of experience. They made it easy to be ready to coach once I was certified.

    Karen Spencer

  • The PHD Health Coaching Academy was the best investment in myself and my health that I have ever made.

    Shaun Steffani