Transforming Sleep Health: Key Coaching Insights with Shonda Palmer

Shownotes For Podcast Episode 12: Transforming Sleep Health: Key Coaching Insights with Shonda Palmer

In this episode of the Health and Wellness Coach Journal Podcast, Dr. Jessica Singh interviews Shonda Palmer, NBC-HWC, founder of Shonda Palmer Wellness. She is a triple-certified Chopra well-being coach with expertise in meditation, Ayurvedic health, and lifestyle medicine. Additionally, she serves as faculty at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, is a certified sleep coach for an award-winning app, and frequently contributes as a consultant to startups.

Shonda Palmer's Journey Into Sleep Coaching & Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

In this episode, Shonda discusses how a significant career change led her to become a sleep coach with a prominent meditation app, despite her own struggles with insomnia. She openly talks about her experiences with imposter syndrome, revealing that while assisting clients with their sleep issues, she also found herself using the same techniques she taught them, ultimately overcoming her insomnia. In our conversation, Shonda shares her insights on the transformative power of self-awareness, how small daily habits can drive significant change, and the value of staying present in one’s wellness journey.

Sleep Coaching As a Niche & Coach Scope Of Practice

In this conversation, Shonda and Dr. Singh explore how health coaches, while not diagnosing or advising, play a crucial role in facilitating transformation by guiding clients through their roadblocks with a focus on self-discovery. Shonda shares insights on the nuances of sleep coaching, including the importance of setting clear boundaries around scope of practice, providing educational resources, and creating a space for clients to explore their own solutions. This conversation highlights the power of coaching to bridge gaps in traditional healthcare by helping clients uncover the personalized strategies that work best for them, ultimately leading to profound transformations not just in sleep, but in many areas of life.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia

Shonda discusses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as a gold standard approach for treating insomnia. She explains how CBT-I, which includes cognitive restructuring, relaxation techniques, and psychoeducation, can produce quick results, sometimes in as few as four sessions. She discusses the growing scarcity of CBT-I providers and the critical role that health and wellness coaches can play in bridging this gap, offering personalized support to those struggling with insomnia. Additionally, in this conversation, Shonda and Dr. Singh touch on the importance of sleep education, its scarcity in medical and coaching training, and the empowering role of self-education for coaches to fill these gaps, ultimately benefiting both clients and healthcare providers.

Takeaways

In this episode, we explored the profound role of mindfulness and self-compassion in both sleep coaching and the coaching journey as a whole. The key takeaway for coaches and health care providers is to cultivate our own practice of mindfulness and self-compassion. By doing so, we create a nonjudgmental, empathetic space that encourages our clients and patients to do the same. Remember, as coaches, we are not perfect models but rather authentic role models who show up with our own vulnerabilities, allowing our clients to feel that same compassion for themselves. Transformational coaching starts from within, and it’s this inner work that creates the foundation for meaningful change, both for ourselves and our clients and patients.

• Connect with Shonda Palmer on LinkedIn
• Connect with Shonda Palmer on Instagram
• Connect with Shonda Palmer on Facebook
• Visit Shonda Palmer's website by clicking here

Timestamps

0:00 - Introduction

2:16 - Shonda’s Journey Into Sleep Coaching

4:00 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

5:31 - Healing From Insomnia

7:03 - Walking The Talk And Empathy In Coaching

9:00 - Sleep Coaching As A Niche And Scope Of Practice

16:46 - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia

22:42 - Insights On The Impact Of Text-based Coaching

29:25 - Takeaways