At YourCoach, we’ve seen firsthand how health coaching can be a powerful support tool, especially during some of life’s most difficult moments. Our company was born from a cancer journey, one that showed our founder just how critical a role health coaches can play alongside medical teams. While doctors and specialists delivered life-saving treatments, it was a health coach who helped Marina rebuild daily routines, navigate life after treatment and ultimately reclaim her sense of self. That experience inspired the foundation of YourCoach, and it continues to guide our work today.
That’s why we’ve launched a free oncology pilot program specifically for individuals impacted by cancer, to offer others the same kind of personalized support that made such a difference in our founder’s journey. In today’s blog, we share a little bit more about our origin story, our new oncology health coaching pilot and why this work is so important to us.
Our Story: Why Health Coaching Matters So Much to Us
Our founder’s journey didn’t start in a boardroom. Marina’s inspiration came from lived experiences. Cancer has profoundly shaped her life. Three of her grandparents lost their battles with cancer. Her father passed from pancreatic cancer at 64 and her mother from stomach cancer at 66. And at just 37 years old, Marina was diagnosed with breast cancer herself.
Through chemotherapy, a mastectomy, radiation and ultimately reconstruction, she was supported by an outstanding medical team. While the doctors and treatment protocols helped her heal, it was health coaching that also played a transformative role in her recovery. Health coaching became a space where she could take back agency, build habits that supported her healing, and reconnect with life and rebuild it on her own terms. Marina explains, “I am beyond grateful that I get to pay this gift I was given forward, every single day through the work we do at YourCoach, supporting clients, members and patients on their health journeys, however unique they are.”
Introducing the YourCoach Cancer Coaching Pilot
Our oncology health coaching pilot is a natural extension of our origin story and a deeply personal one for our entire team. We launched this pilot to offer support, insight and hope to individuals currently navigating cancer. We’re pairing participants with a dedicated health coach for three months of one-on-one coaching, completely free of charge. Every participant receives:
- Personalized health coaching programs tailored to their unique challenges and goals
- Regular health coaching sessions via video, audio or live chat
- Unlimited messaging with their dedicated health coach
- Compassionate, consistent support, wherever they are in their journey
We’ve already begun working with an incredible group of cancer warriors whose stories inspire us every day. Their resilience and openness are at the heart of this important pilot and we are humbled to be a part of their journey. We still have a few spots left. If you or someone you know could benefit from this pilot, we’d love to have you apply to participate HERE.
What We Hope to Learn & Where We’re Going Next
This pilot isn’t just about today’s participants. It’s about the future of health coaching in cancer care (one of our main domains where we offer support through health coaching at YourCoach). We’re collecting anonymized insights that will help us better understand the role health coaching plays in oncology support, including where it best complements medical care. We’re also learning more about how health coaching supports families and caregivers alongside their loved ones.
Not only that, but we’re building a body of evidence to advocate for wider access to health coaching for those affected by cancer, by collecting data that shows just how integral health coaching can be during the cancer journey. The early results are already energizing our team and reminding us of the power of health coaching through empathy and truly personalized, human-centered support.
We’re already seeing the impact this pilot is having in the progress participants are making and the stories they’re sharing, and we continue to gather insights that will help inform better, more compassionate support models through health coaching for people living with cancer. We’re grateful to be walking alongside this first group of participants and for their time, resilience, and perspectives. If you or someone you know is eligible to participate, please fill out our form HERE.
FAQ:
Q: Who is eligible to participate in YourCoach’s Oncology Coaching Pilot?
A: This pilot is open to individuals currently navigating cancer. By signing up, participants agree to attend coaching sessions, engage in small steps between sessions as co-created with their health coach according to their needs and preferences, and stay in touch with their coach.
Q: What does the pilot include and how long does it last?
A: Participants are paired with a dedicated health coach for three months. The program includes regular 30-minute coaching sessions (via video, audio, or chat) and unlimited asynchronous messaging with a YourCoach health coach. Each experience is personalized to an individual’s unique needs, goals, and challenges.
Q: What is the goal of this pilot?
A: This pilot is helping us explore and strengthen the role of health coaching in supporting individuals with cancer. The goal is to better understand where health coaching complements medical care, supports behavior change, and helps individuals and caregivers during difficult times.