Our mission drives absolutely everything we do here at YourCoach–it keeps us authentic and it continues to inspire our team, our Industry Partners and our technology-augmented army of validated health coaches. The more we grow, the more we’re asked, “So what exactly does your mission mean?” and, “Is it really achievable?” and then of course, “How?”
For those who might be new to the YourCoach community and those looking for a refresher on why we do what we do, our mission is this: We’re committed to ensuring every human has access to a health coach by the year 2030. This is more than just an ethos. We’re actually delivering on this promise in real time. In today’s blog, we’re speaking with the source, our CEO & Founder Marina Borukhovich, to unpack our mission both in theory and in practice.
What does it mean to ensure everyone has access to a health coach by 2030?
Marina: We’re very intentional about our mission and about the language we use to describe our mission statement. We’re realistic in that we understand we can’t provide every human on earth with a dedicated health coach (although we would love for this to be the case!). Instead, we want to make sure every human has access to a health coach—especially those who want and need this support the most. We’re focused first on the U.S. since this is a market we know well, with plans to expand internationally in the future.
To make our mission a reality, which really is what health coaches do best, we’ve introduced health coaches to new spaces, continuously proving their worth. We’re only continuing to expand into new areas as we look ahead. For students, this can mean having health coaches available to them through their schools and universities. For employees, this can mean tapping into health coaching support through employer-sponsored benefit programs. For those working with a healthcare team to manage an ongoing condition, this can mean being paired with a health coach through their physician’s office. These are just a few examples, but as you can see, improving access means making health coaches keystone to our existing health systems. This is something we’re already championing through our Industry Partnerships and have major plans to further in the year ahead.
How is YourCoach making that mission a reality?
Marina: We built the only operating system for behavior change, powered by health coaches, growing the number of practicing and validated health coaches on our platform exponentially. Thanks to this technology-augmented army of health coaches, we’re able to cultivate impactful Industry Partnerships across organizations, helping tens of thousands of health consumers along the way (with many more to come!).
Coaches on our platform represent 16 specialties and hundreds of subspecialties—everything from coaching through cancer to men’s health to active aging, mental health, cardiovascular health and so much more. We’ve cultivated an ecosystem that mirrors the diverse needs of our global population and have uniquely positioned ourselves to be an industry leader in health coaching services.
What’s next for YourCoach?
Marina: Our mission to expand health coaching access means we’re introducing coaching into areas where it’s never been seen before. This means we’re bringing health coaching to patient support programs, digital health companies, startups, employee health and care plans and so much more. The first step towards ensuring health coaching is more accessible, is making it ubiquitous across industries. Within the next year, not only will you see health coaching in more health and care spaces than ever before, but you can expect to see YourCoach along with it.
What’s more, we’re seeing continuous adoption by the clinical community and the healthcare industry as a whole, with CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) recently publishing a proposed physician fee schedule for 2024 which includes a 1 year pilot for health & wellbeing coaching. In addition, those with an HSA/FSA accounts may be eligible for health coaching as well. Beyond making health coaching ubiquitous, improving access means making it more financially accessible. For many, expanding reimbursement for health coaching could be game-changing especially as numerous completed and ongoing studies continue to show great benefits and outcomes.
When we started YourCoach in 2020, 2030 seemed a long way away. But now that 2024 is nearly upon us, our mission has never been as urgent as now. If you’re an organization who believes in the power of health coaching, we implore you to join us on this Health Coaching Revolution. For more info on how we can partner together to grow, scale or build your health coaching operations, message us at team@yourcoach.health .