The questions you ask a health coach before hiring her matter less as a script to get right and more as a signal: they tell her what you actually need, and that’s the only way she can tell you whether she’s the right fit.
TL;DR
- Most coaches already have a way they run a consultation call. You don’t need your own agenda to compete with it, just let her lead.
- The questions you ask tell her what matters to you. She can’t meet a need she doesn’t know you have.
- Asking about cost and cancellation terms upfront is normal, not impolite.
- A real consultation call is a two-way conversation, not a pitch to sit through. If it feels like pressure, that’s useful information too.
- Show up on time and somewhere you can focus. These calls move fast.
You’ve got a call scheduled with a health coach, or you’re about to book one, and you don’t really know what to expect. Maybe you’ve never done this before. Maybe you have, and it didn’t go the way you hoped.
So you’re torn between two ways of handling it. Walk in with a printed list of questions and run the call like an interrogation. Or walk in with nothing and hope the right things come up on their own. Neither one actually serves you, and neither one is necessary.
Let Her Lead the Call
Most coaches who offer a consultation call already have a way they run it. Elizabeth’s own consult call, for example, moves through a set sequence: what brought you to this now, what you’ve already tried, what’s actually gotten in the way, and what you’re hoping for on the other side of it (what happens during a consult call). You don’t need your own agenda to compete with that.
That’s true almost everywhere a coach offers this kind of call. Someone who’s run dozens, or hundreds, of these conversations has already built a structure that gets her the information she needs. Your job isn’t to out-plan her. It’s to trust that structure enough to actually answer what she asks, instead of mentally rehearsing your next line.
You don’t need your own agenda to compete with hers. You need to trust her structure enough to actually answer what she asks.
Why Your Questions Matter More Than You Think
Here’s the part that gets missed. The questions you ask aren’t there to test her. They’re there to tell her something. A coach can’t meet a need she doesn’t know you have.
If you ask about contact between sessions, she now knows that matters to you. If you ask what happens on a hard week, she knows you’re thinking realistically about follow-through, not just motivation. Every question is a small signal about what you’re actually looking for, and a good coach is listening for those signals as closely as you’re listening for her answers.
You don’t need a rehearsed list. The questions already on your mind are usually the right ones. If nothing comes to mind beforehand, that’s fine too. Most of what you need to know will surface once she starts asking about you.
A coach can’t meet a need she doesn’t know you have. Every question you ask is a small signal about what you’re actually looking for.
The Practical Questions Are Fair Game
Cost and payment structure aren’t impolite questions to ask. Neither is what happens if you need to reschedule or step away. Professional coaching standards actually require this kind of transparency. The International Coaching Federation’s Code of Ethics calls on coaches to establish a clear agreement covering financial arrangements before the coaching itself begins (ICF Code of Ethics).
Asking about billing and what a change of plans costs you isn’t you being difficult. It’s you doing the responsible thing, and it’s exactly what a well-run practice expects to be asked.
You Don’t Need to Know Exactly How She’ll Work With You Yet
It’s fair to ask a coach how she generally works, whether her style runs more structured or more flexible, or whether she’s worked with someone in a similar stretch of life as yours. What you shouldn’t expect is a specific plan for your exact situation before she’s actually met you. Health and wellness coaches are trained to build a plan with you, not hand you one sight unseen (NBHWC Scope of Practice).
A coach who promises to know exactly how she’ll fix you before she’s heard your story is worth a second look. One who says, essentially, “let’s figure that out together,” is describing how good coaching actually works.
A coach who promises to know exactly how she’ll fix you before she’s heard your story is worth questioning more than one who says, “let’s figure that out together.”
Is This Going to Be a Sales Pitch?
This is probably the real question underneath a lot of the others. Is this call going to be a pitch I have to sit through?
A well-run consultation call isn’t built to pressure you into anything. Elizabeth’s own consult call, for instance, is explicitly built as a space for exploration, not sales pressure (what happens during a consult call), and deciding whether to move forward is framed as a mutual decision at the end, not a close. That’s what a good call should feel like: exploratory, not extractive.
If a call ever does feel rushed toward a purchase before your actual questions get answered, notice that. Not as a red flag to go hunting for, just as one more piece of information about whether this is the right working relationship for you.
Not ready to book a call yet, or just want to get a feel for how Elizabeth talks before you do? Start with the Listener’s Guide
Come Ready, Not Perfect
These calls are usually short, somewhere between twenty minutes and an hour depending on the coach. Give yourself the best shot at using that time well. Find a quiet spot. Silence your phone.
If something comes up and you need to reschedule, say so as early as you can. Most coaches build a cancellation window into their calendar for exactly that reason, and showing up late or distracted eats into time that was supposed to be yours.
A Few Starting Points, If It Helps
You don’t need a script. But if it’s useful to have a few prompts in your back pocket, these are worth having on hand:
- What does working together usually look like, week to week?
- How will we know if this is working?
- What happens if I need to pause or stop?
- Have you worked with someone in a similar season of life as mine?
How to Use Your Consultation Call Well
- Let her lead the call’s structure. Today: release the pressure to run the meeting yourself. She’s done this before.
- Write down the questions actually on your mind. This week: jot down three to five real questions, whatever they are, not a downloaded list.
- Ask about her general approach, not a diagnosis in advance. During the call: ask how she typically works, and expect a conversation, not a verdict.
- Ask the practical questions. During the call: cost, and what happens if you need to reschedule or cancel.
- Show up on time, somewhere you can focus. Day of: quiet room, phone silenced, a few minutes to settle before the call starts.
- Notice how you feel afterward, not just what she said. After: give yourself a day before deciding, and pay attention to whether you feel more capable or more managed.
Doing your homework before you commit to anything is the responsible move, not an overreaction. The Listener’s Guide can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whatever is actually on your mind. Showing up with real questions, about her approach, her schedule, her cost, tells her what matters to you more than any prewritten list would.
It varies by coach, but most walk you through where you are now, what you’ve already tried, and what you’re hoping for, then talk about how working together might look. Here’s a real example of one coach’s format.
Usually somewhere between twenty minutes and an hour, depending on the coach. Elizabeth’s own runs a full hour, because she’s found that’s what it takes to actually hear someone’s history rather than skim it.
A well-run one isn’t. It should feel like a mutual exploration of whether you’re a fit for each other, not a performance you have to sit through, and deciding whether to move forward should feel like a shared decision, not a close.
Ask directly what it costs and how payment works. Ask, too, what happens if you need to reschedule or step away. Coaches are expected to lay out financial terms clearly before you begin (ICF Code of Ethics), and asking is standard practice, not an imposition.
No. Many coaches send a short questionnaire before the call to help you start sorting through it, and the call itself is part of how you get clearer. It isn’t a test you have to arrive already having passed.
Say so as soon as you know. Most coaches build flexibility into their calendar for that, and being upfront early is easier for everyone than a no-show or a last-minute cancellation.
More From the Show and Site
A few related reads, if you want to go deeper on any of this:
- How Coaching Can Pay for Itself, on the cost question from a different angle
- From Start to Success: The Coaching Process, on what happens after you say yes
- How to Talk to Your Partner About Starting Coaching, if that conversation is part of your decision too
Read the Full GuideThis post is part of a series on choosing the right support. For how to think through the whole decision, start with How to Choose a Women’s Health Coach.
Preparing well is what an intentional, informed decision looks like. Hear more of Elizabeth’s voice first with the Listener’s Guide
Evidence & Attribution
- International Coaching Federation: Code of Ethics
- National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching: Scope of Practice
Elizabeth is a Master Certified Life and Health Coach with over 20 years of experience, dedicated to helping women in midlife thrive through holistic health and wellness. Her personal journey began with a desire to reduce her own breast cancer risk, which evolved into a mission to guide women through the complexities of midlife health, from hormonal changes to mental clarity and emotional resilience.
Elizabeth holds certifications from prestigious institutions such as The Life Coach School, Precision Nutrition, and the American Council on Exercise, as well as specialized training in Feminist Coaching and Women’s Hormonal Health. Her approach is deeply empathetic, blending her extensive knowledge with real-life experience to empower women in their 50s and 60s to build sustainable health habits that last a lifetime.
Recognized as a top voice in women’s health, Elizabeth speaks regularly on stages, podcasts, and webinars, inspiring women to embrace midlife with energy, confidence, and joy. Her passion is helping women regain control of their health, so they can fully engage in the things that matter most to them—whether that’s pursuing new passions, maintaining strong relationships, or simply feeling great in their own skin.