10 Ways Women are Leading Health Industry Change
Fitness is strong. Health and longevity across the lifespan are taking center stage in news outlets and social media. Women are behind and in front on much of it. From the impact of political leaders like Michelle Obama and controversy over MAHA to hormone therapy and growing research on women to breast imaging and hormone therapy, not only women’s health but female leaders are emerging as a force driving positive change. Let’s identify ten ways women are leading health industry change.
Education & Awareness Empowering Women’s Choices
- NYTimes bestselling authors Books empowering women with education and knowledge to make their own choices are literally putting power back in their own hands. The New Menopause, How to Menopause, Unbreakable, Forever Strong, and Menopause Gut are just a few of the titles both by female authors and for female readers and the professionals that serve them.
- Documentaries Both behind and in front of the camera, women are telling the story and making sure it gets told and in front of as many women as possible. The recent docuseries SHEild premiered in Cannes in May and featured hundreds of experts discussing every health facet of women’s lives from birth to death that are both unique and understudied.
- Social Media Love it or hate it, there is no denying that social media is a platform allowing personal opinion and access to thought leaders be accessible to everyone with a personal device. No longer does it require a degree or a certification, though credentials matter if you’re going to go the next steps, a platform gives you access to an audience and gives you the ability to have a voice and use it.
Ownership and New Businesses
- Gyms and studios Over 70% of boutique studios are owned by women. No longer are key roles limited to group fitness instructor or childcare director. Women are general managers and leaders in membership sales.
- Female-oriented Education Women’s health and fitness clients want more than a women’s gym or women’s-only workout rooms. They want to take their place on the main floor with experts who’ve been trained as specialists in the phase of life they’re in. Girls Gone Strong, Flipping 50, The Vagina Coach, offer specific training for women’s health and fitness practitioners. Flipping 50 is educating in areas of menopause, women’s longevity, and physician-based training in exercise prescription for women 40+.
- Podcasts and Event Hosts The rapid growth in podcast shows is in part due to women. Women are hosting solo shows, collaborating with partners and doing talk-show style shows with a group. This new sense of ownership for both podcasts and for live events allows monetization from the platform and followers as well as from lucrative brand sponsorships as corporations place more marketing budget into influencer than traditional paid ads.
Curating a Unique Voice
- Distinct and Instantly Recognizable In a world where women can’t tell a real image from an AI-derived one, and there has been more growth in coaches than in penetration of the percent of population exercising, it is both a blue ocean and time to stand out. Brands that attract stand out. Years ago it was the Food Babe who stood out by blowing the whistle on chemical-laden foods and the food industry. It wasn’t popular. That kind of commitment is almost a requirement. Find the sword or hill you would die on and don’t waiver. Stacy Sims says “women are not small men.” Research doesn’t confirm as black and white a picture about men to women. But people want to follow her, interview her, and write about her because she’s got a strong opinion. What is yours?
- Design Unique Workout Experiences There are a limited number of limbs and exercises you can do. Finding a uniqueness in the way you do it is still necessary. Look at your system – the way you uniquely approach the things many coaches do – and name it a method or model that is repeatable by your customers. Kara Stokes calls her followers Stoked Athletes, she refers to her name again and again with terms like “getting stoked.” I “flip” everything. We flip the way women thing about aging, the way they think about fitness, food, and the strategies they use to get what they want. When we substitute in a recipe we “flip.” We teach coaches and practitioners the HALO Method™. You need a proprietary way to refer to your programs, or to be trained in a method you refer to, too.
Women Demanding Better
- Use Evidence More than 50% of coaching clients are women. Women in midlife and beyond tend to have more disposable income and more time to spend on their own needs. They also have the urgency and are motivated and seeking a solution to a problem they’ve never had before. Women are telling you exactly what they want. You will hear it if you listen. What’s popular and why is it working? If you are your ideal avatar, what do you like and save? Who do you follow and why?
- Diversity With Specialty Rules Women will seek what they think works. For some that is diet change and others that is exercise. Have the other ready to support them without being a Jack or Jill of all trades. If you are a trainer leading physical exercise, the results you get will come from your client’s lifestyle habits like hydration, nutrition, sleep and stress. Put down the coffee pot in the afternoon and no one gets hurt. But in a session cueing 5 details in every move, there isn’t time to do it all. Wise coaches and practitioners are adding courses, group or private coaching between physical sessions or workouts. Whether you deliver on or offline, a methodology that is consistent, reliable, and provides a framework gives you a way to coach a group with individual success.
Differentiate Based on Background
Your Prior Experience as an Asset Don’t let your background fade into the background. Women who lead in health and fitness are talking about it. Tell your story. You taught? You were in corporate? You were at home for decades? You are a chef? You learned life lessons that lend to your unique marketing as well as your unique way of crafting programs or delivering content. The best? Use that they don’t throw it away.
Conclusion
There has never been a better time to train women in midlife. Women are demanding more education, more choices, and science-driven frameworks. Beyond that, they love to work with women.
If you’re not yet a part of the Menopause Fitness Specialist army of coaches trained for women in any stage of menopause now is the time. If you need to simultaneously grow your marketing and business strategy, you’re in the right place. The Menopause Fitness Specialist combines the Fitness Marketing Academy for 10 months comprehensive coaching business growth. Learn more now. Drop into your cart to see current discounts we share with subscribers (that may not be published on page).
