Curious about how to become a fertility coach? Whether you’re a nurse looking to help people beyond the clinic, a fertility warrior with a message to share and support to give, or anyone else who wants to help those on their fertility journey, you’re in the right place.
This is a topic I’m deeply passionate about, as I was once one of the world’s leading fertility coaches and industry authorities. You may even recognize my name from my Fertility Warriors Podcast days!
One in six people worldwide is affected by infertility. Fortunately, infertility awareness and support are increasing, so I firmly believe fertility coaching is not only a viable career path but also a smart and much-needed one. However, the decision to get a fertility coach certification and grow your coaching business requires consideration.
Although I’ve hung up my boots as a fertility coach, I’ve returned to my true expertise as a successful business owner and consultant who helps women grow their own businesses. So, if you’re looking for a truly in-depth and helpful guide to give you the full rundown on exactly how to become a fertility coach, I’m here to help!
What does a fertility coach do?
A fertility coach supports people who are trying to conceive or manage other fertility-related experiences. That said, fertility coaching is incredibly broad, and it’s not always about helping people get pregnant.
Fertility coaching services vary and often depend on your previous experiences and qualifications. For example, former counselors might offer more therapy-type support, while a medical professional can help with recommendations for diet, medication, and other treatments. You might also offer lifestyle advice and support your clients spiritually and emotionally.
Do I need a fertility coach certification?
While you can get your fertility coach certification, it’s not required. Fertility coaching isn’t regulated, meaning anyone can call themselves a fertility coach.
One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is sitting in the trap of continually believing they need more qualifications. Then, they engage in a perpetual cycle of more qualifications, rather than doing the hard work of focusing on running and growing a business.
The truth is that you don’t need any formal qualifications to get started.
Ideally, you’ll have relevant skills and/or fertility-related knowledge that make you a trusted fertility coach, with or without a formal certification.
Deciding if you should get a fertility coach certification
Before you become a fertility coach and possibly get a certification, consider how you want to help people and the time you have. While many people believe another degree or years of education is necessary, you don’t need a certification to earn money supporting your community.
As a Business Consulting Expert of more than 20 years who specializes in growing online businesses: formal titles matter far less than you think. In fact, I recommend dipping your toes in the water first to see if you even like being a business owner and what exactly you like helping people with.
You may also already have enough qualifications and past experience to get started. And once you dip your toes in, you might decide you don’t want to specifically train as a fertility coach. For example, you may choose to dive into another area, such as somatic therapy or donor conception mentorship.
I say this because of my own journey and the women I’ve worked with. It’s normal to change your mind about the path you want to take when you start growing your audience and building a business. In fact, this is exactly how I got started…
After experiencing an incredibly rough journey to conceive, I decided to grow an audience and build a business. I later decided not to become a fertility coach because I leaned more toward supporting women with fertility nutrition. Therefore, I pursued a nutrition qualification. And it was only after building an audience that I discovered I really wanted to niche down more into mindset, so I undertook a formal qualification as a Certified Life Coach.
Moral of the story? It takes time to figure out what you want to do, and your end goal qualification (s) may change.
What to look for in a fertility coach certification program
When and if you do decide to get your fertility coach certification, ask yourself these questions to find the best program for you:
- What’s your budget, and how much time can you spend learning?
- How exactly do you want to support people?
- How long will it take you to complete the program?
- Is the program endorsed by any associations or groups?
- What have others said about their experience?
- Does the program cover one area, or does it cover a tiny bit of different things?
- Are assessments included to check for understanding?
- Does it include assessed in-practice client sessions before qualifying?
- What qualification do you walk away with?
Before committing to a program, make sure it aligns with your goals. And as I mentioned, I recommend building and connecting with your audience while trying out the coaching space before investing in a certification program.
How to become a fertility coach
Becoming a successful fertility coach requires choosing your niche, building an audience, creating your first offer, and growing your business.
Choose your niche
Simply saying you’re a fertility coach is a bit too broad. Getting clear about who you help and how allows you to speak to a specific audience and develop trust more easily.
Based on your experiences and goals, choose your niche by identifying:
- Who you want to help – The more specific, the better
- What you help them with – Consider a problem they’ll want to pay you to solve
- How you help them – This is where your offer(s) come in
For example, you might say: “I help moms trying for another baby by offering lifestyle advice about how to navigate secondary infertility and balancing motherhood with their fertility journey.”
Or, “I help women with endometriosis optimize their nutrition to reduce symptoms while trying to conceive through a fertility clinic.”
Many people get nervous or overwhelmed about niching down, but remember, you can always change this as your fertility coaching business evolves.
Build an audience
An audience is essential for growing your business, and you can start building it once you know who you want to reach and support.
To build an audience, you need to:
- Consider what they need help with and want to learn about
- Share helpful content related to your business
- Use storytelling and personal experiences to connect
Many current or aspiring business owners are already somewhat qualified to support their ideal clients, but they lack business (e.g., marketing and accounting) and audience-building skills.
So, where should you build an audience? According to the 2024 State of Marketing Report, blogging, social media, and email marketing are some of the best ways to grow an audience and market your business.
Create your first offer
As you grow your audience, you’ll be able to see what people resonate with and get very clear on your niche. This can help you create your offer(s).
I recommend creating one offer to start with. Multiple offers mean different social media messaging, problems you’ll solve, and promotional schedules. And this can take a lot of time and effort. Therefore, creating, iterating, and refining one signature program is typically more successful in the long term.
Again, there are many possible offers with fertility coaching. One-to-one and group coaching packages are common.
When creating your first offer, you need to determine what it includes, the cost, and how you’ll market it. Most importantly, it needs to be irresistible to your ideal client.
Grow your business
You won’t become a successful fertility coach overnight. Growing your business takes time, but getting business-building support to fill any gaps you have in offer creation, audience growth, and marketing can help you shorten the time it takes to grow a profitable and viable business.
Start small by speaking to your audience and creating your first offer. Then, grow your business over time by expanding your marketing strategies and offers.
And if you become overwhelmed or feel like there’s not enough time to keep up with business, let my story inspire you…
In 2018, I felt like I was running a hamster wheel trying to grow my business. I even quit … until I realized what I needed to do was get hyper-focused and strategic with my business. This helped me find peace in my business and cut my hours to a tiny six hours per week while also reaching six-figure revenue.
More fertility coaching resources
For more on how to become a fertility coach and grow a successful business, you might find these resources helpful:
- 16-Hour CEO – A free resource to help you create a profitable business on part-time hours
- Tools and tech – My little black book of tech, suppliers, and software to help you run your online business with ease
- Signature Online Course Secrets – My podcast for female coaches, consultants and service providers who want to grow and scale a profitable, part-time business