Meet Dr. Shana Walsh: AFPA’s Curriculum Director & Chief Behind Our NBHWC-Authorized Well being Teaching Training

What occurs when a Ph.D. with a ardour for conduct change, a knack for curriculum design, and a present for connection leads your well being coach coaching? You get Dr. Shana Walsh—AFPA’s Director of Training and Curriculum, and the chief of our Grasp Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach program.

With a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Train Diet, and Well being Promotion, in addition to credentials as a Nationwide Board-Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach, Grasp Licensed Well being Training Specialist, and Licensed Private Coach, Dr. Walsh brings many years of expertise to each course she touches. From shaping what you be taught behind the scenes to guiding reside Zoom periods with vitality and empathy, she’s each the architect and advocate to your teaching journey.

On this interview, Shana shares her method to constructing student-centered applications, what makes AFPA’s reside cohort expertise so distinctive, and some enjoyable information, just like the time she did a pull-up whereas hula-hooping.

The Secrets and techniques Behind AFPA’s Curriculum

As AFPA’s Training & Curriculum Director, how do you form the coed studying expertise? 

My position encompasses all the course improvement lifecycle. This ranges from the starting stage, the place we strategize new course choices and matters that align with pupil wants, to creating written and video studying supplies, and securing top-tier instructors which are specialists of their respective areas. I’m additionally concerned in helping present college students all through their AFPA studying journey. In each stage, I prioritize the standard of the training we offer, making certain essentially the most invaluable and relevant content material for our college students. It’s extraordinarily rewarding to see one thing go from an thought scribbled on a notepad in pencil to a certification college students can earn to vary the trajectory of their profession and their lives.    

What’s one thing most individuals won’t notice about how AFPA develops its curriculum? 

Most individuals won’t notice that we all the time begin by asking, ‘What’s finest for the coed?’ The reply to that single query drives each choice we make, from the matters we educate, the instructing strategies we make use of, the instructors we choose, and even the little particulars, just like the on-screen colours in our programs (nay for orange, yay for blue).  

Past course improvement, what usually goes unseen is how a lot we have a good time alongside our college students. Once they earn their certificates and discover success within the area, we’re completely ecstatic. In any case, that’s our final aim: to supply the training they should really propel them into the skilled roles they search. 

How do you guarantee AFPA’s applications keep present with analysis, developments, and finest practices? 

Within the well being trade, new analysis is consistently rising, offering new data and redefining finest practices. At AFPA, we perceive that offering our college students with outdated data is solely not an choice, so we take a proactive method as a substitute. We make it part of our routine to watch the most recent problems with main educational and trade journals, attend trade conferences, tune into webinars, and community with different skilled organizations and specialists within the area. We’ve even been identified to edit a reside course to tweak a truth or two primarily based on newly gleaned information. We do that to ensure that when our college students graduate, they’ve essentially the most present data doable to excel of their careers.  

What do you see as a number of the Most worthy expertise college students achieve from AFPA applications? 

Among the Most worthy expertise college students achieve from AFPA applications embrace:  

1. Complete Data: Each single one in all our programs supplies a wealth of data on the subject of examine. For college students actually looking for to achieve experience in a selected space, AFPA is the final word useful resource.  
2. Holistic Views: At AFPA, we deeply perceive how intertwined all areas of well being are. For that purpose, we infuse holistic views into every little thing we educate, supporting our college students to see the larger image.    
3. Sensible Software and Teaching Expertise: It’s one factor to know what to do, but it surely’s one other to have the ability to do it successfully. We don’t simply educate the talents, we additionally present ample apply alternatives to use them to actual world situations.  
4. Skilled Confidence and Profession Readiness: Our applications are designed to construct college students’ confidence of their skills, making ready them to excel on their chosen profession journey.  

What makes the reside cohort expertise particular at AFPA? 

The Superior Well being Teaching Intensive is the dynamic, reside element of our Licensed Grasp Well being and Wellness Coach program, and it’s AFPA’s solely reside course. In a single Zoom room, we unite individuals from throughout the nation and across the globe. Whereas all of us come from vastly totally different walks of life, we share a profound commonality: a deep want to empower others to grow to be the very best model of themselves. There’s magic in bringing collectively adults of all ages, with their numerous backgrounds and wealthy life experiences, watching them be taught and develop collectively. It’s really transformative.  

Be taught Set Your self Aside as a Board-Licensed Well being Coach

Attending to Know Dr. Walsh Exterior the Classroom

What are a number of quirky or stunning issues about you that your college students won’t know? 

I’ve efficiently accomplished one pull up whereas hula-hooping.  

Additionally, I’ve scored within the 99^th percentile for extroversion on a number of persona assessments.  After I was in first grade, my instructor moved my seat for speaking so many occasions, I ended up sitting subsequent to each single child in school.   

I didn’t be taught to trip a motorbike till I used to be an grownup, as a result of as a child I needed to focus all my vitality on rollerblading.  

While you’re not engaged on curriculum, instructing, or teaching, how do you recharge? 

As a quintessential extrovert, I recharge by spending time with others. Whether or not it’s from good dialog with my neighbors sitting across the firepit, some pleasant competitors in rec pickleball, or absorbing high quality time at residence with my household, the vitality I get from social connectedness fills my cup.   

In the event you needed to sum up your philosophy on conduct change in a single sentence, what wouldn’t it be? 

In the event you change your well being, you alter your life.  

Her Recommendation for Aspiring Coaches

What recommendation would you give to somebody who’s on the fence about becoming a member of the subsequent reside well being teaching session? 

In the event you’re on the fence about becoming a member of the subsequent reside course, remind your self that this is without doubt one of the best and reasonably priced methods to grow to be a Nationwide Board Licensed Well being and Wellness Coach. As an NBHWC-Authorized program, AFPA affords a direct and supportive path to board certification with out pointless delays or bills. 

In case your aim is to supply a significant service to others by the facility of well being and wellness teaching, whereas incomes a residing doing work that makes a distinction, that is your alternative. You’ll achieve the talents to assist individuals make actual, lasting modifications of their lives—and be compensated for the worth you present. Well being and wellness teaching remains to be an rising area, which suggests there’s room to develop, contribute, and set up your self in an rising occupation.  

On the identical time, this isn’t nearly your shoppers—it’s a transformative expertise for you, too. By this coaching, you’ll deepen your individual self-awareness, develop important teaching expertise, and construct the boldness wanted to not solely move the board examination however to really be an awesome coach. 

If that sounds just like the sort of profession and private progress you’ve been on the lookout for, cease hesitating and enroll right this moment!

📆 The following AFPA reside well being teaching session begins quickly.

Be part of a worldwide group of aspiring coaches and be taught from a number of the area’s main educators.