Ep. 32 AI, Wearables, and Data Privacy: The Future of Tech & Health Coaching

Hey there, friends, and welcome back to becoming a health Coach.

I'm Megan, your host, and today we are diving into a topic that is shaping the future of health and health coaching, and that is technology.

Now, before you roll your eyes and think, oh, no, not another tech talk, I promise you this is going to be different.

We are not going to be talking about gadgets for the sake of gadgets.

Although I could do that.

And my friends have been known to go, oh my gosh, another gadget.

Actually, just friends.

The other day it was like, if we can find a topic where Megan does not have an app for that, maybe we'll give ourselves a bonus.

But I love gadgets.

I do love gadgets.

I'm going to be so super excited about this episode, but I know a lot of you guys out there don't like technology, so I just want to explore with you how technology, when you use it thoughtfully, can make us better coaches, can help our clients achieve better results, and can even make running a coaching business easier and more profitable.

So we're covering it all.

Today we're talking about telehealth platforms, apps, wearables, and the ethics of data privacy and what the future of health coaching could look like in the age of of technology.

Whether you're a tech savvy coach or a little nervous about dipping your toes in, hopefully this episode will have something for you.

So grab your coffee or tea, let's settle in and talk tech.

Let's kick things off with telehealth and online coaching platforms because this is where the tech conversation really begins for most coaches.

And telehealth just literally means you're not in the same room with the person.

It could be over the telephone or it could be on a platform like Zoom or something like that.

But that's what we mean by telehealth.

I want you to raise your hand.

Not really, but you could raise your hand.

If you started your coaching career imagining an in person session in a cozy office.

That could have been the case when you started.

But 2020 happened and suddenly everything went online.

And guess what?

It worked.

Businesses went online, things went online, and everybody understood quickly what it meant to be online and the fact that we could get work done online, including as health coaches.

So why does telehealth work?

First of all, it's accessibility.

You can connect with your clients from anywhere.

So you do not need to think anymore about having this dream client that lives just in your zip code or your area anymore.

Your dream client could be in a completely different country and that Accessibility is there when you work with telehealth.

The other thing is convenience, right?

Clients don't have to worry about commuting or scheduling conflicts.

They can literally hop on a call from their living room.

You'll also see this more and more also with mental health services where people have the comfort of being in their own space when they want to talk about their mental health.

So it's I just think this is a great telehealth and online coaching platforms is a great way moving forward.

But let me share a quick example with you.

So let's say I had a client, Emily.

I don't this is just a fictional example, but let's say I had a client Emily who was a full time nurse working 12 hour shifts and we could never have made in person session work.

But with Zoom, we schedule a 30 minute check in during her lunch break.

It made coaching with her accessible in a way that fit into her busy life.

So you can see how somebody who might not have had the luxury of time to be able to go and do that might be able to carve out 30 minutes and take a call from their lunch break.

Are there challenges?

Of course there's challenges.

The number one thing is it can feel less personal.

You really miss out on the person's body language.

And for me, the part that I miss the most is that in person energy you get when you're in a room with someone and talking with them.

And it's true, there is like when you're within six feet of someone, you can like just, you can just tell if that per the energy is there.

So number one, that could be a challenge if you're someone who does not do well in person or maybe you have a lot of energy suck out of you when you're in person with someone.

That actually could actually be a positive thing.

But in general, being on online with someone can feel a little less personal.

The other challenge that most people will experience at some point in their life when working online is tech glitches.

These are basically inevitable.

Even if your system is perfect, it could be outside of your system's control.

I mean, we've had the Internet go down then has nothing to do with us.

The Internet provider just had problems.

The sound could freeze, the screen can lag.

There's all kinds of different things that can go wrong.

And even if your system is great, your client system may not be great.

There are a couple tools that help with things like this.

So for example, there is a tool called practice better or healthy.

These two are all Designed to streamline everything so they don't just host your sessions, but they also help with scheduling and progress tracking and billing, et cetera.

So I would call that like a whole platform that's dedicated to telehealth.

So if you're not already using a telehealth platform, really encourage you to explore one.

Think about how it could expand your reach and also simplify your workflow.

Next up are apps and wearables.

And let's be honest, these tools are everywhere and your clients are probably already using them.

Definitely.

Apps, I'm assuming wearables most likely as well.

And the key is knowing how to integrate them into your practice in a way that feels supportive but not overwhelming.

So apps and wearables are powerful tools because number one, they give you data transparency.

They give you and your client a window into their habits, their step counts, their sleep patterns, their food logs.

Data is so important.

And if your client is just marking everything down like physically in a book, that's great.

It's going to give them some advantage.

But sometimes we can be not as accurate as something else like a wearable or an app which is tracking us without having to do anything.

So that data is, can be very helpful.

And there can be a lot of data.

You need to be careful and think about the kind of data that's going to help you support your client's objectives.

The other reason why it is so powerful ties into that is the immediate feedback.

Right?

So tools like Fitbit or MyFitnessPal help clients see the impact of their choices in real time.

So if they are in the process of learning how to log their food so that they can analyze how much they're eating and talk about that and work on that, logging their food into MyFitnessPal, for example, can show them immediately how many calories they're eating in that meal or how many they would eat if they, if they're pre planning a meal out.

So that can really support you as a health coach with them to give them that immediate feedback without you having to hold their hand and be there with them.

So let's take an example here.

So say your client Mike wants to improve his heart health and he is wearing a Fitbit and you notice that his step count is consistent, but his heart rate during his activity stays too high.

So this could spark a conversation about pacing and recovery, helping Mike move towards safer, more effective workouts.

So the golden rule here is to don't let the data replace the dialogue.

You need to still ask those good questions like numbers are Just numbers until you put them into context with the rest of his life.

So if a client logs a cheat meal, I don't like that word.

Just so everybody knows what I'm talking about.

It's not a reason to say, hey, what were you doing here?

Why did you have this meal?

It is really an opportunity for you to ask and for them to explore what was going on that day and how did they feel after eating that cheat meal.

Again, don't like those words, but you understand what I mean.

It's, it's, it's a learning opportunity.

It's a growth moment.

Right.

So the numbers don't tell the whole story.

The numbers are conversation opener.

The numbers are instant feedback and transparency for your client to know what they're doing and to get that information back so they can start to understand themselves better.

There is always a bit of caution here because you can have very quickly too many apps and too many apps can feel like a part time job.

And so either a, you want to stick to just a few key tools that's going to serve your, your client's specific goals or emphasize that you're only doing this for a short period of time.

So, okay, yeah, this is a lot of apps, but we're looking at this for just a month or just two months just to get the data, to get a really clear picture of what's going on.

So remember, sometimes simpler is better when it comes to apps.

Try to find one app that does most of what your client needs to do.

Okay, now let's talk about something we really can't ignore, which is data privacy.

And this is a really, it's a, it's difficult because you feel like you're also a consumer, so you also understand data privacy.

But you also, as someone who's working potentially in this area, you also need to understand the data privacy of your clients as well.

And I think as we are all consumers as well, it makes us a little bit more, let's say, sympathetic to making sure that our clients understand the data privacy that we offer or what's included.

So when we use apps and wearables or online platforms, we are handling sensitive client information, even if it is just someone's heart rate or their weight measurements.

That is sensitive client information.

And it comes with a huge responsibility.

So you can think about it this way.

If it helps, can imagine if someone shared their deepest struggles with you in a coaching session and later they found out that their data wasn't secure, that trust is, could be gone.

Really, they don't know who knows?

And now they can't trust you anymore.

So how do we stay ethical and secure at the same time without burdening ourselves with so much?

In terms of what when it comes to data privacy, number one, first of all, you have to know what the rules are for where you're living and where your clients are.

As we talked about at the top of the episode, you could be living in one country and your client could be living in a different country.

And this is where it gets super tricky.

So in the US there's a thing called hipaa.

This is the Health Information Protection act.

And so there are HIPAA laws or being HIPAA compliant in the states, in Europe there's other laws and things like that.

So you have to understand what are the tools that are compliant for your area.

So HIPAA is one of the most stringent compliance when it comes to health data.

And so you're always going to want to follow the more stricter data privacy protocols.

The second thing is you're going to want to be clear with your clients.

You want to explain how their data will be used and who has access to it.

So if you use a third party tool like Practice Better or you store their client notes along with their data in your Google Drive, these are systems that you have to understand those companies privacy policies and you should be upfront and clear with your clients.

That said, hey, your data, I store all my client notes with data in Google Drive.

That's where I store it.

Because then if they don't want their data in Google Drive for any reason, they need to understand that's where their data is being stored.

So they can tell you, no, I don't want my data stored there.

So that's why it's most important to find something that is already compliant.

Like Practice Better is HIPAA compliant.

And some other programs and tools are HIPAA compliant.

Obviously the safest is just physical paper and pencil, but that's not too practical these days.

So being clear with your clients and you can do this on your privacy page, privacy policy page on your website.

Although that's usually specific to how your privacy policy works for your website interactions, not necessarily your client interactions.

So you would want to consider potentially creating a document for privacy policy that you can share with your clients when they sign on with you to say, here's where I'm going to store all your data and just to be super clear and transparent with them.

And the last thing in this area in terms of how to stay ethical and secure is to avoid over monitoring.

So just because an app tracks every calorie and step and heartbeat doesn't mean you need to.

So make sure you're respecting your clients boundaries and really only using the parts of those tools that you need to help support your clients goals within the context of your agreement with them.

Building trust isn't just about being a great coach.

It's really about protecting the relationship you have with your clients.

Finally, let's talk about where this is all heading.

Because it's, it's still full steam ahead when it comes to technology and digital stuff.

Tech world is not slowing down anytime soon.

Honestly, it's still picking up steam and some of the inventions that are coming out right now and even just on the horizon are truly mind blowing if you think about where we were even 20 years ago.

So here are three trends that I'm keeping my eye on.

The first is of course we have to talk about.

It is AI powered coaching.

Yeah.

So gone are the days that you need to understand everything about how to do everything because we have AI now.

And whether or not you want to use AI, know that people are using AI.

Whether it's your client actually using AI because they want to create a meal plan for themselves or they're asking AI how to do something.

But other coaches are using AI and you can potentially put your clients data in again, privacy policy, making sure that everything is on the up and up and get suggested tailored strategies about your client.

Right.

You don't need to be an expert in everything.

Of course, it's all coming with a grain of salt.

I always say that AI is a great drafter, it is a great idea generator.

But it is not going to replace coaches completely because we are people.

And it's about using AI as a tool to help us work smarter, come up with ideas that maybe we wouldn't have because it wasn't in our wheelhouse for our clients.

And so I think supercharging your coaching with some AI is definitely a great way to have a better impact for your client.

Because that's what we're all here about.

We're all about the better impact for your client.

And you know what, another way you could use AI and this is you can just use it as a brain partner, a brain sparring partner.

So this is the thing that I like to use AI for.

Let's say you have a client and you're struggling with this client you've tried X, Y, Z, A, B, C, all of these different things your client has tried and maybe they're still stuck.

You could take that information, put it into AI.

This is my client's profile, this is what they, their objectives, this is what we've tried, this is the outcomes and it's still not working.

And let AI take that information and come up with some reasons why potentially things are not working for your client.

Or conversely, come up with new approaches that haven't been tried yet, or tweaking approaches that have already been tried to see if they might work in a slightly different way.

That is an amazing way to use AI in your coaching.

Okay.

I could make a whole episode on AI prompting and things like that.

Absolutely love it.

So let me know, send me an email or a voicemail.

The link is in the show notes to do that.

And let me know if you want a whole episode on AI coaching or AI powered coaching and I will work on that for you.

All right.

The second trend I'm keeping an eye on are the Wearable 2.0 thing, which is these devices are getting way more advanced.

I remember again, probably like even just 10 years ago, wearing a heart rate monitor around my chest and that was it, to know what my heart rate was.

But now you have things like hydration, oxygen saturation, stress levels, gut health, fall detection, arrhythmia, you name it.

And these devices can, can help you track it.

And I don't know if you've ever watched an Apple event, but when they are talking about their Apple watch and they have some real people who have had life changing things happen, it just, I think it's a really good way to demonstrate how wearables can really impact our lives, health and wellness every day.

But also in times of our life when we have critical things happening like accidents or heart attacks or things like that.

So Wearables 2.0, super interesting.

I'm wearing an aura ring right now and an Apple watch.

If you're interested in either one of these two things again, let me know.

Happy to make another episode on these wearables, specifically, if you want that.

The last thing is virtual reality or VR.

I have, I get motion sickness.

So VR for me is not, not as exciting because I tend to get a little sick.

But I've had a couple VR experiences for fun that were really amazing.

But can you think about this?

So your client is wearing VR and you're leading them through a mindfulness exercise while they're immersed on a calming beach setting or in the woods or wherever they feel calmest.

It sounds sci fi, but it's here.

It's already here.

So there are things that we can do now with VR that are just amazing.

So I'm those are the three things that I'm looking forward to watching in the upcoming years.

But what's the key thing here?

What's the key takeaway is technology will keep evolving.

But listen, our role as coaches, listening, supporting and guiding will always be at the center of our relationship with the clients.

All right, that is a wrap on today's episode from our telehealth platforms like Zoom and Google Meet and then more specifically like practice better to the future trends of what we're going to see in the next coming years.

We have talked a lot, a lot of stuff today.

So here is my challenge to you.

I'd like you to think about one piece of technology that you're currently not using that you could that would make your coaching practice more effective.

Is this a scheduling platform allowing more ease of use for your clients to schedule a session with you?

Is it a wearable or a new app?

So I want you to give it a try and see how it works for you.

As always, I would love to hear from you.

And I do love to hear from you.

Many of you have emailed me.

I so appreciate this.

You can send me a voicemail.

The link is in the show notes.

You can leave me a voicemail up to 60 seconds and ask me whatever question you want.

I would like to know what your biggest question about using technology is in health coaching.

Or maybe you've tried something and loved it and hated it.

Let's chat.

Send me your questions.

As always, keep exploring, keep growing and keep becoming that amazing health coach you were meant to be.

See you next time.