By Nicholas Dunbar, CPH, BCE — ACE Certified Health Coach | Hypothesis Coaching

You want help. Fantastic! But who do you call?

A trainer? A dietitian? A coach? They sound the same. They're not. Here's the difference — and why, in most cases, the answer isn't either/or.

What a Dietitian Does

A dietitian is a licensed medical professional. They diagnose nutrition problems. They build meal plans for people with clinical conditions — kidney disease, celiac, eating disorders.

What they don't do: help you follow through.

A dietitian once sent me a client. The guy knew his nutrition cold. He could tell you exactly what to eat and why. He just couldn't do it. Day after day, he couldn't do it. That's not a food problem. That's a behavior problem. So the dietitian kept doing her job — and I started doing mine.

She told him what to eat. I helped him actually eat it.

If you're seeing a dietitian and it's not sticking, that doesn't mean the dietitian failed. It means you probably need both of us. I work directly alongside your dietitian. And if you don't have one yet but need one, I'll help you find the right person.

What a Personal Trainer Does

A trainer builds your workout program. They teach you form. They stand next to you at the gym and keep you honest.

If you need someone to show you how to lift — or to be there when you do — a trainer is your person.

What they don't do: follow you home. They don't sit with you at the restaurant or go with you to the bar.

A trainer gets you to the gym when you have an appointment. But the appointment ends. Then what?

I work on what happens when no one's watching. I help you build the habits that get you to the gym without an appointment. I get you in touch with your deep motivation so you don't undo at the bar what you worked for at the gym.

The best setup is both. A trainer to teach you the how. Me to build the habit that gets you there. If you're already working with a trainer and consistency is the problem, that's exactly where I come in. And if you need a trainer but don't know where to start, I'll help you find one worth your time and money.

What I Do

I work on the gap. The space between knowing and doing.

You know you should sleep more. You know you should eat better. You know you should move. You just don't. Not consistently. Not when life gets hard.

I don't replace your doctor, your dietitian, or your trainer. I work alongside them. Your doctor handles your medical care. Your dietitian handles clinical nutrition. Your trainer handles the gym. I handle the habits that make all of it actually stick — the sleep, the stress, the emotional eating, the triggers that derail everything else.

I had a client with ADHD. He had a therapist. A good one. I wasn't there to do the therapist's job — that's not my place and not my training. But I helped him sleep better. Eat more consistently. Move more. Build the daily habits that made everything else easier. Together we got him awesome results.

I've worked with clients managing chronic conditions alongside their doctors. The doctor handles the medicine. I handle the lifestyle. Different lanes. Same road.

I also help you find resources from credible sources. I help you cut through the BS of the internet and help you find options to bring to your doctor, trainer, or therapist.

As ACE puts it: most people know what they should do but don't do it. I help you find out why — and fix it (Lauren Shroyer, ACE Director of Product Development). I help people pick their own locks, and unlock greater levels of health and wellbeing.

So Which One Do You Need?

Honest answer: probably more than one.

Not sure who you need or where to start — that's exactly what the free consult is for. We'll figure it out together. And if you need someone I'm not — a dietitian, a trainer, a specialist — I'll help you find the right person and work with them alongside you.