WeightWatchers Bankruptcy, GLP-1s & What It Means For Your Health Coaching Business

Michelle Leotta: Welcome to the Health Coach Power Community Podcast. I'm Michelle Leotta, ex-corporate girl turned certified health coach with over 15 years of experience growing a successful online practice. I started out with no idea what I was getting into and learned a lot of lessons along the way that have given me the freedom to do the work I love and raised two boys as a single mom.

I created the Health Coach Power community over a decade ago to make it easier for health coaches to build a career they love and make the world a better place.
Hello there, health coaches. Did you know that Weight Watchers just filed for bankruptcy? Between that headline and the growing popularity of GLP, one drug like Ozempic. It kind of seems like health coaches could be next to lose clients. I've heard that from some of you. What are we gonna do now that these drugs exist?

But right now I think it's actually a major opportunity. So in this episode, we're gonna talk about why now is the perfect time to speak up. Educate your audience and position yourself as a leader. In fact, this is how you turn any trending topic into powerful content and ideas for workshops and programs that you can run, making your health coaching business extremely relevant and top of mind.

Now I actually pay very little attention to the news lately, and I see Denise over here saying What? I don't believe that I know. Look it up. There's articles all over the place talking about what's going on with Weight Watchers. I don't really look at the news though. This is for the sake of my own nervous system. I try to avoid it. Anybody else in that boat? So I was really surprised. I saw this headline actually pop up on LinkedIn about Weight Watchers, and I was like, wait, now what? It's not like there's fewer people in the world looking for loss these days. That number is, I think just going up and up and up and uh, so for those of you who haven't read the details, here's the scoop as I understand it.

Weight Watchers is not like disappearing completely, but you know, sometimes companies claim bankruptcy so that they can restructure whatever, you know, big businesses do. And um, in this case, they're restructuring to focus more on telehealth, especially prescription weight loss drugs like Ozempic, like Wegovy.

In fact, um, they spent like a hundred million dollars acquiring a company called Sequence last year to pivot in that direction. So less good for them, whatever. What we're seeing there is a company that just couldn't survive on its old model. You know, the one that's been around for like our whole lifetime, the point system and the weekly meetings and the weigh-in approach. It's not what people want anymore. And I kind of like that and I'm curious what you guys think because maybe just, maybe it means that more people are seeing through the diets and they want a real sustainable way to change their real food, maybe. Hopefully, and change their relationship with their bodies.

Like they don't want Weight Watchers. And if you pair that with the growth of the health coaching industry over the past 10, 20 years that I've been involved, you might conclude. We're winning, you guys, what do you think? Let's see what you're saying over here. Denise says they will need us coaches with the projected rise of chronic health issues.

Well, that's her darn sure. Christie says, I was a Weight Watchers coach for many years and lost my job when they focused towards GLP ones. I host workshops now. Have you uh, weight Watchers members and past members, and they still want to hear about behavior change. Yes. Yes, yes. So that's amazing. It's like, at first blus,h when I saw the headline, I was like, yes. Like we are changing the world now, of course. And this is the more cynical side. Uh, maybe the decline of Weight Watchers business means there's a little injection. The promise is the same results faster, and maybe that's where their business has gone. I know we all just took one big collective, so I am curious what you think.

Tell me in the comments. If you're watching on Facebook or YouTube later, you can also text me@healthcoachpower.com/text. Those come straight to my phone. So what do you think? Should health coaches take it as a win that Weight Watchers declared bankruptcy, or are we up against something much, much bigger with these drugs? I'm thinking there's probably some of both going on here, right? Like, there's always been both kinds of people in the world. There are always gonna be people who are looking for a quick fix to whatever the problem is. And then there's always gonna be the people who've maybe tried those things and they didn't work, or they're looking for more than just surface fixes.

Maybe it's just two different personality types. And what's really interesting is that either way. The Weight Watchers model was just sitting in the middle, and it wasn't serving either group's needs. So now that business is trying to evolve and continue making money because that's what businesses do, the very best way that they know how.

But here's a big company that can't do particularly well. And since Christie used to work for Weight Watchers, I'd love to hear what Christie has to say about this. I mean, big companies can do a lot of things at small individual. Practitioners like us cannot. But those big companies, they can't form really meaningful relationships and coach people through real change, not in the way a health coach can, especially when we're working for ourselves and we're offering clients the time, right? Because sometimes, if you're working for one of these big companies, Christie, you tell us what it was like, but I hear you get like 10 minutes with a client, or you're only working via text. Right. But we get to work with our clients for. An hour session once a week if that's what we wanna do, right?

So we can give them the time, we can give them the personal attention. And that's very unique to health coaching. Uh, let's see. Christie says, I'm taking it as a win. Weight Watchers lost a lot of trust. I'm here and ready to help. Yes, Christie says, I think the piece that's missing from Weight Watchers and pills is education.

Absolutely. And Jenny says, as a health coach that works with clients that want to lose weight while using GLP one. And it's a tool that becomes another diet, if not paired with health coaching. And the one good thing about Weight Watchers was the community aspect of it. I love hearing your input, you guys, and you collectively, we have much more experience like shared together than like, I can just give, so keep the comments coming, read each other's stuff. I think it helps us get a better and more well-rounded view of the topic. Let's talk, just talk about the drugs for a second, 'cause I know some of our, uh, listeners maybe don't know a lot about these. Uh, the GLP ones are offering obviously that quick fix weight loss, and they're all over the media, and your clients are seeing it, and maybe they're curious.

Maybe they're already on them, maybe they know somebody who's tried it. So here's what I think. I think it's never helpful for us as health coaches to. Judge. This new trend, this new technology, you know, kind of like Jenny was saying, it's a, it's another tool, right? It's another tool that's out there. It kind of reminds me of, I guess, my initial, uh, reaction when I saw those 100 calorie packs of Oreos many years ago, and they started selling those, and I was like, oh, ha ha ha, not very healthy. But that's me being judgy, right? If people want to eat those and they feel like they've made a healthier choice, and it probably was a healthy choice because they intended it to be, which means they're at least in a mindset of wanting to make healthy choices, and that's not nothing. So from there, you know, with the right guidance, with the little education, they could maybe eat their Oreo pack and an apple.
How about some fresh fruit, right? That's progress. And then from there, maybe it becomes an apple with some peanut butter. Now we got some protein in there. Holy cow, we're getting somewhere. So, whether it's Oreos or Ozempic, if we can lose the judgment, we just might be able to get in there and guide people where they wanna be. That's what I'm thinking because they don't wanna take injections for the rest of their lives and they don't wanna lose weight real fast and then put it all back on when they stop taking the drugs. They want what you actually exactly have to offer as a health coach. You know, not just the weight loss.

They also want more energy, which they're not gonna get from this. And they want less stress and anxiety, and they want better sleep. They want fewer cravings, and they wanna get rid of their headaches and their digestive trouble and all their chronic aches and pains, and that's where you come in. Let's see what Christie's saying.
When they work with a coach, they get to take full credit for their successes, and that's a huge win. This is true, and maybe there's like an in-between place too before they fully get there. Like, could we be a companion on the journey where we support someone? In the contemplation phase, you know, where they, they might be thinking about trying one of these drugs.

Could we support them before, during, and after, or instead of using these drugs and help them create habits that actually stick? I mean, I remember having a client many years ago who's on blood pressure medication and I wasn't like. Oh, I'm not gonna work with you because you're taking meds. I mean, like, that person can still start drinking more water instead of soda. They can move their body more. They can learn to cook for themselves. You know, this is what he did. Learn to eat more vegetables, you know, all the things. None of that's in conflict with the fact that he was taking medication for his blood pressure. He knew his habits were not helping him. He wanted to try a different way.

He was still on the meds, right? Like there's, there's no conflict here. You know what? Guess what? He did get off those meds all on his own, even though that wasn't the goal. It's just like good things happen when people start to eat real food. So in the same way, I could absolutely imagine, and I would love to hear from those of you that are doing this, I can imagine working with a client.

Taking drugs for weight loss and helping them at the same time, shift habits that make them feel happier and more energized. And they're gonna go, oh, my skin looks better. Oh, I'm sleeping so much better. Oh, shocking. It's all possible. And then maybe, you know, maybe they'll come off those drugs and they'll have the habits in place to manage their weight the way that they want to on their own for the rest of their life. Like, is that what I would prefer people to do, right? To go the route of taking Ozempic or whatever? Not, maybe not my personal preference, but if that's their decision, I can help them along their path. That's what we're doing, right? Not dragging them along our path. So I know many of you are not weight loss coaches.

Some of you are, and some of you were like staunchly, like, I don't even wanna talk about weight loss. That's not my thing. And that's totally fair. And I just wanna say, if you're out there and you're helping people with energy and mood and digestion and sleep and movement and stress, or literally any other wellness factor.

You are already in the conversation whether you wanna be or not because weight loss tends to intersect with all of these issues. Clients come to us with all of it in one big package, and I'm sure you're hearing about their desire to lose weight. You know, either from clients you're working with, potential clients, friends, family, whomever.

So instead of running from it, guys, the world is talking about weight loss drugs. My advice is this: don't hide from the conversation. You wanna lean in, you wanna join this conversation. It's actually a really, really smart thing for your visibility to speak up on newsworthy topics, like things that are already making headlines, things that already feel relevant to the world right now, because you're gonna get far more attention than if you kind of randomly walk into the conversation talking about Ayurveda, you know, for example.
Which nobody cares about, or maybe, but very, very few people care about. You know what I mean? Right now, everyone has heard about VLP ones, and they have an opinion. They have questions. They're perking up their ears. It reminds me of, uh, many, many years ago. Gosh, when was this? My son, my first son, was born, you know, Mad Men was very popular back then in January. Jones was pregnant. She had her baby, and she ate or somehow consumed her placenta, and it made big headlines because like again, she was a big star at the time, and I had done the same thing very recently 'cause my son had been born. And when I wrote in my blog, um, at the time, about January Jones and my experience, I got a ton of visibility.

I mean, way beyond anything else that I had written about, because people in that moment were searching for that topic and they wanted to know more. So when something's really hot in the media, take advantage of that. That's when you can spread your message and connect with potential clients in a bigger way.

Let's see what you guys are saying. Uh, Linda says, we definitely offer more than just a shot. We offer lifestyle changes. Yeah. And some people want that and some people don't. And some people don't want it yet, but they will. You know, there's all types out there. Christie says, I have a client taking the shot and has lost 60 pounds. He is now off the shot to try and figure out some battle troubles. Yeah. She's gonna try and use foods that love her to continue her journey. I'm here for whatever works for her and she's happy with, and it's beautiful. And I wonder if the digestive troubles were because of the drugs, or they existed before.

But hey, great talking point, isn't it? So here are some really practical ways that I came up with that you can advance your business, uh, around this very trendy topic of weight loss drugs, whether you think they're great, whether you think they're terrible, or something in between. So, for starters, and you might wanna take some notes here, you can create content just like I di,d writing about my placenta on my blog many years ago.

Think about, maybe it's your blog, maybe it's your emails, maybe it's social media, like whatever you're using. You could write about things like five things that weight loss drugs can't do for you. That's an interesting topic. It intersects with what's going on in the news, and it highlights what you can provide as a health coach or what happens when you stop taking weight loss meds or talk about this whole thing with Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers is out now, what? O,r considering Ozempic, read this first. Like that's a great hook. So in this way, you are opening up the conversation. It's a timely, relevant topic. You're likely gonna get more clicks. I'm just telling you I saw it. I've seen it many times. But that one example with the placenta story that really stood out to me.

You're gonna get more clicks, you're gonna get more interactions than just another post about the five benefits of eating more protein, like they've heard that. So that's a good place to start with your content. If this is an area that you know your clients are really interested in, then you could take it a step further. You could host a free webinar or a workshop. You know, something like setting yourself up for healthy weight loss with or without Ozempic, which is a beautiful way of saying, I'm gonna meet you where you are. Not just here, but you're implying in general a very non-judgmental attitude. Where can people really go for that?

It's hard. It's hard when you find someone who is equally open to holistic and natural means of generating health, and also, you know, the traditional medical model. Let's see what Linda's saying. She says, I agree to lean in. I used to be judgy, and changed my perspective when I started to read a bit more to understand why people got on GLP one and the research.

And then Denise is asking, is GLP one the same as Ozempic? It's a category of drugs of under which there are several. Yeah, read up on it. It's really interesting, and I actually had to do some research just to have this conversation with you. I've just heard it floating by in the news, and initially I'm like, judgy health coach, but then I was like, let me actually see what this is all about.

So maybe you do some, create some content. Maybe you hold a workshop or a webinar that would help you, by the way, if you did a workshop that would help you build your email list and position you as a trusted expert. Now, of course, you're never gonna tell someone exactly what they should or shouldn't do, and you don't even have to know everything about these drugs.

I mean, I just came clean. I did research just to have this podcast episode go live. You can still hold space for a conversation, and there's so much value in that when people can talk with each other and share their experiences, you can share the pros and the cons that you've seen in a balanced way. You can invite that conversation and maybe illuminate the idea that there is more to good health than just seeing the scale go down. So what about that? You know, that's like a door you can open, see if anybody wants to go through it with you. And you can even run a group program or a coaching series focused on people considering these drugs or currently taking them.

I mean, that's a niche right there. Helping them navigate their health beyond the medication, with or without. Now, when they're on it later, when they're not right, this is a subsection of people who want to lose weight. Why not lean in and serve this audience? Again, I just wanna reiterate, you don't have to know everything about these drugs in order to facilitate a conversation.

You don't have to be a doctor to talk about the fact that there are medications out there. You just can't prescribe them. You can't tell someone to stop taking them or change their dosage. Obviously, we're not doing that. And it's also not outside your scope of practice to work with people again who are taking meds.

Just like the client I shared about, who was taking blood pressure medications. Just like Jenny's working with someone who's, you know, on these meds right now for weight loss. Most of our clients are on some kind of medication or something. That's just the truth. So just work with them on everything else.

Their lifestyle, their sleep, their habits, their stress, what brings them joy in life. Help them try a new vegetable. Yes. You know, it's not that complicated. Christy says more to good health than just the scale going down. Great workshop on its own. You know, they're gonna notice that anyway because someone who thinks that their health or that their self-worth or that their happiness in this world or whatever is tied to the number on the scale. Maybe they do take the drugs or do whatever diet and see the scale go down, but they're still exhausted and they're still unhappy, and they can't figure out why. I always notice that people come to health coaching after they've tried other things.

You know, they've gotten a little wiser, just enough to say, huh, all that stuff didn't quite work. I'm ready to try something different. I. I know that's how I got into holistic health. How about you? So all the ideas that I've shared today, right? I hope you guys get out there and you start writing, and someone's gonna host a coaching series about this.
I'm always sharing with my fast track members, and Jenny knows this, that your confidence grows in proportion to the action that you take. So if you're feeling uncertain about marketing yourself right now, or speaking publicly on a big topic like this, that's normal. Just do it anyway. Do it messy. Do it before you feel ready, 'cause that's really the only way to get yourself there and to help. I do have a free 90-day blueprint to help you build your business, help you get more clients. It gives you a clear, repeatable plan to start building momentum, whether you're blogging or running workshops, or finally getting your first few clients.

And you can grab it for free when you go to HealthCoachPower.com/blueprint. Back to Weight Watchers, this whole going bankrupt thing. It doesn't mean that people don't want help with their health. It just means excitingly. I think that the old way isn't working anymore, and that's not a problem. Like that's our opening.

Your clients need more than a diet. You know this. They know it now, and that's really cool. They need support. They need education. They need accountability. They need a real relationship. That's really what you can provide. How many times does someone just sit and listen in a calm way? You know, most of our clients they already know what they need.
They already know what they're supposed to do. They just need someone to listen and reflect back in a calm way. So don't wait. You don't need fancy credentials. You don't need a new certification to do this. You just need to show up. You just need to speak your truth and start helping people. So go do that, and I'll see you next week. Thanks for joining me. Take care, everybody.

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