Here’s a question I get all the time: “How do I know that your program will work for me? How can I know if I’ll get results?”

And here is my answer, in all of its blunt glory:

I have no idea whether or not you’ll be a success in my program.

That’s like going to the local sporting goods store, picking up a set of weights, and asking, “Can you promise me I’ll get buff if I purchase these?”

It’s not about buying the weights, or investing in me as your nutritionist and coach.

It’s about what you do with the tools you’re given.

And that’s what I do. I give people tools, expert guidance, and encouragement. I’m damn good at my job, and I over-deliver like crazy. But at the end of the day, if the tools sit in the basement, they aren’t going to do anything for you.

I have a lot of incredible success stories in my practice, and I have noticed patterns among my clients who make major strides in their health and mood. Today, I’m sharing all six. 

6 Traits of My Most Successful Clients

1. They stay engaged and touch base with me regularly.
With a couple of exceptions, there’s a direct correlation between how regularly people meet with me and how successful they are. We ALL have the best intentions, but most of us need to be held accountable, especially when we are first making lifestyle changes. Those who meet with me regularly and check in with questions via email and text are ENGAGED in the process, and therefore more likely to succeed.

2. They reach out when they are struggling.
I don’t expect any of my clients to be “perfect,” and I know there will bumps (a.k.a. learning opportunities) along the road. Those who are successful long-term always reach out when they’re struggling: they tell me when things get hard and ask what the next step is. They don’t hide, isolate, or lie and say that everything is great when it’s not. They know they aren’t here to impress me — they are here to be helped.

3. They don’t get distracted by shiny objects.
I have a very solid system in place and I know what works. But inevitably, people get distracted by “shiny objects” — the latest expert, fad, or trend. It’s tempting to want to try a brand new thing, especially when you’re frustrated with your progress. (And, REAL TALK, most people get frustrated with their progress on Day 3.) But pursuing 10 different paths means you never get to the end of ANY path. This is the most rampant form of self-sabotage on the planet. Clients who are successful stay the path, even when the path gets hard or boring.

4. They are patient.
Your healing journey is not a goodie that you order on Amazon Prime. Health and happiness don’t come with two-day shipping. Even if you see great progress, it’s going to take longer than you want it to. Smartphones have made us all incredibly impatient. While many of my clients see major changes within the first month, the ones who are successful long-term know that health is a lifetime effort, and they learn to fall in love with the process.

5. They are willing to look at health from all angles.
I firmly believe that healing is a mind-body-spirit endeavor. The best adrenal supplements on the planet will only be a rickety crutch if your job is sucking the life out of you. If all of your meat is organic and grass-fed, but you’re unwilling to look at your emotional relationship to dark chocolate and paleo desserts, progress might elude you. If you are expecting nutrition or extensive lab testing to fix a broken marriage, that won’t happen, either. Be willing to look bravely at your entire life, and admit when you might need to do some work that has nothing to do with what’s on your plate (or in your blood work).

6. They never stop believing that change is possible.
Most of my clients have “fallen down” — they’ve had bad meals, bad weeks, or agonizing plateaus. I expect this, and it’s not a problem. The problem is when you make a bad meal, a bad week, or a plateau mean that you aren’t capable, and then you “throw in the towel” because you decide you aren’t capable of change. And if that’s what you decide for yourself, that will be your truth. My most successful clients know that bad days are inevitable, and they don’t make the bad days MEAN anything — they just keep moving on and making good decisions most of the time.

If you adopt these traits — whether you’re working with me or not — I can almost guarantee you’ll be successful in any endeavor.

Radical personal responsibility, y’all. It’s awesome.