If you’re a personal trainer, nutrition consultant, or health coach transitioning to online coaching, you might be feeling a bit like an imposter. I get it—those first six to twelve months can be a whirlwind of self-doubt, comparison, and uncertainty. I’ve been there myself, and I know just how overwhelming it can be.
When I first started my online business, I was confident in my ability to train clients in person, but the online space felt like a whole new ballgame. Suddenly, I was expected to create content, post regularly on social media, and market my services in ways I’d never done before. It was intimidating, to say the least.
Over time, though, I discovered a few key strategies that helped me overcome those feelings of inadequacy and build confidence in my online offerings. If you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, here are four steps that might help you too.
1. Ownership: Anoint Yourself as the Expert
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is waiting for someone else to validate them as an expert. Maybe it’s a peer, a mentor, or even a client—they think that once they get that external validation, they’ll finally feel confident.
But here’s the thing: no one else can give you that sense of confidence. It has to come from within. You have to decide that you’re good enough to help someone achieve their goals. I learned this early on when one of my mentors told me, “You just need to be one step ahead of the person you’re helping.” That piece of advice was a game-changer for me. It made me realize that I didn’t need to know everything—I just needed to know enough to guide someone who was a step behind me.
2. Get Reps: Build Confidence Through Action
Confidence isn’t something that magically appears—it’s something you build over time by taking action. Even if you’re an expert in personal training, you might still doubt your ability to coach online. That’s totally normal. Confidence is area-specific, which means that to feel confident in a new area, you need to get reps in that area.
When I first started, I offered beta testing for my online coaching programs. I’d take on a small group of clients at a heavily discounted rate in exchange for feedback and testimonials. This allowed me to get the reps I needed without the pressure of having to be perfect right out of the gate. The more clients I worked with, the more confident I became in my ability to deliver results online.
3. Borrowed Confidence: Leverage Your Past Successes
Whenever I faced a new challenge, I’d remind myself of other areas in my life where I’d started from scratch and eventually succeeded. For example, I’d think about how I built a successful in-person training business from the ground up, or how I learned a new skill like snowboarding despite feeling completely out of my element at first.
By borrowing confidence from these past experiences, I was able to reassure myself that I could overcome the challenges of online coaching too. If I could master other areas of my life, why couldn’t I do the same in this new area?
4. Focus on the Next Step: Avoid Overwhelm by Taking It One Step at a Time
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re starting something new, especially when it feels like there’s so much you don’t know. I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of catastrophizing—worrying about what might happen if things don’t go as planned.
But I’ve learned that the key to overcoming this is to focus on just the next step. You don’t need to have it all figured out; you just need to know what to do next. Once you take that step, the next one will reveal itself. Before you know it, you’ve built a successful online coaching business.
Remember, you don’t need to know what it’s like to run a seven-figure business or speak on a stage right now. All you need to do is start with one client. Get them a result, then move on to the next. Over time, you’ll build a roster of happy clients, and your confidence will grow along with your business.
Imposter syndrome is something we all face at some point, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. By taking ownership of your expertise, getting reps, borrowing confidence from past successes, and focusing on the next step, you can overcome those feelings of self-doubt and build a thriving online fitness business.
