Andrew Taylor has a unique coaching "origin story." An obese, diabetic food addict, he decided to quit eating the way an alcoholic gives up booze and a cocaine addict abstains from blow. Since eliminating food entirely wasn't possible, he decided to consume nothing but potatoes for an entire year. His YouTube-chronicled journey of weight loss, regained health, and renewed self-esteem made him famous in a way, to the point where lots of other people wanted his guidance in changing their diets and getting healthy. As a school teacher working with at-risk youth, Andrew (increasingly known by his new nickname, "Spudfit," had a lot of experience with people with impulse control deficits and a lot of hopelessness. He applied his existing skill set to his health clients, and refined various strategies to help them "prime their minds" every morning, avoid predictable pitfalls, and treat their recovery as a science experiment. The heart of his method is a type of questioning that challenges his clients to revise their perception of reality. The space created by uncertainty about old ways of thinking allows for new actions, which further challenge the client's old assumptions. As Andrew says, everyone wants to improve. Even those who have come close to "giving up" will respond positively to positive results. You can find Andrew at http://spudfit.com.

============================================= This episode, like every HCP podcast, is sponsored by http://WellStartCoach.com. If you're a health coach wanting a more reliable process for helping clients change; if you're a lifestyle medicine practitioner needing to generate more "compliance" with diet and lifestyle prescriptions, or you'd like to help the people in your life overcome negative health habits and live their best lives, check out the WellStart Health Coaching Academy.