Don't Disregard Lived Experience in Diabetes Health Coaching: It Matters
- Julia Flaherty
- Dec 29, 2025
- 4 min read
There’s a belief that only people with formal credentials hold valuable knowledge in a health setting. While professional training absolutely matters, lived experience offers something just as essential, sometimes even more. And in the world of chronic illness, lived experience is often the missing piece that creates deeper understanding and trust.
Based on personal experience, I know this to be true when living with any form of diabetes.
So, let’s break down why lived experience deserves respect, how it supports professional growth, and why the two are not in competition.
Lived Experience Teaches What Textbooks Can’t
Someone who has lived with diabetes, chronic pain, anxiety, autoimmune disease, or any long-term condition understands the daily reality in a way no classroom can replicate.
They know:
The emotional load,
The practical obstacles
The trial-and-error required to adapt
The frustration of unpredictable symptoms
The heaviness of burnout
And the courage it takes to keep going
This insight isn’t theoretical; it’s earned. And it helps them connect with others on a level that feels authentic, safe, and validating.
Professional Training Provides Structure
A CDCES, therapist, physical therapist, or physician offers essential medical or clinical support. Their education and training are crucial. But lived experience brings something different, not lesser. When combined, they're even more powerful!
A health coach (with or without lived experience) may not diagnose, prescribe, or treat, but they can:
Offer grounded emotional support
Share real-life strategies that actually work
Validate feelings that professionals sometimes overlook
Model resilience
And help people feel less alone
Professional experience gives knowledge.
Lived experience provides understanding.
Both matter.
People With Chronic Illness Want Support From Those Who “Get It”
Research consistently shows that peer support improves emotional well-being, motivation, and quality of life. Why? Because people feel safer with someone who understands their world without needing a 10-minute explanation.
Lived experience helps coaches, advocates, and peer supporters:
Ask better questions
Anticipate emotional barriers
Speak with empathy instead of theory
And recognize when something feels “off"
This doesn’t replace clinical care; it complements it.
Lived Experience Helps Health Coaches Offer Practical, Realistic Guidance
When someone has walked the road personally, they understand the difference between “what should work” and “what actually works on a Tuesday when everything goes sideways.”
Lived experience helps coaches help:
You create more realistic goals
Provide relevant examples
Offer compassion instead of judgment
And support clients through setbacks without frustration
That’s not a lack of professionalism. That’s a strength.
You Can Be Qualified Without Having Every Credential
Some people believe, “If you’re not a CDCES, you can’t teach anything about diabetes.” But that’s not true. You can support clients with:
Emotional resilience
Behavior change
Communication skills
Habit-building
Coping strategies
None of these usually fall under clinical care. All are within scope for health and wellness coaching.
A title doesn’t define value.
Alignment withthe scope of practice does.
Often, a CDCES or an endocrinologist doesn't have time to address these issues in session. A diabetes health coach, like myself, adds something to the picture by helping people apply the strategies they learn with their doctors.
How to Embrace Your Lived Experience as a Strength
For fellow coaches, here are ways to use lived experience ethically and effectively:
1. Know your scope
Concentrate on behavior, mindset, communication, and emotional support rather than offering clinical advice.
When discussing your personal experiences, make it clear that you are not giving medical advice and that your insights are based on your own experiences and opinions.
I include that disclaimer across my website to prevent confusion and clarify a coach's scope for prospective clients.
2. Use your story to help others, not spotlight yourself
Keep the focus on the client’s growth. Use your story in your marketing strategy without making everything about you. Let it be a point of inspiration, not the entire narrative you share.
3. Pair lived experience with ongoing education
Take workshops, trainings, and certifications that strengthen your practice. Gain clinical credentials if you feel called to. Build your referral network.
If you work in diabetes like me, see if there are opportunities for a CDCES, endocrinologist, primary care provider, therapist, or nutritionist to recommend you and vice versa. We should support each other for the client's holistic well-being!
When we work together, we're all better for it.
4. Be honest about what you do and don’t do
Transparency fosters trust. Essentially, you need to clearly communicate which services you provide and which you do not.
Remain within your area of expertise, and if you decide to shift focus due to holding various credentials, ensure your client is fully informed. Include this information in the initial contract as well.
5. Let lived experience guide your empathy, not your ego
It's about connection, not hierarchy. We should all respect one another in the broader context of health, acknowledging the unique contributions each of us offers to our fellow humans.
Lived Experience Should Not Be Undermined
People living with chronic illnesses like type 1 diabetes (T1D) need both the clinical knowledge of trained professionals and the grounded understanding of someone who has lived it.
Dismissing lived experience as “not real expertise” cuts off a powerful source of support. You don’t need every credential to make a meaningful impact.
You need clarity, compassion, boundaries, and a willingness to walk alongside someone, not ahead of them.
