The world is suffering from a global epidemic of non-communicable diseases. Previous research has suggested that health coaching might be an effective way to help curb the epidemic. However, the ambiguous definition of health coaching hinders its widespread practical implementation. We redefined the coaching process in the universal language of behavior change techniques with evidence of effectiveness, postulating this would make the process more efficient to teach and to apply and lead to results with excellent time efficiency. This pilot study (n = 25) investigated the feasibility of such an approach. Despite the relatively short total time spent (< 4 hours per participant), the surveys conducted at baseline and six months showed significant improvements in customer-reported physical and mental health with implications of clinical significance. These promising results pave the way for a universal definition of the coaching process, signaling a brighter future for the practice that merits further exploration.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for- profit sectors.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The study was approved by Regional Medical Research Ethics Committee of Wellbeing Services County of North Savo, Finland.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors