Gut and Hormone Health: A New Coaching Blueprint for Sustainable Weight Loss and Performance
In this Business of Coaching Workshop, Dasha Agoulnik, founder of CorePerform, shares a revolutionary approach to body recomposition and client transformation that goes far beyond traditional calorie counting and macro tracking. Drawing from both personal experience and clinical data, she breaks down the intricate relationship between gut health, hormones, and sustainable physique changes—and how coaches can leverage this knowledge for better results and higher business value.
Why Gut Health Matters for Strength and Conditioning
Skepticism around gut health is understandable, especially in strength and conditioning circles where it is seen by some as a passing trend. However, the connection between gut function and performance is growing clearer. Poor gut health can impair glycogen storage, nutrient absorption, and hormonal balance—key aspects of athletic performance and recovery.
Athletes dealing with bulking, cutting, and high food volumes are especially vulnerable to digestive stress. As elite athletes like Brian Shaw have highlighted, prioritizing gut health can make a tangible difference in long-term performance.
The Problem with Traditional Dieting
Dasha begins by challenging the conventional belief that weight loss is solely a matter of calorie balance. While that principle holds some truth, it oversimplifies the complex biochemical processes that govern metabolism. Many clients hit frustrating plateaus despite consistent dieting and exercise, pointing to deeper root causes: namely, gut dysfunction and hormonal imbalances.
Why the Gut Comes First
Health starts in the gut. Proper digestion and nutrient absorption are essential for optimal organ and hormone function. If the gut is inflamed or imbalanced, the body cannot effectively utilize the food it consumes, even if it is nutritious. This dysfunction contributes to fatigue, poor recovery, brain fog, and stubborn weight retention.
The gut’s microbiome—a community of bacteria in the intestinal tract—plays a crucial role in regulating inflammation, metabolism, and even muscle growth. When there is too much of one bacterial strain or harmful pathogens present, it can lead to “leaky gut” and immune reactions to otherwise healthy foods. This cascade of dysfunction is why traditional food sensitivity tests can often mislead more than help.
The Five SPEED Pillars of Metabolic Health
Lab tests that determine the makeup of a client’s gut flora can serve as strong motivators for behavioral change. Seeing concrete data often gives clients the external validation needed to take their health seriously. However, not everyone needs a GI test. Before diving into lab testing or supplementation, it is important to establish a healthy foundation of habits and environment first.
Dasha introduces her “Five SPEED Pillars” for quickly optimizing client results:
- Sleep – Essential for recovery and immune function.
- Personal Stress – Individual perception of stress influences hormone regulation.
- Environmental Stress – Includes toxins in water and air; clean environments are crucial for gut health.
- Exercise – Both overtraining and undertraining can harm gut and hormonal balance.
- Diet – Nutrient quality and diversity support gut flora and hormonal equilibrium.
Most clients can start with basic lifestyle changes—like staying hydrated with filtered water, developing consistent sleep habits, managing stress levels and mental health, eating slowly, and planning ahead for better meal quality. These basic habits must be in place before sustainable improvements can be made to gut health.
Growing Your Business with New Services
For coaches, this approach is not just about client success. It is also a business opportunity. Longer coaching packages (often 3–6 months) are needed to resolve gut and hormone issues, increasing the lifetime value of clients. And, as they become healthier and happier, training outcomes will improve. All of this adds to the value and results you can deliver.
Strength and Conditioning coaches can learn how to interpret lab results themselves through CorePerform’s website. If now is not the time to develop a nutrition/health coaching specialty, this service can easily be outsourced to certified professionals on TurnKey Coach.
Staying Within Scope While Adding Value
A major concern is how to responsibly support clients without overstepping professional boundaries. Legal requirements vary around the world for who can diagnose ailments and what constitutes “medical treatment.” Regardless, coaches can avoid these pitfalls by serving as a “health liaison” to their clients, connecting them to the right practitioners while educating them on what to ask and look for.
A good general rule to work by is: educate, don’t prescribe. Present evidence-based information, not personal opinions. Use educational tools such as food lists, research citations, and supplement ingredient education, rather than offering prescriptive advice. This approach aligns more closely with what a search engine might provide—factual information, not a diagnosis.
The value here is that a client does not have to slog through the sea of online noise on their own. An informed coach has already done the research and can quickly point them to the relevant information. Armed with this information, clients can communicate more effectively with medical professionals to reach an accurate diagnosis and an appropriate treatment plan.
An example would be how to respond when a client asks if they should take creatine. Instead of saying yes or no, the coach should refer the client to their doctor while presenting research that shows creatine is generally safe for healthy individuals.
As the demand for gut health education rises in the fitness world, a growing number of clients are turning to online resources for interpreting test results and managing symptoms. This trend highlights both the pitfalls of self-diagnosis and the critical role nutrition coaches can play as informed guides.
Dasha’s presentation reframes the health and fitness coaching model. It is not just about calories and workouts. True transformation starts at the gut level. Coaches who adopt this holistic, science-backed strategy not only deliver better results, but they can also build more profitable, comprehensive businesses.
This material was recently covered in the Business of Coaching Workshop, a series designed to help coaches grow their businesses by mastering key principles like trust, pricing, and delivering value. Each session dives into actionable strategies to build better client relationships and drive success. Want to take your coaching practice to the next level? Join us for the next workshop—it’s free.
