How to Build an Online Wellness Course

Whether you’re building an online course because you had an idea that deserved to make it out of your Notes app or because you’ve booked out your calendar, there are a few things you need to know.

For one, your students don’t need to know everything you know (however tempting it may be to share)—and two, there’s a process to creating a successful online course your students can’t stop talking about.

This is how to build an online wellness course that transforms your students and supports YOU:

Do You Really Need an Online Course?

There’s a common misconception that when you’re booked out or desire time-freedom, it’s time to build a course—when that’s not necessarily true. A course CAN offer more time-freedom, but so would a masterclass, mini-course, or group program.

Building an online course that reflects your wellness program is an option, but not the only option. Before spending hours, weeks, or even months putting together an online course, hoping it’ll free up your calendar without negatively impacting your income, consider what you need and want from your offer and how it fits into your offer suite.

If you’re not sure where to start, book an Offer Intensive, and we’ll transform your offer into a high-converting, scalable offer in just half a day! Book your Intensive here.

5 Steps for Building an Online Wellness Course for Your Business

Now, if you’re sure an online course is the right fit for you, the process can be broken down into approximately five steps spread over a few months. You can’t build a course in a weekend, and any Facebook ad trying to convince you otherwise will not get you the results you need, nor the experience your students deserve.

Here’s how you can build an online wellness course to support your business and expand your offer suite:

#1. Get Your Ideas Out of Your Notes App

The first step in creating a course is getting your ideas out of your Notes app! It may be a great place to brain dump your ideas, but it’s not ideal for building out your course curriculum.

I love using Google Docs to keep track of my course ideas and content (it’s one of my favorite free course creation tools), but you can use whatever feels best for you like Notion, Evernote, or even ClickUp—the most important things is that you’ll be able to find, reference, and expand this information whenever needed.

#2. Pick Your Intention (and Transformation)

Before you can build your curriculum, you need to determine what your intention is for your course—what is your audience learning, or what do they need to be able to achieve by the end of your course? 

Once you map out what they need to know, establish who they need to become to see results. What type of transformation do they need to experience?

#3. Map Out Your Curriculum

Take this information into your curriculum development. Anytime you add information to your course, ask yourself, “Is this necessary for them to achieve the results?”

Don’t be afraid of editing your curriculum. Take it step by step! Create your outline, write your curriculum, edit, and then move on to scripting your videos or creating your resources. Need help? Book an Intensive! This is exactly what we’ll walk through.

#4. Design & Record Your Materials

Do NOT start with designing your slide decks—your curriculum needs to be completed first (I promise, this will help immensely). I recommend scripting or outlining your videos, then recording them to embed them in your course.

Videos might be the main one you think of (right now), but there are so many other types of materials you’ll need to create—your assessments, templates, worksheets, reflections…all this comes AFTER you’ve mapped out your curriculum.

#5. Launch, Sell, and Assess

You can technically work on your course during the launch (pre-selling your course is a great way to get started, but make sure you follow through on delivery), but the final step in building an online wellness course is selling it!

Once it’s sold, you can close doors and open again when you’re ready, OR make it evergreen. Either way, ensure that you’re creating assessments during and after your course—this helps students get the best results and allows you to determine when and where students are falling off and where your course needs improvement.

How to Get Started Expanding Your Offer Suite With an Online Course

I love creating and helping business owners create online courses because of the time freedom it brings and the ability to scale without taking on more 1:1 clients. When you build out a course (either by yourself or with help from a learning specialist like me), you’re gaining the opportunity to help so many more of the people who need you.

The first step? Taking a step! Some of the best ideas remain hidden because we don’t have time or we don’t think they can come to fruition due to our overcrowded schedules, at least, not without burning us out.

Get started by joining my free masterclass, “Scaling Beyond One-on-One,” and I’ll help you expand your income, free up your time, and deliver exceptional client results.