“You get to eat three meals a day—plus snacks?”
That was the surprised reaction of a friend when I told her I’d just finished Coach Nichole Mercado’s six-week Nurture and Nourish program. I had been raving about how much better I felt—my clothes fit better, my face looked less puffy, and for the first time in a long time, I felt in control of my body.
Incidentally, we were in the middle of one of Mercado’s pocket classes, held recently at the Westin Manila in celebration of Global Wellness Day. With a mix of nutritional guides, stress management techniques, mindfulness practices, and a short HIIT session, it was the perfect introduction to her thoughtful, integrative approach to health.
Journey to Fitness
Before becoming a wellness coach, Mercado was a fashion and beauty editor who, like many of us, experimented with fad diets throughout her teens and twenties. “At that time, I didn’t have the proper tools and information to make healthier choices. I just wanted to lose weight and not get picked on,” she shares.
With her svelte figure, it’s hard to imagine the former fashion editor as a chubby teenager. But it’s this very experience that fueled her pursuit of true wellness. “I really worked on letting go of guilt, restrictive habits, and negative self-talk,” she says. “I started to get to thinking that there has to be a more balanced and positive approach to food and a healthy lifestyle.”
In her thirties, Mercado took a more focused approach. She dove into research, continually refining her understanding of health. Going a step further, she earned her certificate as a holistic health coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and also became certified in strength and conditioning, as well as nutrition for weight management and performance.
Having cultivated a new mindset, she decided to start coaching others in 2023—aiming to improve their wellbeing through a more integrative approach. The culmination of this is, of course, her six-week Nurture and Nourish Wellness Program.
“We look at the person as a whole, and recognize the interconnectedness of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of one’s life and try to make lifestyle changes to enhance each of these dimensions,” she explains. “I create personalized programs by truly getting to know each client—understanding their unique lifestyle, goals, and challenges. Together, we co-created realistic, sustainable changes that align with their needs and pace.”
What this looks like is weekly online meetings where Mercado talks to her clients to see where they’re at, and introduces a new concept. “Each week focuses on a different pillar of wellness—nutrition, movement, mental and emotional health, gut health, routine building, and maintenance,” she explains. Going from the abstract to the specific, Mercado then creates an actionable game plan for her clients.
Clients are encouraged to adopt these healthier habits, with the coach constantly checking in to see if exercise or nutrition goals are being met. “Whether it’s adjusting eating habits, creating space for physical movement, or making room for self-care, the program is tailored to empower the client to take ownership of their wellness journey,” she says.
Mindful Movement
Mercado herself has always practiced what she preached, long before she became a health coach. As a morning person, she wakes up early and heads to the gym for HIIT or boxing workouts. She’s been practicing Pilates for 12 years now and loves it so much that she has her own machine at home. Nonetheless, she still attends sessions in the Pilates studio once a week. At times, she does dance or other classes to add more fun and variety to her routine.
Recently, she joined the Spartan races with her husband Bernard and a few friends, eager to challenge herself and step out of her comfort zone. “These races are more than just obstacle courses; they really test your grit and determination. It was a way to prove to myself that I can overcome anything I set my mind to,” she declares.
And because of all the running she did to prepare for Spartan, she inadvertently found it to be another activity she enjoyed. Just three months into her training, she joined her first half-marathon. “With every week, I gained more confidence and realized how far I had come in such a short time. Crossing that finish line was an unforgettable moment,” she recalls. Her next goal is to finish a full marathon and join a Hyrox event. “Keeping these two goals in mind is a powerful way to keep challenging myself and leveling up.”
“True health isn’t about perfection—it’s about balance.”—Nichole Mercado
Progress Over Perfection
While the training regimen she has for herself may seem intense, it is only so because it is something she personally responds to. On the whole, she believes in following a more intuitive approach to wellness. “True health isn’t about perfection, it’s about balance. It means nourishing your body with wholesome food, but also enjoying the occasional treat without guilt. It’s about moving regularly, not obsessively, and honoring rest as much as effort,” she elaborates.
For instance, instead of telling her clients to cut off their favorite, high-calorie foods, she encourages them to either enjoy them in moderation or introduce a healthier swap. She also doesn’t believe you need to keep skipping meals or cut off entire food groups to get the results you want. Nonetheless, she encourages people to try and eliminate processed foods, refined sugars, and the like in favor of balanced meals populated by whole foods. By eating a lot of the good stuff like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, you can fuel your body well, and essentially won’t have space for anything too “unhealthy”.
It is a nifty way of reframing the conversation, which puts the focus on all the yummy and nourishing foods you can enjoy as opposed to fixating on the ones you can’t. She likewise doesn’t believe in “all or nothing” and instead posits that “something is better than nothing.” This she says can be something as simple as preparing a nurturing homecooked meal to bring to work instead of getting fast food, or going for a 15-minute walk instead of mindless scrolling. “Even small, intentional choices make a big impact. It’s about weaving wellness into your daily routine, and making your health a non-negotiable even in simple ways.”
The Joy of Community
As a wife, mom to a young son in junior high, and businesswoman, Mercado knows what it’s like to juggle multiple roles. “I’ve learned that I don’t have to do everything perfectly, I just need to stay present and prioritize what matters most in each moment,” she shares.
She relishes being able to incorporate wellness into her family’s life, either by making tasty and balanced meals or by doing fun activities with them. She does meal prep three to four times a week, to ensure that they always have tasty, and balanced foods in the fridge. It helps that her son, Rocco, also likes keeping active and enjoys playing basketball. Her husband Bernard, on the other hand, is a triathlete, and the couple enjoys running together and keeping fit. She is grateful that they all try to stay active together and support and encourage each other. “It turns healthy living into a team effort and a meaningful part of family life,” she shares.
She’s also made a lot of friends while engaging in fitness activities and has gotten her relatively less active friends to exercise as well. She believes in the power of community to motivate and support one another. “Friends can encourage you to push through tough moments, celebrate your progress, and make fitness feel less of a chore and more like a shared experience,” she shares. “Having friends by my side adds a sense of fun to my routine.”
Engineering Healthy Epiphanies
Perhaps Mercdo as a wellness coach can be described as someone who helps clients engineer their own healthy epiphanies. Logically, she can’t make anyone move more, or force someone to eat better. She’s also quite realistic with her clients, especially in the beginning. “There’s no magic pill to wellness—true health takes time, effort, and consistency,” she believes. To a certain extent, the desire to change has to come from within. What she can do is create a system fueled by science-backed knowledge, and an encouraging environment that fosters change.
Indeed, revamping one’s routine can be a challenge, but she’s positive that it is very doable. “I’ve worked with a lot of overweight and obese clients wanting to lose weight. They always start skeptical during our first session when I tell them I won’t be putting them on any extremely restrictive diets,” she shares. Nonetheless, she is happy to have helped her clients achieve their goals. In fact, one of her clients even lost 50 pounds over eight months, with half of the progress achieved in the first six weeks, and the rest after as the client continued to work on himself.
She finds it quite fulfilling when she sees healthier habits gradually ingrained into the foundation of her clients’ lives. She talks of how one client committed to cooking his own meals, even if they were in the food industry, just so that he could eat cleaner. Another client who was daunted by the prospect of knee surgery, decided to work with Mercado in hopes of finding an alternative. Their collaborative efforts paid off—and after achieving significant weight loss, it was happily confirmed that surgery was no longer necessary.
“Surface goals like losing X amount of weight can fizzle out. A deeper purpose sustains your drive long after the excitement fades.”—Nichole Mercado
“What I love most about health coaching is the opportunity to truly change peoples’ lives for the better. It’s been so rewarding to witness someone go from feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and unwell, step into a new version of themselves that feels empowered, confident, and energetic,” she shares.
Of course, when one gets unmotivated, as is wont to happen, she reminds people to go back to their “why.” “Surface goals like losing X amount of weight can fizzle out, A deeper purpose, like being strong for my kid, and feeling more confident in your own skin, sustains your drive long after the excitement fades,” she shares. Your “why” is what keeps you going for the long haul, and for life even. “Wellness is a lifelong journey built on daily choices. It’s a commitment to care for yourself every single day.”
Nichole’s Wellness Jumpstart Tips
Small steps lead to big changes. Here are some simple, no-pressure ways to begin.
1. Replace,don’t just remove.
Instead of focusing on what you’re giving up, replace the habit with a healthier, more supportive action. For example, swap stress-eating processed food for taking a 5-minute break to breathe deeply, stretch, or go outside.
2. Practice mindfulness.
Bring awareness to your habit at the moment. Pause and ask yourself, “Is this serving me? Does this align with my goals?”
3. Start small and specific.
Focus on one specific habit at a time. Make one or two changes at a time—focus on one or two small habits each week, like eating a veggie with every meal or cutting back on sugar, to avoid getting overwhelmed and to build consistency.
4. Set SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
It’s not just about what you want—it’s about how you’re going to get there.
5. Focus on progress, not perfection.
You won’t always feel motivated. Just show up. Progress comes from consistency, not perfection.
