Health Coaching in Palo Alto and the Peninsula

If you live in Palo Alto, Menlo Park or a nearby town on the Peninsula, you may have excellent doctors and specialists and still feel on your own between visits. You leave an appointment with a results summary and a plan, and then months go by with no one helping you actually live it. That in-between stretch is exactly where coaching helps.

Who coaching on the Peninsula is for

I'm Cheri Sacks, a registered nurse and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. I work with people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions who want support turning their doctor's plan into everyday habits. I coach by video across California and in person by arrangement, and I always work alongside your clinicians, never in place of them.

Many of the people I meet here are brilliant and busy, often working at Stanford or in the startup world, with calendars that don't bend and parents who still need someone at 4 p.m. A lot of them have been running at full speed for so long that their bodies have never had a real chance to rest. That isn't a weakness. It's a sign you need a plan built for the life you actually have.

How coaching with me works

A health coach in Palo Alto and the Peninsula helps you live the plan your doctor already wrote.

Sessions are by video first, so your appointment is just the appointment, without hunting for parking. California nursing licenses are state licenses, so you can keep your sessions when you travel as long as you remain a California resident. Just let me know when you're away. You don't need to arrive with a binder, either. A sentence or two about your week is enough to begin.

I help you live the plan your doctor already wrote. That might mean food that fits a 15-minute lunch, walking that doesn't require a 6 a.m. gym habit, better sleep, or finding the words for a conversation with a parent who doesn't want to "be a burden."

If diabetes is part of the picture, it helps to have a CDCES on your side, and here's what those letters mean. The ADA still recommends diabetes self-management education at diagnosis and whenever life changes (ADA Standards of Care, 2026). NIDDK's care team page puts you at the center, with your clinicians around you, and coaching is one seat at that table. I don't diagnose or prescribe, so please talk with your physician before you change a medicine, a meal plan or an activity plan that could lower your blood sugar.

What we work on together

With a health coach in Palo Alto and the Peninsula, you pick one small step that fits a busy day.

I coach through a simple framework I call PATH: Personalized care, Awareness, Transformation, Health. On the Peninsula, that usually means we start with your real calendar, look at what happened in the months after your last checkup rather than only the checkup itself, and choose one small step that fits inside a busy day, like a short walk after the meal you actually eat or one question written down for your next visit. The goal is to help you feel well enough to make the most of the excellent care you already have. You can read more in working with a nurse health coach and how to work with a health coach and your doctor.

One woman in Palo Alto came to me with three specialist summaries and no idea what to eat at lunch. We didn't add another summary. Instead, we put together a simple plate that fit her short lunch break, and she kept it up. Her specialists had done their job well, and now her everyday routine had support too.

If the stress of a long, demanding stretch is weighing on you, diabetes burnout and health anxiety may be helpful reads. Coaching isn't therapy, but it can give you a calmer space to slow your week down enough to choose one next step.

Support for your whole household

A health coach in Palo Alto and the Peninsula can include the people closest to you in the plan.

Sometimes a spouse or a parent is carrying this with you. Concierge and executive wellness is the household version of coaching, so the people closest to you can be part of the plan. If you're caring for a parent while still raising or supporting your own family, the generation in the middle, you might find Los Altos especially helpful. You'll also find more about concierge and executive wellness and the household option for families who want to work together.

What to expect from the first call

I offer diabetes education and coaching one-to-one, and in a group when that's a better fit. The first conversation is a free discovery call, and you can book that here. It's a fair time to ask about cost. Private coaching often isn't covered, while recognized DSMES (diabetes self-management education and support) sometimes is, and I'll be clear about which is which. If you'd like to know how the first hour goes, read first session or what to expect.

I also work with people nearby in Los Altos, across the Bay Area and through virtual coaching across California.

A final thought

You don't have to choose between excellent medicine and real support between visits. You can have both, and I'd love to help you turn the plan you already have into a week you can actually live.

You don't need to do more. You need to do what works for your body.

With Care, Cheri Sacks, R.N., C.D.C.E.S. Your Neighbor, The Nurse

This article is education, not medical care. Please talk with your physician before you change a medicine, a meal plan, or an activity plan.

Related reading

• Concierge and executive wellness
• Health coaching in Los Altos
• Health coaching in the Bay Area
• How to work with a health coach and your doctor
• First session