Jul 14, 2026
Artificial intelligence is changing how health coaches and wellness professionals manage their businesses, communicate with clients, and deliver personalized support. In this episode, Cathy Sykora speaks with AI education and workforce transformation leader Ben Tasker about using AI responsibly while keeping human judgment at the center of the coaching relationship. Ben shares practical ways coaches can use AI for client education, call summaries, marketing, lead management, content creation, data analysis, and administrative tasks. He also explains why coaches must review AI-generated information, protect client privacy, obtain appropriate consent, and avoid relying on full automation for complex or high-risk decisions. This conversation offers a balanced look at how health coaches can build AI skills, save time, create new revenue opportunities, and strengthen the human-centered work that makes coaching valuable.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- How AI can personalize client education while keeping the coach involved in reviewing and guiding the information
- Why AI should be treated as an assistive system rather than a replacement for human expertise, empathy, and common sense
- Practical ways health coaches can use AI for transcripts, client notes, content creation, marketing, scheduling, and lead follow-up
- How coaches can experiment with AI through low-risk tasks before using it in more complex client workflows
- Why consent, privacy, data protection, and responsible AI policies are essential when working with client information
- How AI upskilling and reskilling can help coaches improve efficiency, expand their services, and create new revenue opportunities
- Which AI applications may carry greater risks, including unsupervised chatbots, complex scheduling, and automated client decisions
Memorable Quotes:
- “AI doesn't have common sense. It just has prediction information.”
- “Just because you have an AI tool doesn't mean you really have an AI strategy.”
- “You want to engage with it so you're not left behind, but at the same time, you have to understand that there's risks and opportunities with it.”
Bio:
Ben Tasker is a recognized leader in AI education, workforce transformation, and responsible AI adoption. He currently leads a Data & AI Academy focused on upskilling and reskilling 36,000 employees in the public utility sector, ensuring the workforce is AI-ready for the future. He also serves as a Technical Advisor for uCertify, a global leader in workforce certification and reskilling.
Previously, Ben was the Dean of AI at Southern New Hampshire University, where he spearheaded Applied AI programs and pioneered a skills institute focused on workforce AI + Human upskilling and reskilling. He also teaches as a part-time faculty member at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, one of the world’s top universities for AI education.
Earlier in his career, Ben was a project manager at Northeastern’s Experiential AI Institute, creating technical and responsible AI products for companies like Two Sigma and Unum Insurance. He also served at MaineHealth as a Data Scientist, where his integration of AI products enabled predictive diagnostic tools that directly contributed to saving lives.
Mentioned in This Episode:
- Ben Tasker's Website: https://www.bentaskerai.com/
- Ben Tasker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bentaskerai/
- Ben Tasker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentaskerai/
Links to Resources:
- Health Coach Group Website: thehealthcoachgroup.com
- Special Offer: Use code HCC50 to save $50 on the Health Coach Group website
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