Wellness Wheel Template: Template, Example and Tips
A wellness wheel template is a one-page worksheet that asks a client to rate eight areas of their life (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, financial and environmental wellness) on a 1 to 10 scale, then pick the one or two areas they want to work on first. Below you will find a complete wellness wheel template written for wellness coaches, ready to copy, plus a section-by-section guide, a filled example for a fictional client, and the safety and privacy wording you need to add before you send it.
We make Coachful, so this guide also shows how the worksheet runs inside it: you send the wellness wheel as a form before the first session, the client completes it in their branded app, and the answers are stored with the client record next to their intake answers, signed agreement, check-ins and habits. You can use the template on paper or in any tool you like; the Coachful steps are there if you want the whole client journey in one place.
The eight dimensions used here follow the model the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sets out in its guide Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Wellness. Earlier versions of the idea, such as Bill Hettler's six dimensions of wellness from the National Wellness Institute, use fewer spokes. Eight works well for coaching because money and surroundings come up in almost every wellness conversation, and naming them on the page gives the client permission to talk about them.
Where does a wellness wheel sit in the client journey?
The wellness wheel works best in two places: after a client books and before the first session, and again every 8 to 12 weeks as a progress review. Sent early, it gives you a snapshot to open the first call with. Repeated later, it shows the client what has moved, in their own numbers.
Many wellness coaches make the mistake of using it as a sales tool on the discovery call. It can work there, but it tends to turn a conversation into a form-filling exercise. A cleaner sequence keeps the discovery call human and saves the worksheet for after the client has said yes.
| Stage | What the client does | Where the wellness wheel fits |
|---|---|---|
| First enquiry | Finds you, reads your site, books a discovery call | Not yet. Ask two or three short intake questions on the booking form instead. |
| Discovery call | Talks through what is going on and whether coaching fits | Mention it: "If we work together, the first thing I'll send is a short wellness wheel." |
| Agreement and payment | Signs the coaching agreement, pays or starts a plan | Send the worksheet straight after signing, so it arrives while motivation is high. |
| 48 hours before session one | Completes the wellness wheel | You read the scores and the "what would a 10 look like" answers before the call. |
| Session one | Talks through the wheel and chooses a focus | Turn the chosen dimension into one goal and one or two daily habits. |
| Weeks 2 to 11 | Checks in, builds habits | Weekly check-in questions reference the chosen dimension. |
| Week 12 review | Re-scores the same wheel | Compare old and new scores side by side and agree what comes next. |
If you are still deciding which questions belong on the booking form and which belong on the wheel, the guide to coaching forms and questionnaires sets out how intake, agreement and assessment documents split the work.
The wellness wheel template (copy and adapt it)
Copy everything below into your own document or form. Replace every [bracketed] item with your details. The wording is written for a wellness coach working with adults one to one or in small groups; adjust the tone for your clients, but keep the safety section.
Part 1: Your details
- Full name: [client name]
- Preferred name and pronouns (optional): [preferred name, pronouns]
- Date completed: [date]
- Which round is this? [First wheel before we start / Review at week [number]]
- Coach: [your name], [your business name], [your email]
Part 2: How to fill in your wellness wheel
- Set aside 15 to 20 minutes somewhere quiet. There are no right answers and nobody is grading you.
- For each of the eight areas below, read the prompts, then give a score from 1 to 10 for how satisfied you feel with that part of your life over the last four weeks. 1 means "this feels very hard or neglected right now". 10 means "this is exactly how I want it to be".
- Score how it feels to you, not how it might look to anyone else. A 6 is a perfectly useful answer.
- If a prompt does not apply to you, skip it. If an area feels too personal to score right now, write "prefer to talk" and we will discuss it only if you want to.
- After scoring, write one sentence about what a 10 would look like for you in each area. Keep it concrete: "I walk most mornings and sleep by 11" beats "I'm healthy".
- If you are using a paper or PDF version, mark each score on the matching spoke of the wheel, with 1 at the centre and 10 at the rim, then join the dots.
Part 3: The eight dimensions
- Physical wellness (movement, sleep, food, energy, routine health care)
- How many nights a week do you wake feeling rested? [number]
- What kind of movement do you do in a typical week, and how often? [answer]
- How would you describe your energy across the day, morning to evening? [answer]
- Is there anything about your body or health you have been putting off looking into? [answer or "prefer to talk"]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Emotional wellness (stress, mood, coping, rest)
- When stress builds up, what do you usually do first? [answer]
- How often in the last two weeks have you felt able to switch off and rest? [rarely / sometimes / often]
- Which feeling has been loudest for you lately? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Social wellness (relationships, belonging, support)
- Who could you call tonight if you had a bad day? [names or "nobody right now"]
- Which relationships give you energy, and which take more than they give? [answer]
- How connected do you feel to a community, group or place? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Spiritual wellness (meaning, values, purpose, faith if relevant to you)
- What gives your days a sense of meaning, big or small? [answer]
- Do your weekly choices line up with what you say matters most? [mostly / partly / not much]
- Is there a practice (faith, nature, meditation, creativity, service) you miss or want more of? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Intellectual wellness (learning, curiosity, creativity, focus)
- What have you learned or made in the last month just because you wanted to? [answer]
- How often do you feel mentally stretched in a good way? [rarely / sometimes / often]
- How is your focus on a typical workday? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Occupational wellness (work, caring roles, volunteering, how you spend your weekdays)
- Roughly how many hours a week do you work or care for others? [number]
- Which part of your work leaves you most drained, and which part most satisfied? [answer]
- Do you have enough boundaries around work to protect sleep and time off? [yes / sometimes / no]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Financial wellness (money stress, security, spending in line with values)
- How often does money worry affect your sleep or mood? [rarely / sometimes / often]
- Is there a money decision you have been avoiding? [answer or "prefer to talk"]
- Do you spend on the things that support your health, such as food, movement or rest, in a way that feels right? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
- Environmental wellness (home, workspace, time outdoors, the places you spend your days)
- Does your home help you rest, or does it add to your stress? [answer]
- How much time do you spend outdoors or in daylight on a typical day? [answer]
- Is there one change to your space that would make healthy routines easier? [answer]
- Score 1 to 10: [score]. A 10 for me would look like: [one sentence]
Part 4: Looking at your whole wheel
- Your highest-scoring area: [dimension]. What is working there that you could borrow for other areas? [answer]
- Your lowest-scoring area: [dimension]. Is this the one you want to work on, or just the one that hurts most right now? [answer]
- Which one or two areas, if they improved, would lift the others too? [dimensions]
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how ready do you feel to make a change in that area in the next four weeks? [score]
- What has helped you make a change stick before? [answer]
- What usually gets in the way? [answer]
- One small action you could take this week: [action]
Part 5: Your safety and scope check
- Are you currently under the care of a doctor, therapist, dietitian or other health professional for anything you would like me to know about? [yes / no / prefer to talk]. If yes, I may ask you to check that our coaching plan fits with their advice.
- Have you been told by a health professional to avoid or limit any type of exercise or food? [yes, details / no]
- In the last two weeks, have you had thoughts of harming yourself, or felt unable to cope day to day? [yes / no]. If yes, please contact your doctor or a crisis line today; in the US you can call or text 988. Coaching is not a substitute for that support, and I will still be here alongside it.
- Are you pregnant, recovering from surgery or illness, or living with a condition that affects eating, sleep or movement? [yes, details / no]
Part 6: Privacy and consent
- I understand that [business name] provides wellness coaching, which is not medical, psychological, nutritional or financial treatment or advice, and does not diagnose or treat any condition.
- I understand my answers will be stored in [where you store it] and used only to plan my coaching. I can ask for a copy or ask for them to be deleted by emailing [your email].
- I agree to share these answers with my coach: [tick box or signature] Date: [date]
The interactive tool draws the wheel for you as the client scores each spoke, which saves the "join the dots" step if you prefer a visual version. It is built on the wheel of life, a close cousin of the wellness wheel; our coach's guide to the wheel of life explains how the two differ and when each fits.
What does each section of the template do?
Each part has a single job: Part 1 tells you which round you are reading, Parts 2 and 3 collect the scores and the client's own picture of a 10, Part 4 turns scores into a focus, and Parts 5 and 6 keep you inside your scope. The table below shows why each one is there and what to watch for when you read the answers.
| Section | Why it matters | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Details and round | Lets you compare the first wheel with later reviews without guessing dates | Always record whether it is the first wheel or a review; scores only mean something next to earlier scores |
| Part 2: Instructions | Sets a four-week window and a personal standard, which makes scores more honest | Clients who skip the instructions often score their whole life, not the last month |
| Physical prompts | Sleep, movement and energy shape every other dimension | "Putting off looking into" answers may need a doctor, not a habit plan |
| Emotional prompts | Shows the client's default coping style | Very low scores with "rarely rest" can point to burnout or low mood; check Part 5 answers |
| Social prompts | Support predicts whether new habits survive a hard week | "Nobody right now" deserves gentle follow-up in session one |
| Spiritual prompts | Values give habits a reason to exist | Never assume faith; some clients score this on nature, art or service |
| Intellectual prompts | Curiosity and focus affect how a client learns new routines | Low focus scores can come from poor sleep; link back to physical |
| Occupational prompts | Work hours and boundaries often explain low physical scores | Count caring roles as work; many clients forget to |
| Financial prompts | Money stress is a common hidden driver of poor sleep | Stay with stress and habits; budgeting or debt advice needs a qualified adviser |
| Environmental prompts | Small changes to space are often the easiest first win | Do not push changes the client cannot afford or control, such as moving home |
| "A 10 would look like" | Gives you the client's own words for the goal | Vague answers ("happier") need a follow-up question in session |
| Part 4: Whole wheel | Moves the client from a score to a single focus and a first action | The lowest score is not always the best starting point; readiness matters more |
| Readiness score | Tells you how big the first step should be | Below 5: start tiny. Above 8: still start small, then build |
| Part 5: Safety check | Flags anything that needs clearance or referral before you plan | Any "yes" to self-harm thoughts means you pause coaching plans and point to crisis support |
| Part 6: Privacy and consent | Records that the client knows what coaching is and where data goes | Make the storage line true; name the actual tool you use |
Scores are a conversation starter, not a diagnosis. A client who gives physical wellness a 3 and spiritual wellness a 9 is telling you where the energy is, and often the strong area is the lever. If they find meaning in a weekly volunteering shift, a walk to and from it might be an easier first habit than a gym plan.
For a structured way to run the conversation itself, the eight-step wheel of life coaching exercise transfers almost word for word to the wellness wheel, and the client-facing instructions guide has wording you can borrow for Part 2.
What must wellness coaches add before sending it?
Before you send the template, add four things that only you can supply: your scope of practice line, your referral routes, an honest description of where answers are stored, and anything your local law requires for health-related data. The template has placeholders for each, but the wording depends on your training, location and tools.
Your scope of practice
Wellness coaching supports behaviour change; it does not diagnose, treat or prescribe. If you hold a separate licence (for example as a nurse, dietitian or counsellor), state clearly which hat you are wearing in this relationship. If you are unsure where wellness coaching ends and health coaching or therapy begins, our article on wellness coach vs health coach and the overview of health and wellness coaching set out the usual boundaries.
Red flags that need a referral or clearance
Write your own list, but these are common reasons to pause coaching plans and ask the client to see a doctor or licensed professional first:
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or feeling unable to cope day to day
- Chest pain, fainting or unexplained shortness of breath during activity
- Unexplained weight loss or gain, or signs of disordered eating
- Pregnancy or recent surgery when the plan involves new exercise or diet changes
- A doctor's instruction to avoid certain foods or exercise
- Heavy alcohol or drug use that the client wants to change
- Low mood that has lasted more than two weeks and affects daily life
Keep a short list of local referral contacts (a GP or family doctor, a therapist directory, a registered dietitian, a crisis line) ready, so you can hand them over in the same conversation rather than promising to follow up.
Sensitive data and where it lives
A completed wellness wheel can contain health, mood and money information. In the EU and UK, health data is a special category under data protection law; in the US, general wellness coaching usually sits outside HIPAA unless you work for or with a covered entity, but state privacy laws may still apply. Store worksheets in one place with a login, not in email threads and downloads folders. If you need clinical record-keeping, use a clinical system: Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and does not sign BAAs, so clinical notes belong elsewhere.
Local law and consent
Check whether your country or state has rules on consent for health information, on working with minors, or on calling yourself a "wellness practitioner". If you coach under 18s, you will need parent or guardian consent wording that this template does not include. Your coaching agreement should cover confidentiality and its limits; the coaching contracts page explains how agreements are sent and signed before the first call.
How do you run the wellness wheel in Coachful?
In Coachful, the wellness wheel becomes one step in a client journey: intake questions on the booking page, an agreement signed before the first call, the worksheet sent as a form, then goals, habits and check-ins that come from the answers. Everything lands on the client record, so you open one screen before session one instead of four.
Step 1: Ask light intake questions on booking
Booking pages in Coachful take intake questions, so the discovery call form can ask two or three short questions ("What made you look for a wellness coach now?", "What would you like to be different in three months?"). Keep the full wheel for later. Intake answers appear on the Intakes page and the client record.
Step 2: Send the coaching agreement before the first call
Coaching agreements with e-signature are sent before the first call and stored on the client record. Put your scope line and confidentiality terms there, so Part 6 of the wheel only needs a short consent tick.
Step 3: Add the wellness wheel as a worksheet
Resources in Coachful include a Forms & Worksheets type alongside courses, downloads and videos. Paste the template's questions into a worksheet, with a 1 to 10 score and a short "what would a 10 look like" answer for each dimension. If you would rather not build it yourself, the white-glove team can build a form or worksheet from your document (see below). Answers become part of the client record and are included in the full data export.
Step 4: Check what the client sees
The client opens their coaching hub in your branded app and sees their next session, their programs and documents, and any work you have asked them to complete beforehand. That is where the wellness wheel waits for them, ready to fill in on a phone or a laptop.
Step 5: Turn the chosen dimension into goals, habits and check-ins
After session one, add the focus area as a goal with a progress bar, and the "one small action" from Part 4 as a habit. Morning and evening check-ins, and weekly check-ins in a coaching flow, can ask about the chosen dimension so the wheel stays alive between sessions. This short walkthrough shows how check-ins are set up:
Habits show up for the client as trackers with streaks. A client whose wheel showed low physical and emotional scores might track a ten-minute morning walk and a screen-free last hour before bed.
Step 6: Re-score at the review and read the trend
At week 12, send the same worksheet again with Part 1 set to "Review". Form responses sit on the client record next to check-ins, habits and session notes, and each client carries a status of thriving, active, quiet or at risk. Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before a session from that live data, so you walk in knowing which spokes moved.
Programs, invoices and payments sit in the same account, so if the wheel leads a client into a 12-week program, enrolment and billing happen in the same place they filled in the worksheet. For a wider look at the software side, see our comparison of the best software for wellness coaches and the round-up of habit tracking apps for wellness coaches.
What is Coachful, and what does it not do?
Coachful is a coaching platform where one subscription covers booking, payments, contracts, programs with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, with one login for you and one branded app for your clients. It is built for coaches who deliver programs, not just sessions, and for coaches replacing four to six separate tools. The company is based in Tallinn, Estonia. Current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients.
What it does not do matters for wellness coaches in particular: it is not HIPAA-certified and does not offer a BAA, it is not for clinical record-keeping or insurance billing, it does not sync with Garmin, Fitbit, Whoop or Oura, and it does not take PayPal. The client app ships under the Coachful listing with your branding, not under your own App Store account. There is no permanent free plan; you can start with a free trial.
Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, the "We'll build it for you" card lets you describe what you want built, including a form or worksheet, a program, a website or a funnel, and attach up to 10 files such as your existing wellness wheel document. The Coachful team builds it inside your own account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented: gaps such as credentials or prices are left for you to fill. Read more about the white-glove build service.
If you also need a site to send clients to, the website builder includes wellness designs such as the Sanctuary template below, and our guide to building a wellness coach website that books covers what to put on it.
How can you send and store a wellness wheel worksheet?
You can send the wellness wheel as a PDF or Word file, a Google Form or Doc, through an e-signature tool, or inside a coaching platform. The right choice depends on whether you want the answers attached to the client's record and visible next to their habits and check-ins, or just filed away.
| Option | How the client fills it in | Where answers end up | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachful | Worksheet in the coach-branded app or browser, sent as part of the client journey | On the client record next to intake answers, agreement, goals, habits and check-ins; included in data export | Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients | Coaches who want the wheel to feed goals, habits and check-ins in one login |
| PDF or Word file | Prints and draws on the wheel, or types into a fillable PDF | Email attachments and your downloads folder | Nothing extra if you already own the software | In-person workshops and clients who like paper |
| Google Forms or Docs | Online form with 1 to 10 scales, or a shared doc | A Google Sheet or Drive folder you manage separately | No cost with a personal Google account | Testing the worksheet before you commit to a platform |
| An e-signature tool | Fills fields and signs the consent section | The e-signature tool's document store | Varies by tool and plan | Coaches who mainly need a signed consent record |
| CoachAccountable | Worksheet in the client's CoachAccountable account | CoachAccountable client file | Starter $20/mo for 2 active clients; Level 2 $70/mo for 10 (as listed in October 2026) | Coaches who want worksheets and action plans priced per active client |
| Practice Better | Through the client portal | Practice Better client record and charting | Sprout $0/mo for 3 clients; Starter $35/mo for 10 (as listed in October 2026) | Wellness and nutrition practitioners who need charting |
| Paperbell | Through the client portal | Paperbell client portal | $97/mo single plan, unlimited clients (as listed in October 2026) | Solo coaches who mainly sell session packages |
A word on the other tools. CoachAccountable documents worksheets, action plans and metrics, priced by active client. Practice Better is practice management for wellness and nutrition practitioners, with charting and a client portal; it is the closest of the three to clinical-style record-keeping. Paperbell covers booking, packages, payments, contracts and a client portal for one price, but lists no goal or habit tracking. Prices above are as listed on each vendor's pricing page in October 2026 and may change.
Whichever you pick, store each client's wheels in one place they cannot get lost, and make sure the privacy line in Part 6 names it honestly.
What does a filled wellness wheel look like?
Example only. Below is the wheel for a fictional client, "Dana", a 41-year-old school administrator and parent of two who booked wellness coaching because she feels "permanently tired". Names, scores and answers are invented to show how the template reads when completed.
| Dimension | Score (example) | "A 10 would look like" (example) | Coach's note (example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | 3 | "Rested on 5 nights out of 7 and walking 3 times a week." | Sleep is the thread through most low scores |
| Emotional | 4 | "I can sit for 20 minutes in the evening without my chest feeling tight." | Rarely rests; Part 5 answers all "no" |
| Social | 7 | "Dinner with my sister once a month, not once a year." | Sister is a likely support for habits |
| Spiritual | 8 | "Back in the choir every Thursday." | Strong area; choir night could anchor a walk |
| Intellectual | 5 | "Reading a novel a month again." | Low focus likely linked to sleep |
| Occupational | 4 | "Leaving school by 5 without taking email home." | Counts 50+ hours including caring roles |
| Financial | 6 | "Not lying awake about the car repair." | Stay with stress; no budgeting advice |
| Environmental | 5 | "A bedroom that is just for sleep, no laundry pile." | Easy first win, low cost |
Dana's Part 4 answers, also invented: highest area spiritual; lowest physical; "if I slept better, everything else would follow"; readiness 7; what helped before: "a friend to walk with"; what gets in the way: "evening email". Her one small action: "phone charges in the kitchen from 10 pm, four nights this week".
From this wheel, a coach might set one goal (rested on five nights out of seven by week 12), two habits (phone out of the bedroom at 10 pm; a 20-minute walk after choir and on two other days) and a weekly check-in question: "How many nights did you wake rested this week, and what helped?". The financial and occupational answers stay on the record as context, not targets, until Dana chooses them.
What are the common mistakes with a wellness wheel?
The most common mistake is treating the lowest score as the goal. Others come from sending the worksheet at the wrong moment or reading scores without context.
- Starting with the lowest spoke by default. Ask about readiness first. A client may score finances a 2 but have no capacity to work on them this quarter.
- Sending it before the client has committed. A long worksheet before the discovery call feels like homework from a stranger and can lower bookings.
- No time window. Without "over the last four weeks", clients score their whole life history and repeat wheels never move.
- Changing the questions between rounds. Keep the review wheel identical, or the comparison means little.
- Reading scores without the "10" sentence. Two clients with a physical score of 5 can want completely different things.
- Coaching past a red flag. A "yes" in Part 5 is a pause, not a note for later.
- Drifting into advice outside your training. Meal plans for medical conditions, debt advice or therapy-style trauma work belong with licensed professionals.
- Scattered storage. PDFs in email, scores in a notebook and consent in another tool make it hard to honour a deletion request.
- Forgetting the review. The second wheel is where clients see progress; put the week 12 date in the calendar when you send the first.
Is this wellness wheel template legal or medical advice?
No. This template is a coaching worksheet, not legal, medical, psychological or financial advice, and using it does not create a clinical relationship. Laws on health data, consent and coaching titles vary by state and country.
Ask a local lawyer to review the privacy and consent wording if you collect health information, work with minors, or coach clients in several countries. Ask a clinician or your professional body to review the safety section if you work with clients who have medical conditions, eating concerns or mental health diagnoses. If you are setting up your practice from scratch, our guide on how to start a wellness coaching business covers agreements, insurance and scope in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wellness wheel template?
It is a worksheet that asks a client to score several dimensions of wellness, usually eight, on a 1 to 10 scale and describe what a 10 would look like in each. Coaches use it before the first session and at reviews to choose a focus and track change.
What are the 8 dimensions of the wellness wheel?
The common eight, used in SAMHSA's wellness guide, are physical, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, financial and environmental. Some models use six or seven; pick one version and keep it the same across reviews.
Is the wellness wheel the same as the wheel of life?
They are close cousins. The wheel of life usually includes areas like career, romance and fun, while the wellness wheel frames each spoke as a dimension of wellbeing. The coaching process of scoring, reflecting and choosing a focus is the same.
How often should a client redo the wellness wheel?
Every 8 to 12 weeks works for most programs, or at the end of each program phase. More often than monthly tends to produce noise rather than insight.
Can I use this template for free?
Yes. Copy it, change the wording to suit your clients and add your own scope, safety and privacy details. Keep the safety section even if you shorten other parts.
Should I use the wellness wheel in group coaching?
Yes, with care. Let each person score privately and share only what they choose; the group conversation works best around themes such as sleep or boundaries rather than individual scores.
What if a client scores everything very low?
Slow down and check Part 5 first. Very low scores across all eight areas can point to low mood or burnout that needs a doctor or therapist alongside or before coaching.
Where should I store completed wellness wheels?
In one place with a login, tied to the client's record, where you can export or delete them on request. Coachful keeps form responses on the client record and in its data export, but it is not HIPAA-certified, so clinical records belong in a clinical system.
What is Coachful's free white-glove service?
It is a build service included on every plan: you describe what you want, such as a wellness wheel worksheet, a program or a website, attach your files, and the Coachful team builds it in your account, usually within about 24 hours. It does not include recording videos, logo design or ongoing marketing.
Can I turn the wellness wheel into a full program?
Yes. Many wellness coaches build a 12-week program where week one is the wheel, the middle weeks work on the chosen dimension through habits and check-ins, and the final week re-scores the wheel. Our coaching templates page lists ready-made program and flow templates you can adapt.
