Who Your Client Is Matters More Than You Think
When a client isn’t getting results even though they’re “doing everything right” It’s easy to doubt your protocols, question your recommendations, or feel like you’re missing something.
But what if the thing you’re missing… is who they are?
In clinic, we’re trained to look at bloods, diet, stress levels, and lifestyle — all essential.
But there’s one piece that quietly influences every single health decision a client makes:
Their personality.
And no, I don’t mean whether they’re an introvert or extrovert.
I mean the deeper identity traits and patterns that influence:
How they handle stress
Whether they follow through or fall off track
Their relationship with food, rest, structure, and control
The subconscious fears or beliefs driving their behaviour
If you’re not asking your clients how they’d describe themselves — or noticing how their patterns show up in sessions — you’re missing a core part of the picture.
When Personality Impacts Physiology
Here’s what most practitioners don’t realise:
Personality traits can directly impact metabolism, hormones, sleep, behaviours, and symptoms.
Let’s break down a few of the most common personalities I see in clinic:
1. The Perfectionist
Identity: High achiever, rule follower, rarely feels “done”
Health impact: Burnout, hormonal imbalance, wired-tired state, low progesterone, disordered eating, poor digestion, anxious
Behaviour: Obsessive tracking, rigidity, shame when things aren’t perfect, masking constantly
Sabotage: All-or-nothing thinking, giving up if not perfect
This client often looks “on track” — until they crash.
2. The People-Pleaser
Identity: Over-giver, says yes to everyone else
Health impact: Elevated cortisol, fatigue, belly weight, adrenal dysfunction
Behaviour: Skips meals, eats on the go, guilt around self-care
Sabotage: Won’t prioritise their own health needs or forgets their needs
They may know what they need — but can’t say yes to themselves.
3. The Rebel
Identity: Freedom-seeker, resists rules (even their own)
Health impact: Hard to achieve goals, Erratic sleep, blood sugar dysregulation, inflammatory patterns
Behaviour: Starts strong, then sabotages by resisting structure
Sabotage: Reacts to plans as if they’re punishment
You’ll need to adjust your language and approach — or lose them.
4. The Rescuer / Over-Responsible One
Identity: Feels responsible for everyone and everything
Health impact: Burnout, thyroid issues, immune dysregulation, weight gain
Behaviour: Puts their needs last, overextends emotionally
Sabotage: Believes slowing down is selfish, Feels not caring enough with boundaries
Their body holds weight the same way they hold everyone else’s emotions.
5. The Avoider / Disconnected Type
Identity: Emotionally distant, “everything’s fine” vibe
Health impact: Sluggish metabolism, fatigue, emotional numbness
Behaviour: Doesn’t notice body signals, unconsciously eats or dissociates
Sabotage: Lacks connection to their “why”
You’ll need to reconnect them to their body before expecting results.
Why Change Doesn’t Stick (If You Miss This)
We wonder why clients fall off, plateau, or keep sabotaging…
But what if their personality traits are the very thing keeping them safe?
What if their perfectionism is protecting them from shame?
What if their people-pleasing keeps them from being rejected?
What if their resistance is their nervous system’s response to control?
When we see the person — not just the protocol — we unlock the real work.
How Emotion Release Technique (ERT) Helps
With ERT, we go beneath the personality pattern and into the subconscious drivers beneath it.
We ask:
Are we considering the person with this plan?
Where did this identity form?
What role is it still playing?
Is this trait helping or harming?
What new identity would support healing?
And we clear what’s no longer serving so clients can shift from sabotage into self-trust and transformation.
Take a moment and reflect:
Do you have clients who fall into one of these personality patterns?
Are you considering this in your treatment plans?
Have you ever taken responsibility for a client’s results — when in fact, their identity was the block?
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about working deeper.
Want More?
This blog was inspired by my latest podcast episode on The RealEase:
“The Personality Factor: How Who You Are Shapes Your Health.”