Photography by Konrad Odhiambo
When celebrated Capital Region news anchor Benita Zahn switched careers nearly five years ago, she was surprised by how easily she made the change. “I joke with my clients that it’s a lot like my old life,” Zahn says about moving from broadcast journalism to working as a health and wellness coach for Capital Cardiology in Albany. “I ask a lot of questions, I write a report…I just don’t have to wear as much makeup.”
After four decades at NewsChannel 13, Zahn jokes that she’s now the best-dressed health and wellness coach on the East Coast. All cheekiness aside, Zahn learned invaluablepeople skills and gained insights from her years of reporting. While working as a reporter, she not only won an Emmy for her coverage on Korean War veteran John “Red” Parkinson—she also completed a master’s degree and earned a Doctor of Professional Studies degree in bioethics from Albany Medical College.
By 2021, “it was time for a change.”
Now certified through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching, Zahn has helped hundreds of New Yorkers overcome the challenges to living their best possible life. Her kind of coaching is much more than a diet or gym membership. It’s about making holistic, long-term, sustainable life choices—what she calls “head to heart care.” That could mean anything from encouraging exercise and losing weight, to better time management, to therapy and building self-confidence to make these necessary life changes. Or all of the above.
Zahn points out that her work is done on a case-by-case basis; there’s not one-size-fits-all recipe to wellness. “Too many people confuse self-care with selfishness,” she says. “But if we don’t put gas in our tanks, we can’t do all the things we have to do.”
The Long Island native thinks back to a client who visited her for the first time a year ago. The woman wasn’t yet 70, but was already completely reliant on a walker. Since working with Zahn, she’s lost 65 pounds and recently walked a 5K in just over an hour. She no longer uses a walker, swims three times a week, and is working with a personal trainer.
“Even the best baseball players go to a coach to help them see what they’re doing right and what they could improve on,” Zahn says. “Everyone can benefit from having a coach in their corner.”
