We recently connected with Aesha Tahir and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Aesha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

Oh, this question brings back so many amazing memories. My very first job in the exercise industry was as a Spinning Instructor. In December 2014, I applied to teach the Tuesday morning Spinning class at my home club in Philly. The club’s director decided to give me a chance. I was so nervous stepping on the stage to teach in front of thirty experienced cyclists. But once I got on the bike I got into a flow and everything fell into place. That day, I realized that I wanted to inspire others to live a long and healthy life, full of passion and purpose.

There is an interesting back story to how I decided to become a Spinning Instructor. In August 2014, after a severe lower back pain diagnosis, I took a break from my corporate job. The only thing that made me feel better was moving often, so a friend suggested an adventurous bucket list trip to Hawaii. I liked her idea and booked the trip.

On that trip I met a tour guide, Nancy, who was an avid cyclist and taught Spinning classes at a local resort open to the public. I ended up taking Nancy’s classes every morning for the rest of my stay there. At the end of one of the Spinning classes Nancy shared that she had hip replacement surgery due to juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis but she still stayed active and was a competitive triathlete. Nancy’s energy and teaching style was so infectious. She inspired me to be an example for others and help others live a healthy life.

Two months after returning from Hawaii, I got my Spinning Instructor certification and taught my very first Spinning class. That class ended with a standing ovation from the participants. It was the best first job experience ever. I haven’t looked back since then and I kept growing in the exercise industry. That transformational experience in Hawaii set the stage for the next chapter of my career as an exercise physiologist and a wellness consultant.

Aesha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My business has multiple arms. I offer individual coaching, organizational training, and public speaking.

As an exercise physiologist, I help busy professionals add healthy years to their life. I work alongside their physicians and help my clients overcome obstacles to healthy living by providing them with lifestyle interventions that include improving their posture, and nutrition, and personalized exercise recommendations based on their biomarkers and physiologic needs. My coaching helps them improve their overall well-being and transform their health. With my coaching tools, they can create sustainable healthy changes in their life.

When working as a consultant for organizations, I analyze the current employee benefits and design workplace wellness solutions. I help organizations create a culture of wellness by implementing health programs that put organization’s biggest asset, the employees, first. My corporate wellness programs increase employee productivity and the company’s bottom line. On average companies see a 3:1 return on every dollar spent on my corporate wellness programs, that means, for every dollar spent on the wellness program the companies make three dollars.

I’m a podcaster and public speaker too. I present inspirational keynote speeches at conferences on the topics of emotional empowerment through posture and understanding the longevity lifestyle. Audiences love the empowering well-being tools I provide from the stage, which they can use for the rest of their lives. On my weekly podcast, “9 to 5 Wellness”, listeners can learn about physiology, longevity and ways to improve their health biomarkers.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This is such a great question. I think the hardest lesson I had to unlearn was, “there is only one way to success.” Coming from a South Asian background I thought the way to success was; getting an engineering degree, landing a secure job, starting a family, climbing up the ladder, and then retiring. Exactly in that order.

After working as a software engineer for a few years, it became clear to me that the success formula I was taught won’t work for me. I was always exploring different things, learning about different ways to code and do projects. I’m an out of the box thinker and I like activities where my creativity shines like creating new content in audio, video and written formats. I knew for me I’d like to learn more and I have to be in a role where I can learn everyday and a regular job with constraints was suppressing my spark and drive. I started exploring more and that’s how I landed on entrepreneurship and my career in exercise physiology. In the dynamic field of Exercise Physiology, learning never stops.

Once I started my business, I quickly learned that there is rarely just one way to do anything. We all have a unique adventure. The results will be different for everyone depending on where we start out and the success mindset we have.

For me, the definition of success had to include my core values. Once I started aligning my business process with my core values of integrity, service and creativity, the process became much more enjoyable and success started coming easy.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Knowledge is definitely the most important factor for success in exercise physiology and in my speaking business. But the soft skills like empathy, patience, and creativity can’t be discounted either. Working with diverse clients, each with unique needs, lifestyles, and goals requires a lot of empathy and creativity. Also, acknowledging setbacks as part of the wellness journey is important. I find that sharing my personal wellness journey and demonstrating resilience helps me inspire my clients to work towards their goals. My personal experience, as an athlete and a pursuer of healthy life, helps me create innovative solutions for my clients. Innovative ways to present lifestyle interventions to my clients has lead to success in my industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aeshatahir.com, www.9to5wellness.com
• Instagram: tone_and_strengthen
• Facebook: aeshatahir
• Linkedin: aeshatahir
• Twitter: aeshatahir
• Youtube: 9to5wellness

Image Credits

Ricky Richards