We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Auriel Gallimore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Auriel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Not too long ago, I was your typical millennial—obsessively thinking about the future and striving for “success.” I completely bought into hustle culture and the work hard-play hard, sleep when you die mentality. I went from a rigorous high school program to graduating from an Ivy League University, to working for Teach for America, and was on my way to law school.

To say I was stressed was an understatement. I was completely burnt out, but it felt normal to be constantly exhausted, anxious, and addicted to coffee. Over time, I started experiencing stress-related symptoms like dizzy spells, headaches, IBS, anxiety, various skin issues, and more. It felt like my body was breaking down. Despite going to countless doctors, I wasn’t able to find a lasting solution.

Eventually, I had to make a choice. I’d just taken the LSAT exam and the next step was to submit my law school applications. The choice was this: to push through—follow my current trajectory (and the expectations of those around me) and go to law school OR step back—put my health and wellness first and figure the rest out later.

This was far from an easy decision. Opting out of law school and the successful career that it offered felt almost irresponsible. As someone who likes to have a well-thought-out plan, it was scary. It felt like a huge risk. But ultimately, I realized that I had to put myself and my well-being first.

As scary and risky as it was, I decided to forego law school and instead dove into the world of health and wellness. I immersed myself in research and gained a passion for healthy, holistic living. As a result, I started a blog, studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and became a yoga instructor. I now have my own business as a certified holistic health coach, helping ambitious women slow down and prioritize their well-being so they can have the energy, clarity, and confidence to achieve their goals.

I could never have guessed how things would unfold from taking that risk. Making the hard decision to put myself first. Of course, there were many challenges along the way and lessons learned. But I think it goes without saying that it was worth the risk. I’ve been able to heal physically, mentally, and emotionally, craft a life that is aligned with my values, and I get to help other women do the same!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a certified holistic health coach, yoga instructor, wellness nerd, and advocate of rest and relaxation. After hustling for years and suffering from various physical and mental health conditions as a result, I learned the necessity of slowing down and making wellness a priority.

I’ve found that our society is not designed with our wellness in mind. The fast-paced culture here in the US glorifies hustle and hard work at the expense of well-being. So much of our value is based on what we can do, produce, and accomplish. I challenge those ideals and believe that taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally is actually one of the most productive things you can do.

In the midst of our go-go-go culture, I offer a space for busy, stressed-out women to slow down, take stock of what’s important and take care of themselves. We need more healthy, energized, and empowered women in the world who are pouring from an overflowing cup.

My goal is to empower women to put themselves at the top of their to-do list and make self-care a meaningful aspect of their lives. To this end, I offer private coaching, educational content, and wellness products that explore simple habits that nourish the body, calm the mind, and create space for intentional living. Some of those include:

– Fueling the body with real foods (not processed chemicals) that actually taste good.
– Incorporating a movement practice that you’ll look forward to.
– Creating self-care routines that allow you to rest and de-stress.

Along my own wellness journey, I’ve learned that good health isn’t all about diets and exercise, as we are often led to believe. Factors like sleep, stress, mindset, lifestyle and others play a major role in how we look, feel and live. That’s why I take a holistic approach that incorporates all of the various puzzle pieces that contribute to health and well-being.

And everyone’s puzzle is unique. Wellness isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. It takes slowing down and tuning out the noise to uncover the habits and practices that make you feel your best. Through my coaching services and other resources on my site, I aim to help women along this journey.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve always been a bit of an overachiever and perfectionist. Coming from an immigrant family, I had a lot of pressure put on me to achieve in all areas from academics to extracurricular activities to my career. Failure wasn’t an option. This mentality served me well for some time, but after becoming a health coach, I realized that my perfectionist tendencies were holding me back. Entrepreneurship involves taking risks and the possibility of failure. There’s so much to learn and you can’t expect to do it all perfectly. Not only is it impossible to do so, but it also holds you back from making progress – learning from setbacks, growing, and trying a new approach. I had to let go of my desire for perfection and learn that done is better than perfect. And accept that my best is good enough.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Coaching and wellness are both huge industries that have exploded in recent years. To stand out and be successful as a health and wellness coach (or any kind of coach for that matter), focus on sharing your authentic journey. Don’t try to fit yourself into a box of what you think a successful coach is supposed to look like. Be you, share your experiences, and let the lessons you’ve learned along the way guide you to your ideal clients.

When I first started as a health coach, I thought I had to focus on weight loss because that is an area that’s in high demand. But it was an uphill battle because weight loss was not a major part of my wellness journey. Even though I knew how to help people lose weight, that wasn’t what was passionate about. Based on my own experience, I was better positioned to help women who are dealing with stress and burnout. Sometimes finding alignment as a coach takes some experimentation and exploration. But when you are true to yourself and play into your strengths and your uniqueness, success is less of a fight. It flows with ease.

Contact Info:

• Website: aurielashley.com
• Instagram: @auriel_gallimore
• Facebook: facebook.com/aurielashleywellness
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1-HmVt_qKnm-9SfLOUPdAg