We were lucky to catch up with Beth Sims recently and have shared our conversation below.

Beth, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

When I graduated from college with a degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition, I knew I wanted to help people with their health. I felt like my mission in life is to serve those who desire to live life to the fullest, experience deep meaning, purpose, happiness, fulfillment, and connection, explore and enjoy every nook and cranny of God’s great creation, and discover how to achieve good health of mind, body, and spirit with positive energy. Wow that was a mouthful.

But I kind of fell into my first job as a Senior Program Director at the YMCA in Washington, IN. I was green and eager with no experience, but they gave me a shot and I will be forever grateful for that. Looking back at my 23 year old self, it truly was a dream job and I loved every minute of it. I met some amazing people that I still keep in touch with, developed a good work ethic, learned a lot through blood, sweat and tears, literally, but I felt like I was at home.

It was during my time at the YMCA, where I developed a passion for not only developing fitness and wellness programs, but also educating people about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, developing good habits and how those things can not only make us healthier but also happier.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Currently I work in Corporate America as a Health & Wellness Manager. I love writing curriculum, I love writing out a care plan, a diet, wellness plan or fitness routine for someone.  I love my co-workers and brainstorming with them but my favorite part of my job is wellness coaching. I guess I love to talk.  I have spoken at numerous conferences and in front of a congress summit two times about the importance of worksite wellness. But deep down I guess if the readers want to know what makes me tick it’s being a leader in the wellness field yet learning something every day and of course helping others be their best self.

I mean let’s face it – with all of the conflicting messages out there it can be confusing to know what is healthy and what is unhealthy. One day coffee is the devil the next day we read that 2 cups is considered healthy. Who should we believe? What should we believe? I truly feel that we all need a little help, especially when it comes to our wellness journey or self-discovery. Whether your goal is to get fit or to an eating plan that works for you, it can be pretty tough to figure out how to get from point A, identifying a goal, to point B, actually going after and achieving that goal. That’s where I come in; and I get enjoyment out of every encounter.

I love it when I am working with someone who wants to lose weight or who wants to decrease their blood glucose numbers and I can see them make changes, learn and grow. I love being a part of the process; I get chills thinking about it Wow, what a blessing! There is a quote I have posted in my office from Margaret Wheatly and I see it every day, “Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation.” And I couldn’t agree more.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

No I love more than love my job and profession!! I have often told people “When God created me, He wanted me to be involved in helping people with their health”; is that weird to say? Wellness is not a cookie cutter approach; it’s about helping people identify the obstacles that keep getting in their way, assisting them with finding motivation, pinpointing any resistance to change while keeping up with trends. I have been blessed to be in the wellness space my whole career and it suits me.

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 suppose I had to learn that people are afraid of change and failure. When I started off in my career my motto was ‘go big or go home’ and I always jumped in with 2 feet; thinking that people were at the same mind space as me. I would often tell people; you need to burn every untruth bridge but keep the truth bridge. If you are overweight; there is a reason. If you want the job that will make you happy, get out of the job that is making you miserable. Yep, it can be scary but it’s not going to happen any other way. If you need a relationship that will make you happy, get out of the relationship that is not making you happy. Or get out of the mindset that is preventing you from being healthy. Walk out there with your heart vulnerable, be raw and open. Sometimes people have to give up their defenses. You have to give up everything that stands between you and your health and happiness. Suddenly the fear creeps in for so many people and I wasn’t as effective as I could have been.

I love the saying “I can’t say I am accountable and blame others.” But that was what I was doing. So I learned to be a good listener. I have learned over the 25+ years in the business to meet people where they are at; meaning knowing how to read their body language by being gentle yet challenging and meeting them where they are at in their readiness to change. I like to make people CEOS of their own health and empower them to make changes they need to.