We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charmaine Turner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Charmaine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?
As a Lifestyle Coach I am blessed to be able to connect with some amazing women in a very personal way. I get to learn about their strengths, weaknesses, fears and goals, as well as create a safe space to be their authentic selves. One heartwarming story that fills my heart is about a beautiful client who knew she needed to do something different to reach her health and life goals. Like many other women, she struggled with obesity, living a stressful, entrepreneurial lifestyle, convenience eating, balancing work and professional life, and dealing with the frustrations of having PCOS.
She came to me determined to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to prepare her body to be able to have a child in the future. Despite trying different programs and diets, she gave 110% to working with me! She fully showed up for herself, fought through self-limiting beliefs, committed to prioritizing self-care, and completely changed her lifestyle. She rocked the 12-week program that she was enrolled in and finished confident and empowered.
Several weeks after completing the program, I got a text message that read, “Guess what?”….Shortly after reading the text, a picture of a positive pregnancy test loaded on my phone! I sent her a voice note with me screaming, “Congratulations!!”. My heart was so full for her! God fully showed up and showed out! She is now about 20 weeks pregnant and having a smooth, easy pregnancy!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Hey ya’ll! I’m Charmaine Turner, a Christian Lifestyle Coach who is passionate about teaching people to live with intention. Before being a Coach, I am a Wife, Mother of 4 children by birth & 2 children by marriage, Veteran of the United States Air Force, and a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Warrior. My “Magic” comes from overcoming many trials in life, my transparency, and being genuine. Grab your tea and get comfy as I share a little of what I do!
As a Lifestyle Coach, I help ambitious professionals calm the chaos in their lives by living with intention, creating balance, and making health a priority. In our fast-paced world, convenience is KING, and that is what’s killing us and robbing us of a quality life. Many of my clients are boss women entrepreneurs who are trying to be superwomen. Yes, we can truly do it all, but we shouldn’t have to sacrifice our health trying to be “super”. This is where I step in and work with these fabulous women to co-create a blueprint for a healthier life.
As someone thriving with the diagnosis of MS, I understand the challenges of balancing business and family, while managing a chronic illness. Having this first-hand experience prompted me to create several programs and a 2-Day VIP experience. My programs focus on holistic prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses like autoimmune disorders, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as heart and kidney disease. My clients feel empowered, educated, and confident in their abilities and I’m so proud of each and every one of them!
I believe that we all have a God-given purpose in this life and illness can rob you of achieving that purpose. We lose family, friends, coworkers, and other loved ones, because of illnesses and diseases that are preventable. I saw how pre-existing conditions ravaged millions during the heart of the COVID pandemic, and that lit a fire in my heart to do something. I knew I couldn’t continue to watch the loss of life around me and not act. I jumped into “study-mode” and got my certifications as a Holistic Nutritionist, Health & Wellness Coach, Weight-Loss Management Specialist, MS Coach, and Life Coaching. I also have a Masters in Public Health, with a concentration on Community Health Education. Now I speak at conferences, offer group and 1-on-1 programs, share helpful content & encouragement, and volunteer to help whenever I can. My life is an example that YOU CAN DO IT, no matter what the diagnosis may be, challenges you may face, and fears you have to overcome.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
My relationship with Christ is the key to my success. I listen to His direction instead of operating my business the way the “gurus” or “experts” teach. Being transparent is one guiding principle that has bolstered my success. I believe that being vulnerable and sharing my testimony is what God wants me to do. In business, you’ll hear that people have to know, like, and trust you to do business with you. It’s hard to get to know, like, or trust someone you don’t think is being real and genuine. I’ve learned to show up, flaws and all because no one is perfect!
I am the Coach that understands the fears of having high blood pressure, the frustrations of being obese, being uncomfortable in my own skin, and the uncertainty of having an incurable chronic illness, because I’ve lived it.
In a world full of “fake” being genuine and transparent is my magic. It allows me to connect with my clients in a different way. I am able to establish trust that goes both ways and maximizes the impact of working together. As long as I continue to do what God has instructed, I know I’m on the right path to reach the levels of success that He has for me.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
We’ve all had to be resilient and pivot at some point in our lives. Prior to founding Exalting Wellness, I owned and operated a boutique for 5 years. I had a brick-and-mortar location as well as an online store. I took pride in creating a safe, supportive space for women of all shapes and sizes, and loved sharing my gift! Early in my fourth year of business, I started noticing some MS flare up symptoms which included pain, tingling, and exhaustion.
Being in tune with my body’s cues, I started looking at ways to get help, cut back the physical requirements, and reduce stress. Though some efforts were helpful, my symptoms persisted for months. I had to be honest with myself and take a real look at other options. I realized that working independently in such a large space would continue to be an issue for me, so I had to pivot. I decided to find a smaller space to operate in and pushed forward with that strategic move.
Little did I know that COVID was right around the corner! Within 6 months of the move, the pandemic shut things down. I quickly switched gears to focus on my online store, which continued to do well, but another move was on the horizon! In the thick of the pandemic, a prompt from God pushed me to look at becoming a health and wellness coach. The timing couldn’t be more perfect! With everything being shut down, I had the time to designate to training for certifications. Unknowingly, all of my experience running the boutique would help build the foundation of Exalting Wellness. When I closed my boutique months later, my first few clients had been loyal boutique customers. My years of experience allowed me to wipe tears, make genuine connections, and learn the struggles faced by many women. Being prepared to pivot was the key to making a successful transition from Boutique Owner to Lifestyle Coach.
Contact Info:
- Website: exaltingwellness.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/exaltingwellness
- Facebook: Facebook.com/exaltingwellness
- Other: Tik Tok @exaltingwellness