We recently connected with Dr. Chichi Nwankwo Ezeike and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dr. Chichi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

I am a Certified Health Coach. When I started my journey as a health coach, I have never seen anyone who is a health coach or even understand what health coach was all about. The idea of becoming a health coach was birth out of my own health challenge. I was diagnosed with hypertension, and I didn’t want to take medicine for the rest of my life. I started looking for an alternative way of healing myself. It was during my search that I saw many health coaching institutes and I started reading about them and I saw a lot of testimonials that came out of those institute. I called two of the institutes that caught my attention and I later settled with one. It was a life changing experience. I learned that being healthy is not just about exercising and eating right, rather our whole aspect of life has to be in alignment in order for healing to take place. I actually signed up to learn about being healthy for myself and my family but as I was learning so much about being healthy, I wanted to share it with other people. This is how the idea of having my own business came about. It has not been easy as a business owner, but I have enjoyed every moment that I talk to my clients, and I saw the transformation that they are going through. It is very fulfilling for me.

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?

My name is Dr. Chibuzor (Chichi) Nwankwo Ezeike. I am a wife, mother of 4, medical doctor, public health professional, a best seller author, health coach, speaker, U.S. Navy Veteran, a full-time faculty, and an entrepreneur. After being diagnosed with hypertension, my quest for holistic living started. I found an Institute for Health Coaching and enrolled. Learning about health opened my eyes to a whole new world that I didn’t know existed. I learned that being healthy is not about exercise and healthy food, but it has to do with all aspects of our lives. Working in the hospital and seeing patients diagnosed with preventable diseases everyday was heartbroken for me.
I started educating my patients about their health, but it was not enough because I don’t get to see them again after being discharged from the hospital. I wanted to make an impact in their lives, and I wanted to spend more time with my clients and help them with their health journey. I wanted to educate my clients and not filled them up with information that they will never act on. Hence, my Health and Wellness coaching business called Rejuvenate Integrative Health and Wellness was started. I work with clients that are struggling with controlling their hypertension, diabetes, or are interested in losing weight or to learn how to eat healthier foods. I wanted it to feel like you are coming to talk to your best friend about what is going on. This is the feedback that many of my clients have given me, and it makes me feel fulfilled. I help my clients know that there are other alternative ways to heal themselves holistically.
I combine my medical knowledge and health coaching knowledge to help my clients reach their health goals. It is not an “overnight feel good” rather it is a lifelong journey which is individually tailored to fit you.
Let me leave you with this quote “Prevention is better than cure.” Desiderius Erasmus.

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

If I could go back, I would still choose being a doctor, a public health professional, a certified health coach, and an instructor. I use all the knowledge that I gained from this different profession to enhance my career. Other than owing lots of student loan debt, I love that I still get to use my medical knowledge every day to save lives.

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

Other than training/knowledge, what I think that is most helpful for succeeding in my field is networking. I believe in the power of networking because you may never know who will be in the room to take you and your business to the next level. Also, as a business owner, there are so many knowledge and wisdom out there and most of the times, you get them by talking to people who are in the field as you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rejuvenateinhealth.com
• Instagram: @chichihealth
• Facebook: @chichihealth

Image Credits
Picture by WOBfilms.