We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Temika Edwards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Temika, appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

My defining moment happened early on – just before my career truly got started. As a youth I was an athlete and enjoyed being active, but as I got older, I became less active and put on weight. I was ridiculed with nicknames that people felt described my body, and this made me feel bad about myself and had an impact on just about everything I was involved in at the time. One night while at a social gathering someone I was very close to, made a comment about my weight, my appearance, and what they thought I would look like in the future. This friend meant no harm, in fact, they may have even believed they were being endearing, but for me, already feeling bad about myself, the comment both hurt and helped me. It was that moment that a shift happened, and I knew if I did not want to turn out the way this friend predicted, I needed to make a change.

From that moment on, I began to learn more about fitness and nutrition and the impact it has on overall wellbeing. Right away, I began to see how fitness and nutrition were the keys to me feeling better about my inner and outer health. When I started to change my lifestyle, I experienced the impact of proper diet and exercise on my energy, stress levels, and overall health.

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

I am Dr. Temika Edwards, CEO and Founder of Fit2Lead, a holistic career growth company based in Prince George’s County, Maryland; and a published author of 2 children’s books that promote the same health and leadership development skills we teach at Fit2Lead, for kids.

Driven by a passion for supporting and inspiring aspiring leaders, I built Fit2Lead, a holistic career growth company that uses wisdom and insight to develop individualized improvement strategies for young professionals of all backgrounds. After learning and experiencing all the benefits of being healthy and fit for career success, I wanted to share this other, so I began modeling this behavior and remain committed to educating and supporting my clients in their fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and career growth journeys.

The Fit2Lead brand empowers young people to take control of their success and become their most confident, healthiest, and happiest selves. A fit mind and body lead to success in life and careers, and we are committed to helping the present and future generation of leaders exceed their dreams.

Most of our programs and services are designed for adults who are early in their careers and looking to grow into leadership roles. We combine fitness and nutrition with career development and coaching. Our signature program is a 12-week, fully personalized, 1-on-1 program that helps clients define their professional goals and implement an action plan to achieve them. This may include career coaching, resume writing, tips on using LinkedIn as a networking tool, and more. And because we believe there is a direct link between how you feel and how you perform, our signature program includes personal training sessions with a licensed personal trainer, mindfulness coaching, and nutrition services, including meal planning.

Another core belief of Fit2Lead is that you’re never too young to start taking steps toward future success. So, we created Fit2Lead Jr. This branch of our brand works directly with children in grades PreK – 12 to teach healthy habits, like exercising and proper nutrition and a fun and engaging way. Fit2Lead Jr. also introduces children to potential career options they may not know about while reinforcing leadership skills at any age. Our main teaching tools for this are our books Brown Boy, Brown Girl What Could You Be, and Finding the Hero in Me. We work within schools and local daycares, facilitating career workshops and teaching fitness classes for kids.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think it’s important to build key relationships early on in your career and throughout and to have a positive attitude, even when the going gets tough. At the end of the day, people are at the heart of every business, and we all come from different backgrounds and unique communities. When we take the time to connect with others and truly get to know them, we can learn from their experiences and perspectives and improve ourselves and our businesses. Building relationships also establishes trust and credibility, which can help you advance your career and create a more fulfilling work experience.
With regards to having a positive attitude, this is one of the most important things you can do for yourself in both business and in everyday life. Attitude is everything in workplace and having a positive attitude can help you overcome challenges and setbacks more easily. One of the questions I always ask my clients is what are your barriers to success? Barriers are seen as negatives, but I work with my clients to see the opportunities surrounding those barriers and to look for ways to get around those barriers.

Success isn’t just about what you know, but how you apply it and interact with others so in addition to training and knowledge, I believe it’s really important that you learn how to build key relationships and maintain a positive attitude.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For me, networking is the most critical and effective strategy for growing my client base. Given the nature of my business building relationships with potential clients who may then tell their network about you, has helped me secure new business and has opened the doors to new opportunities I had not previously considered. So, in addition to growing my client base, networking has also helped me expand my business model. We live in a world full of social media and other forms of marketing and advertising, but word-of-mouth marketing is still the most effective strategy for growing your brand. According to a study by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. This has certainly been true for me in my business as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: Fit2leadllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fit2leadllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fit2LeadCoaching

Image Credits
Asteway Photography K Price Photography