Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Ouellette. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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.

I was an overweight and depressed young mother, I had just had my second child and my life was in shambles. I had a lifetime of unhealthy habits related to food and self image and I knew I had to change my lifestyle to give my kids the foundations they needed for a healthy and prosperous life. It all started with a food diary, MyFitnessPal, I didn’t think my diet was all that bad, until I was honest with myself! I had nightmares my kids would find me dead in bed and did a complete 180. From there I lost over 100lbs in 7 months with no fads, pills or surgery. Then after having my third child and finally coming to love myself I realized my calling in life was to help others who were struggling with poor habits and no self love. I’m still working my 9-5 as an accountant however I dedicate my free time to building my coaching business, ultimately I’m working to become an actress so I can offer coaching free to those who need it. The money helps right now but once I’m financially secure my passion is to change lives, especially for those who can’t afford private coaching.

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As stated previously, I’m so proud of myself for changing my life. It’s not just about your size, it’s about being healthy. At the end of the day, it’s all mindset, most people don’t even like themselves, how can you care for someone you don’t like? This breaks my heart, I know I can help others overcome the debilitating depression and insecurity I struggled with for decades. I offer not only fitness and nutrition coaching, but I also offer life coaching as well as meal planning and food prep services. Then there’s also my affiliation with Lemongrass Spa, once I got into modeling I knew I needed a healthy alternative to traditional makeup and skin care. After researching the options in the industry I found that they’re products are not only amazing for aesthetics but are also actually good for your skin! I know I have the tools and life experience to help anyone change their life, they just have to be ready to change. No one changes until they’re ready, and that’s a fact!

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 definitely had to relearn my relationship with food to be successful. Our culture emphasizes fast and easy but the problem with fast and easy is that it’s mindless and almost always unhealthy. When I first changed my diet I turned to packaged goods that offered lower calories with very little attention to the nutritional content or what they were actually made of. After researching physiology and learning about cellular function I have found that for the body to function optimally it’s all about what you give it to build with. I find this instrumental in helping people change their mindset, not only do you think more clearly when you eat cleaner but it gives clients a sense of achievement, to know that they are doing something good for themselves and they are accomplishing a simple goal.

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

Other than training or knowledge I think that the ability to relate to clients is absolutely essential in this field. Most people listen to respond, my focus is always on the clients statement and body language, I listen to understand and I try not to minimize their struggles. Validating people’s feelings while reassuring them that they are not defined by their emotions is so important to gain their confidence and help them be successful. You can read all the books and go to all the lectures but at the end of the day it’s about caring for your clients, there’s no reading material that can give you a sincere sense of compassion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bodymindsoulsc.com
• Instagram: Body_mind_soul_sc
• Facebook: Livefitlivehappylivelonger
• Youtube: Adventure_mom81