We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Nguyen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.
Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
Everything changed for me after I stopped drinking alcohol and got pregnant with my first son. I didn’t realize how good I could feel just by not drinking. After giving birth to my first son (and once I was cleared for exercise) I knew that I wanted to lose the baby weight I’d gained. My sole reason for working out was weight loss. I started working out 3-5 days a week and eating nutritious foods, sleeping when I could. Even though I was postpartum and living in the newborn breastfeeding haze of little chunks of sleep here and there, I felt pretty damn good. I quickly became pregnant with my second son (less than 2 years later), and I worked out sporadically, but definitely paid more attention to what and how much I was eating. This next postpartum journey is when things changed even more. I lost the baby weight fairly quickly, but I was left feeling skinny and weak. I went from wanting to be skinny, to be strong. This is when I discovered Kayla Itsines and her Sweat programs and everything changed for me. I started to really enjoy working out and weight lifting. I was no longer doing it as a punishment to be a certain size, I was doing it to feel good and have more energy. This is when I changed my IG handle from @fashion_is_power to @not_another_fitmom. Fitness and nutrition became my passion. I started coming up with my own workouts and recipes. I had finally found my true passion. Fast forward almost three years and there I was pregnant with baby boy number three. I knew that if I wanted to become a Certified Personal Trainer, it was now or never. I bought the course through the National Association of Sports Medicine and studied every night for months. I passed the final exam and received my certification just about a month before having Jack. That was over three years ago. My website www.imnotanotherfitmom.com is an expression of my passion, where I share recipes, fitness tips, and my 12 week pelvic floor strengthening guide. My Pelvic Floor Guide stemmed from a leakage issue that I experienced after having three babies in 5 years. I was fed up and after seeing a PFT and not feeling entirely satisfied, I started doing my own research. I’m proud to say that my 12 week program has almost completely rid me of my embarrassing problem. My hope is to help other women feel strong and confident, just like I do. My current project is a 12 week resistance program. I’ve put my heart, soul and sweat into this program and I cannot wait to share it. I hope to launch it this fall, so stay tuned! I am still working my 9-5 day job with the plan to eventually work for myself full time. Being a mom of three young boys, I know that this time is precious, and I want to be there for them as much as possible, still whilst providing for my family and helping other women.
Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I got into the fitness industry after having my first son. What went from a quest to be skinny, quickly morphed into so much more. I realized that my true passion was in health and fitness and that I wanted to help other women feel strong and confident. I received my Personal Training Certification in 2019 and I have since received my Women’s Fitness Specialist & Nutrition Specialist Certifications, all through the National Association of Sports Medicine. I have a 12 week Pelvic Floor Strengthening Guide that is designed for postpartum women. My guide consists of 12 weeks with each week getting progressively more challenging. The exercises are meant to be done three times a week and take about 15 minutes. I decided to create this program after my own leakage issues after having three babies. I was blown away by my results that were not only visible, but my leakage issue was almost completely gone. I am continuing to sell my guide in addition to Group Coaching with the guide, which is currently sold out. I will be opening up another group in the next few months. My upcoming project is another 12 week program, but this one is a resistance program. It will consist of 4 resistance workouts each week and 1 HIIT: Lower body (quad focus), Upper body, Lower body (glutes & hamstrings), and abs. I am in the middle of completing the 12 weeks right now, and I am obsessed! The workouts take anywhere from 30-40 minutes which is perfect for me. My programs can be purchased through my website www.imnotanotherfitmom.com
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Starting a business is extremely scary and can be isolating at times. Having a solid group of people to back you up and inspire you is key. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Cathy Heller and her incredible podcast. Her podcast gave me hope, inspiration and motivation for when I was at my lowest. She has changed the way I think about everything, with gratitude being at the center. Cathy always says to start messy and that’s what I did. There is no way I would be where I am today without her knowledge and the knowledge of her guests. One challenge I faced was finding a tribe of people that thought like me. I didn’t know anyone else who wanted their own business, or who felt unfulfilled in their current job and wanted a way out. I have made lifelong friends through her course Abundant Ever After and her Malibu retreat this past summer. I feel like I’ve finally found my tribe, and that makes all the difference.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The most effective way to grow my clientele has been by being me. I’m not trying to be “Kelsey” or “Kayla” I’m just being me. I always strive to be open and honest with my following and I think that really resonates with people. I’m all about being real and raw, without filters and photo shopping. I took my struggle and came up with a solution for it, and that’s the recipe for success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.imnotanotherfitmom.com
- Instagram: @not_another_fitmom
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notanotherfitmom
- Linkedin: n/a
- Twitter: n/a
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPUOYU8oQ5GqdWCUwKTN5Dw
- Yelp: n/a
- Other: n/a
Image Credits
Cindy Lee Photography