We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Chaney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather , thanks for joining us today. What’s the best advice you ever gave to a client? How did they benefit / what was the result? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

Burning yourself into the ground is not a badge of honor! Give yourself permission to slow down. It doesn’t make you any less of a women to NOT be doing a million things at once. Women are natural multi taskers and now it seems we do all things for all the people almost to the detriment of our own health. I think my clients just need permission from an outsider that it is ok to slow down. Sometimes I have to repeat it over and over so that they know they don’t have to feel guilty about taking time for themselves. Especially moms! It is usually the late 30’s when all the running around starts to catch up with them and it takes a toll on their health. I am there to guide them back to vibrancy in a more balanced way where they can be better moms, employees, wives and friends during the chaotic transition time of peri – post menopause. This is the stage where adrenal fatigue really hits the ladies hard!

Heather , 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 have been an Entertainer, specifically a Marilyn Monroe impersonator for over 24 years. I started impersonating her and traveling the country for Fortune 500 companies in my early 20s. I took what I learned portraying her and turned it into my first business a women’s pole fitness studio, teaching women how to feel and look sexy. I studied dance and theatre in college so this was an easy transition for me. My studio expanded to 3 locations and I was featured on many tv and news segments since it was the first studio in Orlando. By year 7 of owning the studios I got pregnant with my first daughter and closed the following year due to the economic decline in 2008. Shutting down my studios allowed me to take a step back and focus on being a mom and to get back into focusing on my craft of performing. A few years later another daughter was born. With two kids and doing gigs I decided to go back to college for Health & Entrepreneurship to finish up the 3 years that I started in my 20s. Finally the age of 40 at I graduated but was oddly left in poor health due to the stress of school, kids and a full time job. So I made a huge change and left my full time performing job to become a Pilates instructor and fitness coach again. As symptoms of early menopause and adrenal fatigue kept taking over my body.. trying to stay healthy and sexy became more difficult. Especially still playing the role of Marilyn in my 40s for corporate events. So I had to take matters into my own hands and become my own health advocate. I then added Peri- Post Menopause wellness and Mineral Expert to my roster of existing certifications to help heal myself. When I healed myself I knew it was time to use all I had learned to help other women transition into the Menopause stage feeling healthy, strong, and sexy. I have seen both sides of aging. Those who are restricted in their way of life due to their health and those who thrive as they age. And if I am not performing for this age bracket I am teaching , speaking & training on how to transition into menopause without loosing their bodies or minds.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had to pivot twice. I pivoted at the age of 37 . The constant performing took its toll on my health and my soul. I went back to school to finally finish my degree that I started in my 20s and focused on Health & Entrepreneurship even though all my classes were performing arts classes. After graduating at 40 I decided to leave my full time performance based job that I had been doing for over 20 + years to become a Pilates instructor. My mind and body needed a change of stress level. At 41 my body took a beating from all the stress, kids and career change and I started to have several health problems. After seeing several doctors with no change to my health. I investigated and learned how to rebuild myself back up and how to ease my adrenal issues and early Menopause conditions on my own. So then I pivoted again and got certification in all the things that healed me so that I could help others as well. So today I am a Menopause Specialist and I still perform on the side to keep my passion of performance going.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Lesson: You can do it all! This is a lesson I have had to unlearn. You can do it all but you don’t have to!! As a type A personality I have always been an overly independent woman. I like to think I can do it all. And I certainly used to try . But even super heros need a break. I had to learn to slow down and that I can still make a big impact even when I do less. Stress levels and hormone changes have a big impact of women as we age and can even increase your chances of auto immune diseases if not corrected. So I have had to train myself to do more with less. Now with my business I let others help me or hire the help so that I am not burning myself into the ground for the sake of my business. My business is not worth risking my health.

Contact Info:

• Menopause Wellness Coach Website: www.peri2postmenopausecoach.com   /   Entertainer website  www.heatherchaney.com
• Instagram:  Wellness Coaching:  peri2postmenopausecoach       Entertainer:  celebrityimpersonator
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peri2postmenopausecoach  (menopause coaching)    https://www.facebook.com/KatePerryTribute/ (performing)
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-chaney-6b3b1b64/ (wellness coaching)    https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-chaney-842b6468/ ( performing)