We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heidi Bekins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heidi below.
Alright, Heidi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I knew for a while that I wanted to be in the health industry because it was my passion. Helping others feel their best is what kept driving me towards my own business. I wanted to serve my community as well, so getting involved in our local Chamber of Commerce was a must. It was a great way to network with other business owners and to build a clientele. I had originally thought that I wanted a brick and mortar studio where I could host workshops and invite other wellness leaders to come and teach, but after COVID, I decided that I should stay virtual. I still hope to open a wellness center one day, but for now being virtual allows me to reach more people. I had started a Facebook group years ago called Living Well with Heidi where I would share helpful tips on all areas of health. That’s actually how I came up with my official business name. I wanted to keep the consistency of what I had already built. I also really love the sound of it. Living Well means building health in all areas of your life, not just physical health. It was about family, relationships, stress management, self care, financial freedom, and community. As humans we need all these things to truly feel fulfilled. I knew becoming a health coach was something the world needs more of. We have all the information readily available to us, but we don’t always have the support we need to actually make the changes we want to make. Having a health coach is like having a built in cheerleader. I’m there to support, encourage, and guide my clients to make lasting changes. Every coaches approach is different, but I value my work as a client led coach meaning I listen more, and talk less. I let my clients work through their road blocks through motivational interviewing. A technique that focuses on the clients reasons for change. When you get to the heart of what’s really holding them back, that’s when the real work happens. It’s also the most exciting part of my job. Seeing my clients CHOOSE to change. Not because I told them too, but because they made the choice for themselves. It’s very rewarding to see that kind of growth.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Seattle based certified integrative health coach, wife, and mom of two energetic boys. My wellness journey began almost eight years ago when I started researching more about products, foods, our environment, and their effects on our health long term. I had recently had my oldest son, and when I became a parent, I was automatically more in tune with what I was going to feed him and what he would be exposed to on the daily. This became a passion of mine so I enrolled in an environmental toxins course. From there, I found many of my friends and family coming to me for advice and resources. I loved helping others make healthier changes for themselves and their families. Little did I know, this was just the beginning for me. I learned from personal experience that physical health was not the only part that required nourishment. As a new mother my mental, emotional, and spiritual health required nurturing as well. I wanted to dig deeper into wellness as a whole– mind, body, and spirit. It was then that I discovered IIN and enrolled as an integrative health coach. This journey to overall well-being has transformed my life. It taught me invaluable skills and solidified my passion for helping others live their healthiest and happiest lives. As a health coach, my approach is from a holistic standpoint, where we not only focus on nutrition and exercise, but we dig deeper to create lasting change. Whether its stress management skills, accountability, pursuing a new passion, or focusing on self care, my approach meets people where they’re at right now. It’s not about forcing change, but helping my clients really discover what’s holding them back from making the changes they want to see. My sessions are always client led, which means I’m listening more than I’m talking, and guiding more than I’m giving advice. Clients need to feel seen and heard. It’s what I love best about my job. Really getting to know what motivates a person to change and how I can help guide them through it.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is definitely networking and social media. You have to be seen in order for people to find you. Building a website, making brochures that I put around my community, joining my local Chamber of Commerce, and honestly just talking to LOTS of people has helped build my business. In a small community word of mouth goes a long way. Putting yourself out there is never easy. Trust me. I would consider myself an introvert so having to market myself and my services was very intimidating at first, but I have found the more I put myself out there, the more I grew personally and the more confidence I built. When people see your passion for your work, it truly speaks for itself. I also live by the motto “walk the talk”. If I’m not putting my advice into practice, how do I expect my clients to do the same? The more you model the behaviors and changes you want to see in others, the more it will inspire others to change as well.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
As a type A personality, it was (and still is) hard to not want to control every situation. When you don’t feel in control, it can make you feel inadequate or lost. Thinking you can control or force people into change is honestly such a waste of time and completely exhausting. Over the past few years while going through my coach training and working on myself personally, I have realized that leading with empathy and compassion goes a lot further. People respond to it much better, especially when it comes to health related changes. Once I finally grasped that you can never control what other people do, say, or think, it gave me so much more freedom from the chaos. I changed my mindset to focusing on how I show up for people and what I do, say, and think, and it has made all the difference in my work and in my personal life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.livingwellwithheidi.com/
- Instagram: @livingwellwithheidi
- Facebook: Heidi Kehl Bekins
- Linkedin: Living Well with Heidi
