We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmine Hall El. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmine below.

Hi Jasmine , thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

Most people don’t understand the importance of their mindset and the words they speak. During our consultation, I had a client who was extremely apprehensive about beginning her program. She had tried so many things and had been trying to lose weight her whole life. Nothing she tried had worked to date. I asked her if she believed in me, and my subject matter expertise. She said yes. I asked her if she had ever tried my program. She said no. I told her I believed in her, but I would give her a few words of advice: You can be your biggest barrier or your biggest asset. Do not speak disbelief over yourself; it almost guarantees you will fail. Your mindset controls everything. If you choose to not believe; you will not execute, you will not prioritize and you will not finish. Did you believe any of the other programs you participated in would work? No, I didn’t. So let’s try something different. Every morning, wake up and speak what you want in your life, and tell yourself you will acheive it and by when. Do not speak negatively to yourself. I believe in you, but that doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in you. Your negative mindset will set us both up to fail. I will only be as successful as you are. Even if you don’t believe, say it to yourself every morning until you do.

She nodded, and signed up. She wanted to make sure she left no stone unturned. So she did everything. We began with her bodyscanning and testing. She weighed in at 218lbs at 59% body fat. After getting her metrics we designed a meal plan which I implemented into her meal delivery service. She promised to not cancel any sessions in the first 30 days, and to eat all of her meals for 30 days, get 7.5 hours of sleep, handle herself with grace, and drink her water. I told her if she kept her promise and it didn’t work, I’d let her out of her contract. She lost 26 pounds, I was so proud of her.

I asked her what did she do different. She said that no one has ever held her accountable before. She said thinking back on the other things she had tried, she had not done anything in entirety and she never finished. She never fathomed that her attitude was the problem. The affirmations were a game changer, even though at first she thought it was stupid.

The biggest thing is that I took all her excuses away; I don’t have time to prep (meal delivery), how do I really know this is what I need (testing), and how do I know this is working (body scanning).

We continued for six months and she got down to 135 pounds 23% body fat, she reached her goal in four months. Mindsets are diificult to change, but it changes the trajectory of your success, if you’re able to do it.

Jasmine , 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?

My journey as a health and wellness professional has evolved as I have evolved as a person. My passion, more than wellness and health, has always been service. I’m the friend that helps you move, watch your children, help you study and takes care of you when you’re sick. Initially, being a physician was the way I thought I’d answer my calling to service. It turned out being an empath got me too involved, which made losing patients extremely difficult for me.

Being a former athlete, Exercise Sports Science seemed to be a suitable fit at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The plan at the time was to become a physical therapist.

However, once I met the father of my children, my path derailed from education and my new husband and family became the center of my universe. As a first-time mother I wanted only the best for my child, I researched everything, read all the labels, and for the first time struggled with my own weight. This would motivate me, to go back to UNC-Chapel Hill and finish what I started but also add Nutrition as a concentration. While finishing school, I become certified as a personal trainer.

Now being a mother of three, gave me more insight and personal experience with the struggle of the woman you were, vibrant and sexy and full of life, and the woman you are now, nurturing, mature, and focused on raising mini humans with unconditional love. I watched my own mother choose between those two versions of herself and lose herself in her marriage and motherhood. I call it the Sacrificial Lamb Syndrome, feeling like you must prioritize everything over yourself to be a good mother. Surviving a volatile marriage, I was determined to take my power back. I did not have to choose between those two versions. I could and would be both, and I would teach others how to do the same. You can be a successful leader in your career, an amazing mother, sexy, and respected. Life after marriage as a single mother would not dim my light.

Little did I know, my heart for service would carry me in so many directions. As a personal trainer I began realizing that it was not enough to just coach my clients, they needed assistance in what to eat, how much and when. So, I got certified as a Nutritionist began offering meal plans. Then, my clients weren’t following their meal plans, the problem, was time. So, I literally became their personal chef, by cooking and delivering their meals. Then work, home, and lack a balance became an issue. So, I became a life coach and assisted my clients in obtaining the balance they needed to prioritize themselves.

Then I began encountering clients who had micronutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, migraines and so much more. Here is when I added being a Functional Medicine Research Analyst to my repertoire. I am so much more than a personal trainer; I am their health and wellness concierge. I am their fixer, the Olivia Pope of their health and wellness journey.

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

As a straight-A student in high school, for me, everything had a blueprint. There was a linear path to success. College taught me the power of motivation, but not the most important lesson. I appreciate my education, it has helped me in life, but what I value most I learned as an entrepreneur, not in the classroom.

Sometimes you just have to jump! Plans are great, but they need to be adaptable. You do not need a sure thing, you just need to finish. When I started my business, everything was slow, but I kept working. One day it just started moving. I do not have a magic formula, no specific equation, other than I would not stop sowing seeds.

At the time I lived in Miami, a perfect market for what I do, but also saturated with competition, and somehow I was able to swim instead of sink. My next move would be to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I’d been in a very abusive marriage for over a decade with three children. I’d tried for years to line up the perfect circumstances to leave, but something would always be delayed. Finally I just left, no job, no income, and no real plan for this new market. I just knew our lives needed a change.

Being in this market for six years I’ve been able to support my three chidren and myself. Still no secret sauce, I just jumped.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

You have to be passionate. This field can wear on you after a while, but your passion will pull you through. Passion will get you up early in the morning for those before work sessions. Passion will have you creating edits and reels despite the fact you hate social media. Passion will have you researching every faucet of business to be successful. Passion will give you the energy at the end of the day when you have to get deliverables to clients despite being in back to back sessions. Once the passion dwindles its time for a transition.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.strongpuresimple.com
• Instagram: strongpuresimple
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strongpuresimple/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/strongpuresimple/
• Twitter: strong_pure

Image Credits

Evan Murray Photography