We recently connected with Jen Johnston and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

I always knew I wanted to work inside the health space. I got my degree in Exercise and Sport Science and after college decided to pursue additional education in nutrition. At the time I had no idea in what capacity I would work with others, I just knew this was my passion. My free time was spent learning and experimenting with nutrition and having a thirst to understand and learn more about how the body worked and how the food we are impacted our health and quality of life.

At the time I was continuing my education inside of nutrition I was also working as a CrossFit coach and in the service industry. At one point I had four jobs and hasn’t had a weekend off in a couple of years. I originally started working with individuals on their nutrition at the CrossFit gym I was coaching at. I saw clients 1:1 in person which was great. I loved the connection I established with these individuals and having familiar faces to work with as I got my start in putting into practice what I was learning.

During this time I started working with someone myself on my nutrition and my relationship to food and my body as I had struggled with this for many years in my late teens and early 20’s. I found having someone in my corner made me better in working with others. There were times I felt unqualified to be helping others when I still knew I had so much to learn and I was still navigating my own relationship to food.

I learned so much in my first couple years working with others. I learned in person meetings, while great for creating trust and a safe environment, was a barrier to helping more people and posed it’s own challenge in terms of convince and accessibility for others. I learned that each individual is unique in the pace in which they are able to make changes, understand and retain new information and so much more about taking what I learned in the classroom and applying it in real life. My job starts with building a trusted relationship with others, I learned how important listening and communication was. I also learned I had a lot to offer even while I was still learning.

The mentor and coach I worked with did everything virtually. So as time went on, I moved my business to be entirely remote and virtual. I did client sessions via phone which allowed for more convince for clients as well as for me to expand my ability to work with clients from all over, not just locally.

As I started to work with more clients, I found I only had a limited amount of time and energy to put towards my business. I slowly went from working four jobs, to having bosses and coworkers to currently working one job and being my own boss and a one women show. Each year I look back at the growth myself and my business has made, At the hard and scary decisions I have had to make to continue to allow myself and my business to grow year after year. There are days I can’t believe I have managed to build a thriving business that I created that I get to live out something I truly enjoy doing on a daily basis working with some really amazing people. There are also days I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing lol. This is when I remind myself that we don’t always have to know where we are going or what the future holds, but rather to continue to come back to being present in serving and educating others and learning to be ok with the unknown.

I’ve had some amazing people in my corner along the way, opportunities I never thought possible and my business continues to grow primarily based on referrals. For this I am extremely grateful.

Fast forward to present day, I just started working in my first office location outside of my home and coffee shops. I wanted a space I had the option to meet local clients in person again and be around like minded individuals.

My advice to anyone looking to get into the nutrition space or starting their own business, get comfortable with the uncomfortable and constantly working on yourself. When you are in the space of helping others or running a business, you will be constantly working on yourself and things will change. And lastly, as soon as you make the decision to go for it, the leap of faith of giving up some of your securities and safety nets, is when the magic starts to happen. It’s cool to see how the universe has your back when you pursue what you believe you are meant to do.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a certified nutrition consultant and functional nutrition counselor. I work with clients 1:1 in an ongoing capacity and my coaching is centered around education, accountability and sustainability. There is so much misinformation in the world of nutrition and dieting that often times when people come to me they have tried so many different approaches, they are confused, frustrated and not in a good place with food. I help teach people the principles of nutrition addressing gut health, blood sugar balance and metabolic health. How to understand how different food impact them personally and how to properly fuel their body. Whether it be weight loss, building muscle, feeling better, or ending fear and frustration around food, I take an individualized approach with each person and meet them where they are at. I believe and educate that both food quality and quantity matter and how to access both, as well as make this a true lifestyle shift, vs just another short term diet with an end date.

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

I believe compassion and empathy is crucial for succeeding in the people business, especially nutrition. A common remark I get from clients is that they often feel like they are my only client. The worst thing you can do is treat someone like a transaction or approach each client the same when they all come with different levels of education, histories and capacities. When it comes to supporting others in their health and nutrition, you are rarely ever just talking about food. Building a trusted relationship is what allows the client to truly open up, be vulnerable and share and as a result they see more progress because they don’t hold back.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The imposter syndrome is real. With social media it’s easy to compare yourself to others. You see someone else doing something in your field and feel like you need to be doing things exactly like them. But, there is no one right path to how you work with clients, how you market yourself, etc. You have to find what works for you and feels authentic. This is when I find my business thrives the most is when I remember to show up as myself, stop comparing myself to others, and that there is no timeline for how by journey should look.

Contact Info:

• Website: ytnorth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenjohnston_ytn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourtruenorthcoaching