Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Mitchell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Jessica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
When I decided that I needed to change my life, for the sake of my health, I was in banking and insurance. Up until that point I had tried diet after diet with no success. My cholesterol was high, and my doctor indicated that my infertility was likely due to my weight. That changed everything for me. I became determined to find out what would help me reach my health goals, long-term. I hired a health coach. When I asked her what would make this experience different, she indicated that this wasn’t about a diet…it was a lifestyle. She also suggested that I become a Health Coach. So I did! That was almost 19 years ago and it was the beginning of my long term health transformation.
Jessica, 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?
I am Jessica Mitchell, Corporate Trained Health & Lifestyle Coach of 18 years. I love being in the space of helping women change their lives and give them the confidence they need to have a healthy life and lifestyle well into midlife.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn yo-yo dieting. As it relates to my own health, I had to learn that a quick fix is never the answer. Learning proper nutrition. Moderate exercise that works for me, along with lifestyle modification is what works. In some cases, it required reversing bad habits, and replacing them with new ones. When I finally figured that out with the support of my coach, I was able to lose over 60 pounds, and have kept it off all these years.
About five years ago, my sister, who was only 40 years old, passed away from a massive heart attack. That gave me the impetus to work even harder at educating women on how lifestyle changes can prevent and manage chronic lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
When it comes to business, as a health coach, I learned early that there is no one size fits all. This is why today, my coaching programs are very individualized. I realize that even if two women have the same goal, what it takes to reach, the goal will vary. Learning this has made for a successful coaching practice as the sessions create a safe place for my clients to work through their individual challenges and be successful
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
A woman’s health or weight can be a very sensitive subject. There’s no shortage of information on the Internet on various ways to address it. However, being an effective coach comes from being able to share your own personal experience, not just information. My experience, my own health journey, gives me empathy. As we’ve all heard before, people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. I care deeply for my clients and their success. I’m invested in them and they can see and feel that.
I find that many people don’t realize that there are a particular set of habits that greatly impact our health. Daily habits, our daily routine, even our sleep hygiene . So along this journey it’s important for me to educate my clients so that they can see all of their wins, scale and non-scale victories and reclaim their health.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.iamjessicamitchell.com
- Instagram: Iam_jessicamitchell
- Facebook: IAmJessicaMitchell
- Youtube: @iamjessicamitchell