We recently connected with Martha Kester and have shared our conversation below.

Martha, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I was a school teacher before becoming a health coach. My first job was in Raleigh, NC, and it was wonderful. I ended up moving back home to Beaufort, SC, for personal reasons. I got a job at Port Royal Elementary in Port Royal, SC, a neighboring town of Beaufort. I was teaching second grade and living at home with my parents. A year later I bought my first home. Life was great. I was in my early 30’s. Over the years at Port Royal I became a very tired, stressed, and frustrated teacher. I was bloated every afternoon and always injured which kept me from running which was what I loved doing. A few years into my teaching career I developed a rash that was from my knees to my ankles. It mysteriously disappeared every summer. It was painful and ugly. My days started at 4 am. I would wake up, drink coffee and grade papers while watching Steve Harvey. Then at 5 I would head for the gym. Then 6 am I was home getting ready for work and by 7:15 I was in my classroom. Once a week we had staff meetings after school. Another day of the week I ran Girls Run Club and then Tuesdays and Thursdays I stayed after to help the office ladies workout. One day we did yoga (I am a certified yoga instructor) and the other day we lifted weights. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I taught Yoga and Pilates at the local YMCA in the evenings. After my work obligations were done, I would visit with my boyfriend and not get back to my home until 9 or 10 pm. Looking back I can’t believe I lived this way but now, it makes sense as to why I was so tired and injured all the time. Every Spring teachers are given a choice to return to the school and same grade or return but to a different grade or transfer to a different school or not come back at all. Each Spring I would consider walking away but what kept me was the Girls Run Club. I ran this club with friends and fellow teachers. One Tuesday or Thursday I was working with the office ladies and one of them said to me, “Martha, you light up when you work with us that I don’t see in the classroom.” This comment plus what Steve Harvey mentions quite frequently on his show “Jumping” (taking risks) stuck with me. In 2016, when it came time to share my intention for the next year I hit “not returning” without hesitation. The run club was no longer a factor because my friends were no longer running it with me (I believe they had all left for other schools). I walked away from a pay check and health benefits. I was single and turning 40 that year and knew it was now or never. I taught 20 exercise classes to make ends meet and I went to school to become a health coach. I told myself I have three years to make this happen. A year after becoming a health coach, I met my future husband. Lee, my husband, was a health coaching client. I know our paths would have never crossed had I not left teaching to pursue coaching. As soon as I left teaching, I no longer dealt with a bloated stomach and my rash disappeared and hasn’t returned. I get at least 7 hours of sleep every night as well and I don’t get injured as easily. It was a risk leaving a steady job for coaching but my life is so much better now.

Martha, 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 always had a desire to help people and make a difference. As a 20 year old, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I loved working out and was becoming more and more interested in it. I was a runner and getting into aerobics classes and lifting weights. I was a personal trainer for a few years and then I finally decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I taught for eight years and I was making myself sick. I was not happy and left the profession in 2016 to pursue health coaching. Coaching and teaching have many similarities and with coaching I am still helping and making a difference.

As a health coach, I help my clients reach their health and wellness goals. My main program is PAUSE: Lifestyle Reboot. PAUSE Wellness is the name of my company and PAUSE is an acronym for a formula for healthy living that I came up with. P stands for plant based eating, A stands for active lifestyle, U for understanding (knowing your numbers like blood pressure and knowing if you are deficient in nutrients), S is for sleep and stress and E stands for elimination. Clients can come to me to work on all six of these apsects or maybe 1-3 of the 6. The PAUSE program can run for 6 months (12 sessions) or 3 months (6 sessions). I also have a program centered around sleep and one around the elimination diet (3 or 6 months). Health coaching is very individualized and all of my programs can be catered to each client’s needs.

My background is what sets me apart from other coaches. I come to this profession from the elementary school teaching world. I build rapport well with my clients and I am caring. I ask questions and am a great listener. I have also dealt with my health issues myself. I know what stress can do to you and what the lack of sleep can do to you as well. In my past, I have dealt with athletic builimia, countless running inuries, depression, weight gain and hypoglycemia. I bring these experiences to my sessions making me a more compassionate coach.

I have overcome many health issues in my past through changes in lifestyle which I am proud of and I would like clients to know that. Diet and other lifestyle factors can make a big difference in how we feel. I didn’t make these changes on my own. It took me moving back home to my family for me to get healthy. Change is scary but needed in most cases and people do not have to do it alone. That is what health coaches are here for. We are guides and resources. We are support and are there to hold clients accountable.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This is not necessarily my health coaching journey but my life journey. In my thirties, while teaching school, I was constantly injured. Over the years, I have dealt with two stress fractures in my left foot, tendinitis in my left foot, I have had a hip stress fracture and hip bursitis. I have had numurous tight calves, pulled muscles and strained muscles. I got through each injury and came out on the other side a stronger and smarter runner. I would go through physical therapy, rest and ease back into running. While injured I learned the importance of moving however I had to whether it was biking, swimming, or even lifting weights seated or on one leg. I even perfected the one legged burpee. Looking back, I am so thankful I experienced these injuries because I can share with other runners from my own experience which I do often. I can recommend physical therapists and exercises for every injury out there. Being thankful for these injuries hasn’t always been a thing for me. This time of my life was very hard and there were lots of tears and frustration. I had many times where I came close to giving up on running altogether. I am not sure what made me keep returning to the sport. I am stubborn I suppose. Today, at age almost 45, I have been running strong for a few years now (knocking on wood as I type this).

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Looking back and thinking “I should have” isn’t a typical practice of mine. I know I am where I am meant to be. If I were able to go back and become a doctor, physical therapist, dietician or counselor, would life be easier? Yes, but nothing that I have ever done in my life has been easy. I have never taken the easy route. I love being a health coach. I love the feeling I get after I meet with a client or after I get a text about a client hitting their goals and feeling really good. Health coaching is like teaching. I still get to watch when the light bulb goes off and the light bulb moment is exciting. My goal has always been to help people and to make a difference and I am doing that. The hard part of being a coach is running my own business. I am not a business person and lack marketing and PR skills which I think are very needed in this field especially. The term “health coaching” can be confusing for people. Some people might think I am a personal trainer or trying to sell them shakes. The more people become educated on what health coaching is and the more people begin to realize the impact the way they live has on their health, the more health coaches like myself will become busier and busier (and valued).

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.pausewellnesscompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pausewellnessco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pausewellnesscompany
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-kester-45a20913a/

Image Credits
Betty Laurent Photography and Mindflint