We recently connected with Melissa King and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit within me since I was a kid. Even as a shy kid, I allowed my leadership skills to shine through in school projects, events, and within my friend groups. As I was working in the insurance industry in a small agent’s office, I was able to learn firsthand about the challenges of starting a business. I took a lot of mental notes as I knew I wanted to eventually start my own business. When I became a certified health coach and personal trainer I knew this was the business I wanted to start. In the beginning, I built my clientele alongside my full time job. While it was challenging and a little overwhelming at times, it was well worth it. As I was building my programs, marketing my services, and networking as much as I could I slowly became more confident in my leadership abilities and running a successful business. If I could change anything it would be to focus more on my mindset from the very beginning. Once you get your mindset in a good place, it’s so much easier to overcome challenges and be solution oriented. The one piece of advice I would give anyone thinking about starting their own practice is to just start. Don’t wait for everything to be in place. Learn what you need to know to get started and learn as you go. You’ll make mistakes along the way and you’ll learn from them. It’s all about refining your processes and systems along the way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a health and fitness coach and I specialize in helping women create lifestyle habits for sustainable weight loss at any age. When I was in high school I took a women’s strength training class that I loved. My passion for lifting weights began in this class along with the inspiration to help other women get into strength training. Fast forward to my mid 30’s when I was at a crossroads with in my professional life deciding what I wanted to after working in the insurance industry for over a decade.

After finding little success with counting calories and fat grams to lose the weight I’d put on in my mid 20’s, I experienced efficient fat loss simply by creating sustainable lifestyle habits with my nutrition, fitness, and rest that worked for me. At this point I knew I wanted to help others do the same. Today I work primarily with women to help them find sustainable habits that work for them throughout the different hormonal seasons of their lives (reproductive years, perimenopause, and menopause). Women are not small men which means their nutrition, fitness, and rest need to be personalized for their specific needs.

As a coach, I meet my clients where they are at the moment we have an initial conversation, before they officially become my client. Once I learn where they are now, where they’ve been and where they want to go, I have a good understanding about whether or not my program is a good fit for them. If they are a good fit and ready to make changes, we schedule our initial Shaping Your Success Welcome session. From there, they’re in the drivers seat and I’m there to guide, educate, support, and encourage them. My favorite part of the coaching process is being curious during our sessions and asking the appropriate questions to help my clients find the habits that work best for their body, lifestyle, and family. Throughout the coaching process, we talk a lot about their values and why they want to make changes. This is the driving force behind their motivation, especially when things get challenging.

I offer group (private and public) and one-on-one health and fitness coaching. Alongside virtual coaching sessions, my clients receive access to my online signature program that teaches them about hormones and how to align nutrition, fitness, and rest with their cycles (or lack of) to help them lose weight effortlessly from science-backed research. There’s a lot of information about women’s health on internet (especially social media) and it can be overwhelming and confusing. My role as a coach is to help my clients sift through all the “noise” about women’s health so they can figure out what works best for them. Clients can reach out for support in between coaching sessions through messaging feature on my Practice Better platform.

I wake up feeling super grateful that I get to do this work to help women. Whether it’s leading a group fitness class, training a client one-on-one, or coaching them virtually I always feel energized before and after every session. Helping people in this way is truly an honor as health and wellness is very personal to everyone.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Most of my clients come from referrals and my circle of influence. I’m always learning what’s new in the health and fitness industry to keep up with the ever changing science we learn about the body. My focus is to always coach the person in front of me to help them with their specific needs and goals. I love getting to know my clients so I can learn how I can best be of service to them. This has helped me develop a reputation within my network to be the go-to resource for health and wellness by earning their trust.

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

Building quality relationships with people has been a key component of my success in the health and wellness field. Honesty, transparency, and reliability are super important in earning someone else’s trust. This is the foundation of building quality relationships with people. Anyone who refers a client to me knows I will go above and beyond before, during, and after working with them. Plus, connecting with other people expands your network in a way that can do wonders for business growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissaking.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnessabundancecoaching/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wellnessabundancecoaching

Image Credits

Dani Kwan for the outdoor photos in the park and working with client in front of the pantry.