Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Rey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

My brand/name came from my own personal experience of finding my own oxygen. I have been overweight most of my life and about seven years ago, I decided to change and lose over 100+ pds. The question was how was I to lose over 100 pds and keep it off? I have been “dieting” since I was 11 years old when my mom put me on slim fast daily. I started this process slowly and remembered on the plane they tell you to put the mask on yourself first before you help others. This is where it all began and each day, I found a little more oxygen to breathe life back in my lungs.

After I lost the weight, I decided to get my personal training certificate. I was nervous because I was always last picked in gym and how would people pick me. I passed my exam and the next day I was offered to teach a run club. This led to me initially buying a franchise. Unfortunately, this came at a very tough time when covid hit and I was forced to pivot and teach online. I laugh now about how many ways I showed up online but it taught me so much about me and how many people needed to find their oxygen. I was needed and so were my services.

It was a three-year contract with the franchise, but during this time, I completed my nutrition certification and opened up my gifts as a spiritual healer. I continued learning from classes and workshops and decided it was time for me to go on my own and create my business. I worked on my logo which incorporates the infinity symbol which is never ending or beginning in this lifelong journey of ever growing and learning.

I am asked what this difference was this time and why I could keep the weight off; my answer is simple: I found my oxygen mask.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My business is made up of three things most needed is taking care of your body, mind and soul. When I first started, I worked with programs already given to me but I knew each personal learns and has unique needs. I was never the athlete and was nervous because I was not your typical trainer. After getting some experience I realized I was needed and the people who come to me resonate with my energy. In the beginning I was mostly working with clients on their bodies. Then it dawned on me if it was just the body why didn’t it working the numerous times for me.

This is when I decided to get my nutrition certification to work with the next puzzle piece. Nourishing the body is key to feeling good mentally and physically. It helped many of my clients because we started working on the mental part that blocked them to reaching their physical goals. There was still a something missing.

My entire life I have been spiritually connected from as young as six years old. I was able to feel and see things other didn’t there were times people made me feel crazy but loved that I could read them. I started to hide this about myself only if you were close to me. Then I was pushed out of my “spiritual closet” and it was amazing because I was able to give people the trifecta body, mind and soul. I realized I was already doing it but not telling my clients what I knew. They would always ask how I knew things about pains or emotions they felt. Now it is part of my services and it feels amazing to be authentic and not hide parts of myself.

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

We all have stories of survival but I am 47 strong and still ever learning and growing! This is my fourth career and I know there is more to come for me and those I help. I started my first career at 21 as an Assistant Director of Financial Aid. My mentor at the time believed in me and told me not to make a decision before it is given to me. How many times do you let fear stop you from trying? She made me also face my fear of public speaking by having me speak two times a week to incoming freshmen. This was the first time I knew I was a leader I showed I was in charge of people twice my age. This was the first time I saw myself as a leader. I moved to another school that offered a Master’s Degree for free and my thought was why not.

After, receiving my degree in teaching I decided it was time to try a new field and became an elementary school teacher. The same mentor told me to make myself irreplicable. I worked in an area where kids needed people to advocate for them it was my mission to help make the school have all the technology taught to give them a level up. Through grant writing and workshops, I was able to get each classroom the technology that helped meet all types of learning from visual to audio learners. Things changed after my second child, I wasn’t able to show up the hours I used to and had a sick family member. My husband at the time and I decided I should stay home to be present. This is where I would say the world changed, I worked since I could remember but being a mom was hard being home changed me. I joined everything I could but in the end, I lost myself I gave to everyone but myself. People told me I was lucky to be home and I was able to enjoy the time but I was gone.

Then I saw a photo and no longer recognized who was in the picture with my daughter. I cried myself to sleep and decided it was time to find me. I remembered the saying on the plane put the oxygen mask on yourself before you assist others, It was time for me to put my mask on. This led me to lose over 100+ pounds but I wasn’t done. I decided to get my personal training certificate and when I passed, I was offered a job to train a run club. I continued getting training and was teaching many fitness classes. Until one day the owner offered me the franchise because she was moving away. At this time, I was also getting divorced and becoming a single mom. It was time for me to show up!

Things were going great for almost ten months and then Covid hit and everything shut down, I was scared about how I was going to put food on the table. I pivoted and took my business online and taught all types of classes. And I added a side hustle to make extra funds through Instacart. During this time, I wanted to help more and received my nutrition certification to help with the next puzzle piece for my clients the mind. Still, something was missing and it was my secret.

I have always been intuitive and worked with spirits since I could remember. Due to having a lot of issues in my youth, I decided to only let those that knew me about my gifts. I knew what my next steps were and again faced my fears to come out of my spiritual closet to give my clients the final piece of the trifecta the soul. I always used it but never said how or why I knew their emotions or physical pains.

Now have all the pieces I decided it was time to go out on my own and did not renew my three-year contract and created Finding Your O2.

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

My money story needed a lot of work because we build these beliefs from our family’s foundation with money. My family’s money story was not good there have been bankruptcy, credit card declines, and never seemed enough. I was always told money was the root of all evil. That it didn’t grow on trees and you need to hustle to get it.

When you run a business you need your money story to be strong and believe in your own worth. Working with healers, reading books, and taking numerous workshops I have been able to change my connection and beliefs in money. What happened to my family was not my story and it still comes up from time to time but my tool belt and beliefs have changed. I now look at myself and am proud of how I survived opening a business in covid and going on my own. I know to work smarter, not harder and it flows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://findingyouro2.com/
• Instagram: finding_your_o2
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082833219510
• Other: email: [email protected] linktr.ee/findyouro2