We were lucky to catch up with Na’iyma Chew recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Na’iyma , thanks for 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 would like to begin by saying that I have wanted to own my own business for many years before I actually started. This dream of mine was something I would ponder about yearly until I finally decided to give it a shot. I share this because so many people who want to own their own business don’t realize that the people who are doing it may not have been such go-getters from the start. Everyone has their own process.

I didn’t know what I wanted to own in the beginning, however I knew that the most important thing to me was to own a business that allowed me to raise a family from home. Anything else was simply not worth it to me. My first business was a huge awakening for me. I started my own clothing line and In doing so I experienced what it would take to be successful and learned very quickly that it wasn’t aligned with the goals I had for myself. So after a year and a half of grinding away, I decided to do something else instead. Coaching had been a calling for a very long time for me. This was a calling that I ignored for many years because I hadn’t met a coach who was coaching the way I had only dreamed of coaching in the wellness space. But I was still so curious and eager to find the business for me. It wasn’t until I dove into personal development and self help philosophies that I discovered exactly what it was I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I wanted to combine health and fitness coaching with personal development and mindset online. I decided to coach right away to test my method. I gathered 3 clients quickly and the results were outstanding. Not only did my clients love working with me, but I was able to retain my clientele. I was ready to take coaching on full time but I had no idea what to do to get to the next level. So of course I did what everyone else does, I fell for one of those online coaching schemes promising you will make your money back and more. “I make millions and you can too, sign up” lol. However, it wasn’t a scheme. It was surprisingly one of the best investments I have ever made in my life. The school was 90 days and before the program began I signed my first full year client for $4200, basically making back the investment. I couldn’t believe the energy exchange I witnessed just by investing in myself. It really was magical. After finishing the course/school, I knew exactly how I wanted to set up my coaching practice. I was so happy ! Although 2020 was the year of the pandemic, it was a year of chance and growth for me. I finally knew what I wanted to do and had the confidence to do it. From there I continued to invest in programs to help me coach more efficiently.

If you were to ask me the main steps I took starting my business I would reply by saying it’s very important to know what you want the end picture to look like. This way you know when to say yes and when to say no to things. You will be able to align yourself to that ultimate picture. Then I found a coach. Someone who had been where I was and is where I want to be. From there I implemented the steps daily. I got comfortable with the mundaneness and did my best to stay positive and consistent. I instilled trust and faith. And I put that on repeat. Alignment, support, trust, implementation, alignment, support, trust, implementation

The biggest struggle use to be shiny object syndrome and comparison. I use to want to do everything. When a different method or new tool looked intriguing and like I had to have it, I would learn that new tool, adopt that new skill and it made it really hard to grow. I use to also always have a hard time focusing on myself. I spent more time than I should focusing on others and their success and comparing. This was very toxic and led to a lot of self doubt.

Now I can fast forward to today, I have a 5 month old baby boy that I breastfeed on demand and work from home doing what I love. I am so very grateful! I still have obstacles, but I always find a way to prosper. If there was advice I could give to someone wanting to start their own business is to ignore the story. Your mind will do a lot of convincing that there may be a better way, a better time, or that you could be better, but I encourage you to stay out of the story, and have more fun. Enjoy the process. There’s never enough enjoyment in creating and I never understood that. That’s where all the growing is, all of the day to day tasks lie, and it’s important to cherish it because it’s a huge part of this.

Na’iyma , 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?

My name is Na’iyma Chew and I am from Tampa Fl. When I was younger I had a true passion for performance and athletics. I probably could not share my story without mentioning my love for athleticism. It has shaped me as a person and has been the gateway to my career. As a young girl my first introduction into health and fitness was when my mom introduced my sister and I to a healthier way of life. She got rid of sodas, replaced whole milk with skim and started doing more outdoor trips and activities with us. They say your environment plays a huge role in your habits, and this couldn’t be more truthful. When I was 15 I went to my first ever bodybuilding show. This show was massive, covered with raving fans tho crowded the theater, overjoyed with raging energy to watch high schoolers compete. After that show, I was so inspired to do the same so I began to train. My mother trained me in our garage and I won my class my junior year of high school and then won the entire show my senior year. It was that moment where I realized that I had not only found something I was passionate about, I had found something I was good at.

Later after graduating from college I went back to the sport with the hopes of accomplishing something much grander, I wanted to become a Bikini Professional in the International Federation of Bodybuilding. 4 years later, That became my reality. From there I had a burning desire to give back to my community, educate, and truly guide in ways that I was never really guided in. Going through this journey was something I wanted everyone to feel held while doing. It’s such a transformative experience and I wanted to create something that would not only inspire others, but build connections. So I launched The Bikini Diaries Podcast. A platform where I interview other professional bikini athletes about their journeys’ in hopes to inspire others. This podcast now has over 22,000 downloads monthly and has built a beautiful community all over the world. It has truly transformed the lives of so many women and I am so grateful.

My passion for helping others expanded. I began to coach other women in their health and fitness. However I was unsatisfied. I wasn’t a huge fan of the online system because I don’t believe it gets to the root cause of where these habits form. Simply creating meal guides and training wasn’t enough for me to help my clients so I searched for more. Over the years I fell in love with personal development, Its teachings, and the psychology around human behavior and the brain. I was Immediately drawn to this and wanted to incorporate this into my health coaching. So I did. I got a continuing education credit with HMCC, a mindset certification. I also got my certification in NLP, Hypnotherapy, T.I.M.E Techniques, EFT and Life and success coaching. These certifications and practices really guided me into becoming the best online coach that I could be. I know that my clients feel held, seen, and safe. They are making lifestyle changes from their core and shifting their identities. So when they make physical changes, these are results they keep for life because they have the mindset to do so. I now refer to myself as a mindset based health coach, because my focus is on both. I have truly enjoyed working with women online transform both their mind and body.

Currently my business has expanded and I now have digital products that serve as resources for athletes .

Although this is a huge part of what I do it isn’t all of me. Na’iyma means “song without words, something peaceful, nice and soft like a melody”. I have found great peace in my life as I share it with my beautiful husband and baby Julian. As a family, we have grown so much. We now have a thriving Airbnb Business, and a relationship where we continue to nurture the growth of each other. For fun I love to make up my own add-lib songs, go to actual musicals and take long walks. As a family we love spending time with our family and our greatest passion is traveling. We make it a priority to explore often and connect with the universe. I am most proud of creating a life where I am in a position to put my family first. I have never missed a beat with my son and I am so grateful for this.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to stop believing that I had to do everything alone, because outsourcing cost me money. This was a tough one to swallow, but sometimes the toughest pills are the best vitamins. When I started to outsource, I had so much freedom. I gained community, and I felt like I wasn’t doing everything alone. I loved it and was hooked. My experience outsourcing allowed for my life to get busier but my podcast to stay afloat. It allowed for my social media expansion and connection to continue. It also allowed me to still make money while on maternity leave as well. Growing up, I was taught to save my money. However, I was never taught to invest it in ways that would return in dividends. This is such a powerful lesson I learned and an old belief I left behind.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

What I believe to be the most helpful for succeeding is nurturing your mindset. You create your world, literally. Everything is a perception and interpretation and you get to decide how you want to see and interpret things. This is the key to life. The gateway to happiness, and of course the success you are searching for. You can nurture your mindset by creating a life that you navigate with thoughts that are serving you. If I want to produce results in my life, I must produce thoughts that serve me.

Contact Info:

• Website: Vibe-athletics.com
• Instagram: Naiymafit