Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma O’Brien.
Emma, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I first started to pursue health and wellness during my college years when working toward my degree in Psychology. I began to experience some health challenges and began to explore some remedies that were more holistic and tied to nutrition. It was during this process that I discovered the incredible impact that food has on my well-being. When I realized I had a gluten intolerance, and began to remove gluten from my diet, my health was truly transformed.
During this process, I remember questioning if I had chosen the right field of study, taking an interest in Nutrition and Kinesiology. I remember wishing there was a way that I could somehow mix the two together and pursue both. It was during this time that I discovered the career of Health Coaching. Though I wasn’t able to financially pursue a certification program at the time, and after graduating began to work in the non-profit sector, I always had the option of pursuing Health Coaching in the back of my mind.
About four years later, I was finally able to do it! I completed a Health Coaching Certification Program through the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute and shortly after began to build my practice. Today, I have the incredible opportunity to integrate my knowledge of mental health and nutrition. I have the privilege of empowering others to live a life of wellness in mind, body, and spirit.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I feel like the journey has only just started for me. It’s been smooth in the sense that I’m passionate about what I do and that has not wavered. It has not been completely easy though. One of the greatest challenges for me has been balancing growing my practice with working a full-time job in the non-profit sector. I’ve learned a few valuable lessons thus far, and the most valuable lesson is that I can not help others, let alone my business, thrive if I myself am not thriving. I have to treat myself with the same level of care I would show toward a client. I know that with the right application of skills, investment, and support, I can build my practice to the level of thriving I dream it could reach.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My passion is to help make living a healthy life easy and fun through nutrition and self-care for servant leaders in the helping professions. Helping professionals, such as teachers, health care providers, or those serving vulnerable populations, constantly pour their heart and soul into their work and strive to help improve the lives of those they serve. But often this dedication can come at a cost to those in this line of work – the cost of their own health and wellness that can result in burnout.
As a health coach, my desire is to help bridge this gap and make living a healthy life not one more thing to add to the to-do list, but something enjoyable that can help add vibrancy and joy to life. One thing that I’m proud of this far in my health coaching journey is that I was able to complete my certification and start my practice while working a full-time job. Something that I think sets me apart from other health coaches is that I see my practice through the lens of health equity. I offer a range of services that people of various income levels can afford.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Yes. I experienced many privileges in my life. I was raised in a middle-class family in a stable home, was able to go to school and even access a private school college education. Family life growing up was stable and supportive, so I was able to focus on my education without any barriers, so I was able to succeed. It is my hope that I can use the privilege that I have received to create a more equitable and healthy world empowering others in their health journeys.
Pricing:
- Individual services start at $47 per hour
- 6 Week Packages priced at roughly $400
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emmaliz.net
- Phone: (760) 681-7983
- Email: emmaliz.empower@gmail.com
- Instagram: @emmaliz_hc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmalizheathcoaching/
Image Credit:
Ray Breezee Photography https://raybreezee.com/
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