![[REAL ENTREPRENEURS] Being Celiac + Hypothyroid Makes Me a Better Health Coach](https://www.kristagoncalves.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Kristagoncalves-primary-01.png)
[REAL ENTREPRENEURS] Being Celiac + Hypothyroid Makes Me a Better Health Coach
Welcome to post #6 of the REAL ENTREPRENEURS guest blog series
I’ll be featuring a number of health & wellness entrepreneurs who are at various stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
They’re going to be sharing where they’re at right now!
It will be real, raw, and unfiltered. Just as life should be – when you’re grabbing it by the lemons, that is 😉
All of the posts in this series can be searched under the CASE STUDY category.
Hi, I’m Sinead and I’m an Aussie living in the United States.
When somebody asks me “what do I do for work?”, I stumble a little and then remember – Oh, wait! I am a Health & Wellness Coach for Busy Mums with Grateful Wellness.
I work with clients to be well, find gratitude, and let go of “perfect”.
But, do I say it with confidence? No, not really… And WHY NOT?
Well, because I have only recently launched my coaching services with Grateful Wellness and have a handful of paying clients – that is so hard to say out loud – but yeah, it’s actually launched!
But, if you’ll allow me to digress for a moment, and tell you where it all started… lucky for you – I’ll give you the short version 😉
Health issues plagued me after having kids… so I became a Health Coach!
It all started after I had my 3rd child in 2012 — three kids in only 4 years, I might add! I had postnatal depression, could not for the love of gawd lose weight, had regular migraines and overall just felt like shit.
I kept going back to my doctors, telling them I was sick, lethargic and something was not right. I kept coming down with colds, sinus infections, and chest infections.
I even had stomach flu 3 times one winter. Actually, the whole family did, and it was the WORST winter ever — caring for 3 children while you share the bucket to puke into at 2 am! Not what I thought parenting was going to be like 🙁
My doctors kept brushing me off, saying, “well, this is what it’s like to have 3 kids.” I said, “Are you effin’ kidding me?!”
But, I knew better and knew there was something more going on.
Fast forward to 2017… I had done a deep dive into the world of alternative medicine and integrative health & wellness. After 5 years, I finally discovered that the reasons behind all of the health chaos were the double whammy diagnoses of Celiac + Hypothyroid disease.
No wonder I felt like complete shit all the time!
By this time, I was also graduating from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and had completed the Digestive Intensive courses through the Functional Nutritional Alliance.
I knew, at that point, that helping other busy moms to regain their energy and health (and sanity!!) was what I needed to do – because I didn’t want other women to go through what I went through, at least not without support, guidance and a strong shoulder.
And THIS… my own wild ‘n crazy health journey has lead to the birth of Grateful Wellness. (now Sinead Quinn Wellness)
Where am I now in my Celiac & Hypothyroid journey – and in my health coaching business?
Oh, health – how much more value and emphasis we place on you when you’re not up to snuff!
Since finally being properly diagnosed…
- I have lost 30lbs
- my late-onset adult acne is FINALLY under control (cheers to you thyroid hormones)
- my energy is increasing every week
- brain fog has lifted
- there’s a twinkle in my eye again
- even my sex drive has returned… oh, hello there!
I eat clean and with awareness, and on the days or weeks I don’t (because you can’t all the time), I get a firm slap in the face reminder of what life once was.
I am still healing, as Celiac isn’t something that you can recover from overnight.
I have to be mindful of my energy usage and stress levels. But it has led me to want to learn so much more about the gut, digestion, and where people “hide” gluten.
Seriously, it’s gone too far. In America, it is used in some WINE! Is nothing sacred?!
But what I love, and take as a positive from my health journey – is the compassion it has given me for others. Understanding depression, illness, anxiety is not something I wanted to learn about firsthand, but at least I can put it to good use with my clients.
And now for the health of my business…
Let me start by saying – WOW, this is so much harder and time-consuming than I thought it would be starting up an online business. I had literally NO idea it was going to be THIS much work.
I thought…
- Pretty “feels like me” branding – check
- Pimped-out website – check
- Facebook biz page – check
- Instagram account – check
- Glittery business cards – check
Boy, was I wrong! Sales funnels, webinars, and Facebook ads (and just about everything else “online health coaching business“) have all been a steep learning curve for me, even with a background in advertising.
Now I have officially launched my business AND my first group program. I’ve hosted my first webinar… in fact, I have hosted 3.
What a shit show they were though – internet crashing, children screaming, dogs barking, builders building… the list goes on.
But honestly, it feels like it has taken an eternity to get here! If I am being REALLY honest with you though… I was definitely stalling. There, I’ve said it – I had been stalling to launch my business!!
But, why was I stalling the launch of my own health coaching business?! (Hint: it’s FEAR)
Well, I am also a Mum and the kids have needed me. (Don’t they always?)
As I mentioned, the kids all had really bad cases of the flu over the winter. Also, my son, who has Down Syndrome, had a big school review for his developmental progress and it was a pretty depressing picture that was painted for us.
So, I’ve been busy booking him in with more specialists and looking for additional therapies for him. Then, of course, it was Christmas and we also moved house. Then I got the flu… which took me out of the game for at least a week.
Oh, and then there’s the not-really-knowing-how-to-get-clients part!
I mean where do you even start with all of the conflicting advice for new health coaches?! (Man, I’m just full of realness today!)
I’m sure anyone would agree that these are all very valid reasons for why things have been stalled.
I am a freakin’ busy Mum of 3 beautiful, energy-sucking vampires. They are awesome, but dear gawd, they are demanding! Not to mention 1 husband and 2 dogs to boot 😉
But ultimately, I am now 100% aware that THIS IS ALL COMPLETE BULLSHIT.
I also know that these are found on the same laundry list of excuses that people (our potential health coaching clients) use before they get serious about stepping into the life of being healthy and changing their habits around food and lifestyle.
But, what is my FEAR based on? What am I losing sleep over? What am I making up excuses for?
As I mentioned, I did a webinar (or 3!) to officially launch my business. I don’t like public speaking, at all, and a live webinar is pretty frickin’ public!
But, what that boils down to is the FEAR OF FAILING… and the voice on loop in my head that says, “Sinead, shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You didn’t go to University. You talk too much.”
Failing, coupled with the words repeatedly spoken to me as a child by my family growing up.
Those inner voices are dangerous and if we allow ourselves to listen to them we will never move forward in life.
So, I figured that I had a choice, I could stay small, stay quiet, believe what was told to me, and stay in a place of comfort (within my discomfort) of limiting beliefs that were taught to me – because then, I won’t fail OR…
I could step into real discomfort, believe in myself, speak with the authority my education and life experience has given me to take charge and create change. Click To Tweet
So, where am I RIGHT NOW in my Health & Wellness Coaching business?
I hired a business coach who is pushing me even more outside my comfort zones.
I am doing my webinars – even if they are shit shows at times because I know they will improve.
My Facebook community is growing and I have launched my first group program – that was HUGE for me!
I live with acute stress several times a week but it’s getting easier each and every time.
But, here are a few more truths for you…
I am totally shaking in my big girl panties, but in the end, we regret the chances we didn’t take – and I, for one, don’t want to live with regret.
I can honestly say there wasn’t just one path that lead me on this journey of health and to eventually pursue a Health Coaching business.
In fact, there were many paths. Losing my Dad to cancer and nursing him in his final days, and then struggling to manage my own health were definitely major contributors to where I am now, both on a personal level as well as in starting my long-awaited business.
But, ALL of it has certainly made me a better Health Coach!
“My role as a Health & Wellness Coach is to give you tools to TAKE ACTION so you can feel empowered and let go of the self-imposed limitations that we place on ourselves everyday.
There’s no get skinny quick gimmicks with me. All you’ll get are results, a new perspective on life, and someone to support you throughout it.
We are all the authors of our lives; let me help you rewrite your story.”
Connect with Sinead on socials!
COMMUNITY GROUP: Emotionally Stable Hot Mess Moms