The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I’m a natural empath, which is a curse and a blessing; it gives me the ability to really put myself in my clients’ shoes and feel what they’re going through. But it also makes separating difficult. I frequently take my work home and am often more driven to seeing results in my clients than they are!
Trying to stay focused is also really hard for me. I want to help everyone with everything, so sticking to my niche is always challenging.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are being able to try something, see if it works and if not, make changes quickly without needing permission or wasting time.
For someone who is creative and entrepreneurial, I think working for yourself is key to true career fulfilment. And of course, there is the freedom and flexibility, the opportunity to take it wherever you want. Those things are priceless.
The biggest drawback I’ve found is needing to work about 10 different roles all at once. I’m a nutritional therapist, but I also need to know about finances, admin, business development, website creation, marketing and social media. I’m not very good at any of these! All I really want to do is connect and work with people, but I find myself spending just as much time with online work and marketing. I’m sure it’s far better if you just outsource these things.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
As I’ve recently qualified to teach Pre and Postnatal Pilates, I’m really excited to start incorporating this into my nutrition programs next year.
As a busy mum, I think it’s actually easier to fit in eating well, with the right guidance, than it is to fit in exercise. You have to eat to survive, but exercise is a choice.
While food should come first when it comes to health, for a woman who has recently had a baby, certain exercises are really important for regaining abdominal strength and posture. There is very little awareness of this, and many women are walking around with continued abdominal separation and awful backache.
Thankfully, even just 15 minutes of Pilates a day is transformational and can do so much to help a woman prepare for and recover from birth, and also fix postural problems later in life.
I’ve also got some really wonderful collaborations in the wings so we can begin to build a local community and create that village we so desperately need!
Visit the Fleur Nutrition website to find out more about the services they offer. You can also join their supportive communities on Facebook and Instagram.
