[00:00:00] Cynthia Garcia: If we never take one second to look back on where we came from. How are we going to know what we’ve accomplished? How are we going to know what worked and more importantly, what didn’t he there? And welcome back to the Transformational Nutrition Podcast, the podcast that is redefining nutrition as anything that beats you physically, mentally and spiritually.

I’m your host, Cynthia Garcia, the founder and CEO of ITN. And in today’s episode, we’re talking about how you can better your. In 2022. And you can do that by taking look at 2021. That’s right. So I’m going to share with you really three essential questions to help you make more money while working less in 2022 as a coach.

So. I remember working once with this client and we were getting into the new year kind of where we are right now. We’ve been working together for the majority of that year. And I wanted to see how she felt about her progress. You know, how are things going? What are you going to work on? So on and so forth.

During one of our sessions, I had her do an exercise that where she could really take time to reflect on the year that she’s had look at what she was really proud of and also identify some things that she might want to work on in the year coming up. And this exercise was really, really tough. She almost didn’t want to do it at all.

I could feel her, her attention, and I just felt like something was off because usually she super excited about our sessions. So I ask her, you know, what’s going on? You don’t seem to be as very thrilled to be doing this exercise and that’s okay. But I’m just wondering, what’s coming up for you in this moment.

And she said, well, I’ve never really taken time to go backwards before. And I said, okay, go backwards, say more about that. And she said, well, I just don’t really reflect like this. I don’t self reflect like ever right now me, like I’m constantly reflecting. I’m like looking and seeing what I can do differently and learning from things.

That’s just who I am. So I said, okay, interesting. Tell me more about that. And she said, well, it’s really hard for me to stop and actually see. Myself, instead of the version that I want to be, the version that I’m working toward. And I got it so often we create these amazing goals and dreams for ourselves.

We constantly want to be better, more successful, happier, whatever it might be. And this client was scared to reflect on who she actually was, what she actually did that year and accomplish versus what she was hoping to do in the following year. It was just too real for her. It’s like not being able to take a photo without a filter.

You can’t look at your real self. So it’s easy for us to walk into a new year. Like we’re doing right now with big plans, we’re gonna lose weight. I’m gonna start a business. I’m going to become a coach. We’re going to finish that degree. We’re going to get married. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be so, so, so good.

And I’m a forward-thinking person to a hundred percent. I map things out. You can’t even believe it, but if we never taken. One second to look back on where we came from, how are we going to know what we’ve accomplished? How are we going to know what worked? And more importantly, what did it. And then how are we going to know how to course correct and learn from those things moving forward?

How do we understand what worked and what didn’t? So we know whether or not we want to repeat those things in the new year or the next phase of our life.

We love spotlighting the unique stories and transformations of our students and graduates here at ITN. This week, I’m excited to introduce Jessica Davis and give her a chance to talk about her own journey of becoming a certified transformational nutrition coach. Let’s start by learning about Jessica’s background.

[00:04:10] Jessica Davis: I was a performing arts student. So I was a dance major in high school. And then I was also a dance major in college. And really, I do have to say that that probably started my health journey. So being in front of mirrors, in a leotard and tights for multiple hours in a day with other girls my age and everything like that really reinforced.

Comparison idea for me, I was always comparing myself to others and then dance can be very competitive. So I feel like my whole life, everything kind of revolved around looks and appearance. And then, you know, you start to tie your worth to that. So I noticed that. I found my identity and my self worth in the way that I looked.

And that really did a number on my mental health at the same time. Going through some health issues related to chronic stress. They were, you know, my hormones were all over the place. My weight was sort of fluctuating and people were really noticing, I don’t even think it was fluctuating that badly, but you know, a few pounds here or there and people because I was in the dance world, people were commenting on it and it really bothered me.

I was not taking care of my body. ’cause, I didn’t know how at the time. And that made me really want to move away from dance because dance was too physically demanding for me time. And I was at the same time realizing that maybe it wasn’t even who I was. I had always put my identity there because I started when I was eight years old and it was my life.

[00:06:00] Cynthia Garcia: So let’s go, what spurred this topic has. I know that we’re getting into a new year here and we’re looking at where we’re going and what we want to do. And there’s still a bunch of excitement on what this year is going to look like, but we haven’t spent enough time looking at where we’ve been. So, and again, I know a lot of times we’re just told to, you know, look from, look to the future.

Don’t get so hung up on the past and just keep moving forward eyes wide, open, straight ahead and listen. So much of that as good advice. You don’t want to get hung up on the past, but you also don’t want to act like it just didn’t happen. There is so much value, especially when you’re running your own business in looking back to see what’s worked and what hasn’t, and then learning from that enacting according.

So there’s really seven major advantages to practicing. Self-reflection. Here’s what they are. Self-reflection helps you to one, make sense of things to uncover breakthroughs. Three challenge, your thoughts for recognized change and track progress. Five increase self-awareness six inspire self-acceptance and seven live with more intense.

You see a lot of times we’re so wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks and deadlines that we never even take a step back to realize what we’ve accomplished or what’s no longer working for. But thankfully the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to not just reflect on the previous year, but then to use that information to plan forward for the year to come.

So if possible, you know, grab a pen and paper, take some notes on what I’m about to go through. And if you don’t have a pen and paper, just think through these things while I’m sharing them and then maybe go back and perform this exercise at a later time. But it is important that you write these things down.

We know studies have shown that when you write things down, versus just thinking through them, you tend to take action on them to follow through and you have greater success. So keep that in mind. So here’s what. I want to ask you to ask yourself three questions about your actions in 2021, and this will help you get ready for the new year.

Here’s what those questions are. Okay. So question number one. I want you to consider how your mission statement and purpose has shifted during the past year. How has my mission and purpose changed during the past? Let’s tune in again to discover what Jessica did after leaving her career in dance and how this allowed her to find her passion in nutrition, coaching.

[00:08:40] Jessica Davis: When I was leaving the dance world, I was kind of focused on two things. And one of those things was being a fitness instructor because dancers are naturally very good at being fitness instructors, because we can really talk about the body. So I was focusing on fitness and I was really starting to get passionate about things.

And then at the same time, I was noticing that all of my clients who were in my classes really needed help with nutrition because they would be coming and they would not be seeing the results. And I knew from having to learn to take care of myself after having the hormonal issues and the chronic stress and just my body being completely rundown from damn.

I started learning how to take care of myself. And I started learning that no matter what you’re doing, movement-wise you need to still be supporting yourself nutritionally. At that time, I was actually struggling with whether or not, so I wanted to potentially go into counseling or I wanted to be a nutrition.

And I didn’t know which one I wanted to do. And anytime I would go to look into like counseling programs and really make the decision, I would kind of have this like empty feeling, like there’s something missing. And that was really for me, the nutrition aspect, like I needed to incorporate nutrition into the mental health.

And then, so when I found ITN and how they incorporate the three pillars, Mental health, the science pillar, and then the spiritual health that really spoke to me because I knew that in my own experience, if I only focused on nutrition, it still did not necessarily make a difference. If I wasn’t doing well spiritually and emotionally.

[00:10:40] Cynthia Garcia: The longer you run your business, the clearer you’re going to become on what your mission is. You’ll find your purpose and you’ll find that it changes over time and that this is part of the process. Sometimes it can even happen without you doing it in. Our clients change. Our niche develops. We end up serving a whole different community.

We find a new thing or discover a new tool and it lights us on fire and we have to share it with the whole world. Right. We create something based on what we’ve learned or what we’ve overcome and decided that this is the thing that we’re going all in on. And that’s okay. Right. It’s totally normal for your mission statement to mold and change and align more with who you are as a person and your professional goals.

And listen, when I say things like purpose, sometimes I lose you right away. Right. Well, let’s just tell the truth because purpose feels like, oh my God, what is my purpose? What is my point for being at like, it just feels so heavy and it doesn’t have to be you’re tired. Described purpose. Okay. Purpose.

Don’t overthink it. First of all, but purpose. It’s just, what do you want your life to be about more than anything? That’s it. What do you want your life to be about? More than anything? For example, I know that my purpose is to inspire other people, to rewrite their stories, by being an example of what was possible when I rewrote my own.

I know that I know that without a doubt, I know that me creating this life for myself and being an example, and then showing other people how they can create that by rewriting the old stories and limiting beliefs that hold them back. That is why I’m here. I have done it my whole life since I was a little tiny kid in trauma and adversity.

This is my purpose. I know it. That is what I want my life to be about, more than anything else. So what is that for you? What is that? What do you want your life to be like? What do you want it to be about more than anything else? And then what was your mission and purpose at the beginning of 2021? You see your purpose doesn’t really change your mission doesn’t necessarily change.

It’s just, we become more of who we are and it shifts and it ebbs and it flows. And that’s a beautiful thing. So make notes, if any shifts that you’ve made, maybe you changed your coaching client demographic, right? Whatever it is. Just understand that changes took place. And then look at how those serve you and how you’re going to use those in the future.

Because if you keep your old mission, your old purpose or your old, then you’re not really moving forward. One of our favorite things is finding out what our graduates enjoyed the most about the transformational nutrition coach program. When we asked Jessica this question, she explained, uh,

[00:13:35] Jessica Davis: for me it was the coaching community that I gained. And I think the coaching aspect of ITN and having the coaching. That was just so powerful because we’re not just on our own, going through the materials and trying to piece it all together. We have people that we can actually interact with and I’ve become very good friends with several of the people that I met through ITM.

I think being a part of the community of people who want the same things as you is so incredible.

[00:14:14] Cynthia Garcia: Alright, question number two, ask yourself what worked in 2021 and what didn’t, it’s so easy to get attached to something that you want to work in your business or something that you’ve worked so hard to create. Even if it’s not benefiting you, your clients or your business, you think, Nope, I’ve done it.

I’m going all in. It’s a hill I’m going to die on. So this question can be a difficult question to ask yourself, but it can also be a great way to cut out some of the. Improve your efficiency and redefine your focus. Look at the systems that you have in place or the lack of system. Right. Hone in on what it is that you want to do, what really worked in your business and what didn’t.

So I like to do something with my teams every year. That is really, really basic, but gosh, it’s so powerful. It’s called a SWOT analysis and you can Google it. And go down the rabbit hole, but I’ll give you the reader’s digest. So SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. So look at your business, your coaching business, and identify all of those things.

What are your strengths? What are you really great at that? Maybe others aren’t what are you bringing to the table? What do you really have to offer? How do you do that differently than other. W your weaknesses, what are you not so good at? What have you tried before? And it hasn’t really worked out. What are you just not really enjoy doing?

What are the things that you’re not great at? Right? There’s a lot of things that you’re fantastic at. There’s a lot of things I’m great at. There’s so many things where I am really not, and I should probably be spending a lot of my time on those things unless it’s to get better. And what have you, but what are.

Your weaknesses. If you know that your entire audience is always on Instagram and you’re not on Instagram, that could be a weakness, especially if you like Instagram and like having a presence there, you get the idea. Opportunities. What are the opportunities for you in a new year, the opportunities for your business, the opportunities for your brand, your clients, what is that?

And then finally, T your threats, what could get in the way, but could threaten your business. Right. Maybe it’s your own health, if you say, well, I am, my business will then a threat would be you not staying healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. So you need to make that a priority. You see how that works.

So do a quick SWOT analysis and look at again, what’s working well, what isn’t and what do you need to shift as you. Forward, turn this into a real time of self-reflection right. And get really clear and really honest with yourself since completing her certification. Jessica has been working hard to build her dream career as a nutrition coach.

Let’s hear what she’s been up to lately.

[00:17:18] Jessica Davis: I work remotely for a tech company and I do their operations for them, but I also am doing one-on-one coaching on the side and I’m thinking that my one-on-one coaching will take over very quickly and I’ll be able to leave my full time job faster than I originally thought I was thinking it was going to take a little bit long.

But people are actually really in need of help. And so when, you know, I’m able to connect with people and they find out that I do nutrition coaching and they actually really do seem interested. And I think people are so. Like, what should I do? Should I do this diet? Should I, do you know what this other person is doing?

And they don’t know how to find for themselves what they need. So I’m close to being able to do one-on-one coaching full-time

[00:18:13] Cynthia Garcia: and then question number three, I won’t get a look at the results. So we’re going to visit the old 80 20 rule, right? Which is basically that 20% of your efforts created 80% of your result. What were those 20%? That’s the question? What 20% of your efforts created 80% of the results do that, and maybe don’t do the rest.

And then how can you make that 20% even better? How can you get those results up to 90% from 80? Right? So those are the three questions who are you. We’ve got really reconnect to that mission and purpose. How has that changed? Look at what worked and what. And then look at what 20% of your efforts created, 80% of the results.

Once you do that, it’s going to help you to realign with the bigger picture of where you are and where you want to go. It’s gonna help you be realistic about the opportunities that lie in front of you. It’s gonna help you be realistic about the things. Uh, really serving you and doing well in your business and those that you should probably let fall by the wayside.

It is an exciting time. It is a whole new year. It is a big deal. We have so much time to develop transform, grow and succeed right ahead of us and looking back. Is important too. All right. Let’s hear from Jessica one last time, as she shares a couple of things that she wishes she would have found when she was starting her coaching career, hopefully this can inspire other people looking to become a coach as well.

[00:19:54] Jessica Davis: I wish I would’ve known that this process can be. Because I’ve always just wanted to be there already and never really enjoyed the process of not being quote unquote there yet, wherever there is being here where I am right now, 10 be enjoyable. And people feel that when you’re having fun, you know, people feel that when you’re enjoying life and you’re doing what you love, then.

You know, they will be attracted to you and they won’t feel like you’re trying to target them in any way. Like I’m trying to help lose weight because I think you need to lose weight. No, I honestly, you know, trying to help people. And that’s what I love doing is really helping people restore their relationship to themselves and their bodies and their minds.

So I think having fun in the process. I definitely was not doing that. At first, I was in a scarcity mindset at first and I was thinking that I was not deserving of it. And I was just having no fun because I was working my full-time job during the day. And then I was on the computer again, trying to work on my business during the night.

And there was no time for fun in there. Well, if you’re not having fun, your energy. Definitely not fun for other people. I think the only other thing that I’ve really been focused on is coming into things as you are now, because I think we learn that at the very beginning of ITN show up, you know, you know, enough just show up how you are.

And we teach people that too, we teach our clients to show up at the gym, how you are now, you don’t have to need their own. So really I’m focusing on instead of have, do be I’m focusing on the do have, so being before I have the thing and really just showing up as my authentic self.

[00:21:59] Cynthia Garcia: So, if you want more resources on this topic and you want to join a community of people, just like you head over to Facebook type in transformation generation and join our free private Facebook group. We’re all there. Connecting, sharing tips, tools, and resources, whether you’re a coach or you want to be a coach, or you’re just wanting transformational information from coaches.

This is the place to beat. Now, if you’d like this episode and it served you in some way, please rate and review, I would appreciate it so very much. And you can see all the show notes and other resources for this episode over at transformationalnutrition.com/episode018. Thank you so much for tuning in.

I hope you have a wonderful, rewarding and prosperous new year, and I’ll see you next week for a brand new episode.