I don’t usually share a lot of client testimonials or before or after photos simply because their work with me is 1:1 and private. Sometimes I ask for their permission to share and then struggle to share the things because I don’t believe in before or afters.
In fact we don’t live in before or afters.
We live in the present.
My clients’ testimonials are stories– intimate stories of their life they’ve let me in on, where they were, where they are now, and what they want their life for the long haul to be like. We don’t talk in before or afters, either, in our conversations. We talk about the consistency to a process that works for them. We dig into the hearts of the matters. It is essentially a full-on counseling, teaching, and nutritional experience with me.
When a prospective client comes to me interested in my services, it isn’t just a sign up and let’s do this thing. It isn’t just a pay me and you get a product. It’s actually much more drawn out than that.
First, a prospective client will reach out and just say something along the lines of:
“Okay, I’m struggling and finally just need to get some help. Can you tell me what you offer?”
I then will respond something like this:
“I’m sorry you’ve gotten to a place where you feel like you’re at your wits end or have been struggling to understand what actually works for you. How about I tell you what the on-boarding process looks like and what happens next?”
In order to on-board a new client, I like to talk to them first. I like to hear their story. What’s brought them to me? What’s their family life like? Essentially trying to decide if the client is serious about their desire to change. If I hear enough change talk in our conversation, I will then tell them what it looks like to on-board:
- You’ll receive an email from my portal with a 10 page health, lifestyle, demographics, goal, nutrition, fitness, medical & legal release and more.
- You’ll provide me photos of your body so I can understand your body composition as it currently is
- I’ll then schedule another call with you to discuss any questions or concerns about the intake forms. I’ll explain to you what I do next which is simply eating as you normally do and then you’ll log your food for awareness to show me your eating patterns daily and by the week.
- Every week after that you’ll provide a check in and I’ll give you some guidance on some things to keep in mind as you move along toward your goals
- Every week you’re entitled to a 30 minute phone call in which is a counseling-type session. We’ll discuss the pertinent things that happened during the week: Stressors, sleep, libido, menses/hormones, relationships, etc. But we’ll also talk about your food and how it is affecting you, what you’d like to change, and more.
This is just 33,000 mile view of what we do together. What you don’t see though, because I don’t share it often enough, is that my clients are finding success with very bio-individualized support.
Let’s look at one client who bravely allowed me to share her before and “during” photos.
This woman is 33 years old, a full time professional, a mother of 3 (twins included), a husband of a law enforcement detective, and is a former college volleyball player. She came to me at 199 pounds and 6 foot tall.
She sent me a message In April 2020 on FB Messenger that read:
Hi Danielle! I am not sure if you remember me or not, but I have been following your fitness/nutrition story for quite some time… promise I am not a creeper! There are so many things that you have written or said that I really identify with.I would like to get some more information about your nutritional coaching program and how that might work for someone like me!
Thank you!
We scheduled a conversation that lasted around an hour on the phone. The heart of the matter was that she was not happy with where her health in relationship to nutritional wellness was going. You see, growing up and even as a young adult and in her 20’s she didn’t have a weight problem. It was never a thought, even!
But after having twins and then the third child it’s been a constant yo-yo of trying to maintain weight but everything she did ended up in constant weight gain. She’s one of those people who can easily lose if she restricts everything but then a week later can gain it all back.
She had the desire to find something sustainable and something she can manage the rest of her life because like me, she has a family history of obesity, diabetes, heart disease– all of that. Simply following me on my own path to nutritional wellness, being authentic with the process, she saw that she could get ahead of any of the negative chronic diseases of modern age by simply eating for HER body.
While pushing off these diseases was important to her, she like anyone else, wanted to look good in her clothes and feel confident in her presence.
Starting at 199 pounds in April 2020 and then at 188 pounds in October 2020– do you notice the difference? She’s averaged a 10 pound loss, slowly, consistently, but look at her body’s recomposition. A ten-pound FAT loss can happen if you’re eating for YOUR body and not someone else’s.
I think it’s important to note her husband for a few weeks has been saying, she felt thinner at the waist when he’d hug her- If husbands are recognizing the change, then we need to pay attention, am I right?
The thing is, this gal gets discouraged sometimes over the scale not moving, but it is the pictures of showing the body recomposing itself, it’s the clothes that fit so well, it’s the increased sleep and increasing stress management techniques that help her sustain overall wellness. It’s her eating foods that are balanced and able to be absorbed into her body so she can do all the things her life requires of her.
This woman is eating her own foods she buys. She doesn’t use shakes to manage her weight. She doesn’t use meal plans, doesn’t buy foods from a company to guarantee the loss. She’s not Keto or Vegan, she’s not low carb, she’s not low fat or high fat. She’s not only protein. She’s not eating 1200 calories or less. She is BALANCED.
The other thing is: She isn’t done with me. She is here still doing the hard work of consistency. Once she gets to her goal I will reverse diet her back to maintenance. Yes, she’ll be eating more food! At maintenance when she’s secure in that I can slowly start to “off board” her. In the off-boarding process she will be given many options as she knows what works best for her. She can begin by doing check-ins every other week instead of weekly. Then she can move to monthly. At that point she may remain on for life at that monthly check-in. If she ever needs more support, she can always fully engage back to weekly work again.
I think that’s something, too. When we do a program we think once we do it we’re done forever. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s not the case. This is an every day forever process. And you don’t have to do it alone, with unqualified support.
Are you interested in finding the balance in your life?
Do you feel the stirring in your guts that it’s time to take action on your health?
My 1:1 package is a high-end offering and because of that I only open the package a few times a year. In fact, it’s been a little over a year since I’ve opened this package again. This season I’m only opening it to the first 10 seats. At this time there are only 9 seats left!
Why not schedule a FREE discovery call with me to just talk and see if we are a great fit.
You can do that here.
