Client Chat with Dr. Niesha Harris-Cherry

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Live it is. All right, thank you, Naisha, for volunteering to be the first participant in the client chat. I came up with this idea that people, a couple people would ask me like, well, what happens during a coaching session? And a lot of people, if you've never worked with a coach, you're not really sure how that works. And I thought it would be a good idea if if some of the clients that I have would be willing to share their story because I always say when you share your story, you never know who you might inspire. Right. So I'm gonna introduce myself for those that don't know me. I am Jennifer Dent. I'm a health and success coach and I basically, I help women get out of everyday overwhelm by helping them and providing them with strategies strategies, tools, processes that they can do to implement a healthy lifestyle. And healthy is not just what you're eating and putting into your mouth, but it's also your mindset. So we have Dr. Naisha here, Dr. Naisha Harris Perry, who is a current client of mine who lives in Hotlanta. So Ny'Asiah, do you want to just explain or share who you are? Um, okay. Tell us a little bit about yourself so we can get to know you and that pretty smile.

Okay, thank you. Um, my name is Ny'Asiah. I am a former educator. Um, I taught school between 2003 and last year. Um, I'm a new wife. I got married in November, so yay! No children, independent person, and I love learning.

Yes, you do. You're like my model client. I tell you this all the time. I think if all my clients were like you, life would be easy. And what I mean by that is that Naisha always comes prepared. She's always logging on early. She always does her homework. She keeps in contact with me. We're in between our sessions via email and she is willing to try whatever I ask her to. So, makes her a very good client and you're having really good success. So let's just back up before we start talking about how well you're doing. How did you find me and what made you decide to hit the button and contact me and say, "I wanna hire a coach." Okay, so I was on Facebook because clearly with my non-working status at the time, I had a lot of free time.

So I was on Facebook and I just happened to see like an ad or something that said, "Stop dieting forever." And I was like, "Hmm, stop dieting forever. Yes, that sounds like a winner." And so I joined the Facebook group and, you know, participating in your questions and your chats and I would see what other people said about you. Like someone talked about how you have changed their life and they were so glad that they talked to you. And I was like, hmm, that sounds awesome. And so then it was a free trial and I tried it and I was pleased with our conversation. And so I decided to go forth with hiring you as my coach.

Awesome. Yeah, I'm glad you decided to go for it. So for those of you who don't know about the Facebook group, I have a free accountability group. It's called the Stop Dieting Forever Accountability Group on Facebook. I will post that link to join in the notes below if you're interested. We've got, I think we just crossed the 300-member threshold. About 300 women in the group who have said they were tired of dieting and wanted a different way, wanted to do it differently. And so we have different little themes for the day. Again, Naisha posts every day. She keeps herself accountable and by posting her workouts and what she's doing, it encourages other people. So again, model client.

So good.

You had, so you had the free discovery call. We talked, or call it clarity session. So we talked about what your goals were, what you were trying to accomplish. You are a little bit different from my other clients because you have entrepreneurship aspirations. In addition to weight loss and when you get your health ready. And so I was so— or health under control. So I was so excited about what you wanted to do. I was like, all right, well, let's try this because I have health coaching clients and then I have business coaching clients. I've never actually had one who did both. All right, let's try it. We'll see how the sessions go and we'll do both. So before you started coaching with me, what would you say were your greatest challenges? Like, greatest 2 to 3 challenges you were experiencing? Okay.

Losing weight.

I work out.

I always work out, but I love sweets and snacks. So that was like my greatest challenge. I didn't like monitor my food intake. I would just say, I want this, I'm going to eat this. And I could possibly not even be hungry, but just the thought of, hmm, something sweet. And I would say, let me just go get it and eat it or whatever. So I was really not focusing on my health. And something else that I was bothered by, I was really wondering, like, what is it that I'm going to do beyond my teaching career? Because I'm a stay-at-home wife right now and I'm like, it's making me nervous. I want to have some residual income or at least some income coming in. Um, versus just my husband's money. And I was like, you know, you never know, things could happen. I can get a D-word, I don't want to say it, um, but I really want to like have money coming in myself. I'm so used to being independent and to working. I've always had a career since I graduated college, so not working, though it's fun to be able to have an open schedule, it's a little bit nerve-wracking when you're not sure where your money is coming in, what's your input into the household? So that was a little shaky for me.

And did you have an idea of what you wanted to do, or you just knew you wanted to do something? Because I think initially we talked about coaching, right?

Um, I knew I wanted to do something that was not working for somebody else, you know. I want to have my own something. Own coaching— on, or coaching business rather, my own workout business or something of that nature. Because workout is dear and near to my heart, like I really do enjoy workout. So I knew maybe it could be something with that, or helping women for sure. I've always wanted to help women, um, because I feel like we're so overlooked sometimes.

And so I wasn't quite sure what avenue to take So, yeah, you know, that's awesome. I think that that's one of the things that I thought was so great about you because you wanted to do something to help women. I do what I do because I want to help women, and I'm like all for entrepreneurship. So anyone who says they want to be an entrepreneur and they're willing to learn, I'm like, all right, I can definitely help you. So you talked about being a housewife, right? Yes. Like, that's cool for a minute, but now you want to make your own money and you also want to, you know, get your weight under control and look good for the summer and all that good stuff. Um, so when we talked, were there any like specific reasons that you were like, okay, this is the reason why I'm signing up for coaching, or was it kind of like you knew you wanted to sign up before we went into the call?

You really inspired me, um, and I just like really felt a connection when we talked. Like, I feel like you were a really genuine person. You weren't just trying to get my money. Like, you were really there, there to help, and I felt that. And I was like, hmm, this might really do be a good option to like have somebody who's in my corner who's going to give me things that I can— that are tangible, that I can do or try to be successful in my weight loss career and in my job. And you offered that, you know, I was like, ooh, yes, career entrepreneurship. Hmm, she is really, you know, out for helping and success amongst women. So I really felt that from you. And I said, I'm going to give this a shot.

Awesome. I'm so glad you did.

Me too.

And I have to say, like, we're not even finished with our sessions. We are a little way over half, I think, session 7 or 8. And so do you want to tell where you've come in the past 7, 8 sessions?

Well, for one, I'm not as stubborn. Like, I— there's some things I didn't want to do. Like, I didn't want to track anything. I didn't want to ever meal prep. Didn't ever want to journal. I was like, nah, I don't think I'm going to ever do those things. But I gave them a shot because you gave me something tangible to try and I tried it. Oh, and also counting my sugar grams. And I tried all those things and I'm seeing results.

So I was like, okay. Tell me how that happened.

There's a method to this madness. So I'm actually losing weight and inches. Like, I think the inches are coming off faster than the weight in my body because my body is used to me working out. And I mean, even though I eat snacks, I still make healthier choices and eat organic foods, eat lots of fruits and vegetables— well, vegetables, not fruits. Um, so I was doing those things, but I was adding the extra bad stuff too. So my body is used to good nutrition, it's used to working out. So I am seeing weight loss, but I'm definitely seeing inches lost. And my husband, my cousins, my grandma, they're like, you're losing weight, you're fast. My grandma said, yeah, those jeans are, uh, looser on you, your thighs are smaller. I'm like, thanks, Grandma. And my husband, every day he's like, you're losing weight. Like, every day he looks at me and he's like, you are losing weight. And my cousin, I hadn't seen her in a couple days, and she lives with me, but she works long hours. And so she came home yesterday and she was like, um, I can tell you you're losing weight. Like, you do look thinner. And when, as I do yoga, I look in the mirror because, you know, you have to look at— you have to look certain ways when you're doing certain postures. And I see that my stomach is not hanging like it used to hang.

Yeah, when I'm doing Warrior 2, I'm like Yes, boy, oh, too.

My stomach doesn't look as fat. Like, this is awesome. Like, it makes me so happy because that's like my problem area and that comes from the sugar. So that was very helpful.

So again, ideal client. You gave it a chance, right? You weren't sold on what I was guiding you to do, but eventually you were like, all right, I think I better listen to the coach, right?

Yes.

Let me see what she's talking about. But you mentioned yoga. So when you first started working together, you were not working out, right?

I was just walking around the neighborhood. I wasn't doing yoga or anything else, just walking around the neighborhood.

Okay. So tell everyone about your experience with yoga.

So yoga has been like something that I've dibbled and dabbled in over the years. And I've always loved it. I just hadn't been practicing it. And so, um, we were talking and we realized that me being a life coach wasn't really what I wanted to do. Um, I can't quite remember how we got onto yoga, but it came to my realization that I love yoga and I really want to do yoga. So I started practicing yoga and I joined a, um, teacher training certification class or course. And so it's an 8-week, um, certification program. And from February 23rd until April 23rd, I go through classes learning about yoga and the postures and how to help people in the postures and, um, your skeletal system and your muscle system and how to make sure your joints and everything are stacked.

And so I'm learning all this stuff now, and I will be certified April 23rd.

Yay! And I'll be able to teach yoga, which will lead me to my business venture of owning my own studio, which is what I really, really, really want to do.

So thanks to you, we uncovered all of that through our conversation. Yeah, I was going to say, do you see kind of a correlation between the weight loss and removing the focus on the fat and removing the focus from all the foods that you were eating and what you shouldn't eat when you what you should stay away from, and being more open to what can happen in your life. And so, inches are falling off, you are not counting calories, correct?

Right, just looking at sugar.

You are not stressing out about what you eat, right?

No, I'm not stressing out.

You are counting your sugar grams, right?

Mm-hmm.

So when I first had you counting your sugar grams, were you shocked?

Yeah, I was like, wow, this is a lot of sugar. Like, I can see this is a problem. Yeah, it was pretty bad. I remember one day was like well over 100 grams of sugar that day.

It's easy, right? Easy to eat.

Yeah. It's so hidden in so many different foods.

So yeah. So do you find now that you are, I guess, kind of in a rhythm and it's easier for you to eat sensibly without having to pay attention so closely to your sugar grams?

I think I still want to just pay close attention just because I know how I am and how I gravitate sometimes to like sugary foods unintentionally. So I do still pay attention, um, and like when I have my wine, you know, I want to make sure I'm choosing the proper wine so I don't have as much sugar. So I've changed over to red wines, um. You have? I drink red wine now.

Good, good. Yes, the health coach drinks wine, so I'm like, if you're going to drink alcohol Let's drink sensibly. So there are better choices to make versus, you know, some of the stuff that we're used to drinking. So that's great.

Good.

Awesome. And I have to say, I'm so inspired by you and your yoga experience. I'm thinking about taking a yoga class. I'm not—

Yay!

Thinking about it. I'm just not coordinated in that way. I am not a yogi. I've never had a really great experience with yoga, but every time we get on our video chat and you just light up when you talk about your yoga training, learning, and I'm like, wow, maybe I should give it another try.

Yeah, I think you should.

So we'll see. I think you should. We'll see. To be continued. Okay, so let me see, is there anything— so if someone is watching this video replay or listening to the audio and they're kind of like on the fence, they're maybe thinking about coaching but just not sure, what would you tell that person? What would you tell that woman who's on the fence?

Well, first I would ask her, is she having success with what she's doing currently? So if you're trying to lose weight, have you saw weight loss? Are you like pleased with your progress? And do you have somebody who's like holding you accountable? And if the answer is no, then I'd be like, well, you should get a coach because that's what they're going to do. They're going to be in your corner, they're going to coach you seriously and give you that one-on-one attention that you need to help you move forward in your, uh, aspirations. So I think that's what I would say because You have to like get people to really think about what they are doing. Like, hmm, I'm not losing weight and I'm doing all this stuff. And so like, I'm like, clearly we don't know everything and we don't have the degrees that you have about nutrition, you know what I'm saying? So go with somebody who knows what they're talking about. Like, you can do some research on your own, but you really don't know. So Everything that's posted out there with the research is not accurate. So go with somebody who's doing it.

Yeah, yeah. And there's some things that contribute to weight gain that we are not even aware of, right?

Stress.

Yeah, and sometimes you need a third person to help you identify because you can't see it for yourself, right?

Absolutely can't.

Good. So, um, is there anything else you want to add about your coaching experience or just coaching in general, or just let me give a plug for your yoga career video?

Well, I would definitely say don't count coaching out because I've never had a coach before besides like, you know, sport coach or whatever. I've never had a coach before. I never thought I would have one. And after, you know, learning more about what you do, I found that it was necessary. So don't, you know, don't push it away. And it's okay to invest in yourself.

That's what's really important, because a lot of times people are like, I don't want to pay for that.

But it's for you. It's for you to be successful. It's going to help you, and you deserve it. So do what you need to do for yourself. And for me, it's like yoga. I'm gonna get a yoga group after April 23rd, so be on the lookout. Yeah, you can join my group and I'll be educating you on yoga, showing you different poses and postures, and eventually I will be letting you know when my studio will open.

And I'm coming to the grand opening. I'm flying to Atlanta. I will be there front and center. Hopefully it's like, you know, the weather is good.

Right. We're in Georgia. We have a lot of good weather most of the time.

Yeah, you guys do. Yeah. So awesome. I wanted to— and I was thinking about this. I know we planned this discussion a couple of weeks ago and we were going to have the client chat and I have someone lined up for next month to share. But I'm a meditator, right? So I meditate and I pray and I'm very intentional about which direction I take my business. I'm always asking for direction. I'm always like, what do these women need? What do they— what can I do for them? How can I best serve them? So what came to me, like, Nate, yesterday into this morning, it kind of crystallized this morning, was to offer a spring renewal since today is the first day of spring.

Yes.

Since I have you here sharing your experience with coaching, I thought, wouldn't it be grand if I could offer a special, a spring renewal special for women who are interested in coaching, never hired a coach before, never worked with a coach before, but are just looking for something different to happen in their life. They're looking for something different to happen with their minds, shifting their their mental, their mindset, shifting the negative into the positive, and how does that affect their weight. So I was like, you know what, I'm gonna offer a special, and the special will be 12 weeks of coaching, which is what you're doing, right, Naisha?

Yes.

12 weeks of coaching for a discounted price. Ooh. For interest, I know, right? We all love a good sale. $100 off of my normal coaching package, and I'm only opening up this special for a week. So starting today, the first day of spring, into next week, and I'm only opening it up to 10 spots, which actually is a lot for me. But first it was 5. My prayer meditation this morning, I got 10. So I, I'm going to help. I'm dedicated to helping 10 women just get their mojo back, get ready for summer, just change the direction that they're going in. If you're not happy, I can't, I can't like explain this enough. If you're not happy where you are, you've got the power to move. You have the power to change. So Naisha came to me, she knew she wanted to change, she knew that whatever she was doing to try to lose the weight It wasn't working. She knew that she somehow wanted to make extra money being an entrepreneur, but had no idea of how that was going to happen or what that looked like. And, you know, we're 7 sessions in, 8 sessions in, and she's losing the weight. People are noticing. Her husband, her grandmother, her cousins, everyone's noticing. Even the last time we spoke, our last session, I saw your face and I was like, "Naysha, how much weight have you lost?" Because you can see it in your neck, face. And I think it's only been a week since I last, or maybe it was 2 weeks since I last saw you before. And I was like, "Wow, I can really, really tell the difference." So that is truly exciting, truly gratifying for me as a Coach. And then to also have the double blessing of you having your business underway, you're really excited about your yoga training, and just being aligned with health and wellness and supporting women and keep it moving forward. I just, you know, I get chills just thinking about it. So I want to offer 10 slots spring renewal. I'm gonna put, um, I literally did this this morning, so you guys can sign up if you're interested in applying because I have an application process. Let me explain why. Naisha, you mentioned that, you know, we had a free call and we talked, and it was just kind of, it was a casual call, right? It was like, okay, you're dealing with, what are your goals, what are your obstacles What are you trying to do? And it was like, all right, are we a good fit? First of all, I was like, can I help you? And so you didn't have any major crazy things going on with you. And I was like, oh, I can definitely help her for sure. And then the whole part about being an entrepreneur, and I was like, I could definitely, absolutely help her in that realm as well. I don't normally market The fact that I work with businesses or other people who run businesses is because it's kind of like people come to me who see me in business and they have their own business and they're like, oh, can you help me? So that's kind of what happened. But I am a health coach. But I was like, okay, I can definitely help you in these two different areas. So we had our call and the call was for you to kind of like feel me out, like you said you did, and I was kind of feeling you out because you don't want to take on a client who you don't have a connection with, right? It's very difficult to help someone if they're looking at you side-eyed and you're kind of looking at them like rolling your eyes, like it's just not going to work. And so I have had situations where I've told people like, I'm sorry, I'm not the coach for you. However, I can recommend you to someone else, and I have done that, and that is perfectly okay and perfectly fine with me. So that is the reason for the application. So if you go to the link, I have put this very long URL here that you can see right now. Um, had I had time, like I said, I literally did it this morning, I would have shortened the link, shortened the URL. So just a note for all you business people out there, URL, make it easy, bite-sized, um, for people to type in really easily. They go there and you click the link, put in your information, and you will get a link to my scheduling just like Nyesha did in my calendar. Book a call with me, book a time on my calendar to talk. And again, I'm only opening this up for a week, so this application process for the spring renewal 2017 is open for a week. So it starts today and it will end next Monday. And again, it's a $500 discount off of my normal coaching prices. But we will get on the phone and we will talk and we'll just say, hey, okay, can I help you? Are you interested in working with me? And is this a good fit? Is this going to work for us?

And that's it.

It's, you know, not a hard sale. It's not a push. It's not a, "Buy this now!" It is, "Can I help you and are you ready to be coached?" Because sometimes people are not ready to be coached. So Spring Renewal 2017, you can click that link, put in your information, and you'll get a link in an email to schedule your call with me this week. And priority goes to the people people who sign up first for the call. And again, 10 slots. I'm helping 10 women. I am just like— it came to me this morning. I told you, Nayisha knows I'm always talking about meditation and my meditation sessions. Sometimes I get stuff about my clients and my business. And so yesterday I was like, I'll do 5. And today God put it in my spirit to offer 10. So 10 women can take advantage of Spring Renewal 2017, which I'm super excited about. So Miss Naisha, Dr. Naisha, thank you so much for taking the time out. I know you had yoga training today. How was that?

Great.

Good.

Yes, it's just— I said yes, yes, yes.

Thank you so much for taking the time. I know you've got stuff to do. It's funny, like, you know, when you're not working, you're still very, very busy.

Yes.

Yeah, so I will let you go. Thank you again for joining, and thank you to those who watched us live. You guys got the first announcements about the Spring Renewal 2017. And let me check, I don't think we have any live comments because I don't see them. Nope. Okay, we had a couple people joining us live. Alright, my dear, thank you so much. Thank you everybody for tuning in and God bless and happy Happy spring! Happy spring! Bye-bye!

Thank you, bye-bye!