YouTube Channel: @dothethingformula

I do really believe 100% from every part of me that everyone has the capacity to be able to do the things that they want and not to be held back by the mental baggage that's in our head that we want to push through.

Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. In each episode we get down and personal with people who go after the things they want to make all their wildest dreams come true. Join us as we unveil and dissect a formula for what it takes to do the thing. Here is your host, Stacy Lauren.

Hey everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacey Lauren. So it's so exciting when I get to have listeners choices and actually be able to hear what you guys are wanting more of. And the thing that I've been hearing a lot is wanting to meet someone that has actually done a full on body transformation. And so I've had people on that have opened businesses, sold businesses, traveled the world. I even interviewed a physicist who's doing something for clean energy. But the thing that you guys have been asking me about more than anything is we want a body transformation. And so I actually had worked with Heather Johnson in the past and she helped me with my fitness journey after I had my kids and I was joined her Facebook group and the supportive community really helped me get back in shape. And she herself has gone through an unbelievable fitness journey and I wanted to bring her on to be able to talk to you guys about it and her background. So. Hi, Heather. Hi.

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, I'm so glad you're here. I'm so, I'm so excited.

I'm excited to be here. This is exciting.

Well, let's start off and why don't you just share your story for the listeners.

All right. Well, I grew up in Washington State, did gymnastics from a very young age. Started on my couch, just doing flips in my backyard. Anywhere that I could do something that had movement to it, I would do something. So my parents got tired of me jumping on the couch and all the beds and so they put me in gymnastics. So that's where everything kind of started. I found a love for athleticism at that point and realized that it took a lot of self determination in order to meet the goals that gymnastics puts on you. Gymnastics is all about perfection and achieving that perfect 10. I, from a very young age became a perfectionist striving for that. I did gymnastics through high school, then walked on at Boise State, then my next year received a full ride scholarship, was able to go through the Next four years with a full ride. Going through nursing school as well. So was that. That was pretty grueling. Difficult to manage time, but I made it work. Graduated magna cum laude. I had one B. My, my score in that class was a 92% but he graded a 93 and up as an A. So I was a little bit bummed, but yeah, annoying. Oh right. But I, I earned that 92%. I worked hard for it. But you can't always get an A, I guess. So that was again like perfectionism. I just wanted to get an A in everything. Then I graduated, became a nurse on one of the med surg orthopedic floors. Worked there for about a year. During that time I met my now husband and he was a football player. We moved across the country so that he could be player in the NFL. It was exciting to watch him, but I was missing sports so much. I missed the competitive nature of everything. We got married. I was pregnant, we had a child. I just lost myself. So I, I just got in this kind of deep dark place. I stayed there. It took me up until my third child. He was, he was about 11 years old when I started. I decided that I needed to do something and get myself out of this hole. So I started with counseling. I went to a chiropractor. They all helped me realize that I needed move my body and fuel it better. I had a friend who was doing Beachbody and she invited me to join. So I did. We were doing this 80 day program. I received the package for it. Didn't realize that there was an associated nutrition plan for it. Just thought it was workouts. Well, being the perfectionist, I thought, well, if it says I should do this, I'm going to do it. I'm going to follow these rules. So I did. I did not waver from that meal plan for 80 days. I lost £20. That was exactly my goal. And I hit it on the very last day without doing anything extreme. Just watching my portions and eating a clean diet. I was a changed person. I was positive. I felt energetic. I got rid of all my headaches, my back pain, my fatigue, my acne. Just incredible changes in that short amount of time. And so that is when I decided to become a coach.

So and then with gymnastics you were really hardcore because you sort of lightly touched on it. You were doing all the competitions and then got a full ride scholarship. So that was really intense. How many, how much time were you putting into that?

In high school I was putting in about three hours a day. So not a Ton. I was doing high school gymnastics, which is much less intense than club gymnastics, but we were doing our tumbling on wrestling mats, so not a spring floor like a traditional gymnastics meet. We had very old equipment. It helped me to be a better gymnast just because I had to work through adversity there and try to make what we had work well for me. So then when I went to college and had this amazing equipment to work with, I flourished. But having to walk on, it was tough. I really wanted to get a scholarship, have a start like everybody else, where you just walk on and you have your college paid for. But just everything, life, I've. I've had to work for it. So I just put my nose down, put in the work, and showed the coaches that I was a hard worker. Once I started getting the. The coaches there helping me learn things with the immaculate equipment, I probably tripled my skill.

Gotcha from there. Getting married and then supporting your husband with his NFL career and then having kids and then kind of being in that situation where you had been used to before the kids were born, being active and moving your body, and then all of a sudden finding yourself in mom mode and work mode because you became a nurse.

Right, right. Yeah.

And then doing what a lot of us do, where you lose yourself in that, and then being able to make that shift to get into Beachbody. What do you think was. I know your friend was the one that had told you about the 80 day program, but what do you think was the reason why you were able to actually sign up and. And do the thing if we want to use do the thing language?

Well, I struggle to spend any money on myself or, you know, do anything for myself. I put it off for a while, then had it. I talked it over with my husband and said, hey, I want to spend X amount of money on this package. Is that okay with you? Was so nervous to talk to him. There's no reason. I mean, he would let me buy something if I wanted to. It's just that I felt like I shouldn't. I. And he, of course, agreed. He's like, go for it. I purchased it because I spent that money on myself. I told myself I was not going to let this go to waste. It's an investment in myself. I'm going to prove to everybody that this works.

What did you do in terms of mindset? How did you. I know you mentioned the perfectionism mindset, but is there anything. So that's why you kept to the program, but was there anything that you were able to say to Yourself to keep going for the 80 days.

It all came down to making sure I made that package count, paying for it, showing that it was worth it, because I was worth it. So I kept, just kept telling myself, like, I'm going to do this. I am on this track. This is only 80 days. If it doesn't work, okay, I'm moving on. There was a money back guarantee, so I knew that I could, you know, just do my best at it. And it didn't work. I could still get that money back too. So that made me feel a little better about spending, spending it too.

And then your goal was you wanted to lose 20 pounds. Was that kind of the number one goal or did you have other goals when you signed up for it?

That was my main goal. Okay. Honestly, that was my only goal. I didn't expect any of the mental transformation at all or the muscular transformation.

And how did you hold yourself accountable to, to do it? Besides the money that you paid the money for it, was there something else that you did to get you to do it?

Yeah. So my friend who encouraged me to join, she did the program with me. We stayed accountable by showing up together. We would see each other every day at work, see what each other was eating, like, oh, yep, that's on plan. Oh, that you shouldn't really be eating that. That's not on our plan. Those kind of things that as well as my family, about a month in, they started embracing it more. They were not enjoying it at first, and maybe it was was because I was struggling to try to figure everything out. But once I got in the groove of it, yeah, they were very supportive. They tried to keep their foods, their chips and cookies away from me, out of sight at least so that they weren't tempting me. So I had a lot of support. The accountability portion was my friend. As well as online groups. I was also in a group like you were.

And then educating yourself. You actually were learning through probably the packet that they gave you. You were learning what to eat and then learning other people to see how you're supposed to manage that part of it. Is that right?

I did dive into all of the materials that they gave us, but there wasn't as much at the time. They have so many more now and they have videos to teach you everything. So I went to Pinterest and googled and found a whole bunch of meal plans that I could follow. So tried to find other people online that were doing the same thing, copied what they would do or, I don't know, try to kind of Mimic what they would do at least.

And it sounds like that experience with gymnastics where you were having to make things work with equipment. You said you became more resourceful and everything. It just sort of has led throughout your life where you're just able to, okay, if I. If you don't see something, you're going to find it.

Yeah, I am a very independent person to drive my husband crazy at times with that. But I, when I put my mind to something, I will do it. I, I just have to be in the right mindset for that to happen. So when I get determined it's going to happen.

How do you get in the right mindset?

A lot of inner reflection and just thinking about how this will change me or how this will benefit me, what this will do for me, and whether it will be good in the way that the Lord wants it to be. Also, I want to make sure that I am being a good, moral person. So all those things put together. And then I often make lists. I make pros and cons lists all the time when I'm trying to make a big, big decision. I did that when I decided to be a coach. What the pros were, what the cons were and you know, if they outweigh each other, even if there's so much more number wise on the con list, but the pro list is much, so much stronger, then I would still go with it. So once I make that decision, it's just, it's done. I don't know, it's just that independent thing. We've got to do it and I am here to do it. I'm the one who's going to make it happen.

And I'm just wondering, like with that decision making and how you're so strong in that independence, is that something you just sort of notice throughout your life where you've. Because it's kind of that I talk about this a lot on the podcast is you have to like flex the muscle continuously and then you become an expert at that thing. So I'm thinking that's like an expert move, is you knowing how you make decisions between the pro and con list, deciding how something will benefit you, what are you going to get out of it, and then looking to God, it's like you have this strategy for doing it and then you must have been doing it throughout other things in your life too.

Yeah, I think I have been. And not noticing it. I mean, when you put it in that way, I mean, yeah, I can look back and think of other things that have followed along Those lines as well. And from a young age, I've had to be independent. My parents both worked and, you know, they worked hours that were not conducive to me actually seeing them very much. So. I would cook for myself, I would clean for myself, I would do my dishes, all the stuff. And I would have to get myself down to the bus stop on time because they weren't there in the morning. So I think it started from a very young age of, you know, not trying to rely on anybody else. And I can do it.

And I think that's a good lesson because there's a lot of people listening that maybe have trouble making a decision. And sometimes it's maybe not starting with the big decision you have to make as the thing to. To make it on, do it on littler things, and then you're able to make it on a bigger one. So I didn't actually think about that until now. It's like almost do the thing, make decisions.

Yeah, that is something that I coach a lot of people on. Don't think about you want to lose the 50 pounds. Think about, okay, what do you want to do this week to get towards that? You can't think of the actual end goal without what it's going to take to actually get there. So I'm going to walk a little bit more than usual. I'm going to eat more vegetables, I'm going to drink more water, those kind of things that will actually get you to lose those two pounds, if that's your goal. But you're not just going to magically lose it, because that is your goal and that's what you want to do.

And let's actually go there now. So you lost the 20 pounds, you felt better, more energy, more clarity, got happier. And then, okay, now I want to educate others on what I just did, which is basically then you becoming a coach. So how is that working? I mean, I know how it worked for me personally, it was amazing. But, like, how does that work for you now? And. And how is that going?

So as a nurse practitioner, I have wanted to help people with their health. Then that just steamrolled right into coaching, where I could help them prevent illness before it even starts by healthier lifestyle, whether it be eating better or working out, combination of both, fueling their body. I have created online groups for people to build a community. I've had people in there. I've been a coach now for four and a half years, so I've had people in there since day one of that that are still There they show up, check in. We usually post a sweaty selfie every day and show that we worked out. We share our, our shakes or our meals or our struggles even. I feel like that community has held us accountable, but also created a love for each other that allows us to be ourselves. I've had so many people tell me that the community has meant more than anything else and they don't really like working out, but they do it so they can be there.

Yeah, it's being with those like minded people can change everything because then you're with people that are supportive and encouraging you and doing the same thing as you. So it helps almost create this momentum for them.

Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I don't like working out either.

And then so your why to become a coach was really just to help people prevent illness. You have this long passion with being a nurse and then seeing what the gap was with that and then realizing like with Beachbody, then you're able to basically supplement that with this whole program.

Yeah, exactly. It's just health care in a whole different way.

Was there something else that really excited you about being a coach, being able to coach them?

Well, initially I only signed up to be a coach so I could get a discount on the products. I took about a week and looked at the compensation model, I looked at some of the top coaches and what they were doing and thought, gosh, I can do this. I decided to start trying it and see if it would work. And within my first two weeks I had six clients. Now I'm up to over 500. It just keeps going. So honestly, the, the community, the income, now it's all been a part of why I, why I do what I do. But I think probably the biggest driver is that it provides accountability for me to keep going also.

Yeah, I need to show up for everybody else too. I can't just be somebody who says do this and not do it myself. Yeah.

So the accountability is helping you stay on track. And then also you're creating this accountability, kind of like sanction between posting the sweaty selfies, doing the different kinds of shakes. And you're basically keeping them accountable by continually engaging them in the group.

Right.

So you're helping each other essentially.

Yeah, exactly.

How are you approaching mindset with the group? Both for you? Did you ever have, I mean you couldn't have had imposter syndrome, I don't think, because you already had some succeeded at it. But was there anything that you had to do for mindset to both be a coach and then something that you've noticed the group having to get through when you coaching someone.

Well, one of the behaviors that are one of the, the roles that they encourage coaches to do is to do personal development. I have always been one who shied away from it. Never wanted to pick up one of those personal development books because I don't need that stuff. I'm independent. I can do this all on my own. Right. So I picked up my first book and it are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I read the first two pages and was hooked. I'm like, oh my gosh, this is exactly what I've needed my entire life. And so I finished that book in like a couple days, which I, I think the last book I read I was in junior high. I didn't even read the ones in high school. I just skimmed through them so I could get through them and, and get those A's on the test. But I picked up this one and fell in love with it because it just talked about mindset, all the things that I didn't think I needed, which was talking nicely to yourself, working through struggles, encouraging yourself to do hard things. I have always done those things, but they've never been enjoyable. And this book helped change my mindset of how to make it enjoyable. Yeah.

That's incredible. So you first got the learning mindset and then you read the book and then were able to apply the principles from the book in your life, which then helped. Helped kind of funnel everything else that you had going.

And so that was the first one I read. I've read countless since then now, which I can't believe I'm actually saying that I'm reading books, but I am. So then I'm able to use little tidbits from books that I've read and help my clients with them as well. Books like the miracle morning, helping people wake up earlier, eat your frog. Helping people do the toughest thing. First five second rule, just stop overthinking it and just do it. Those kind of things, they have been ingrained in me now and they feel simple and they actually have been a part of me that I wasn't able to identify the actual system. But they've always been a part of me.

That's so good. What about with getting the clients? Did you have to overcome any mindset stuff there? Like did you get rejected or was there anything that happened that you were. It was kind of hard for you to overcome or you had to struggle through?

Yeah, definitely. I am an introvert. I get nervous talking to people. So social anxiety as well, the invitations have been the hardest part for me and I still struggle with them. But getting in the mindset of eating my frog and just doing it has helped me to reach out to people. Knowing that what I'm offering them can change their life makes a difference to me, makes it worth it, makes it a lot easier to actually get out there, help somebody by, by inviting them.

And I'm imagining it's probably getting easier now that you have 500 clients. But in the beginning, I'm sure it was, it was harder to get through. How did you, how did that work? So you would basically send them a message and tell them what you were doing and then kind of walk me through that a little bit.

So I started a social media site on Instagram and had my own coaching page because I didn't want people to see my private life. I wanted it all to be about beachbody and coaching, fitness and lifestyle. And now I realize that it all is a part of me. So I have incorporated my family back into it. But initially it was all fitness based. I had friends and family coming to view my site. They would like something or comment on something. I would reach out to them and say, hey, thank you for liking my post. I hope you saw that I'm offering this group. Would you like to be a part of it? Try to keep it very simple, put no pressure also. So there would always be an out. If you don't want to, that's fine. I just wanted to make sure you knew that this was available, something like that. And if they said no at that point I would be like, okay, that's fine. But now I dive into that more. Can you tell me why? Or something like that. And work through what it is that's holding them back. Because I know for me, somebody would have reached out to me, I would have said no for sure. But had they helped me realize what it was that was holding me back, I may have started sooner. And I really wish that I would have started sooner. But just God's timing, it all worked out okay.

And what do you think is the biggest thing that holds them back? Like, how have you been able to overcome that?

I think busyness holds most people back. That seems to be the biggest objection. They just don't have time to do it. So to get over that, I mean, we have 20 minute workouts. We have 30 minute, tons of 30 minute workouts, but we have a lot of 20 minute workouts and we even have a new section of five minute workouts. So I just let them know that, hey, I understand that I am running a business. I work full time, I have three kids, I'm a wife. I have a life, too, and I make this work. And so you can, too. You might have to readjust things, but you can make it a priority to get that 30 or 20 minutes of movement in a day. You'll start steamrolling and feeling the effects of this. It will gradually help you in other aspects of your life, too. You just have to embrace it, really.

And have you noticed what gets them to make the shift where they're like, oh, okay, yeah, I need to do this. Is there something that is like a common pattern among them?

It's different for everybody. Yeah. And oftentimes it takes months. Sometimes it just takes a couple hours for them to say, okay, let's give it a go. But I've had people follow me for four years and just finally join me. So I just. I'm patient. I understand because I said no to this opportunity before it was presented to me three years prior to me joining as well. And I said no, and she said, okay. And then she never asked me again. So I think follow up is very, very key. I make sure to come back to people, you know, talk to them again about it at some point.

It makes you so relatable because you were there and you were going through the same thing, and then knowing what it's done for you, then it helps you really, with people. And then being able to understand that you've been in the same situation and were able to move through it, I.

Really feel like it's. It's not selling, it is sharing what you love. And all these pumpkin spice lattes that everybody's sharing because they love them so much. They're not getting paid by Starbucks for that. They're sharing their favorite jeans. They're not getting paid for that. But I'm sharing my fitness and. And lifestyle. And I'm getting paid for that.

Exactly. Yeah. So. And then you've been doing. Or at least I don't know how much.

Can you.

Let me rephrase that. Can you talk about what you've been doing now? Because you're even. You just did a fitness competition.

Yeah. So through Beachbody, once a year, we have our annual conference and they have a figure competition is what they call it. So it is amateur, where you. It's basically based on physique, muscle composition and symmetry. So you go up on stage, you present yourself, you pose. A few times. I think we had 15 seconds to pose, and then you walk off There are judges that judge you. This was my first time ever trying it. I have wanted to do it since I was in my 20s, since I finished gymnastics. I thought, oh, this could be something I could do. But just never, never wanted to push myself too much to do it and didn't think I could because there were no, there really wasn't any pressure on this one. There was no entry fee. There was nothing that could hold me back, really, except for myself. So I decided to go all in. Started in April. I've been maintaining my fitness, but I really had to buckle down, make sure my nutrition was on point at that time. So I did lift heavier through those months, through April through July is when the competition was. Then I stuck about 95% to the nutrition. I wavered a little bit and had some cookies and some treats here and there. But for the most part, it was all Beachbody nutrition. I didn't starve myself. I ate so much. Tons of protein, tons of carbs. It was very diverse diet, I would say through that time. I started leaning out and the very last week, it was a cut week. You eliminate water, you increase carbs, you decrease carbs, you do all this stuff to make sure your body depletes itself of water, dehydrates you, basically so that you can look as shredded as possible for the stage. So I had to use a different program for that because Beachbody doesn't have anything like that because it's not healthy for you. So. So I found something online, did it on my own again. I told myself I wasn't going to have a coach. Most people have coaches who teach them how to do all this. I didn't want to pay. You'll see a common theme here also. But I was like, no, I can do this on my own. And if I love it, then maybe I'll get a coach next year. But it was tough. I learned a ton. I actually got third place for my first time ever. So I was ecstatic and I am going to do it again next year.

Was that terrifying going on the stage?

It was. It really was. But not as bad as I expected. I had hyped it up in my mind that it was going to be much more scary than it was, you know, having the judges look at you. It was very nerve wracking. But I felt confident. I felt just so good about what I had done for myself and I knew there was nothing left that I could have done any better. Although I guess I could have gone 100 on my nutrition. But I, I looked good I felt good. I performed to the best of the ability that I had at that time. I know I can do better next year, though.

Yeah, I saw the pictures. It was amazing. And it's. Yeah, it's gotta feel so good just knowing what you were able to accomplish and doing it for your, your. I mean, other than the last week. But go doing exactly what, what's gonna help you even live longer too. Right. By being able to present in that way. I think that's really extraordinary.

Right. I would say on a daily basis I eat about 80, 20, so 80% beachbody, 20%. I'm just on my own, have a treat. So I, I did have to, have to buckle down. But it's, it is amazing what nutrition can do and does so much more than just change your weight.

Can we, can we go there now? Because there's going to be people that want to know, how did you make this fitness transportation formation? Like, I know using Beachbody in that, but was there. How does that program and what can someone listening do to do what you did?

So Beachbody nutrition, they have a few different options, but the one that I focused solely on was portion control. And so they had containers that you use to measure out your food, different amounts of each container that you eat per day. So it's very easy to follow. It tells you what to put in the containers. And so it just makes it simple. I never thought that the distribution of nutrients made a difference. I. In my nursing school and nurse practitioner school, I had to take nutrition classes. They didn't focus on the dietary aspect of it, they focused on the cellular aspect of it. So I never really learned what eating right actually meant. So I think for a lot of health practitioners it is not something they're comfortable with. And so I've learned a ton and I'm able to bring that into my practice as well as help my clients with that too. I did become master certified portion control coach as well. Just learning every little aspect that I could about it.

Do you what, what are the workouts like and how often are you working out?

I work out five or six times a week for about 30 minutes a day, sometimes up to an hour, but rarely, I would say the workouts are usually lifting, probably one or two days a week of cardio, but lifting is the majority of it. Again, I've learned a ton about fitness through the last five years. I think lifting has always been something that I knew I should be doing. My husband, being a football player, would tell me I needed to lift and he would train Me sometimes. And I would quit within a day or two getting frustrated because he would put me through football workouts and they were miserable. These workouts are fun. The trainers make you laugh. You just push play on your tv. They take you through an entire workout, tell you exactly what to do. You choose the weights that you want to use. It just makes it simple, so convenient. I don't have to go to the gym, don't have to worry about the commute or sharing a locker room with naked people.

Another plus. That's another plus. So let's say you have just one piece of advice for the listeners on doing the thing. What would. What would your advice be?

My advice would be to just make that decision initially, and you've gotta feel it in your heart and find the reason why. One of the tips that I give my clients is to go through at least seven levels of why. So if you say, I want to lose 20 pounds, why do you want to do that? Do you want to feel better in your clothes? Okay, well, what will feeling better in your clothes do for you? And then just move down at least seven times so you can get to the root cause of it. Maybe you were teased as a child, so that has been scarred in your heart since then. You need to heal that first. So finding your why and making that decision and then not wavering from it.

Do you mind talking a little bit more that seven levels of why? So you had the what do you like? Why do you want to do this? And then what will it do for you? Is there another? Or is it just diving in deeper to each question more?

Yeah, it's just diving in deeper. So it's in very individual to everybody. So I think for a lot of people it is. I want to lose weight. So I asked them why. A lot of times it's because they don't feel good in their own body. So then from that you ask, well, why don't you feel good in your own body? It always seems to come back to something in their life that triggered them to have a stress response. There isn't any formula for this that I know of. I don't know. I learned it in real estate class that I was taking randomly. But I've started using it in this and it has worked for me and it works for everybody else too. And once they find that deepest, darkest why, then they seem to stick to it a lot more because they can always come back to, okay, I missed my workout. I don't want to work out today. Well, wait a minute. I do Want to work out today because I don't want to go back to that place where I was before.

Yeah, no, I love that. And the identify the why is one of the pieces of the formula. And so just hearing that constant probing to get to the deepest, darkest, I think that's, that's really, really good. Really, really good. Well, why don't you share with the listeners where everyone can find out about you?

Okay, so I have a Facebook and Instagram page. Facebook. I am Coach Heather J. On Instagram. I am. It's Dot. Heather J. The reason they're different is because I started out as Coach Heather J. But I decided that I wanted it to be. It's just me. It is. It's my family. It's everything about me. I talk about work, I talk about fitness, I talk about nutrition. It's. It's everything. And it's not just fitness related content.

Yeah, I love that you just integrated everything. I think that's really great. And it shows the real you too, which I'm sure helps people relate more to what you're doing.

I hope so. Yeah.

And with Aja, so they'll join your page and the Instagram, will they. Can they message you there? Is that kind of how they. If they want to work with you directly?

Definitely, yeah. They can just send me a dm. I respond to them all within that day. Most of the time, unless it's past 8pm Then I'm usually off to bed. Soon after that, family time and then bedtime.

Well, thank you so much for doing this with me. This was really good. I'm really, really, really glad that you said yes.

I really appreciate you asking me and thinking of me.

Thanks for listening to the do the Thing podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. But even more, we hope you'll be inspired to do the thing. Do you have a burning question on Doing the Thing that you'd like answered? How about an inspiring do the Thing story of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Just leave us a voice message at do the Thing callcast co. Or email us at hello at do the Thing podcast.