Ep. 250 - Debra Woods is a Mayo Clinic and national board-certified health & wellness coach and a lifestyle medicine coach. She helps people make positive and sustainable changes for feeling and living at their best. In this episode, Debra talks about her journey of starting a business after 50 and how you can navigate that experience for yourself. Listen in to learn how to navigate burnout and allow yourself compassion and positivity as you transition from a career into something else. You will also learn the importance of taking care of your health and wellness to maintain a balance as a woman over 50 and 65 years.
Key Takeaways:
- Start getting curious and think of the possibilities of the value you can add after retiring
- How to allow compassion and positivity into your life as you transition into life after retirement
- The importance of networking and building relationships to get your business known and build a following
- How content creation and valuable engagement with your audience can help build a following for your business
- The importance of maintaining mind, body, and spirit balance as a woman over 50
- Learn to be curious and be mindful of weaving joy into your life at whatever age you’re in
"We need to take care of all parts of ourselves to navigate trying times and good times well.”- Debra Woods
In this episode you will learn:
Debra on why she made a mid-life career pivot at 53 and started a coaching business [1:16]
How women over 50 can pivot to entrepreneurship to add their value and make a difference [2:41]
The signs to look out for when experiencing burnout and how to navigate it [3:41]
How to navigate burnout and allow yourself the time to transition after retirement [5:36]
Consider getting certifications to set you apart in the market of what you want to pursue [10:28]
The importance of certifications plus how to determine the qualifications of a wellness coach [12:14]
Debra shares some of her top tips on how to build and retain a following for your new business [16:50]
How she’s working with organizations in group settings through her 6-week wellness program [19:49]
The foundational pillars that support health and wellness for women over 50 [22:19]
The importance of taking care of yourself to maintain your wellness and balance over 65 [25:49]
Debra on getting started with writing for publications to build up credibility and a following [30:31]
The questions to ask yourself to learn how to invite joy into your life [35:06]
Prioritize and recognize your non-negotiables when it comes to your health and wellness [38:31]
CAREER
Debra Woods is a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She is also a Lifestyle Medicine Coach trained at The American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Debra’s passion is helping people make the most of their health and well-being in ways that make sense for them. She loves to help clients create practical and sustainable solutions for feeling and living at their best.
As a wellness coach, speaker, and writer, Debra provides keynotes, presentations, workshops, and ongoing wellness programs for groups, companies, and organizations. She has worked with and delivered programs for educators, health care professionals, mental health care professionals, law enforcement, attorneys, non-profit organizations, business professionals, and more.
She provides personalized one-on-one wellness coaching services for women who want to optimize their health and well-being.
Debra seeks to walk the talk on health and wellness by taking the best possible care of herself. Like many, she’s navigated some significant health setbacks at times, including ovarian cancer, so she knows firsthand how important it is to prioritize self-care and well-being in good times and challenging times.
Prior to starting her business, she was the controller of four affiliated nonprofit healthcare organizations.
AFFILIATIONS
She is a volunteer mentor and facilitator for BYU-Pathway Worldwide.
She is co-founder of The CoachPreneur Project for supporting lifestyle medicine and positive psychology professionals globally.
She is also a guest columnist and freelance writer for numerous print and online publications.
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION
- Mayo Clinic Trained and Certified Wellness Coach (trained at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN)
- National-Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach – NBC-HWC
- Lifestyle Medicine Coach Certificate - American College of Lifestyle Medicine
- Group Wellness Coach Certificate - Real Balance Global Wellness Services Inc.
- Body-Centered Coach Certificate - Body-Centered Coaching Method
- The University of Texas at Austin - BBA in Accounting
- Certified Public Accountant
- Certified Oklahoma Educator