Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucia Hawley
Hi Lucia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started health coaching in 2015, supporting anyone and everyone with their nutrition and wellness goals! I was eager to support others in learning how to help themselves feel wonderful, as I had my own path discovering the foods that helped me feel most like myself over the years prior to opening my practice.
As I coached, I began to see that in particular, there were many women coming to coaching sessions with a handful of nutrition-related goals, but they would passively mention they’d also like to see some weight loss. But then! Then they would backtrack and mention how they shouldn’t really want that goal as it wasn’t body positive enough, or they’d never want their friends to feel pressure to lose weight, and so on. Since the subject would come up repeatedly in sessions I knew it was something to take seriously!
I have a personal weight loss of 80 pounds that I shed years ago and have kept off, so I recognized both from a physical and psychological standpoint how important it is to learn how to live a healthful lifestyle at any size, and, how the underlying self-talk and self-esteem levels drive our daily habits–from how we speak to ourselves to how we feed ourselves.
Since I’m all about empowering women to live their lives freely and boldly, I decided to step up and focus solely on helping women lose the weight they want, without apology! This compelled me to begin my Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Podcast as well. The podcast has over 315 episodes of free coaching available for immediate streaming. I always want listeners to know they have support 24/7. Not one of us is ever truly alone when it comes to how we feel or what we desire for ourselves.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am so lucky to have helped the most amazing clients and communities over the years. It really is a joy to not only help others learn how to build delicious, filling plates to eat throughout the week–but also how when you are well-nourished, you start to show up in your life more boldly! Clients have told me that once they started to feel better, they’ve gone back to school, they’ve made career changes, their new healthier habits have created positive ripple effects in their family and friend groups, and many other life-changing benefits.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lucia Hawley Coaching. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What sets my work apart from others is the reminder that while wellness habit changes are simple, they’re not always easy. I never want a client or community member to feel bad or frustrated when older habits crop up, especially during times of stress or low moods. It is so perfectly human to need time to explore as you create change. I often ask folks to put on their detective caps, to treat the change (and inevitably backdrafts, AKA dips into old habits) with curiosity! Your mind will stay more open when you focus on noticing with a sense curiosity. And having an open mind? That is key to incorporating healthful habits because it keeps you feeling safe to try, try, try! Don’t forget, we all had to learn how to brush our teeth… how to open a door… these habits you might take for granted now? They required concerted effort on your part in the past! Wellness habits are no different.
I have found that many initially want to approach their wellness habits like schoolwork… a “have to”, which is a total drag! So, the natural reframe that comes along with curiosity and playfulness? Well, those are what help you keep your head in the game and to find real, lasting change.
I would love for you to know about my podcast, as it is the best place to “pick up the feeling” of playfulness and curiosity I describe above. The Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Podcast is available for streaming on all popular podcast apps, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as directly from my website www.luciahawley.com
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Truthfully, going for walks in nature is my secret sauce. It’s what I turn to when I feel myself in a low mood, or am working through my own stressors. There’s something about hearing the birds, seeing water at the local creek, and just being off the big and little screen in my life that brings me back to myself.
Whenever I’m finding myself with a problem that feels urgent… I go for that walk. And the problem may not get solved on that walk, by the way. But I often find myself having a more helpful (curious… playful, even!) attitude and seeing how what felt so urgent isn’t really all that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. So, when in doubt… walk it out!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.luciahawley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciahawley_
