I’m beyond excited to share today’s feature with the REAL Entrepreneurs project. Amelie Chanda, Wellness Coach, has not only became a great friend of mine over the past few years, but she’s inspired so many around her with her empowering love ??, and her determined ability to aid other’s in one of the biggest battles that most human beings face daily – to believe in themselves, to believe in their importance, to believe in their experiences, to believe in their purpose and their ability to impact. Seriously, this woman is AH-mazing! I’ve grown to love her so much. She’s impacted my life personally by coaching me to make ‘myself’ a priority in my life. This has always been a difficult task for me, so putting my self-care and self-love near the top on my to-do list became a bit of a rebellion. It was gentle, but could no longer be compromised.
Amélie believes in her strong message, that learning to love yourself is a worthwhile endeavour, that finding love and focusing on this instead of criticism and judgement is possible as a way of life. My hope is that by reaching Amelie’s interview below you will be inspired by her personal story and that it will create the urge pithing yourself to love yourself more and to live out the passionate purpose that you were made for.
I can’t wait for you to meet Amelie. ?? I’m so grateful for her sharing herself with us here and being vulnerable about what she has come through and where she is headed. If you’re reading this post about this awesome woman, I urge you stay connected with her through her Facebook Page at this link, or at her Instagram Page at this link. If you want to learn more about Amelie, you’ll definitely want to go over to her website, ameliechanda.com where there is an endless mount of information about the amazing things she’s always up to and great tips for how to reach your personal and health related lifestyle goals!
And now… here’s the good stuff:).
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself. A brief description of who you are (personally), your business name/activity, and what you do in your business (the service or product you provide)?
Hello! I am Amélie. I am a happy women on a path to connect, learn, feel and grow. I am a mom and a wife who loves nature, yoga and the community we live in. Three and a half years ago I made a switch from the corporate world to create a coaching business that allows me to work with real people that want to invest in themselves. I listen, motivate, support and cheer on my clients to help them tune into themselves, set goals, take actions and keep moving forward to create their version of a happy life.
2. What inspired you to become an Entrepreneur?
My mom has been in business for nearly 30 years. I am so inspired to see how passionate she still is about her business.
I had a gut feeling for a long time that I would be an entrepreneur, but I was unable to decide what product or service offering would feel right for me to provide. Coaching was not on my radar, ever. I knew I needed a change in my life as I was tired of running on autopilot. I hired a coach, dug deep, signed up for the training I needed and along the way learned so much about myself, my goals and my dreams. I trusted the universe and said “Bye Bye Boss” to move forward with my business on a full time basis. I have not been afraid to take some risks and so far it has been a life changing journey!
3. What motivates you in your business? / Do you have a ‘Why’ behind your business?
Helping real people and seeing amazing changes in themselves is amazingly fulfilling. While supporting my clients I also get to be flexible with my family life. Balance is really important to me. My own business allows me to be myself, to be there for my children and my husband. It enables me to live a life with purpose and to empower people to develop healthy habits. Community is also really important to me and my business allows me to give back to my community and work on some projects that help me stay connected.
4. What is one of the biggest fears you’ve had to overcome in building your business in order to keep moving forward toward your goals?
I feel like I manage my fears quite well. I love to push myself outside of my comfort zone. At first, the fear of not being able to support my family financially was challenging. I think that having an open conversation with my spouse and my family has allowed me to move forward from a place of abundance instead of fear. If an opportunity presents itself and it feels scary, I now know I have to go with it! I have been working with various coaches to change my mindset around fear. What if that scary feeling is an opening to realize how strong I am? What will happen if I embrace fear instead of running away from it? I think this inner work has allowed me to move forward in my personal and professional life and it continues to help me build my confidence.
5. What would you say is the best part about owning your own business?
I get to meet so many amazing people! Every day I have a chance to make a little bit of a difference in someone else’s life. I get to live my passions. I get to be outdoors – often. Through my business I connect with many other local businesses and create unique offerings to engage people in my community. I am energized when I am around these amazing people and my business is all about these wonderful connections!
6. What is the hardest part about being an Entrepreneur?
Wearing the many hats of a small business owner is a challenge for sure. In the beginning especially, you need to do it all. I am learning that I need to connect with other supporting business operators to help me with certain responsibilities so that I can concentrate on the tasks that I am best at. Continually putting yourself out there is time consuming but I love the connections I keep making. Working through negative emotions requires a continuous effort. Again, aligning myself with positive people that bring positivity and light into my life is key to being able to keeping it together.
7. Can you share one of the biggest obstacles you’ve encountered in building your business? How did you find the strength and motivation to persevere through this?
Not trusting my intuition, especially over the first year of my business was a big obstacle. By not listening to my intuition or my gut feeling when meeting potential new clients or being presented with certain new opportunities, I found myself being led down some dark paths that I do not ever want to walk again. Taking the time to reflect on each situation and “debriefing” allows me to create new patterns instead of repeating the old ones that do not serve me well. I take time every day to tune into myself and decide how I want to show up in any particular situation to support my own well-being.
8. If there is any such thing, can you describe what a typical day looks like in your life?
My typical day usually starts around 5:40 am and consists of:
Meditation ~ yoga stretches ~ journalling
Coffee
Get my children up and ready for school
Walk outside, sometimes listening to a podcast or just listening to the sounds of nature
My work day consists of meeting clients at my home studio, at their place or online. I lead a few yoga/fitness classes each week. I also team up with many local partners so I have at least 1 or 2 meetings each week. I also work 1 day each week at Groundswell to concentrate on growing my business. I squeeze in more fitness in each of my open time slots through the week.
Dinner is often in the middle of rush hour before the activities start for my children
I sometimes work in the evening but will limit my client intake to 2-4 per week
I finish the evening with my husband. Watching TV or sitting outside with some music.
Bed time is around 10:30 and I sleep like a baby!
9. What do you do on your day off?
I am outdoors. You can find me on the beach, camping, hiking, on the paddleboard or on my mountain bike. I enjoy family, food and maybe a glass of wine! 🙂
10. What do you see in the future for you and your business?
My business has expanded in more directions than I had expected when I first started out, and I anticipate this will continue into the future. For example, I will be expanding my offerings to include facilitating more group events and group coaching opportunities. I am opening myself up to new opportunities and continuously moving forward with what feels right.
11. Do you have any tips or advice for others considering pursuing entrepreneurship?
Follow your heart and your intuition. Your business needs to be your passion. Then, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, take risks and enjoy the journey!
12. Do you have any good advice for finding balance and separation between home and work?
Working from home creates a big challenge when it comes to separating your work and your personal life. Setting your own expectations and sharing them with your family to see how they feel about it goes a long way. Sometimes it requires me to repeat to myself: “be present, enjoy the moment” I take a deep breath and do my best with my balancing act!
13. Who inspires and influences you in your business and life?
There are so many inspiring women in business in our area! I love learning from many of them. Some of my yoga teachers have a special place in my heart.
My mom is also a big inspiration. She has been an entrepreneur for so many years. I really hope I can still be this passionate about what I do in 20 years!
I also had a business mentor for many years. His trust in me helped me to gain confidence. He has had a big impact on my life.
14. Is there anything that is non-negotiable for you? Perhaps a standard or a choice you live by.
I am an opened-minded person so I can’t say that anything is totally off limit.
On the other hand, I have very little patience for disrespect. I believe that respect is the basis of all relationships therefore I can’t align myself with people who do not share this value.
15. If you have one, please share one of your favourite quotes.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
Maya Angelou
16. What do you think the world needs more of?
Love and understanding.
When you come from a place of love and understanding, love and understanding will be there when you arrive.
