Lola and I connected first in person at an event last year held by the Small Businesses of Southern Ontario and THEN kept in touch via Instagram and Facebook. What’s great about social media is that you can learn about what is going on peoples’ lives, such as what amazing things they are up to. We are also both fitness professionals, so it was nice to connect with someone who is in the industry and enjoys weight training as much as I do.
Read on to learn more about Lola, her business and her passion for fitness.
1. After having graduated university, you went to back to Asia to get your start in the fitness industry. What was that experience like? Is there a different mindset in that part of the world vs here in North America?
Fitness is starting to boom in Asia, so it was the perfect place to start my fitness journey. It wasn’t expected or planned, but it was perfect timing and I was blessed to have met and worked with the best of the best in the industry. It was very common to walk into the weight training section of a mega gym and see absolutely no women lifting weights. It was an early spark of purpose and passion for me: to show and teach women that YES, we women are powerful and we lift heavy things!
2. Did you encounter any struggles when you first started Lola Life ?
My business morphed over the years where I initially only focused on empowerment coaching for women. It was a gradual process to get certified in Health + Wellness Coaching and Personal Training and then combining it all into what it is today. Because it was a natural progression and unfolding of what I loved and what I was passionate about, it felt natural. Like all businesses, there are challenges, and for me, it was moving cross country to a place where I didn’t have many connections and had to promote myself from the ground up.
3. What is your favourite type of workout and why?
At the end of the day, I love the straight up, old school, weight training with straight sets (or other combinations of sets/ reps). It’s simple, straightforward, no fuss, which I need in the midst of a crazy busy life with full-time work, part-time business, marriage, and a toddler. I am not great a sticking to one training program, but rather love cranking out a workout when I get into the gym depending on how I am feeling that day. I love listening to my body and working out intuitively.
4. Can you describe your morning routine?
On the days I go into work, my morning routine is not very fancy: get ready for work and spend some time with our 2-year-old son before dashing off to work, or dropping him off at daycare before work. I always always eat breakfast, whether at home, in the car, or when I get to work. Breakfast is non-negotiable! 🙂
On the days I am home focusing on my business, oh these are the mornings I enjoy: I have breakfast at my work desk and then enjoy absolute SILENCE for a few minutes as a treat because I so rarely get it!! I then write in my journal which is where I center myself and review my dreams, goals, and action steps that I’m currently working on.
5. What do you like the best about being a health and wellness coach? What do you like the best about being a personal trainer?
My favourite thing about being a coach and trainer is the CONNECTION I get to make with my clients on a deeply personal level. The coaching process and the actual workouts are so much fun and impactful, but my most favourite part is knowing that on a heart level, I have moved my clients to see and feel their potential and drive. I live for that!!
6. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who want to work out but feel they don’t have the time for it?
Oh, we ALWAYS have the time for it, it’s just whether or not you have learned to MAKE time for it.
My best advice is to sit down with someone who can help you SEE YOUR BLOCKS CLEARLY and to help you define what matters enough to you to want to prioritize working out. There are deeper motivations for working out beyond wanting to lose 5 pounds or fit into a certain dress. It can be one of the most POWERFUL things you do for your business and your life, and once you define what that is, you will be asking yourself how can I do MORE of this!!
7. You are currently working on a book called Fitness To Freedom as a co-author. Could you go into a bit more detail as to what the book is about?
Fitness to Freedom is a collaboration book from a group of women sharing their own journeys through fitness as a way to inspire and empower other women through theirs. It is such an exciting and powerful group of authors and I am so pumped to share this book in 2020. When powerful women come together to share with the world, amazing things happen, and this is definitely one of them.
8. Do you have someone in the fitness industry that you look up to? If so, who is it and why?
I have many, but Ashley Horner and Hannah Eden are two of my top role models. They are both powerful, ass-kicking women who completely own who they are, and their presence, work, and brand act as a reminder that we are full of so much potential. I aspire to empower women as they do!
9. What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start a coaching business?
Coaching is a very special line of work. I believe some people are made, called, and meant to be coaches. If you feel like you are one of them, my best advice is to really get to know who you are and what you are here to share. Lots of people call them coaches and there are many coaching businesses around the world. You have to know what makes YOU unique that only YOU are here to deliver. To be able to guide someone through a coaching process is a privilege because your clients are trusting you with their body, mind, and life…you owe it to those who receive your coaching your true essence and absolute best of yourself.
10. With everything you have on the go (full-time work, your business, being a mom, running the FemCity Hamilton Chapter, co-authoring a book), how do you maintain a work-life balance?
To me, the so-called “work-life balance” is really just a juggling act everyday that feels comfortable to me. Every day is different, and every moment is different, and sometimes a ball does get dropped!
But as I’m juggling, I’m happy and it feels good to me. It helps that what I do is a natural extension of who I am and how I live my life, so it’s an easy mix. I do still have to remind myself to shut off from time to time so I can just enjoy being in the moment with my family.
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