Unlock Her Secrets: Dive Into the Exclusive Interview with Our Health Coach of the Year!
Best Holistic Life: Elizabeth, congratulations on being named “Female Health Coach of the Year 2024” by Best Holistic Life Magazine! Can you share with us what this recognition means to you personally and professionally?
Elizabeth Marshall: What an honor! I’m so happy to be recognized for doing something that I love. Helping other people to look and feel their best is truly my passion and something that I care deeply about.
Best Holistic Life: Your journey from battling weight issues, addiction, and self-esteem challenges to becoming a beacon of health and wellness is truly inspiring. What motivated you to embark on this transformative path, and how has it shaped your approach to helping others?
Elizabeth Marshall: being sick and tired of being sick and tired is honestly what ended up lighting the fire that propelled me to where I am now. I had a difficult childhood, and addiction, weight issues, and low self-esteem were the result of all of the trauma that I had to endure as a kid. I hit my mid-twenties, decided that I didn’t want to live like this anymore, and took the reins of my health and my future into my own hands. Since then, I’ve been published in countless major international magazine covers, have launched several successful businesses, and have genuinely EARNED the high level of esteem that I have for myself now.
I celebrate 14 years of sobriety in November. I really do know what it means to start at the very bottom, and I’m proof that you CAN do it- it’s never too late, and you are NEVER too far gone. Telling my story to clients helps motivate them to believe in themselves and shows them that change truly is possible, no matter where they begin.
Best Holistic Life: ”The human body is an amazing, adaptive, and resilient piece of art.” Your words resonate deeply. Could you elaborate on how you view the body-mind connection in achieving holistic health and wellness?
Elizabeth Marshall: everything starts with your mindset. A negative, hopeless, victimized mindset plagued me every moment of every day before I decided that I didn’t want to feel like that anymore and took action to make a change. It’s been proven that staying stuck in negative thought patterns for a long period of time has a deleterious effect on the physical body- it can cause everything from chronic fatigue to headaches to ulcers. Once you get your mind right, everything else in your life will follow. Everything is connected, and the brain and body’s ability to heal and adapt are absolutely miraculous.
Best Holistic Life: You emphasize the importance of making new choices and taking new paths. How do you guide individuals through this process of transformation, especially when it may seem daunting or overwhelming?
Elizabeth Marshall: the best way to approach any overhaul, particularly one that involves your mind and/or physical body, is to break the journey down into manageable pieces. It’s far too overwhelming to look at the entire mountain at once, and you don’t need to. Devising a concrete plan that you can actually follow and adhere to for the first month, then three months, then six months, etc, will make the process easier and more sustainable and generate much better success rates. This is where hiring a coach to help you make a plan and stick to it can make a world of difference!
Best Holistic Life: Your program, Thighs Over Thirty, offers a comprehensive approach to fitness and lifestyle transformation. What sets it apart from other programs, and what principles do you prioritize in helping women achieve lasting results?
Elizabeth Marshall: Thighs Over Thirty embraces a whole body approach to wellness- this includes your mind and your spirit, as well as your physical body. Many people who struggle with weight issues need to address things that aren’t really about their weight before it can come off and stay off- things like depression, loneliness, poor self-esteem, etc. Getting to the root of your issues and then devising both short and long-term plans to address those issues and get you to your goals is what sets Thighs Over Thirty apart.
Best Holistic Life: Feeling healthy and strong is indeed an incredible feeling. Could you share some personal anecdotes or success stories from your clients that highlight the transformative power of your coaching?
Elizabeth Marshall: a client who lost 20 pounds during my 16-Week VIP coaching program, recently left me this review: “I’m a busy working mom of two, and fitness has always been a passion of mine- I was a dancer and a star volleyball player in high school. However, with my busy lifestyle, exercising became a bit of a challenge. This, coupled with some chronic pain after my second baby, caused the weight to pile on.
Elizabeth really took the time to listen to both my struggles and my goals and create a truly personalized plan that made getting back into an active lifestyle easy and fun. I’m excited to get moving again now that I had some extra help getting started. I look and feel better than I have in years.”
Best Holistic Life: You mentioned enjoying the physical and emotional benefits of working out. How do you cultivate a positive mindset and maintain motivation, both personally and in your coaching practice?
Elizabeth Marshall: motivation and discipline are two totally different things, and I make sure that clients understand the distinction between the two. You won’t always feel motivated- I’ve been living a very active lifestyle for over a decade now, and there are still PLENTY of days where I do NOT feel like getting my workout done. Discipline is cultivating the habit of getting important things done whether you “feel” like it or not- and maintaining this level of discipline and personal integrity for a long period of time is one of the best self-esteem boosters on the planet. As for maintaining a positive mindset, I’m far too blessed to be stressed, even on a bad day.
Making gratitude lists and counting my blessings when I’m stuck in a mental rut is one of the quickest ways for me to snap out of it, and I recommend this to clients as well. Affirmations, especially in the morning, are also wonderful and very helpful when it comes to maintaining a positive mindset.
Best Holistic Life: Nutrition plays a crucial role in overall well-being. How do you approach nutrition education and meal planning to empower your clients to make sustainable dietary choices?
Elizabeth Marshall: Every client, whether they sign up for a monthly package, an annual package, or my 16-week VIP coaching program, gets customized meal plans that are based on their age, gender, and goals. I can write plans for a variety of dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and more, and your personal account on my website allows you to swap out foods or even entire meals in your plan if you’re on the go and can’t access a certain food, or if you don’t like something or would prefer to eat something else that day.
My goal with giving people customized plans that they can adjust on their own is to get people to gain a deep understanding of how food works by doing. This is how I learned, and it’s by far the best way. If you can clearly communicate your likes, dislikes and goals and then diligently follow the plan that I give you while staying curious, asking questions and trusting the process, you’ll learn everything you need to know from my program about how food works, how it affects your body, what to eat, what not to eat, and how to get away with certain things in moderation so that you can enjoy life and live it to the fullest.
Best Holistic Life: Your commitment to helping women take control of their bodies, minds, and lifestyles is evident. Can you walk us through the holistic approach you take in addressing not just physical fitness but also mental and emotional well-being?
Elizabeth Marshall: as I mentioned before, I approach fitness and wellness from a full spectrum perspective, and I teach this to clients as well. You can’t just cut out sugar and expect your life to change. You can’t be doing everything else right while sleeping terribly every night and expect to be at your best. You can’t just train your glutes because they’re a “weak spot” and expect the rest of your physique to fall in line.
I start my coaching journey with each client by really getting to know them and what their daily habits and lifestyle look like, and then digging deeper into how they got to where they are in the first place. What are you carrying that’s heavy? Is it low self-esteem? Imposter syndrome? A deep-seated fear of abandonment or failure? Getting to the root of why people aren’t looking, feeling, or performing at their best is the way to really heal the source of a problem and make for permanent change.
Best Holistic Life: Graduating from your program with renewed confidence sounds like a profound experience. What strategies do you employ to foster a sense of empowerment and self-efficacy among your clients?
Elizabeth Marshall: one of the things that helped me the most on my fitness journey was celebrating milestones along the way, whether they were big or small. This strategy really seems to help clients as well. Were you SERIOUSLY thinking about skipping your workout today because you’re just so tired? But you got it done anyway?? What a HUGE achievement. You really do deserve to be proud of something like that, and you should be.
The negative and difficult things in life are sticky in our minds, and we often have to train ourselves to remember and amplify the good things that we achieve and that happen to us. Whether it’s getting in a difficult workout, losing twenty pounds, or even just beginning to engage more routinely in compassionate, positive self-talk, I make sure that clients really internalize a sense of accomplishment for the things that they do and the milestones that they achieve.
Best Holistic Life: Building a supportive community is key to success in any wellness journey. How do you foster a sense of camaraderie and support among the members of Thighs Over Thirty?
Elizabeth Marshall: I host a Facebook page for current and former clients of the Thighs Over Thirty program! It’s a great way to build community, continue on the path of educating yourself about fitness and wellness, and stay connected to a group of other badasses who are just like you!
Best Holistic Life: In your experience, what are some common obstacles or misconceptions that individuals face when striving for holistic health? How do you help them overcome these challenges?
Elizabeth Marshall: one of the most common problems that I see with new clients is their inability to read labels and distinguish good foods from bad foods. The overwhelming majority of us were never really taught how food works, so most people think that granola is automatically healthy- even if it’s filled with fat and sugar. Or they believe that eating whole eggs is bad for your heart. Or they don’t understand what a portion or serving size ACTUALLY looks like. Or they’re stressed out, way behind on their sleep, and don’t understand why they’ve hit a plateau with their progress and results.
Education is always the key to overcoming these deficits, and it’s always absorbed so much better by clients when these things are addressed as they come up along our journey together. Knowledge is power, and as I mentioned previously, the best, most valuable, and most long-lasting knowledge is obtained by actually doing something.
Best Holistic Life: As a leader in the field of health coaching, what do you envision for the future of holistic wellness, both for yourself and for the industry as a whole?
Elizabeth Marshall: I am SO excited about the future of health and wellness! There has NEVER been a better time in all of human history to be getting older- we know so much more about food, skin, hormones, and everything else that begins to become a factor with good health as we age. More people than ever are also starting to reject, or at least seriously question, big pharma and the massive amounts of poison and misinformation that they have unleashed upon the general public over the last several decades.
Their entire profit incentive revolves around keeping people sick and suppressing cheap, natural alternatives to the expensive drugs that they push, and people are starting to notice. We truly are on the verge of a new frontier with science and medicine, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds for us all.
Best Holistic Life: Your passion for helping others shines through in everything you do. What advice would you offer to someone who is just beginning their journey toward holistic health and wellness?
Elizabeth Marshall: believe in yourself, trust the process, and DON’T QUIT. Results take time. Learning takes time. Really, getting some momentum behind you takes time! But there is NOTHING in the world like the feeling that you get when you start seeing results from all of your hard work. Your self-esteem and faith in yourself will go through the roof, and you’ll never be the same person again. There is a NATURAL remedy for almost every single ailment that you have, so don’t go running to big pharma for any reason unless you absolutely have to. God and the earth give us everything that we need to live a balanced, healthy life.
Best Holistic Life: Finally, Elizabeth, what are your aspirations and goals moving forward, both personally and professionally, and how do you plan to continue making a positive impact in the lives of others through your work?
Elizabeth Marshall: my goal with Thighs Over Thirty Is to eventually turn it into a massive resource for holistic health advice. I’d love to be able to connect clients, healthcare practitioners, farmers, bodywork experts, and anyone else in the space of healing, fitness and wellness so that there’s a large network of clients and providers that can find each other based on their products and needs. As far as personal goals, I’m planning to climb my first 14er in Colorado this summer!
I want to continue making a positive impact on the lives of others by showing them what’s possible for them when it comes to travel, fitness and living their lives to the fullest at any age. Remember- you’re never too old, and it’s never too late. The only thing holding you back are your limiting beliefs.
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