Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Watkins.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been a personal development junkie. When I was 15 years old, my mom took me, or should I say dragged me, to see Dr. Wayne Dyer. He was talking about his new book, Your Erroneous Zones. At that point in my life, I did not care (or even know what) Erroneous Zones were. That day changed my life. That day, I opened up to beginning to consciously create my life.
The journey was an interesting one that led me to all types of twists and turns. It was at that time that I began looking for joy outside of myself. I call that era, my sex, drugs and rock and roll days. The thing was, when the boyfriend was gone and the party was over, I was not any happier than I was before. I began looking for joy in eating, shopping and more drugs. The search went on and on.
From the outside, I looked happy – surrounded by family, amazing friends, a nice home, a successful career and eventually a wonderful husband. It was after I received the Master of the Arts awards from Aveda, for being one of the first million-dollar salespeople (that’s a lot of shampoo), that I knew I could not sustain this journey much longer. When I returned home from that amazing evening, I found my stash of pills. It was shortly after that I got clean and began my quest for sustainable joy.
This journey led me to getting trained and certified to be a professional coach and shortly after that I received my accreditation from the International Coaching Foundation. After coaching many people to raise their Joy Factor, the Joy Factor Recipe Book – A Common Sense Approach to Delicious Life was released. Since then I have been coaching and speaking to people on how to create their delicious life. I still love sex and rock&roll and now know how to raise my Joy Factor from the inside out.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I opened my coaching business in 2003, I did not know what I didn’t know. If I did, I probably would not have left a job I loved. Thank goodness the heart was louder than the head back then! One of the biggest challenges at the beginning was being an extrovert that was known working from home. I thought that when I opened for business, that the “busy bus” was going to pull up in front of my house and drop clients on a regular basis. I was wrong.
The first thing I had to overcome was being alone all of the time. I was not alone. There were a handful of other coaches just like me that were struggling with loneliness, not knowing how to attract clients and a deep desire to be successful. We began meeting every Monday morning via telephone to share our wins, concerns and fears. It was from that group that a few of us branched out and rented some office space together. That was the best thing I did for myself in 2006. From there I learned how to network and build supportive relationships. I have not had any professional loneliness since then!
The other biggest struggle shifted in 2012. That is when I made the mental shift from being a coach to being the owner of a coaching and training company. When I started to run my practice as a business, my internal credibility shifted and so did the amount of clients I worked with and my income and Joy Factor.
Please tell us about Mind Body & Business with Wendy Watkins.
Mind Body & Business with Wendy Watkins stems from my deep desire to be the spark that lights your fire. As an author, speaker and coach, I bring a unique skill set to my clients. My coaching foundation is that when people are happy, they are more productive and successful. The Mind “Body & Business (MBB) perspective teaches how to create a strong optimistic mindset, unique self-care strategies and the all-important planning process for your business and/or life. I am known for my passion about Joy and living a delicious life.
My coaching is personalized for each and every client. Their agenda is my agenda. I bring a plethora of tools that I have gathered over the years to support them in reaching their goals.
My most proud moments are when I see someone and they tell me that one thing they read or heard me speak about, helped to better their lives. I use the MBB perspective in coaching and in my speaking. Another sparkly moment for MBB is when I am invited to share my keynote or workshops at conferences and meetings. It is an “I am living purpose moment” when people leave an event with their personalized recipe for success. I am a foodie and personal development advocate and bring this blend to my clients and audiences, teaching them how to choose quality ingredients for their recipe for success.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Pillow fights before bed with my dad and little sister Lisa.
Contact Info:
- Address: 708 Church Street Decatur GA 30030
- Website: www.WendyWatkins.com
- Phone: 404-284-0188
- Email: wendy@wendywatkins.com
- Facebook: Facebook.com/JoyStrategist
- Twitter: Twitter.com/JoyfulWendy
- Other: Linkedin.com/in/CoachWendy
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
