Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Angela Poch, founder of Higher Path - Body Mind Health, located in Galloway, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
As a life coach and counselor, I hope to inspire others to have optimal mental and physical health. Using TEAM-CBT with many tools (including faith-based if requested), I help clients develop positive life skills, and I train therapists and life coaches on how to use these skills with their clients.
Tell us about yourself
My journey to becoming a life coach and counselor started a couple of decades ago when I began researching health and wellness for my own health. I battled with IBS, and a friend directed me to a book called "The Ministry of Healing." This book has an integrative approach to health. It focuses on mental wellness and relationships as well as diet & exercise. I noticed in my own life my spirituality and happiness were directly related to my thinking and vice versa.
After struggling with depression in 2006, I learned about cognitive behavior therapy (thinking = mental & emotional state) and Dr. David Burns through Dr. Neil Nedley's Depression & Anxiety Recovery Program, which completely cured my depression.
Following that program, which practically applies the principles of The Ministry of Healing, improved my health tremendously and started me on the path to becoming a plant-based nutritionist in 2007. But since I discovered through research that the mind-body connection is so strong, I pursued learning more about mental health while I raised my son, trained horses, and got into videography.
I eventually became a certified life coach and then a clinical counselor, and a Level 4 TEAM-CBT Advanced Therapist & Trainer. TEAM-CBT, by Dr. David Burns, was a game-changer for me personally and as a clinician as it combines many powerful tools from all different kinds of modalities. Today, I work with people from all over the world, and I train mental health professionals, from life coaches to psychiatrists, on how to use TEAM-CBT to crush depression and anxiety giving one optimal mental health. I also continue to develop self-help courses and materials for mental and physical health, including video courses, a YouTube channel, and books/blogs.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Helping others crush their depression and anxiety!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Fitting in enough clients into a day to earn a good wage.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Research what people need rather than trying to promote an idea.
- Take a variety of training, so you don't get stuck with one marketing idea.
- Do a business plan. A REAL business plan. Think through the failures that can happen.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Money was not my first goal in business, so it took me almost 20 years to earn a living. Decide what your goals are, and be ok with the fact that some goals may conflict or take time to harmonize.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://angelapoch.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelapochpage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychologymadepractical/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelapoch_7
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelapoch/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.