Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Joni Seeto, Emotional Eating Coach & Hypnotherapist located in Melbourne, Australia.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm an Emotional Eating coach and hypnotherapist, and I specialize in helping women to stop self-sabotaging with food. I typically work with women who have spent their whole life feeling self-conscious about their weight and have tried every single diet under the sun but struggle to achieve long-lasting results as they keep turning to food for comfort. Using transformational coaching and hypnotherapy, I teach them to cope with their emotions in a healthy way so they can release their emotional attachments to food, regain their health, and feel confident in their own skin again.
Tell us about yourself
I wasn't always a therapist! I actually started my career working my way up the corporate ladder in the finance industry, but as my work became more and more demanding, I often found myself seeking comfort in food because I didn't have the skills to cope with my emotions in any other way. Unfortunately, this directly contradicted my deep desire to lose weight and feel comfortable in my own skin, and I quickly found myself stuck in a cycle of dieting and emotional eating. This went on for years, and no matter how many diets I tried, I always kept self-sabotaging my health goals.
Then, back in December 2017, I hit rock bottom. My first business collapsed, my relationship was on its last legs, and I was the unhealthiest I'd ever been because I was binge eating on a daily basis to cope with the stress of it all. But even though this was a really difficult time, it's what got me to take a long, deep look at my life, and that's when I realized that perhaps this "little thing" I was doing with food went a bit deeper than my inability to stick to a diet... it was emotional, and if I was going to have any luck at breaking free of the self-sabotage cycle, another diet wasn't going to help me — I needed to address the root cause.
And when I did, I discovered a sense of inner peace I didn't even know existed. For the first time in my life, I felt... weightless. It was such an extraordinary feeling that I instantly knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping other women achieve this same sense of weightlessness that comes from feeling comfortable in your own skin and at peace with food.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm really proud to have created a community where women feel safe to share their most vulnerable thoughts and emotions. As women, we often feel so ashamed about our weight or not being able to control ourselves around food, but it's this shame that keeps us stuck in the cycle because it stops us from seeking help. Being able to share our experiences with other women who understand what you're going through and don't judge you for it is so incredibly healing!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Business is one hell of a personal development journey! The problems we face in our business typically aren't business problems — they are life problems that are showing up in our business, e.g., if you are feeling insecure, you're likely not going to feel confident doing marketing and showing up on social media.
But I wouldn't want it any other way because it has forced me to face a lot of unhealed emotions, and I've grown so much as a result — personally and professionally!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- You don't need a website, business cards, or a professionally recorded online course to start your business! Those things can come much later, once you already know what you're doing. In the beginning, it's about figuring out who you are helping and how you can help them. And the only thing you need for that is to have lots and lots of conversations with people... which can easily be done with a free social media account.
- You're going to come across so many people who will sell you their "proven 5-step system" to be successful in business. The thing is, the reason this system was successful for them is that it matched their values and personality. That doesn't mean it will work for you. The key to success is to build a business that you love and that's suited to your strengths. Following someone else's system may get you the results, but it won't be sustainable if you hate doing it, e.g., if you hate doing video and someone tells you to go live on Instagram every day... you won't do it! So, find what works for you!
- Get a coach or therapist to support you! A business will force you to face some of your deepest insecurities and subconscious emotional triggers, and it's those things that will cause you to sabotage your own success. The quicker you learn to heal those underlying mental and emotional blocks, the quicker you'll achieve success.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
This might be a bit tough to hear... but your business is not about you. It's about the people you're here to help. It's so tempting to talk about yourself and your services, but I beg you to resist the urge. Stop worrying about what others think of you. Instead, show up and talk to your audience about them. Listen to their problems, their worries, their dreams, and desires, then find a solution to help them overcome their problems and reach their goals. No one cares about you; they only care about what you can do for them.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.joniseeto.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joniseeto/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joniseeto/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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