Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Gillian Goerzen, Founder of Super You Fitness and Nutrition Coaching, located in Nanaimo, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a body-positive health and fitness coach. I hope folks ditch diet culture and explore an authentic relationship with health grounded in self-compassion and body respect. I primarily work with folks who identify as women but also work with non-binary individuals and folks who identify as men (diet culture knows no bounds - and struggling with your body is a human problem, not just a women's issue!). I work with clients one-to-one as well as through my online membership platform, the Super You Studio.

Tell us about yourself

I started my career in Fitness in 1999 when I became a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Over my 23 years in the industry, my role as a fitness professional evolved to less fitness instruction and more motivational and strategic coaching. Most of my clients knew what to do; they struggled with the doing it part! I also found my way from a more traditional approach to fitness (do this/ not that, follow these rules, eat this/ not that) to an evidence-based body-positive approach informed by Intuitive Eating grounded in a Health at Every Size philosophy. My job as a coach is more of a vocation for me. It is immensely rewarding to help folks release the shackles and shame of diet culture and find their own way to sustainable health. I do what I do every day for them and the joy they reclaim in this process! It's deeply fulfilling work.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I wrote and self-published a book in 2018, The Elephant in the Gym: Your Body Positive Guide to Writing Your Own Health and Fitness Story.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The constant hustle is exhausting. I know what I have to offer helps people. And I LOVE helping people! I love promoting myself a lot less! LOL.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do something you love. If you're self-employed, you'll likely be wearing all the hats for a good while, if not forever, depending on how large you want to scale. So make sure you love it.
  2. Set boundaries and HOLD them, especially around work time and personal time.
  3. Think strategically. Be really clear on why you're doing everything you're doing. Then when the "shiny opportunity" comes along, you'll be able to ask yourself - is it in alignment with your purpose? If it's not a 100% yes, it's a no.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.superyou.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superyoufit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gilliangoerzen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runwithgill
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-goerzen/

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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