Interview With Local Wellness Coach Susannah Lapoint

What is a wellness coach?  A wellness coach is an inspirational guide to help clients make positive habit changes on several levels to include physical exercise, nutrition, habits, mental, and lifestyle changes to fit their personal needs with individualized solutions meant to fit the needs of the individual.

What is a Wellness Coach?

In my experience, as a wellness coach, my main objective is to walk with my clients while they make positive habit changes. It’s really easy to get discouraged when things aren’t “happening” fast enough, so I spend a lot of time reassuring and encouraging them that they are on the right track and to trust the process. I also help them recognize obstacles and mental blocks that keep them from being able to progress towards their goals and intentions.

Our culture has done such a disservice making us all think that change is possible in 30 days or 6 weeks. In reality, it takes months and years to build new habits that serve us as we work towards the highest version of ourselves. Since it really does take longer than we think, it can be really helpful having consistent, positive feedback to keep us on track. I consider myself to be encouraging, permissive, and wide open as my clients explore what is actually possible for them.

I provide a “road map” to guide them towards what they are seeking, and I’m the cheerleader that is always rooting for them.

What is your background and a bit about yourself? How did you get into wellness coaching?

I started my fitness journey to “lose the baby weight” after I had my second child, back in 2006. I was 26 years old, so the results came fast. I loved the process of changing my body through my hard work and nutrition choices. I decided that I was pretty interested in this process and I wanted to help others achieve the same. I decided to get my Personal Training Certificate, so I did, and started working for a small training company in a gym that prided themselves on all of their “before and afters” of their clients that had lost a lot of weight doing crash diets and un-sustainable workout plans. I started to realize that this was a pretty toxic environment to be in.

I only worked there for a few months before the company disbanded and I decided to branch out on my own and built a gym setup in my garage. I started working out of my home, training my clients that had followed me over from the gym, and slowly built a clientele that has sustained me for the past 15 + years.

Working from my home, I was able to be around for my kids, who were 5 and 6 at the time. We moved to several different houses over the years, but I always had a studio at my home and a steady clientele wherever we were.

When my youngest kid was 9, she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. To those unfamiliar with this disease, it is an all-encompassing life-threatening condition that takes up a LOT of mental real estate and energy in both the person who has it, AND their caretakers. Through the process of learning how to keep my daughter alive and healthy with this disease, I learned about the importance of understanding the role that the levels of our blood sugar play in our bodies. Through this knowledge, I have been able to help my clients understand HOW metabolism works and why it’s so important to keep our blood sugar(glucose) levels stable so that our bodies can settle at a healthy weight and that we can be free from mood swings, unstable energy and cravings.

Educating and empowering my clients to take amazing care of themselves with by learning about the right nutrition strategy for their bodies AND maintaining movement patterns/activities that they love AND are sustainable has become my passion. I am very focused on helping my clients develop habits that lead to them feeling as good as they possibly can on a consistent and predictable basis WITHOUT overhauling their entire lives to do it.

How would you start with someone who needs some guidance on becoming healthy?

Very first thing….I would ask them to try to lose the feeling of “urgency”-just this ONE thing will make the entire process a much more pleasant experience.

When we feel like we are in a hurry, we can not “relax” into the experience of changing our lives, one habit at a time.

Habit change is a slow process, one that survives on one being consistent. When we feel like we “should be doing more,” we put unnecessary pressure on ourselves and it makes these changes hard to stick to.

Losing the sense of urgency and relaxing into the process of building (and maintaining) one habit at a time make the task of “becoming healthier” a much more pleasant and enjoyable one.

Can you give us some of your favorite recipes here locally here in Hood River?  

I am the self-proclaimed “Salad Queen,” so I am always looking for inspiration to change up my salads. My favorite place to get inspired is at the Hood River Farmer’s Market. We are soooo lucky to have access to amazing produce almost all year, so I make good use of what’s in season. My favorite salad dressing is made here in the Gorge by Queen of Hearts Superfoods. I use these amazing hemp seed dressings (which I guess would be my favorite recipe) on my salads every day!

What are some of your favorite restaurants and some of your favorite meals and why are these your favorite to go places and meals in Hood River?  

Sushi Okalani-great sushi

Love and Hominy Tacos-Vietnamese Taco

Kickstand-sometimes they have good salads

Remedy Café-Glory Bowl (their Glory salad dressing is AMAZING)

I don’t eat out a lot, but when I do, I stick (MOSTLY) to things that I know will make me feel good. OCASSIONALLY we get the Truffle Shuffle Pizza from Double Mountain Brewery, because it’s just REALLLLLY good.

Contact Susannah:

Website:  https://www.susannahlapoint.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susannahlapointcoaching/

Email: [email protected]

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/susannahkate1

Check out the podcast we did with her!!

You can find the podcast on Itunes and Spotify as well under Discover Hood River!

Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discover-hood-river/id1524170666

Further Reading:

See Also: https://www.discoverhoodriver.com/mountain-biking-in-hood-river/

See Also: https://www.discoverhoodriver.com/windsurfing-in-hood-river-oregon/

Interested in further reading on wellness coaching??  Check out some of these for further reading found on Amazon.

Hiking in The Gorge: