Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ingrid Saenger, owner and founder of Choose Well Coaching, located in Solana Beach, CA, USA.

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

Choose Well Coaching (CWC) is a full-service Health & Fitness company. We strongly believe there is no ‘one size fits all,’ and with so many false promises in the marketplace, we feel it is imperative to create a bio-individual program that is personally designed for each & every person we work with. We are the cheapest ‘health insurance' you will ever experience.

We work with you to determine how to bridge the gap between where you are currently to where you want to be with your health and body. We empower and guide you and hold you accountable, so you learn to choose and make the correct choices that will allow you and your body to operate at an optimal level and enjoy life along the way. We are very aware that a large factor of one’s health that needs attention is the hormonal imbalances that happen to many men and women due to natural bodily changes that come with age. Here are the people I serve- they seem invisible to the next generation but have a lot of living still to do.

Unfortunately, these changes in one’s ability to produce and adequately maintain healthy hormone levels can lead to symptoms such as weight gain, hair loss, low sex drive, depression, mood swings, and so much more. For many, these changes are often just accepted and left untreated, but living with a diminished quality of life doesn’t have to be anyone’s new normal.

We (CWC), in conjunction with a scientific laboratory and clinic, start by analyzing our client’s bloodwork so that we can truly design a unique, scientifically based health program that is built specifically to address all aspects of health, both internally and externally. Choosing the right balance of foods, nutrients, liquids, lifestyle, and mindset that work for each client’s unique body is key because in today’s world, too much of what is consumed is loaded with additives, and people are just not aware of the consequences of these chemicals that are being ingested.

CWC is all about conscious living. We believe that when one understands the consequences of what we do with and to our bodies and how that affects our minds, our health, both short and long term, and even the people around us, make informed, educated, and conscious decisions about what we eat and how we live becomes uncomplicated and therefore implementing new habits becomes easy to do. Our clients learn to be different without having to remember to be different.

Our program includes:

  • Hormone Balancing
  • Gut Health Support
  • Nutrition
  • Mindset
  • Self-care
  • Exercises specifically designed for your body and health
  • Support, guidance, and accountability

It is never too late to start your journey to a more youthful, energized, and healthier you. Together, let’s break all the rules of aging and become energy rebels!

Tell us about yourself

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and came to the United States over 30 years ago. Here I discovered this amazing thing called "fast food." The idea that you could eat, drink, and be merry, all without leaving your car, was a foreign concept, but one I loved every minute of it. It wasn't until I reached my top weight of 203 pounds that I realized the convenience of drive-thrus and the deliciousness of processed and refined foods were not convenient for my health.

I searched for guidance and support for my weight loss health journey that I was about to embark on was nonexistent. All I found were the promises of many cookie-cutter diets. It felt as if I was truly on my own. At age 30, I hired a trainer and began a journey that led to a 70-pound weight loss.

As I looked at the America around me, I realized I had a story to share, and I also became aware that people were unconscious of their health and mindless eating was becoming an epidemic until a diagnosis of some kind was made, and then panic would set in. I knew I could make a difference. I had just walked this road alone. And a passion for helping people achieve the highest version of themselves by understanding and up-leveling their health was born.

I pride myself on working with people and enabling them to transform their lives by understanding their habits, taking simple small steps consistently, holding them accountable, and supporting them every step of the way. Today, my passion for educating people that being healthy is easy and that being overweight, in pain, and band-aiding every symptom you have, is what is hard.

For me, when someone has that AHA that it doesn’t have to be the way they are living and that there are many different ways to do something and that possibility exists, no matter your age, is what gets me out of bed every day with a passion and a love for what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Besides the many people I have helped succeed on their health journey, I would have to say my biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been the growth and expansion of my business due to a need I saw that was not being fulfilled at the time.

Having experienced my own health struggle, I needed to find a way to turn that around to help others. I started as a personal trainer in 1997 and, at that time, began coaching the importance of movement and exercise. In time, I realized that I was doing my clients a disservice. For them to truly achieve their goals and desires, I needed to add the nutritional component because people needed to understand how to fuel their bodies to achieve their best. This led to realizing that nothing could be sustainable over the long haul without taking care of oneself and managing how one approaches one's health, i.e., mindset. And a full-service company was born.

I built a business on referrals alone, which, for me, was an amazing achievement until Covid hit. I now had to figure out how to pivot my 'in-person' business so that I could continue my passion for health and wellbeing from a virtual platform. My message continues to be one of health, nutrition, self-care, exercise, and mindset, which are imperative no matter the circumstances around us. I learned and coached that all we can control is how we feel, what we think, and the actions we take.

My biggest accomplishment continues to find ways to share the importance of health with the world!

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

For me, marketing a health and wellness business is one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner. Everyone wants to be healthy and live their most energetic lives possible- if that were just enough, we would all be healthy beings. Unfortunately, just wanting to be healthy isn’t enough; even having enough money to pay for a health program is also not enough, and sometimes even getting a disease diagnosis for some isn’t enough either. One has to want it bad enough and be willing to do things differently, to have a different result and, in turn, live a different life. “A healthy one.” It is all about timing for people. So, I keep showing up until they are ready.

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

  1. Be passionate about your work.
  2. Know who you serve and cater to them- your ideal people will find you.
  3. Hire yourself a business coach because we cannot do this alone.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Starting a business can take longer than your anticipated goal, don't stop or give up. It takes time to grow a business. One thing I know for sure is that there are enough clients and money out there for all of us. Believe in what you do and what makes you unique in the marketplace.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.choosewellcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingridsaenger/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choosewellcoaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridsaenger/

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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