Women In Wellness: Michelle Davis On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Surround yourself with people who bring joy to your life, people who treat you with kindness and respect, and those who support you. Try connecting with people every day, even if it’s just a text message with a family member or a quick coffee with a friend.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Davis.
Michelle is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist living and working in Canmore Alberta. She specializes in helping adults and children manage and overcome stress, anxiety and depression, as well as other common problems such as smoking cessation, addiction, PTSD, sports anxiety and exam stress. Michelle is originally from the UK and moved to Canada in 2015 after training at the Regents University in London (UK) in 2014.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I’m originally from Birmingham in the UK. My father was English, and my mother was Canadian, so my accent was quite confusing for my peers growing up. My childhood was turbulent, so as an adult I often felt anxious, depressed, and I had very low self-esteem. However, when a Cognitive Hypnotherapist came into my life, I was able to turn things around. As I worked through past trauma and learned valuable tools, my self-esteem and confidence grew, and I was able to manage my anxiety and I felt happier. My company name, The First Step to Freedom, echoes this journey where it all started with one step. A phone call that led me to find freedom from the things that were weighing me down.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
The most interesting story I have since starting my career, would be overcoming public speaking. Before I started my career I would have extreme anxiety, and sometimes panic attacks, when I had to stand up in front of people and speak. Since then, I worked extensively on this fear, which has meant that now I can present workshops, deliver presentations, and even participate in interviews! None of this would have been possible before overcoming my fears, so this shift in confidence and self-esteem has not only helped expand my career but has also improved my own mental health and wellbeing. My biggest takeaway from this experience, therefore, would be to try to overcome your fears, you may be surprised where it leads you.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I deliver hypnotherapy to clients, I often cover people in a blanket. Well, one day a pair of very well used panties were stuck to the blanket!!! My client noticed and politely informed me of my blunder. Needless to say, I check the blankets thoroughly now when I take them out of the drier!
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
As a Cognitive Hypnotherapist, I specialize in helping adults and children manage and overcome stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as other common problems such as smoking cessation, addiction, PTSD, sports anxiety, and exam stress. As a woman in wellness, I am an advocate for mental health. I support individuals in their journey to happiness and mental wellbeing, so people can live the life they want to live.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1) Self-care is something I believe is essential to people’s mental health and well-being. Even 10 minutes each day can help us to manage stress, build resilience and be more focused and motivated. Self-care can also give us more capacity in our day-to-day lives, helping us to be the best versions of ourselves.
2) Meditating every day can help us to gain new perspectives, as well as build skills to help us manage stress. Meditation can come in different shapes and sizes, such as sitting quietly, going for a mindful walk, and listening to a guided meditation. Whatever way works for you, try starting with 5-minutes a day and increase from there until it becomes effortless.
3) Surround yourself with people who bring joy to your life, people who treat you with kindness and respect, and those who support you. Try connecting with people every day, even if it’s just a text message with a family member or a quick coffee with a friend.
4) Practice positive self-talk. Our words influence our thoughts so when we speak negatively to ourselves, we impact the way we feel about ourselves. Try to notice when you are not treating yourself kindly and change the dialogue to be something more encouraging. Perhaps something you would say to a friend when they are in need of kindness.
5) Allow yourself to rest. Being active and exercising regularly is important, but so is rest and relaxation. It regenerates the mind and rejuvenates the body, so enjoy your down time. It’s just as important.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would irradicate the stigma associated with mental health and inspire people to seek out a therapy that is right for them. Having an impartial therapist to talk to can help people let go of the things weighing them down, so they can live their best life.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started”?
1) Trust and believe in yourself
2) There is no such thing as failure
3) Be at peace with what is within your control and what is not.
4) Prioritize self-care everyday
5) You are good enough
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
All these topics are important to me, but if I had to pick, the cause closest to my heart is mental health. Perhaps if we had more mental capacity, there would be more time and energy to implement positive changes in the world?
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Readers can follow me on Facebook or Instagram, as well as find me through my website on https://www.thefirststeptofreedom.com/
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Michelle Davis On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.