Women In Wellness Nariscia Philip-Peters On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Slow down — we are in a hustle season as a society. We feel that we are dong nothing or wasting time when we rest. But this is key for our bodies to rejuvenate itself and also for our brain to process things. If we don’t learn to slow down our body does it for us and become sick. And no one wants that.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nariscia Nicole Philip-Peters.
Nariscia Nicole is a Wellness and Lifestyle Coach who help C-suite professional women to tap into the power of self-love so that they become as successful on the inside as you are in your career. She is a wife, mother, professional in the oil and gas industry and also business owner.
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?
My journey started back in 2015. You know when they say everything that can and will go wrong. Well…
I was let go from a job I had been in for a few years, and a month later I had separated from my husband. And we had only recently gotten married. I felt like a failure.
But at my lowest a friend of mine suggested we go to a retreat. It was all about self love and reconnecting with self. I hesitantly agreed because in my mind I don’t need any help. But it turned out to be the best thing I never realized I needed.
And so, my self-love journey began.
Soon my self-confidence came back, and I started working on myself again, signing up for courses and doing things I had put on hold. Two of those courses were Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching and also personal trainer. Both of which I always had a passion for. And this is where my business started to develop. But imposter syndrome would kick in after I graduated from my programs.
It was actually a friend of mine who pushed me into business after months of procrastinating. And within a few weeks of persons around me having that level of confidence in me that Holistically You was born. They saw something I couldn’t, and they believed in me more than I could at the time.
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?
Earlier in business I would offer my health coaching services for free to one person periodically throughout the year. It was my way of giving back and helping those who couldn’t afford to have a coach at the start of their journey. Unfortunately, not everyone wants help, and some people will make you out to be a villain in their own story to stay in the victim role. Despite providing all the required resources and support the person never progressed and blamed me. I did eventually have to let them go as a client.
What I learnt from that experience were a few things. I should not deviate from my process in any way. Meaning I didn’t go through the vetting process to determine if this person was a good fit for my business.
I can’t help everyone. I am here to guide and provide accountability but ultimately each person is responsible for the level of results they achieve based on the wok they put into themselves.
People may need help in a different way to what I can provide. Childhood traumas and unresolved issues need to be addressed to move forward as a functional healthy adult.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was the CEO of everything. And I was frustrated, and nothing got done properly. My systems were in a mess as a result because this was not my area of expertise. I had to resolve in myself that for the business to thrive I needed to let others help me. Imagine I messed up a website template. I use to say technology was not my friend, I have since changed my words but at the time I definitely felt that way. I think that was the epiphany moment for me to get help. I hired someone to do my website. I hired a Virtual Assistant. I have had business coaches over the years. All have helped to develop me and my business.
We don’t have to do everything alone. Delegation is key. I am better able to serve others in the way God intended me to
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?
I am helping professional women to not only thrive in their careers but other areas of their life as well. Through my own journey in my career, while that area of my life was working well, I realized that I had allowed all the others to fall down tremendously. I had lost a sense of who I was, and I wasn’t happy. This feeling spilled over into my relationships with my spouse, my kids, and others. I recognized that I had to make a change for myself to be a better, balanced person. And once I started doing this I began to feel fulfilled and happy again.
And its the same way I want other women to feel as well. The women I have worked with learn to love the woman that you are more. They start making space for themself in their own everyday life. And they slowly begin to reduce their stress and increase their joy. And when these things become in sync, they now are able to make healthier food choices and want to move their bodies more. They can live happier and healthy lives now.
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.
- Slow down — we are in a hustle season as a society. We feel that we are dong nothing or wasting time when we rest. But this is key for our bodies to rejuvenate itself and also for our brain to process things. If we don’t learn to slow down our body does it for us and become sick. And no one wants that
- Set boundaries — when it comes to our job, our business and even our family and friends its integral to set boundaries. And here’s the icing — WE NEED OT STICK TO THESE BOUNDARIES WE HAVE SET. If we keep breaking them then no one sees the need to respect them either.
- Find your joy — We need to learn to become childlike again. Find something that sparks us and makes us feel alive. Pick up a hobby, volunteer, anything that gives you a sense of peace
- Small changes is better than none — We sometimes feel that in starting our wellness journey we have to make all these grand changes. This for many can feel overwhelming and we soon stop as quickly as we started. Think of those new year’s resolutions most of us make and by February 1st they are just a thing of the past.
- Have an accountability partner — Many people don’t need to know what you aim to accomplish but having one person you can trust throughout the process, who will call you out on your ish. This person is so valuable to you. We can go alone but we reach so much further when we do it together.
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 recently created my signature program called LoveHER. I want it to become so big that professional women will realize that while their careers are amazing that there are other facets in their life that also needs their attention, love and care just as equally. Its about being unapologetic about pouring into yourself and finding your joy for you as an individual, not the mom you, not the wife you, not the career you, or the daughter you.
I want women to remember that they are just as important in their own life as everything else they place above themselves. When we leave ourself undone we are also showing our children (without realizing it most times) that they are also not important enough because the cycle will continue when they become adults.
My children have been there through out my entire process of unlearning and relearning to love myself and finding my joy. My daughter sense of body positivity is above none, I want her to be so happy within herself that society cant erode it. And this is what LoveHER is about, helping women to love so deep that the legacy lives on. And soon we have a whole society of people that love themselves enough to work on themself, heal the parts that are broken and be gentle enough with themselves during the entire process.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- You cant do everything alone — when we start off in business and even on our wellness journey we won’t know everything, so having an accountability partner, a mentor, someone who has gone through this already is key to help guiding you towards success
- Not all money is good money — Yes, we get into business to make money but sometimes a client will prove to be someone who will disturb your peace in a way that no amount of money can compensate for, so choose wisely.
- Protect your peace — I am one who goes by energy. In Trinidad and Tobago, we have a saying “my blood take them” It basically means if we vibe, or connect. If my spirit is uncomfortable dealing with you, then it means you are more expensive than I am willing to pay for. Peace of mind is so underrated.
- Everyone will not support you and that’s ok — Whether in business or on your wellness journey don’t expect everyone to be on the same page as you. Family and friends are not your clients, remember that. I remember when I was at my heaviest, I would be called lots of mean words, and when I lost the weight, now I was too skinny. You can’t please everyone; some won’t get the journey you are on. Do what’s best for you, your health and your business for growth and sustainability
- Your day job can and will replace you in a heartbeat so learn to nurture the important things in your life and create your legacy. Your self-worth in life should not be defined by a thing
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Interesting options.
My first degree is in Environmental Science and chemistry. And by profession I am also a HSSE Advisor (Health, Safety, Security and Environmental Advisor). So, sustainability and environmental changes is of big concern to me. Even the way my home country of Trinidad and Tobago is affected daily by these changes as well. A lot more rain than we have had in the past and the amount of destruction it has caused as a result from places experiencing flooding to farmers losing food crops.
However, of late mental wellbeing is something I have shifted focus to because I needed to make it a priority in my own life, especially as a woman working in a male dominated environment all while being wife, mother and business owner. There are so many demands put on us as a society, the cultures we grow up in. And as I have grown older and matured, I have recognized that my mental wellbeing is key to ensuring that I am able to function well not only for myself but those that rely on me as well
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
I can be found on social media
LinkedIn — @Nariscia Nicole Philip-Peters
Facebook — @Holistically You TT
Instagram — @Holistically_you_tt
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
It was my pleasure, Thank You !
Women In Wellness Nariscia Philip-Peters On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.