Episode 53: From Homeless to Holistic Coach with Joanne Wilkinson.

In this weeks episode I am joined by Joanne Wilkinson, a Holistic Health Coach and Therapist, based in West Sussex, who helps people that feel out of balance with their health, wellbeing and spiritually. Joanne helps people to live their best lives by empowering them with tools that can be used throughout their lives and has a high vibe community over on Facebook and Instagram.

I met Jo in the online wellness space and I’ve been following her on Instagram for a while. It was so great to get the opportunity to speak with Jo in person and share her experiences!

4 years ago Joanne found herself homeless, through no fault of her own and she felt totally lost. Jo shares the life changing moments that helped her to shape a life that she loves, what holistic health means to her, as well as some top tips to help you find more balance in todays hectic world.

Jo starts by describing her deep story of hitting rock bottom, dealing with trauma as a youngster, not being fully supported in the past, mixed with many other life changing moments, which eventually resulted in Jo being homeless and hitting rock bottom. Looking after our own health has become more important in society since the on-set of coronavirus and people are now exploring different avenues to boost their physical, mental and spiritual health.

I'm so inspired by all of the struggles that Jo has overcome and how she now uses these experiences to help others. Jo continues to talk about some of the common challenges or struggles she sees in the holistic coaching community. Some of these including lack of connection with self, following the crowd, not taking responsibility for ourselves or having a victim mentally since life became so throw away! People are so much stronger and more resilient than they give themselves credit for, but don’t always have the tools to get out of the rabbit hole, which is where Joanne's work come's in.

I asked Jo what holistic means to her, she described it wonderfully as a whole, the whole picture, if one area is off kilter we won’t feel right, it’s about supporting each aspect, the mind and how we talk to ourselves, our bodies and how we nourish ourselves, and our spirit by following our dreams and doing whatever feels spiritual to us.

Jo then goes on to discuss more about how these holistic approaches can help people to overcome their struggles, she highlights the importance of taking back power, focusing on the good things and where we want to be. Thinking of food as medicine, instead of waiting until we are sick. As well as approaches like goal setting and getting the whole family involved, if you have children, filter down these tools to them, to help our younger people to be more connected and conscious.

From these approaches, Jo has seen lifechanging transformations from clients including them changing careers from teaching to writing/illustrating, becoming more creative, all whilst really tapping in to themselves. As well as seeing clients develop more self esteem and self worth, after all, it’s all about the mindset and changing how we think.

Jo delves into more detail about what a typical coaching session may look like. She explains how the process generally begins with a short holistic health coaching session which is more nutrition based, which is a 90 minute consultation looking at the clients health, nutrition, traumas - it goes deep, then she follows up by writing up a support plan which advises the client on nutrition, supplements, home exercises, therapies they may need and potential further coaching.

Alternatively, Jo also runs a 7 week programme, called ‘Harmonise Your Life!’ which covers nutrition for holistic health, law of attraction, life goals, relationships with self and others, to name a few. The clients are given empowering exercises to carry out, which have profound changes. Joanne is passionate about coaching in a client led way, reminding them that they have the power to make the changes in their lives, it’s just a case of giving them tools, knowledge and encouragement to step out of their comfort zones.

At Beautifully Balanced one of my main goals is to empower people to find more balance in todays hectic world. I asked Joanne if she had any top tips she could share about finding more balance. I love her answer, she recommends listening more deeply to what your body and mind are saying to you, especially your gut! The importance of taking time to be in nature, alone, and just appreciating the earth under your feet and wind in your hair. Slowing down. Saying NO! Loving yourself and caring for yourself. Finally, disconnecting from technology, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.

Anyone who has attended one of my BB yoga classes, whether that is in person or via Zoom will know how I enjoy inviting my class members to take some time to slow down, to connect with our mind and body and to become more in-tune with how we are feeling in the moment.

If you would like to listen to the full podcast conversation with Joanne, click here.

You can also visit Joanne's Facebook group 'Happily Healthily, Holistically' here.

Or alternatively check out her Instagram page by clicking here.

I hope you have enjoyed reading and have found the conversation as insightful and uplifting as I have.

Sam x

P.S - Have you signed up to enjoy the Ukraine Appeal Fundraiser Wellness Workshop yet? You can find all the details here