Today we’d like to introduce you to Deon Hall-Garriques.
Hi Deon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always been interested in health and wellness and over the years as my interest grew, I became a student of health and wellness, reading and studying any related materials and attending workshops and conferences. It was during that time that I realized that there was a profound correlation between nutrition/food and good health. But I have to admit, I really did not understand the REAL impact that nutrition and lifestyle had on a person’s overall health before that. I later became the informal life, health and wellness coach for my friends and family. And while I went on to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), earned a MBA in executive management, and went on to have a successful corporate career, there was still a burning desire to help support others with their health and wellness.
About 20 years ago, I lost my favorite aunt who was only 41 years old. She was near and dear to my heart, she was like a mother to me, my best friend and mentor. What was even worse was that she passed away 10 minutes after I gave birth to my first son – that was very difficult!
My world was turned upside down and for many years, I struggled to come to terms with the loss. That experience changed my life in terms of my appreciation for life, how I viewed health, which made me realize that without your health nothing else really mattered, and most importantly, that I needed to do something to help other women. I continued to struggle for years with the feeling of guilt that I should have done more to help my aunt with her illness since I was studying so much about health and wellness. I wanted to turn that negative into a positive, but I did not know how or what to do. As this reality continued to haunt me, I knew that there are many other women like my aunt who are struggling with their health and needed guidance before their health spirals out of control. I needed to stop feeling helpless and get into action using the wellness knowledge I was amassing, but again, I did not know where to start, so I sat restlessly with the idea for many years after.
Then about eight years ago, I was watching Oprah, and a guest on her show was talking about finding your purpose and living your truth and not dying with your message inside you. And, I remember hearing the words, IF NOT NOW WHEN? It was in that moment where I felt like I was overcome by something, it’s very difficult to explain – something moved inside me – it was the AHA MOMENT that told me to get in action on this desire, passion, this burning in my soul to make a difference-spread the word about the importance for women to take care of their health. RIGHT NOW!
I then enrolled into the Institute of Integrated Nutrition and earned a certification as a Holistic Health Coach. I formed my company in 2014, Deon’s Wellness Wagon before graduating from nutrition school and started coaching right away.
A few years ago, my personal health struggles with perimenopause symptoms led me to perform in depth research as to what was happening in my body. I did find answers; I discovered that I was suffering from hormonal imbalances, particularly estrogen dominance, which had caused me to develop fibrocystic breast.
Eventually, I was able to heal my body and from that experience and healing, I developed a 5 Step Rebalance Program using the same strategies and tools I used for my own healing and started working with perimenopausal and menopausal women who were having some of the same struggles that I had. Today, I am known as the “Menopause Mama” for my work with menopausal women. I am doing the work that I truly love and it lights up my soul, especially knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of many women by helping them to alleviate their frustrating perimenopause and menopause symptoms. My practice continues to grow and evolve and I am so excited about the future and all the possibilities because there is so much more work to be done around women’s health, and I have so much more to offer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road for me, particularly around the survival of my wellness practice. Primarily because I am not doing my wellness coaching work fulltime Having a demanding full time corporate job, raising a family and being a mother and wife does create some challenges as a solopreneur. I wanted to close my practice many times because the demand on my time and my health was overwhelming. But I kept going because I know that this is my calling and purpose in life and the women I serve who need my help. Further, when I see the results that the women have experienced from working with me, it is very satisfying, which is a confirmation that the work that I am doing is making a difference. This ‘fills my cup up’ and fuels me to continue. As a result, my business has remained consistent over the last six years.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a holistic menopause coach, and the owner and founder of Deon’s Wellness Wagon (DWW) is a private wellness and nutrition coaching practice that supports busy women who are struggling with perimenopause and menopause symptoms such as weight gain, sleep issues, cravings and fatigue so they can lose weight naturally, have restful nights, control their cravings, balance their hormones, feel like themselves again and be more productive. I am also a speaker and conduct wellness workshops for corporations, conferences, retreats, community organizations and women’s groups.
What sets me apart from others is that I take a holistic approach to my coaching services. I use a multi-pronged approach, with nutrition & lifestyle being the foundation, finding the source or root cause of the condition, along with mindset coaching, and a variety of rituals and protocols designed to address root causes.
Let me explain further, I do not only focus on the problem that the women want to solve, but getting to the root cause of the problem is an essential part of my coaching. I use the ‘peel the onion back’ concept to try to uproot some of the driving forces behind their conditions. For example, most menopausal symptoms are the result of hormonal imbalances that are often rooted in stress, so I need to uncover the source of the stress and try to address that first. Usually, if stress is the root, with some simple changes, the women start to feel better right away. I spend a tremendous amount of time working with the client on their mindset as this is a big component in their healing and overall wellness. I also use various rituals and protocols such as essential oils to support various conditions, daily affirmations, meditation practices, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT tapping), visualization techniques and more.
I am most proud of not getting caught up in ‘quick fixes’, ‘rapid results’ or calorie counting, but slow and sustained changes that have proven to be more successful in the long run. I believe in teaching sustainable changes so that when I am no longer working with a client, they will be able to easily maintain what they have learned in my Program. I am also proud of being able to choose the type of women that I want to work with. I choose women who are committed to their goals and willing to do the work using natural protocols and solutions. This is a simple concept, but it is not always easy.
Additionally, I always over-deliver to my clients. I want readers to know that if they are struggling with perimenopause or menopause symptoms such as weight gain especially around the midsection, trouble sleeping, lack of energy, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats and more, they don’t have to continue to suffer, there are natural solutions that can help them to solve these issues so that they can feel like themselves again. My Five Step Rebalance Program provides a holistic approach that includes natural and sustainable ways to alleviate their symptoms and heal their bodies. Additionally, I offer a variety of whole food detox programs that help to reset the body.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
My philosophy is, no risk, no reward. When it comes to risk, I take a calculated approach. I look at the pros, cons and whether I am willing to live with the outcome or consequences. I took the risk of forming my company while working a demanding corporate job and raising a family. I was cautioned that I would not have the time to spend on my business and it might not be a good idea right now – but I went with my gut because I believed in what I wanted to do. Another big risk I took was investing thousands of dollars in an invention that was not successful, but I believed in the idea and was willing to take the risk. Years later, someone else made a simplified version of my idea that solved the same problem I was trying to solve. But, I learned a lot from that experience and one of those lessons was that solutions don’t have to be complicated to solve a problem.
Pricing:
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12 Week Menopause Reset Jumpstart – $1,600
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6 Month VIP Menopause Reset – $2,100
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7 – 21 Day Whole Food Detox – $200-300
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Deonhall.com
- Instagram: @deonswellnesswagon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deonwellnesswagon
