Today we’d like to introduce you to Chona Navarro.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chona. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story starts where one ended – when I retired from a large public organization where I spent 32+ years. The last decade of my career was spent in an increasingly demanding position in human resources. Work and parenting became all-consuming. I lost myself in a life that became a long, meaningless list of things to do. I still cared about my professional reputation, so it kept me invested, and the occasional recognition for my efforts became temporary validation that “got me by.”
Retiring at that time wasn’t a practical decision. I didn’t really have a plan. I had just turned 50, so the income seemed less than I could live on as a divorced mom with two kids. I was giving up financial stability and the only profession I knew – a career where there was still further growth. The voices in my head said I wasn’t thinking straight; that I was being irresponsible and stupid. But I ached for more. It kept me up at night. Along with guilt. Guilt for feeling dissatisfied with the life I had. Guilt for feeling that being a mom wasn’t purposeful enough. For years, I lived this way. Doing the only thing I knew how to do to cope: Burying my feelings and sinking deeper into a hole.
My father’s death triggered something inside of me. It forced me to acknowledge the ache and the growing emptiness. My father had died, but I felt just as dead. I realized I had become a functional shell; mechanically living the same day over and over. The grief of losing him became a gateway for releasing the misery I buried. It forced me to confront what I had been ignoring. It started an unraveling of a deeper pain that I denied myself the permission to feel. The end of his life became the force that began my new one. That’s where my second journey began.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Before I retired, I had just started to take steps to take better care of myself. One of those steps included CrossFit. CrossFit became an effective outlet and soon after retiring, a transition towards the second source of income. I earned my Level 1 certificate, became a Certified Personal Trainer, and began instructing CrossFit classes part-time. I later earned a certificate with Precision Nutrition and started my own health and wellness coaching practice.
I was constantly taking action to move forward, but it was not at all a smooth road. Though I felt liberated after leaving my job, those feelings were soon overshadowed by bouts of anxiety, self-doubt, confusion, fear, and loneliness. I worried about money. I worried about my ability to provide my kids with the life I wanted to give them. I worried about what others thought. I worried about making bad decisions. I worried that I was too old and that it was too late.
I realized that a large part of my identity was wrapped up by who I was in my job. I only knew how to be an employee. All the work I had ever done was scrutinized and vetted by the layers above me. My work product reflected someone else’s approval and validation. Though I often found that highly frustrating, it was all I knew. It had become my comfort zone. I was so conditioned to working in a box that allowed so little self-expression that I didn’t know where to start in my new-found space and freedom. Crazy, right?
I dove into some serious and intensive personal development. I went to seminars and workshops, read books, and listened to podcasts. I studied and practiced different forms of meditation, joined professional network groups and Toastmasters, and became certified to instruct Yoga Nidra to strengthen my spiritual practice. Most importantly, I hired a coach – a life-changing decision. It was a first step in acknowledging that I needed help and allowing someone to see a side of me that had been in hiding my entire life: The parts of me that were messy, sometimes needy, and irrational; the parts of me that my inner voice often condemned.
What I’ve learned is that there is always more to learn; that having become aware of my personal demons was a critical first step. I had to know what I was up against in order to move through them. My demons were created by me through my early experiences – I created them. I embellished them. I gave them power. Once I realized that, the real work started. Awareness didn’t change the circumstances. Taking ownership and taking action did. And there is no smooth road available for that journey.
My advice to other women is just that. Take ownership of your life. Own it in full. Every aspect and every single moment. Tragedy, loss, pain, and rejection are inevitable experiences of life – we always have the power to choose how it impacts us. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is a choice. We are either helpless or unstoppable by choice. If we continue to take responsibility only in part, we will never realize the capacity of the greatness that already exists within us.
Every day is an opportunity to expand. When I am uncomfortable, I know that I am growing in some form or fashion. I resist it initially but have learned to acknowledge it and remind myself that I get to choose. Will it stop me or move me forward? Each choice becomes the sum of my life. The presence or absence of joy in my day is a direct reflection of the choices I make. My results speak the truth. It’s up to me. Always. It’s also up to you.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am the CEO of my own health and wellness business. Through coaching and the use of nutritional supplements, I help people with creating a lifestyle that supports their health and well-being so that they live in a body they love to create a life that they want. My programs are structured, but my approach is personalized.
Most clients want to lose weight, look better, eat better, and feel better. I help clients gain deeper clarity on what health uniquely means to them. I help them sift through the external noise of how health is defined by others – what we see and read on the Internet and social media; people of influence – athletes and industry leaders. It’s easy to get caught up in striving to become a replica of someone else. Though we need mentors, coaches, teachers, and experts to follow and learn from, the magic happens when we embody the positive qualities in ourselves for the purpose of becoming ourselves. For becoming who we were uniquely meant to be and to strive, instead, to become the greatest version of that person.
I encourage clients to shift their perspective from seeing health as a destination to viewing health as an ongoing, evolving process. This allows them to focus on daily progress, and recognize incremental growth. Finding the small wins of their efforts makes the experience rewarding and allows them to appreciate where they are.
When they begin to dig deeper and connect to the bigger reasons for health, such as increasing quality of life and life expectancy, improving mobility to play with children/grandchildren, living with greater confidence and less fear, etc. – they are more motivated to stay the course and find success.
I see myself as someone who has reclaimed life by reclaiming health. Someone who used to dislike what she saw in the mirror. Someone who avoided being seen and struggled with being heard. I’ve learned to find the value in my experiences as a female immigrant; being the eldest of four siblings; a working divorced mom; a caregiver to ill parents. These personal experiences complement my training. It’s given me the capacity to be relatable and serve with more compassion, empathy, and humility.
I am proud of building my business largely through referrals because it reflects the trust of others. It demonstrates that clients have found value in the work we have done together. My work is not something I do, but who I am.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My earliest inspiration came from my grandmother, Maria. I was born in the Philippines and when my parents emigrated to the United States, they were unable to take me with them. Until I could join them, I lived with my grandparents. I was so connected to my grandmother that I called her “Mom.” She was one of the most loving women I knew. She had 14 children and never ran out of love to give. She showed me love without condition but most significantly, she made me feel worthy of it.
Throughout my life I’ve been inspired by a vast number of women, but not one in particular. I am inspired by particular characteristics and traits. Specifically, women who discovered their strength through conquering seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Women who have moved through pain and adversity in their lives found joy and made it their life purpose to give back in some form or fashion. Women who commit and follow through with persistence and grit, over and over and over. Women who choose to believe in something they can’t see, even when they struggle with self-doubt and with others doubting them. Women who move forward in the presence of fear, doing it scared time after time. Women who are incredibly bold; who aren’t afraid to stand out, to speak up, and to be different. Women who keep getting up when they’re exhausted and feel done. Their stories inspire me because it’s clear evidence that any person can create the life they want simply by choice and action. I believe this person lives in all of us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2100 Montrose #383
Montrose, CA 91020 - Website: https://chonanavarro.com
- Email: chona@chonanavarro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chona_navarro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009346156715
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chona-navarro-bba3362b/
Image Credit:
Jax Navarro
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Diane Taub
June 26, 2019 at 06:50
What an extraordinary woman! Chona is such an example for all of us to truly live our lives to the fullest and it’s never too late, regardless of how scary, to “GO FOR IT”!! Whatever that might be!