We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Marsie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Marsie, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
First, thank you for sharing this platform. I’m always honored to be a part of these discussions, especially when it allows me to elevate the conversation around women’s wellness. To be honest, creating a wellness brand for women over 40 was not my original goal. In 2017, when I enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, my goal was simple. To save my life. My health and happiness were at an all-time low after several years of neglecting myself for the sake of children, a career in corporate America, managing a household. All this came on the heels of recovering from a very dark season in my marriage. My confidence was low and I was constantly diet cycling to get back to the woman I used to be before life got cray cray. The more I learned, the more I wanted to share with others. In my conversations with other mothers, wives, career women, homemakers, I began to understand that I wasn’t alone. It brought the healthcare professional in me alive to create a safe space for women to share their shame, struggles, and resentment around having to be everything for everyone at the expense of their own health and happiness. It was as if my company name chose me and it was clear that Healthy and Happy Coaching was ready to come to life. As an elite private health coaching firm, we’ve helped countless women learn to embrace self-care without guilt or apology. Over the years, I’ve continued to evolve in my journey but one thing has remained true. I’m a disrupter when it comes to women’s wellness. In fact, it was the diet industry that served as the inspiration for the creation of the Well Woman Academy. The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that feeds poor body image but it also produces an enormous amount of misinformation. This rhetoric strips many women of their power and leaves them making drastic and unstainable choices to fit social norms. This produces the yo-yo diet craze that continues to feed the beast. I built my entire brand around being honest and transparent around my own false beliefs around weight loss and how I finally unhooked myself so that I could create and sustain wellness in every area of my life. Today, as a 50-year-old woman, mother of 3 who has been married to the love of her life for 15 years is bold in my quest to live well in my mind, my body, my spirit, my marriage, my career, my home, and any other crevice of my life. I’m here to teach women over 40 how to shift their approach to weight loss and refocus on creating wellness in every area of their lives. I’m here to bring it within their view…so they know it’s within reach.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded the Well Woman Academy for women over 40 who want to shift their approach to weight loss and refocus on creating their own life full of wellness. This approach is not focused on meal plans, diets, or scale shaming but rather on using my signature wellness building pillars to guide them. This approach is very unique because it helps women get clear on what they REALLY want, how to overcome their wellness blockers, and also what actions they can take every day to get where they want to be (and how to stay there). We are also a highly engaged group on FaceBook, appropriately named, Well Women Over 40 FaceBook Group. If you’re a woman over 40, we’d love to invite you into our community.

As the host and executive producer of the Live Well Beyond the Scale podcast, I invite other women into the conversation around wellness to help shift the perception around what healthy means so that women can tell that scale to kick rocks and finally get to the heart of living well. The podcast can be found on Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and Pandora. We’d love for you to Listen. Subscribe, Get Notified!

I’m unique in the wellness space because so many experts are so focused on weight loss and willpower or positive “you can” messaging and not on actual sustainable processes that include real change. The message is about weight and not wellness flowing through their relationships, careers, finances, body, mind, homes, etc. I am laser-focused on the actual person. Helping her find her own voice and to boldly expect and create wellness in every aspect of her life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m in the DMV so there are endless possibilities. When I picked her up from the airport we would go to Bus Boys and Poets for some farm-to-table food. I’d have the catfish and greens and I’d suggest the sweet potato pancakes for her. We would of course have mimosas! After that, we would head to Haines Point and chill out by the water with a cup of ice cream and catch up.

The next day, we’d hit the national mall and take a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture which is an all-day experience. We’d grab lunch at one of the amazing cafe’ in the city.

The next day we’d chill out at my house, sleep late, and binge on our favorite show while I did laundry and helped my son’s with their homework

The next day we’d head out for a day of pampering with a few extra girlfriends for facials and body treatments at Cultura and then manis and pedis at Relax Nail and Spa before i had to pick the kids up from school

The next day we’d head out for a night on the town at MGM for a night in the casino and dinner and a show. We’d stay over in one of the VIP suites and wake up the next day and have breakfast and walk around the national harbor and that evening we’d visit the wine tasting shop for a day of sipping and laughing.

The next day would be a day of restoration with yoga and mediation on my lawn.

The next day she’d take a nostalgic walk on Howard University’s campus and meet up with some friends while I caught up on some work. She may go down with friends to hang out at the Warf and get some of their famous crabs!

Then I’d take her to the airport the last day and spend the week recovering!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out my mother, Germaine Bolds-Leftridge, founder and creator of the Ubiquitous Women’s Expo. This premier expo has been the premier women’s wellness and beauty expo in the Washington, DC metro area. This event has been a destination for girlfriends around the country. I shout my mother out not because she has grown her marketing business into a multi-million dollar powerhouse that has put countless small beauty brands into major stores, like Target, Sally’s, and Wal-Mart. I shout my mother out because of her integrity and her love of the Lord. My mother has been the perfect example of a woman who continues to grow and learn. She is a lifelong learner and a professional problem solver. She cheers on the underdog and when it comes to her family she is fierce. Her love and support have literally been my guiding light. My love for her continues to grow even when I feel I couldn’t love her more.

Website: www.drmarsie.com/fabin5

Instagram: www.instragram.com/drmarsie

Twitter: www.twitter.com/drmarsie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1806070759687743

Other: Clubhouse – @DrMarsie

Image Credits
@Fondmemories – Jackie Hicks

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