About Willful Joy

Core beliefs:

Everyone is capable of change once they choose to embark on a journey towards growth.
All living beings deserve respect, compassion and support.
The innate state of the soul is peace, balance, joy and wellness.
Will, determination and discipline are all necessary to succeed.

Willful Joy is the pep in your step that gleefully & decisively propels you forward.

Hey! I'm Tina, your wellness coach.

I'm Tina, a Canadian-American living in Texas since 2016. I became a wellness coach after going through my own journey to wellness. Little brings me as much joy as seeing people succeed at realizing their goals, and positively transforming their lives.

I'm naturally driven and I've been told many times in my life that my enthusiasm is contagious. So I decided to put my coaching skills to good use. I assist people who want to develop better habits and achieve better health by supporting them on their journey to wellness.

In my free time, you can find me doing yoga, reading, meditating, cooking, gardening, running, hiking, and mastering new skills.

I'm a volunteer firefighter for the Belmont Volunteer Fire Department and I'm certified Firefighter Level I, II, and a registered First Responder in the state of Texas.

I also run a creative agency called Vervex through which I offer creative services and business consulting for small to medium sized organizations.

Certifications

Firefighter Level I, II

EMR First Responder

Swift Water Rescue Level I

BFA in Design

Personal Trainer
(Pending Certification)

Coaching Style

As a wellness coach, I aim to create a dedicated, pleasant and safe space where you can freely and comfortably express yourself, your dreams, goals and challenges.

I provide a framework to explore and actuate an efficient path towards growth. I actively listen, encourage, support and collaborate with you in order to get you to where you want to be. I will hold you accountable to your commitments. My style is a blend of energetic, focused and laid back.

Defining Wellness

Wellness is defined as nurturing the mind, body and soul to achieve a state of optimal balance, peace and happiness in your life.

I believe that wellness is achievable for all human beings, and that each person will experience the journey differently, according to their own unique qualities and challenges.

My own wellness journey

The initial spark

My interest in wellness and fitness started during COVID lockdowns back in 2020. This challenging time spent in relative isolation combined with business woes inspired me to go back to my roots. I picked up my favorite book, Autobiography of a Yogi, and gave it a second reading after 10 years gathering dust on the shelf. That really lit up a fire within me that has only been stronger burning since.

New understandings dawned on me that I had missed a decade earlier. It inspired me to study the science of yoga meditation and committing to a daily routine. It also rekindled my love with vinyasa yoga, a practice I had loved in the past but abandoned after graduating from university. I began attending studio classes once a week and met a wonderful yoga instructor who helped me more than she'll ever know.

My mind, body and soul were slowly but surely getting back into alignment.

Giving it my best effort

Around the same time I was rekindling my love for yoga and meditation, I ran a full blood panel with my doctor and discovered that I had an autoimmune disorder. This prompted me to roll up my sleeves and improve my health through better eating habits and becoming more active. Interested in animal welfare and nutrition since my teenage years, I switched to a pescetarian diet back in 2006. I also enjoyed walking and hiking, but I was otherwise living a sedentary lifestyle. My diet was arguably healthy compared to the average American, but there was a lot of room for improvement.

I knew then that I needed to do better if I wanted to be at my best.

Applying what I learned

I began devouring literature about willpower, good habits, nutrition and fitness. I eliminated from my diet all fried foods, soft drinks, and candy. I drastically reduced my dairy and bread consumption. I also started running and doing weightlifting twice a week. Over time, all of these combined efforts resulted in improved physical strength, mentally resiliency, mastery of discipline, and as a bonus, I lost over 20lbs!

I've kept up with my fitness and meditation routine, making some adjustments as my fitness level improved. Nowadays, I run and lift weights 2-3 times weekly. I've run several 5K races and a couple of 10K. My goal is to complete a half-marathon in 2024.

The work of self-improvement is never easy and it is never-ending. It is also extremely rewarding.

Becoming a mentor

In spite of all that I've accomplished on my own, this journey was far from easy, and all the challenges I encountered over the last few years cannot be contained within a few paragraphs. Growing up, I did not have any mentors or role models around me to show me what mind / body / soul wellness looks like. No one in my family or among my friends were particularly fit or health oriented. As an adult, not much had changed, I was still surrounded by sedentary people. I had to learn it all on my own and coach myself through trial and error.

As I progressed along the path, I kept thinking, what if I could help others achieve what I achieved, knowing all that I know now? Wouldn't people progress faster if they knew what works and what doesn't work? If they had a friend who could point and say "Watch out for the pitfall in front of you!" wouldn't they save themselves trouble? What about having someone who would cheer them on every time they reach a new milestone?

I felt a strong inner calling to become a mentor for others. I would become the role model I wish I had. So, here I am!

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