Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Kester.
Hi Martha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My love for exercise and nutrition slowly became a thing and definitely didn’t exist when I went into college in 1996. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life so I went with lawyer. While in college I started running and going to aerobics classes. When senior year came around I decided against law school and went on to graduate school to earn a MPA from George Mason University. At GMU, I started lifting weights and focusing on cooking more meals at home and cutting back calories from starchy carbs. I ran my first marathon and this was my first experience with the power of food on performance. After I graduated I moved on to New Jersey to live with my college roommate. I became a personal trainer and lived in the gym. I discovered yoga, Pilates and Spin. My running took off even more and I continued to run more marathons. I developed distorted eating- I lost a tremendous amount of weight and wasn’t eating enough healthy fats. I cut out all starch and sugar. This turned into athletic bulimia. And I then became hypoglycemic. I saw a dietician for that which was my first experience with food as a means of healing. I could never find a nonprofit job so I decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I graduated at age 29, and a month later my boyfriend broke up with me, I couldn’t find a teaching job in NJ so I moved back home to Beaufort, SC with the hopes of eventually moving to Raleigh, NC to teach. After moving home, I went on a long run and developed bursitis in my hip. I healed after a few months and went on another run and got a stress fracture in my left foot. It took me well over a year before I completely healed from this. I moved to Raleigh and lived in a one bedroom apartment on a trail. I finally landed a teaching job in 2008. I loved my job and the people I got to work with but being a lone in my apartment was lonely and I would sit and eat. I gained 30 pounds (which was a lot considering I was a size 0 and barely weighted 100 lbs a year earlier). In 2009, I knew it was time to move back home. I got a teaching job in Beaufort where I taught for six years. Over the years, I struggled with one injury after the next. I had a bloated stomach every afternoon and one Spring I got a rash on my legs that never went away until the Summer time. I also had an eye infection at least 1x a year. I was exhausted and didn’t sleep much. I was a mess. After school two days a week I stayed after and helped the office ladies with yoga. One day one of the ladies said to me, “Martha, you light up when you are working with us and I don’t see that when you are in the classroom.” I thought, “Wow!”. It was funny because every morning I started my day with coffee watching Steve Harvey on his talk show. He talked about “Jumping” meaning leaping into the unknown and taking chances. He always had guests on his show that left stable jobs for passion jobs and it always seemed to workout. I made a plan and wrote down my goals. Each Spring teachers are asked if we want to come back and if we come back do we want to stay at the same school and same grade etc. Each spring I would always hesitate and always seemed to click “Yes, I am coming back to same grade and same school”. The spring of 2016 was different. I was turning 40 soon and I knew it was now or never. I wasn’t married and didn’t have kids so no one was counting on me. Without hesitation I clicked “Not coming back”. That summer I enrolled in IIN (Institute of Integrative Nutrition)and a year later I became a certified health coach. I taught 20 classes around town to make ends meet and my parents helped out when needed as well. I could not have done this without them. Once I became a coach, my sister in law made my website and I was off and running. I eventually worked out of a doctor’s office 1 day a week as a contract worker. I met my husband this way. He was a patient of mine. Currently, I run my own coaching business. In 2020, I became board certified. I still teach yoga and Pilates classes (not nearly as much though as I did in 2016) and I do in home personal training.
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?
No. Definitely not. I have no clue as to how to run a business and still struggle with this. I have a hard time finding clients. I am blessed and one of my yoga students help me with marketing. I don’t have brick and mortar but since Covid meeting online is acceptable and what I do a lot of. I often wonder though if this keeps many people from coming to see me though. I am an introvert and networking is something I struggle with though I know it probably would be beneficial to me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PAUSE Wellness Co.?
I am a board certified health and wellness coach and I work with men and women on establishing healthier habits so they can reach their health goals. I run and own PAUSE Wellness Co. PAUSE is an acronym for a formula for healthy living- P, plants and protein, A, action (exercising), U understanding (understanding your numbers like blood sugars, blood pressure, cholesterol etc), S stress management and sleep and E elimination (getting rid of foods that no longer work for you). I also named my business PAUSE because I feel most people need to slow down as most Americans are very over scheduled leaving little time to work on health. This was me when I was a teacher. I crammed so much in one day and left very little for sleep and I believe all of my health problems came from my lack of sleep. I want to help others make lasting change much like I did.
I especially enjoy helping older adults lower blood pressure and cholesterol by following the Mediterranean Diet, exercising daily, prioritizing sleep and managing stress. I love working with retirees in gaining energy so they can enjoy travel and grandkids.
I meet my clients where they are. I listen to them and ask questions. I take time and build rapport, trust and a relationship with my clients.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I do not believe in luck. God has certainly blessed me with an amazing mom and dad that supported me when I was single and trying to make ends meet teaching yoga classes and going back to school. I found an equally amazing, supportive husband who runs a business that I know has been successful only because of God. God has blessed me and continues to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pausewellnesscompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pausewellnessco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pausewellnesscompany/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-kester-45a20913a/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pauseyogaandfitness
