At 57, I feel like I’ve finally found my calling. While I wish I’d discovered health coaching earlier, I’m also excited about the years ahead. My work gives me purpose, keeps me learning and allows me to support other women as we all navigate ageing together.
I’ve had an interest in health from a young age. I grew up in a tiny town with no bookshops, so whenever the school book club arrived I was the 10 year old choosing health books instead of stories. With no gym in our town, for my 15th birthday I asked for dumbbells and barbells and taught myself strength training from books and magazines. But that’s not to say my journey to where I am today was linear. I went through a stage of life where I was binge drinking, heading towards obesity and eating KFC or pizza for dinner. I’ve experienced both extremes, from being underweight and over- exercising to becoming overweight and ignoring my health. I also haven’t just been in the health space my whole life. I also worked in various roles in a corporate law environment for 20 years – never my dream but it was secure and paid the bills.
Looking back, every stage of my journey has helped me become the coach I am today. The turning point for me came when my dad died suddenly of a heart attack when he was 47. The following year I completed my first fitness qualification. More than 30 years later, I’m still studying and still learning. I laugh now at myself in my mid-20s trying to ‘save’ all the midlife people I could get my hands on in the gym where I was working. They must have been laughing too – what did I know about the realities of ageing! Now, at 57, I feel like I’ve got not only the education but also the first-hand experience.
Finding health coaching and training with Sharon and Shivaun at Accredited Health Coaching in my early 50s was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Health coaching was the missing piece of the puzzle. Over the decades of training people, I’d always struggle when they would say, ‘Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it’. Of course, in my fitness training sessions, it was my job to tell them what to do, but outside those sessions was a whole other kettle of fish. Even if I designed the ‘perfect’ lifestyle plan, they might do it for a week or two, but it rarely stuck. Health coaching bridged that gap for me. It transformed the way I worked with clients, from giving advice to empowering women to create lasting change. Rather than simply telling women what to do, I learnt how to help them discover solutions that worked for their own lives.
Health Coaching has opened up a whole new career for the next stage of my life. Learning health coaching during COVID opened up possibilities I hadn’t imagined. I realised I could build a business that fits the life I want to live. I can work from home, work from my mum’s house in regional Victoria, work while I travel, and hopefully continue coaching well into my 80s.
In my business, Energised Ageing, I help women over 50 create an effortlessly energised life they love. I think I’ve finally found my ‘thing’ in the health space – in my 50s. I just love what I do. Some of my clients have now been with me for several years. While my goal is always to help women become confident managing their own health, it’s also been a privilege to walk alongside them as they navigate the complexities and challenges of ageing. I’m still refining my programs and frameworks and I’m currently developing a group program, writing a book and expanding my speaking opportunities.
Like many health coaches, I’m learning that building the business can be just as challenging as coaching itself. Although I love working with clients, the business and marketing side of things has definitely not come easily for me. One of the biggest lessons has been the importance of getting really clear on who I help. It’s taken me several years to get really clear about who I help and what I want to be known for but that clarity is now making every marketing decision much easier. I’ve also built my business almost entirely DIY – perhaps not the ideal way but I had more time than finances. I created my own website, learnt social media, started speaking at events and done all my own marketing. Some people say you don’t need a website, or that it has to look perfect before you launch it. But my DIY website has led to clients, speaking opportunities and other connections, despite knowing nothing about SEO.
I’ve also had to get over myself and become comfortable being visible. My very first Instagram post was a photo of a mango because I couldn’t bring myself to be on camera! I’m still not very comfortable with showing my face and talking – but I do it anyway. And, I’ve learned that connections matter far more than follower counts. One hundred people who value your work are far more important than 100,000 who don’t. Although I haven’t gained huge numbers of clients directly through social media, many of the opportunities I’ve had to speak on podcasts, panels and at events have come from me showing up. It’s often been just when I’ve felt like giving up on marketing that a new opportunity has appeared. That’s reminded me that it can be a long game (at least for me). You may not always see the results straight away, but you’re gradually building trust and creating opportunities for the future.
When opportunities have arisen, I’ve tried to embrace them – even if I’m scared. I remember my very first podcast interview. I was literally reading things off notes and sounded terrible – I don’t think that episode was ever published! Every time I’ve spoken on a panel or at an event, I’m terrified and find my legs shaking. I try to do it anyway. At 57, I realise that I can’t let fear stop me doing things – because my passion for helping other women over 50 thrive is so much more important.
If I could offer one piece of advice to other health coaches, it would simply be to have a go. Start before you feel ready, experiment, do things a little messy, learn as you go and keep showing up. You don’t have to have it all figured out. I certainly don’t have all the answers, and my business is still evolving. But one thing I do know is that that finding health coaching changed the direction of my life.
At 57, I truly feel like I’m only just getting started.
About Tania Dalton:
“I work online with women over 50 across Australia and internationally, helping them create an effortlessly energised life they love. Many women find that post menopause their energy levels, body and health change, and that what worked in the past is no longer effective. Through my personalised Energise System, I help women strengthen their Energy Foundations, create their own Personal Energy Blueprint, and build simple, sustainable habits that increase energy, confidence and joy.”
