Exclusive Trusted Magazine Q&A with Rita Trotter, The Health and Fitness Coach
How could you describe your career path in few words?
I originally trained as a personal trainer, and worked face to face with clients. I got great results for the time that I worked with them, but clients never seemed to have permanent results….they would always put the weight back on later down the line. I then started to look into other areas and became certified as a Nutrition Coach, Behaviour Change Specialist, Long Covid Rehabilitator, Hormone and Stress Specialist, Pre and Post Natal specialist, Health for Business Coach and Menopause Specialist. I combined these skills to create a holistic way of coaching that ensured lifetime results for people and moved my business online back in early 2021. Now, not only were clients losing weight during the program, but they were healing their mind and habits and maintaining the results long term. My foundation in health comes from witnessing a global need to help combat stress and boost health with a holistic approach. Gone are the days of ignoring the mental and emotional aspects of our physical wellbeing. Our programmes are robustly researched and my passion is to share these worldwide. I continue to grow the business alongside having become the published author of three globally selling books and the creator and facilitator of the Chan6e 6 Step Coaching System™. I have worked in the health and fitness industry for many years, holding certifications across a gamut of trainings and I have been accredited in many areas & nominated for awards in both Mental & Physical Health.
What was your most challenging experience and it has changed your mindset?
My most challenging experience was when my son was born in April 2020, in the height of the first Covid lockdown. I was trying to run a business, care for my body and suddenly I was alone in a hospital having given birth to a son who was born clinically dead. He was in the NICU for 4 months and I had to choose to either leave, and not see him at all. Or to remain by his side, but not see my other two children or my family and friends for that whole period. Due to the uncertainty, there was no mixing allowed. So I stayed and did not see anyone for 4 months, including my two toddlers. I lived on cold hospital food and didn’t see daylight, as the rooms were kept dark for the babies. By a miracle he survived, and I was able to take him home 4 months later. From this point onwards my approach to business radically changed. I know longer saw business and leadership as the biggest priority in my life. I saw it as a way to serve others and to serve my family. To use my business to grow myself as a mother and wife and woman, and to help other women flourish too. We are so quick to dismiss the lives that matter so much to us, in the chase of the next deal, client, sale or promotion. I am no longer in a chase. Everything I do is to benefit my health, my family and the women that I serve. If it doesn’t benefit these most important values to me, I do not spend my time on it. It is simply distractions and noise that no longer play a part in my life.
When you get surprised by unusual or uncertain context, what do you think?
Surprises are simply new opportunities to engineer the unexpected. I relish surprises because they are a vital reminder that we are not in control. We all like to believe as female leaders that we have the control, the power. But ultimately, control is predicated by expectation. And happiness will never last if it is led by that expectation. Happiness comes from embracing the unpredictable and being present enough in the moment to enjoy it without fear. We are so mired in the delusion that control is necessary for success and achievement that we become disconnected with the flow and creativity of feminine energy. I have learnt to become more comfortable accepting surprises, by putting myself in situations of uncertainty, ambiguity and change. With such a fluid and flexible world that we now live in, ensuring that we are ready to absorb those changes without resistance is key to progress and fulfilment. I used to hate being surprised. I truly loved surprising others, giving those moments of intensified joy. But I hated it for myself. That feeling of loss of control, and being vulnerable to others was highly uncomfortable. As a kid I went through a lot of changes in circumstance and my way of coping was to say “I’m in charge” – nothing or nobody has control over me. It was a protective mechanism. But the problem was that I kept out the pain. But I also kept out the happiness, joy and spontaneity of true human fulfilment.
Based on your experience, what’s the key success factor for a female leader / manager?
Connection. With yourself, with others and with purpose. We often become disconnected with who we truly are and what we are working for, because responsibilities, to-do lists and life admin get in the way. We become so bogged down in work, career and day to day running of households that we lose sight of why we are doing what we do. Why are we working? Why are we building our career? Why are we building our finances? No one earns money because they want to sit on a pile of money! We work hard and earn money because of the way it makes us feel. It gives us safety, it makes us feel secure, it makes us feel worthy, significant, useful. We want to be able to provide for our family and ourselves. If we simply push push push, driving towards a goal post that keeps moving, we never spend time with our loved ones. We never spend time on our own self-care. We never spend time on our health and body. And then these areas all start to suffer. There is no point having the best company, the biggest title and the most amount of cash, if your body is broken, your family never see you and your energy is drained. Re-connect with your most important values and ensure that everything you are doing serves them. The true are of leadership is to ensure that everyone in the company grows as a team. That each individual greenhouse is nurtured and given the nourishment that it needs. For one person that might be weekends playing their favourite sport, for another that might be setting up their own charity, for another it could be travel and culture. Human beings work for you. And human beings need connection and nurture. If you enter every day with these two values in mind, success is inevitable.
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