Connector Magazine chats with Stephanie Pech, Holistic Nutrition and Metabolic Balance Coach in Dubai.
What brought you to Dubai?
I came to Dubai for a holiday 12 years ago to visit a friend. I fell in love with the city and its culture and decided to stay for six months or perhaps maximum a year. Well 12 years later, I’m still around and still loving it!
Describe a typical day
I wake up early, about 5am, and exercise. I always try to get it done first thing in the morning, when I have a lot of energy and feel most motivated. Then it’s breakfast, answering emails and checking social media accounts and by 7.30am I can be in meetings with clients. At lunch, I always try to catch up with friends then spend the afternoons working on new recipes for my upcoming book. Then it’s a few more client meetings and I’m in bed by 10pm.
How did you get into this profession?
I struggled with my own weight issues my whole life. By my mid-twenties I was at my heaviest and weighed almost 80kg which made me 25kg+ overweight. When I turned 25 I decided to turn my life and habits around and started my weight loss journey. I changed my eating habits and started being active and got myself a personal trainer. My body responded to the changes fairly quickly and I was fascinated by how much you can control your body and mind. That led me to sign up for a fitness competition in London. For eight months, I trained hard and followed a structured nutrition plan. During this transformation, I realised how much easier it might have been if I had the help of an experienced nutrition coach. That was when I decided to take on nutrition studies part time to my regular job as a management consultant. When I graduated, I started helping friends; and friends referred friends, and so over time, I gave up my job and became a full time nutrition coach. Today I coach private and corporate clients, hold talks about healthy eating and lifestyle changes, develop recipes, do food demonstrations and give cooking classes, and at the moment, I am writing my first cook book - which is a dream come true.
What is the best thing about your job?
I am so blessed to be able to do what I love most - changing lives and helping my clients transform their mindset. Seeing a client reach their personal goal, whatever that may be, and seeing them transform their life is very rewarding. I believe we all have a purpose in life and I believe I truly found mine and for that, I am very grateful. Plus, I enjoy working with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Every day is different, every day I learn something new.
And the worst…
I often find myself working on the weekends, which means I miss out seeing friends and also miss out on get-togethers and celebrations such as birthdays.
What was a standout moment in your career?
Being lucky enough to see myself on the cover of a sports’ magazine. Just before I did my fitness competition, I was asked to do an interview for the magazine and provide them with before and after pictures. Luckily I did a photo shoot when I was in the best shape of my life and that picture made it onto the cover of the magazine. That truly showed me that anything was possible. It took away those limiting beliefs that I struggled with at the time. It showed me that hard work does pay off and if you truly want to achieve something, YOU CAN.
What advice would you have for any young person wanting to get into your field?
Invest in educating yourself. Start reading books and perhaps find a role model and mentor you can ask questions. I am very blessed to have many good friends that are in the same field and lead a similar lifestyle. We support and motivate each other and often train and cook together.
Your motto?
I believe that we are who we choose to be. Nobody’s going to come and save you, you’ve got to save yourself. Nobody’s going to come to give you anything; you’ve got to go out and fight for it. Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don’t get it. So don’t give up on your dreams...