Meet Laura Weiner-Kiser | Stress & Mindset Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Weiner-Kiser and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, what do you attribute your success to?
being able to follow my moral compass. Early on in my coaching career I gave authority away. Meaning, I trusted professionals who have been doing this longer than I have. I started my business as COVID hit so I’d never tried to attract clients virtually. I didn’t know what I was doing and they did. I trusted these authorities to guide me. They did that but their methods were manipulative. They would offer a free “coaching” session but really it was a vehicle of manipulation. We were given a script of how to give this free call, that involved highlighting the potential clients pain points, their desired experience and convincing them that we are the solution. Some people, many people, would call that selling, but to me it felt manipulative. I didn’t want and don’t want anyone to work with me if it’s not the right fit. I don’t want to have to burden people financially and convince them I’m right for them. At the end of the day my business is about having integrity and empathy for the clients. I have to be able to live with myself, no matter how my business plays out. Manipulating people who are seeking help doesn’t sit well for me. I’d rather fail following my morals than succeed manipulating others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is the mind. Each human is so unique and beautiful and I love hearing about different people and different patterns. I’ve always enjoyed identifying patterns, even from a young age. I really enkjoy getting to know the individual problems, their world view and their internal environment and hand crafting a plan to help them reach their desired goals. My journey here has assisted in my ability to do this, step by step. I started as a personal trainer because I wanted to understand the body. Then I became a nutrition specialist because I wanted to understand how our nourishment affects our mind and body. Then I became a manager because I wanted to help people grow. After that, I became a certified health and life coach, finally a master and transformational coach…..at least for now. Each aspect of my career has given me tools to use and apply with people to help understand the overall being and what creates their internal environment. Was it easy, yes and no. helping people has always been natural and easy, almost intuitive. but of course there were struggles. Figuring out how to manage people, trying to understand why people’s weight loss wouldn’t stick, working through the health and life challenges that stand in their way. My business is called Change by Challenge, because I believe if it doesn’t challenge you it won’t change you. So as each challenge has risen, I understood it was doing so to help me change how I needed to so I can better help more people. Did I always enjoy it, NO WAY! I’ve just learned it’s better to flow with what it, than fight it. Ultimately each step led me to being a stress and mindset coach and now I really can help people at the source of their challenges. I’m finally having the lasting impact I desire, so it’s all worth it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, my best friend and I are simple. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, we just want to have time together. We’d likely find a place to hike or kayak, we both love being active. I’d probably take her to a local park or outdoor socializing area where we could enjoy nature but still have a good time. We don’t really drink when we’re together, mainly because we like being 100% present during our time together since we live so far away. but if we are celebrating we’d probably explore the cocktail menu. She is a foodie, so she’d choose where to eat, I don’t care as long as they have dense vegetarian options that are healthy. For me it’s not about what we do, it’s about who I’m with.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s hard to pick 1 person, but I’d have to say my parents. They are uniquely different in their personality traits and the combination of their characteristics have been such an asset. but it goes deeper and beyond who they are, it’s the love they hold for me. I truly went through a transformation when I became a coach. Many people who knew me didn’t recognize me. I’d talk differently, think differently and act differently. I had a huge fear of not belonging to my family. My family has always been open, sometimes maybe too open. I have seen both my mom and my dad make effort to get to know the person I am today. We don’t have as much in common and there are certain ways I think now and things I say that they might not be very interested in, but they love hearing about my life and just ask me to be patient and explain so they can understand. At first they made some comments about this “new Laura” that were hurtful, but they were able to grow, and hear how that affected me. Becoming a coach involved me becoming aware of some things from my childhood that most parents don’t want to hear. I have never blamed my parents. I know and wholeheartedly believe they did their best. I would choose my parents everyday even with the challenges I have. What I appreciate the most is they have been open to growing WITH me and made considerate effort to hear about my interests and share my life. I’ve lost a handful of connections through my transformation, but I’m deeply grateful for their influence throughout my life, now and in the future.

Website: https://www.changebychallenge.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/change.by.challenge/?igshid=1f0iumxp496br

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-weiner-kiser-b9a3011b9/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Change.By.Challenge

Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/LaDeaW-GsUbKnPWWB7uUUw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6Sui_Vn0TNQE8qz10r8Hw

Image Credits
Kat Fodor https://www.instagram.com/fodorfotos/