Waste Management to Wellbeing: Why 20 years in the waste industry could mean I’m the best coach for you!

Fresh out of uni I stumbled into the waste industry working as a Recycling Communications Officer for a Local Authority. For the best part of 20 years, I ignored the voices in my head telling me that health and fitness was where my skills and passion lay, and instead I worked my way up the chain to a government advisor role helping to design waste collection services for optimum performance and participation.

It’s only now that I have finally made the bold move to retrain and create a business doing something that I love that I have realised the skills I developed working in waste management are actually invaluable in my new career.  They give me a unique approach to coaching using a science-based methodology to behaviour change that focuses on you as an individual and emphasises accountability, clear communications and uses data to ensure maximum results.

If you have tried everything when it comes to improving your health or worked with other coaches without success, read this blog to see how what might seem like a completely unrelated career history has shaped me into a great coach and why working with me might be the right choice for you.

The Science of Behaviour Change

Whether you are trying to encourage someone to compost their coffee grounds or increase their daily step count the core challenge lies in inspiring behaviour change. Encouraging someone to recycle their toilet roll tubes mirrors the process of motivating clients to make positive lifestyle changes and understanding the psychology behind these shifts in behaviour and using a science-based approach backed by research is crucial to ensuring long lasting change.

The best performing recycling campaigns are designed based on a deep understanding of human behaviour and encourage people to make changes without them even knowing they are being influenced and by making the correct behaviour the default action.  If you are constantly failing in your attempts to reach your health and fitness goals or struggling to make new habits stick, it’s probably because you’re relying on willpower and not using basic principles of behaviour change to set yourself up for success.

With a Masters in Behaviour Change and a history of delivering behaviour change campaigns to a wide range of communities I can help you to reflect on any barriers that might have stopped you progressing in the past, design your environment to make sure you finally hit those goals and give you all the tools you need to make sure that change is sustainable. 

Accountability & Motivation

A large proportion of the population aren’t motivated to recycle.  The biggest rise in recycling in the UK was as a result of the introduction of fortnightly refuse collections.  Meaning most people recycle because they have to.  If they don’t, they risk being hit with a fine, getting a nasty maggot infestation or being shamed in front of the neighbours for putting out extra bags (which for some is marginally worse than the neighbours finding out much they drink on blue box day)!

As I write this blog, it’s the 5th January 2024, so you might be super motivated right now!  You’re smashing your daily steps; you’ve joined the gym and you’re proudly carrying your Stanley Quencher everywhere you go.  But ask yourself, how did that work out for you in January 23?

You aren’t always going to be as motivated as you are right now.  There will be days when you just aren’t feeling it, days when you’re too busy or too tired or days when everything has gone to shit and Uber Eats feels like your only option!  And whilst you skipping the gym is unlikely to get the neighbour’s curtains twitching or result in a Fixed Penalty Notice landing on your doorstep, without some form of accountability that missed session might just become two or three and your 40oz quencher might get lost at the back of the cupboard with last year’s new water bottle. 

Motivation is the spark, but discipline and accountability are what will keep you going day in and day out.  Using the power of accountability and putting strategies into place to make sure you do the thing, even when you don’t really want to do the thing is where my strengths lie. Let’s face it we all work harder if we know someone is watching (that’s a scientific fact too!)

You can’t improve what you don’t measure!

In the world of waste management, tracking and analysing is standard practice so that you can plan and predict performance of a scheme over time.  This analytical mindset is perfect for my coaching role, where I use data to monitor clients' progress, assess the effectiveness of their programmes, and make informed adjustments for optimal results.

Maybe you haven’t got the results you have wanted in the past because the only metric you’ve focused on is scale weight.  If you work with me, we will use a range of metrics to measure your progress.  Things like your mood, your performance, where you are in your cycle, your energy levels, the quality and quantity of your sleep, your wins for the week and we will think about what worked well and what didn’t go so great.  Looking at your health as a whole means we can identify ways to get you to your goals as efficiently as possible.

The personal touch! It's all about you!

You would be surprised how protective people can get about their bins and your standard twin bin set up doesn’t work for everyone, so whether it’s helping someone to find the perfect recycling routine or develop a training programme that works for them, a client-centred approach is crucial.  There is no one-size fits all approach to health and fitness and understanding the unique needs, preferences, and challenges of individuals is how I make sure I deliver effective solutions that fit your circumstances and your goals.

I am my ideal client!

The added bonus you get by working with me is that I have been in your shoes.  I took the leap to change careers and grow a business whilst still working in a busy role.  I understand what it means to want more for yourself both personally and professionally and I know how it feels to be growing a side hustle into a sustainable business alongside a busy schedule, coordinating logistics, managing a team and having a family.  

I also know how that dream of creating a life on your terms, with more flexibility and more freedom can sometimes get lost amongst the long hours and stress of trying to spin all of the plates in a business where you are the tea lady, the CEO, and everything in between!  It is this that made me realise the importance of prioritising your health, after all without you there is no business. 

Having experienced the same struggles as you when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle while managing a bustling career and building a business means my coaching comes from a place of understanding and empathy, but also means that I can offer practical solutions and provide support that is tailored to your unique challenges.

Conclusion

In conclusion, whilst the transition from Recycling Officer to health and fitness coaching might not seem like a logical career path, strangely there are a number of parallels.

The skills I’ve learnt, my commitment to creating accountability, focusing on long term behaviour change with a programme that is unique to your lifestyle, needs and circumstances and my experience of the entrepreneurial journey means I have an effective and unique coaching style that could be just what you need to get you to your goals.

Need support improving your health whilst trying to run a business?

Hi, I’m Debbie, a wellbeing coach supporting female entrepreneurs to harness the power of small changes so that they can make a big difference to their health and their business, without adding to the overwhelm!

Do you want friendly no-nonsense help to avoid burnout, boost your energy, power up your productivity and be a bolder, more confident you?

Why not book a free 15 minute virtual coffee and let’s have a chat!

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