In today’s post, we interview Sonja Boggs. We recently connected with Sonja at an event during the Loudoun County Small Business Week. She is a health and lifestyle coach, yoga instructor and overall wonderful person. She focuses on helping her clients reduce stress, increase energy, lose weight, eat healthier, increase physical activity, manage chronic conditions, restore health and feel better. Sonja has specific programs that include: Lighten-Up Weight Management Program, Ease-Up Stress Management Program, Live-It-Up Happiness Program, and the new Restore Health Now Program. You can check her out here.
Without further ado, let’s get right to this important interview.
CMC: Sonja, what would you say is your higher purpose?
SB: To help others connect with and live from the health & happiness that is a part of our true nature.
CMC: What about rejuvenation? You seem to be very centered and awake. What rejuvenation practices do you practice?
SB: As a yoga teacher I feel like I probably should say I meditate for 30 minutes twice per day and practice sun salutations every morning, but I don’t. I like variety and so I practice yoga, meditation, and strength training on varying days for as little as 10 minutes to as long as 90 minutes depending on the day. One practice, however, that is consistent for me is walking with my dogs. Pets have a way of reminding you of the importance of routines, especially as it relates to them. I walk every day for at least 30 minutes with my two dogs.
CMC: How did you get started in coaching and teaching yoga?
SB: I worked with my first life coach soon after I had made a career transition from fitness management to personal training at a local fitness studio and teaching at George Washington University. I had created the exact career I wanted, but still wasn’t feeling fulfilled. My experience with the life coach was inspiring and motivational. I learned how to match my top values and personality with my career and as a result of that experience I made the decision to become a health & lifestyle coach.
Yoga has been an interest of mine since my mid-20s when I was introduced to it at a studio in Chicago, IL. Yoga is unique in that it provides benefits for both the mind and the body, which improves health and happiness in a way that can be felt immediately. As a coach I learned about emerging research in the role of mind-body techniques for stress management and increased happiness. This inspired me to become a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) as a way to deepen my own practice and to add value to my coaching services in stress management.
CMC: What are some of the outcomes you have seen with your clients?
SB: The most important outcome my clients have experienced as a result of coaching with me is a feeling of empowerment with regard to their health. I work with my clients to design an effective lifestyle plan to create changes that they can maintain on their own for the long-term rather than giving them a short-term plan that often fails once they stop the plan. Some of the areas in which they have created lasting changes are stress reduction, weight loss, tobacco cessation, and chronic disease management.
CMC: What’s the avatar of your ideal client?
SB: Someone who wants to make changes to improve their health in one or more areas such as stress, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation, etc. and is ready to take action to make that happen.
CMC: We understand that you are currently launching a new program. What is it and why did you start it?
SB: Yes, the Restore Health Now program is a coaching program specific to helping those who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease. As someone who was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme disease, it has become my mission to help others navigate the convoluted path to getting appropriate treatment, symptom relief and restored health. Through my own experience, I have learned the essential lifestyle elements to reduce symptoms such as joint and muscle pain and insomnia and support overall healing as a complement to a doctor’s treatment plan to feel better faster.
CMC: Yes, Lyme disease, is really becoming an issue. We keep hearing about more and more people who have been diagnosed with it. What are some things you can tell our readers about it that they might not know?
SB: Lyme disease is known as the “Great Imitator” because its symptoms often mimic other conditions. A doctor who is not trained to see the bigger picture of Lyme disease and how it can affect multiple organs and systems may misdiagnose patients whose root problem is actually Lyme disease. Common conditions Lyme patients are misdiagnosed with include fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression. And to add to this problem, many people who have Lyme disease don’t remember being bitten by a tick or having the classic bulls-eye rash associated with it. Nymph ticks are basically baby ticks that are about the size of a poppy seed so you won’t necessarily see them on you. In addition, the diagnostic testing available today is not as accurate as it could be and it is possible for someone to have Lyme disease even if they test negative for it. If you have concerns, seek out a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) who specializes in Lyme disease. To learn more, visit LymeDisease.org, National Capital Lyme Disease Organization or The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).
CMC: Will your new program be open to people just in Virginia or will you be able to support people from other locations?
SB: Because I provide coaching sessions over the phone and Skype, the program will be available to support people world-wide. Loudoun County, VA is considered an endemic area for Lyme disease, as are many other areas in the Northeast. Lyme disease continues to grow and now exists around the country and the world.
CMC: How can our readers reach you? What should they do to find out more about your new program?
SB: They can visit my website here.
