
Tell us a little bit about you and your business. How did it all begin? Does your business relate to a personal story?
- Live Happier Wellness is all about offering services and resources that help you create a weekly routine that enhances your health and happiness.
- I’m a certified Health Coach which basically mean I’ve been trained in how to walk people through the right system, support and accountability to modify their habits and reach their unique goals. I like to describe a health coach as a mix of a lifestyle and goal achieving 1) project manager, 2) educator and 3) accountability coach.
- One of the most important things to me when supporting a client is making sure they are drafting a goal that encompasses how they want to feel versus what they want to have. And to help them develop their own personal route to get there rather than feeling pressured by the many “must do” orders from the wellness industry. My philosophy for developing a wellness routine is leading with fulfillment, joy, connection and stress relief.
- My education and previous career is in business and marketing. After almost a decade at a tech company managing various different marketing projects and programs, I started to drown in the stress and lack of fulfillment. I used to love my job, but as I grew personally, I yearned for a different type of fulfillment and connection to life. I began to feel trapped within the walls of my office. I started exploring my own passions in order to relieve stress and feel more fulfilled. I already had a great workout routine that brought me so much needed strength and peace, but I desired more. I started to explore other areas of happiness from both a science and practical perspective. I became obsessed with simple daily strategies that took unpleasant monotonous tasks and turn them into my favorite parts of the day. Like listening to educational podcast while cleaning the kitchen before I went to bed so I could wake up to a less chaotic morning. This journey started with small habit changes, like a more motivating morning routine. Then it grew to big changes like leaving my job, and ultimately developed into my new Live Happier Wellness business.
What is a typical "why" for your clients' change in lifestyle?
- A client’s “why” often starts with something more physical, like wanting to have more energy throughout the day. Then the fun part of coaching begins, and we get to find a connection to something deeper that really moves the needle. While it starts with something more basic, like energy, most clients connect with me when they ultimately want a bigger change. In almost all cases, they want to create a happier, more enjoyable lifestyle and have deeper connections to the world around them. Because “having more energy” is only exciting if we have a clear reason for how it will be used.
- For example, one client came to me with the goal of creating a healthier routine to have more energy. The need for more energy was to be able to keep up and do more activities with their grandchildren… to be able to enjoy more experiences with those children than they could do in their current state. Time with this client’s family was their true source of happiness. So their “why” was not “to have more energy”. Their “why” was to be physical able to partake in experiences that enable their deepest source of happiness.
Andrea Crow - Marin Headlands Branding - eyeCatchLight - Santa COur Headshot & Professional Branding Sessions can be created on location!
We give clients care and attention to achieve their desired personal branding look with available make up and hair services, digital make up, posing, and more.
These are great for individual professionals and their unique rising entrepreneur marketing goals - be it book covers, press releases, or branding brochures!
Our unique headshots also cater perfectly to the artist, acting, and fashion community. Get your next gig with these perfected works of art that represent the best YOU!
Professional headshots for larger corporate projects where a clean, uniform look is desired over a larger team membership are one of our signature skills. Seeing your website, advertisements, magazine editorials, and more, with these icons of your successful business truly makes us happy!
Mountain View, Los Altos, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Scotts Valley, Monterey, Pescadero, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, Los Gatos, South San Francisco, Campbell Headshot Photographer.
What's a typical roadblock that clients encounter in their journey? What are some tools you teach to create changes in one’s routine?
- One biggest and most important tools for getting past your routine roadblocks are 1) pinpointing the true resistance to following through with the tasks associated with the goal. For example, maybe you don’t believe the chance is really going to help so you don’t do it. There could be levels of self-sabotage, fear of failing or fear of achieving. Sometimes it’s fear of feeling uncomfortable or giving up pleasure. And 2) pinpoint the deepest reason why this goal is so important to you that you are willing to get uncomfortable and change your routine. In other words, what will achieving this goal do for you?
- Another all too common roadblock is simply forgetting to follow through with new tasks! Our days are so busy with a million different checklists, when something is new and hasn’t made those connections in our brain, they are easy to forget. This is why I love anchors as a habit change tool! An anchor is an object or visual element that you place somewhere in your home or office that reminds you of your goals. A carefully chosen anchor will not only remind you of your goals, but also connect to your motivation as well. For example, many people chose photos of themselves that remind them of how they want to feel. It could also be a printout of their favorite affirmation. Another easy tool is calendar blocking. I put everything in my calendar with alerts. Part of my routine is looking at my calendar before I got to bed and when I get up in the morning. But if you are someone who doesn’t look at calendar, you might try setting alarms on your phone or writing good old-fashioned sticky note, until it becomes part of your routine. Another tip is to share your new task/goal with multiple people. Tell someone in a text, bring it up at dinner, etc. The more you think about and talk about this new task/goal, the more your brain connects that it’s something to focus on.
What's a typical roadblock that clients encounter in their journey?
- One biggest and most important tools for getting past your routine roadblocks are 1) pinpointing the true resistance to following through with the tasks associated with the goal. For example, maybe you don’t believe the chance is really going to help so you don’t do it. There could be levels of self-sabotage, fear of failing or fear of achieving. Sometimes it’s fear of feeling uncomfortable or giving up pleasure. And 2) pinpoint the deepest reason why this goal is so important to you that you are willing to get uncomfortable and change your routine. In other words, what will achieving this goal do for you?
- Another all too common roadblock is simply forgetting to follow through with new tasks! Our days are so busy with a million different checklists, when something is new and hasn’t made those connections in our brain, they are easy to forget. This is why I love anchors as a habit change tool! An anchor is an object or visual element that you place somewhere in your home or office that reminds you of your goals. A carefully chosen anchor will not only remind you of your goals, but also connect to your motivation as well. For example, many people chose photos of themselves that remind them of how they want to feel. It could also be a printout of their favorite affirmation. Another easy tool is calendar blocking. I put everything in my calendar with alerts. Part of my routine is looking at my calendar before I got to bed and when I get up in the morning. But if you are someone who doesn’t look at calendar, you might try setting alarms on your phone or writing good old-fashioned sticky note, until it becomes part of your routine. Another tip is to share your new task/goal with multiple people. Tell someone in a text, bring it up at dinner, etc. The more you think about and talk about this new task/goal, the more your brain connects that it’s something to focus on.
What’s unique about your approach to helping people reach their goals? I bet there's importance in celebrating these changes. How would you celebrate the changes and what do you suggest to your clients?
- Working on your routine and lifestyle can feel daunting or even tedious at times. It can also bring up feelings of guilt, shame and frustration. While I believe in the importance of experiencing all your emotions, focusing on your health and wellness should be an enjoyable experience as well, one you look forward to continuing to grow and explore. My goal is to create a fun and rewarding experience for you. We approach everything with curiosity and learning. This allows you to explore and have fun figuring out what makes you feel the healthiest and most fulfilled. We like to connect to all the senses – smell, taste, sound, sight, touch. We try different foods to figure out which ones have the strongest connection to you. We look at what scents make you feel relaxed and which ones uplift you. It’s also very important to have visual aids to remind you of your goals, your motivation and your affirmation. Sometimes this can be a picture that represent how you want to feel or a photo of when you feel the most alive.
- Due to my previous business background, I approach my clients’ wellness goals from both a habit coach and project management style. We work on mindset, limiting beliefs and wellness practices, but we also get detailed with your actions to make a strong impact on your goals during our time together.
Branding Photographer San Francisco Bay Area and Santa CruzIt was my immense pleasure to capture Riya's Zumba branding images! We did her hair and makeup before the session and took photos with both a formal outfit and her Zumba attire for her brand new business venture! Go Riya! Mountain View, Los Altos, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Scotts Valley, Monterey, Pescadero, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Aptos, Capitola, Soquel, Watsonville Photography. Mountain View, Los Altos, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Scotts Valley, Monterey, Pescadero, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, Los Gatos, South San Francisco, Campbell Headshot Photographer.
Do some of your clients enjoy seeing how far they've come with a before and after portrait memory? How can we help you and your business?
- When taking before and after photos, it’s very important to be cognizant of the intention behind the photo. I am not a fan of before and after photos that focus on the appearance aspect of weight loss. I think this can be harmful to the client and the people around them if the focus is on the idea of how “good” they look now, basically as a sign of worthiness. While I don’t subscribe to many areas of the weight loss industry (more on that in another chat!), I do understand that weight loss is an important goal for some people to feel healthier and happier.
- I do however love celebrating a point in a person’s growth that reminds them of how much they love themselves. I think it’s incredibly important to capture a point in time where you are living your truth and showing yourself the care and focus that you deserve to live your life with happiness and purpose. This a critical moment to capture not only because it’s a milestone, but it serves as a reminder of this feeling for the times to comes when you might be in a low. The ability to have a talented and creative photographer draw out the emotion behind this milestone and intentionality is a true gift (and what I would consider a happiness tool!) to a client.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
- My mission: As any small business owner knows, especially those at home managing small children, there are hard days when it feels impossible to keep going. But what drives me forward in the tough times is this: I believe we are here in this life to connect, grow, enjoy and leave the planet better than how we arrived. My job is to help people create routines that allow for more of those four critical actions to take place, ultimately creating a happier week. Research shows that when people are happier, they are more likely to give back to the community around them. This is the motivation that fuels me every day.