Get to Know Your AteMate Coach -Stacy Yates

What Inspired Me to Become a Nutrition & Wellness Coach

My own interest in nutrition and wellness unfortunately didn't come from a positive place. I grew up in the 70s & 80s surrounded by nonstop messaging from diet culture telling women that they weren't "enough" unless they looked and behaved a certain way. I believed it, and over the years, I developed an unhealthy obsession with food and my body. I tried everything from purging to complicated and specific diet plans, to expensive juice cleanses/supplements, and even committed for years to the ultra low-fat craze of the 90s. But ultimately, I always failed at them: they were either intolerably restrictive, boring, too complicated, or required way too much prep. And all of them made participating in normal life an impossible task.

In 2016 I started a diploma program with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition thinking that I'd surely discover the elusive "perfect" diet. I was mistaken. What I finally understood instead, was that real nutrition and wellness are just as unique as fingerprints -- they might look the same at first glance, but they're customized to you, and they evolve as you age. Yikes. That was a real slap -- realizing that I had wasted SO much time, and energy not to mention thousands of dollars trying to shed pounds to look like 20-year-old me (who, ironically, believed she needed to lose weight!)

So, with my nutrition diploma in hand and a bit of a stunned perspective (which was equally empowering and disappointing), I looked around to see if anyone else like me was talking about the need for balance in the wellness space, especially for us middle-aged women. There wasn't much. Instead, what I found was a lot of fear-mongering, clickbaity advice from trust-me-bro talking heads, using "meno"-washing marketing tactics to try to sell us more stuff that we just didn't need.

I decided to share my journey and support other women in their midlife and I have been doing just that ever since. While my practice has improved and evolved along the way, the mission has remained the same.

Who I Work With and Their Common Goals

I primarily work with mid-life women who are tired of chasing the next best diet and they're ready for healthy lifestyle habits that actually stick. Many of my clients are dealing with the realities of perimenopause or menopause, struggling with changing bodies, fluctuating energy levels, and the frustration of doing "everything right" but still not seeing results.

My coaching is all about meeting women where they are and making wellness simple and accessible for them. Together we cut through the noise (there is OHHH so much of it), get rid of unnecessary rules, and focus on simple, impactful changes that feel natural and sustainable.

How I Use Tools Like AteMate in My Coaching Practice

I have a lot of tools that I use in my practice, but certainly one of the most effective tools I use is photo food journaling. It's an important one because awareness is required when we want to create change. Understanding where you are and what you are currently doing is an absolute must. AteMate makes this process a lot easier.

With AteMate, my clients can quickly snap photos of their meals, helping reveal patterns in their eating habits. This tool fits seamlessly into my coaching approach because it encourages curious reflection rather than restriction or having to follow random food rules. With the help of the app and me as their coach, instead of seeing food as "good" or "bad," my clients learn to listen to their bodies and make choices based on what truly nourishes them, physically and emotionally. It's new territory, but it's so worth it.

What Makes Working With Me Unique

There are plenty of health coaches out there, but what sets me apart is my commitment to my values of authenticity, balance, and fun. I don't believe in one-size-fits-all approaches. I believe in meeting my clients where they are and helping them build a lifestyle that fits their unique needs.

Here's what makes working with me different:

• A Personalized Approach: No rigid plans, no generic advice. Everything we do is tailored to YOU.

A Holistic Focus: Nutrition is just one piece* of the puzzle. How refreshing it is to know that we don't have to be "perfect" with food and that we can leverage OTHER areas to HELP us with our food choices!

• A Judgment-Free Zone: Food is meant to be enjoyed. I help my clients remove guilt and shame from their eating habits and learn how to be much more relaxed around food.

• A Sense of Humor: Let's be real -- if we can't laugh about this wild wellness world we live in, we're doing it all wrong.

My coaching will never be about getting you to follow a diet. It's about understanding your needs and desires, helping you uncover your blind spots, and ultimately creating a way of eating and living that makes you feel your best -- now and in the years to come.

A Midlife Rebrand: It's Time to Feel Good Again

At the core of The Wellness Lifestyle is the belief that midlife isn't a time to shrink yourself -- it's a time to redefine yourself. I want my clients to rediscover what it feels like to feel good. It's a feeling a LOT of mid-life women have lost in their busyness of caring for everyone but themselves.

Do you remember what it feels like to wake up with energy? To eat without overthinking it? To move in ways that bring joy? To trust that you know what's best for your body? If you said no, you're not alone. I can help guide you back to this feeling and to have that BACK as your natural state.

If you're ready to ditch the diet, build healthy lasting habits, and finally feel at home in your body, I'd love to help you get there. Because midlife isn't an ending -- it's a brand-new exciting chapter, and I'm here to help you write it on your terms.

Here at The Wellness Lifestyle, we're the holistic nutrition coach, cheerleader, and wellness mentor for women in their midlife, ready for lasting change. Together with coaching, mindset work, and accountability, we uncover the habits holding women back, build in healthy habits they can actually keep, give them the tools to ditch diets forever and embrace midlife. *

Stacy Yates is the CEO (Chief Eating Officer) for the Wellness Lifestyle.

The Wellness Lifestyle helps mid-life women who have already tried it all and are now looking for real, lasting change that can only come from personalization and accountability. From food journaling to weekly coaching to community, clients get the nudge they need to build on their current healthy habits and make the new ones stick so they can ditch the diet and live life well.

Together, we delve into your limiting beliefs, challenge your excuses, and create the health, wellness, movement, and lifestyle changes you're looking for and what work for midlife.

While there's no quick fix, you'll get a personalized shortcut on your journey towards real health. Ready to feel at home in your body?

Learn more @ www.thewellnesslifestyle.ca