Today we’d like to introduce you to Pash Williams
Hi Pash, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Back in August of 2019 after I had given birth to my third daughter (May) and gotten married (April), I went on a girls trip with some of my girlfriends. While we were on the plane, I noticed the seatbelt could barely fit around my stomach. I was so upset. That moment set the tone of my whole trip. I didn’t want to take pictures. I didn’t want to dress up. I didn’t want to do anything, but go home and cry about how much weight I had gained and how uncomfortable I felt in my body.
When I returned home, I immediately connected my friend for weight loss coaching. She was already an established coach, had amazing results herself and she coached one of our good friends who is a wife and mom as well; I saw it possible for me to obtain the same level of success.
I started my journey in October 2019; by March 2020 I was down 20 pounds. I felt amazing, people were starting to notice, my body composition was changing, my clothes were starting to fit looser and I was so excited about my progress. Then Covid struck. The gym had become my happy place and now it was shut down with no opening date sight. I was devastated! But I knew my journey could go one of two ways; I could go back to my old habits and give up completely or I could keep going and see how far I could go. I felt so good in my skin again and I was so happy to have a healthier relationship with food and a support system. I literally remember telling myself, if this is what losing 20 pounds look like, imagine what losing 30 and 40 pounds look like. So I kept going.
The gym wasn’t an option anymore so I decided to go for walks. Regular walks outside. Nothing fancy, no real regime, just walking. I would walk 4-5 times a week, or more. I would take my girls with me, sometimes my husband too. It worked out perfectly, because we were get out of the house since we were on lockdown. We all fell in love with fitness and eating healthier. I truly love that my children witnessed my weight loss journey because now their relationship with food, health, wellness and fitness will be one that they will take into adulthood as well. It was also important for me that they saw me being realistic with my food and workout choices and not crash dieting or trying get skinny quick schemes that would only end in me gaining all of my weight back or being potentially dangerous.
During the pandemic, I lost an additional 53 pounds.
In 2020, The coaching opportunity was presented to me and I took full advantage. Over the years, I have helped dozens of men and women lose weight all while building a platform on social media reminding people, especially people who look like me, that healthy weight loss is attainable, you don’t have to cut out all of the foods that you love to lose weight and that yes, even though weight loss is hard, you can still do hard things. And you can still keep your curves when you lose weight.
Seeing how much my passion has grown in the health and wellness industry, I returned to school in the summer of 2024 to pursue a degree in dietetics to become a dietitian. I want to redefine what health looks like in the black and brown community. You don’t have to be a size 2 ,4 or 6 to be considered “healthy.” Health comes in all shapes and sizes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The pandemic definitely threw me for a loop in my weight loss journey. I was still fairly new to it, so being able to come out of that successfully was a challenge for sure. I had to learn real discipline to navigate in that space. But in the same breath, I fell in love with the process. I wasn’t rushing my results because I wanted them to last forever. I found it to be a blessing to be able to move my body and make healthy food choices. I was grateful to be on that path. I took it day by day and had grace with myself on hard days. Constantly reminding myself that I’m human, I’m not perfect and consistency doesn’t equal perfection. In of 2022, I started having panic and anxiety attacks. It was scary and I felt so lost on what to do to combat that. It really tested my mental health. That resulted in me gaining 20 pounds back. Now, I am on the path to lose it and become the best version of myself again.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Along with being a health and wellness coach, I am also a makeup artist. I’ve been a makeup artist almost 8 years and I love all things makeup and beauty! I’m most proud of sticking to my journey during the pandemic because that was such an unforeseen and difficult time for the whole world.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
When I became a wellness coach in December 2020 I took a huge risk of leaving my corporate job and doing wellness coaching full-time. It was a huge risk and I was afraid, but it ended up being so rewarding; it ended up being the best time of my life! Yes, it was a lot of work, but anything in life that is worth having is going to take some commitment and effort. Whether it’s pursuing a dream, building meaningful relationships, or achieving personal growth, the things that truly matter often require stepping outside your comfort zone, facing uncertainty, and persevering through challenges. Without taking risks, there is little opportunity for growth or reward. I was up for the challenge. I connected with so many people all over the nation, helped SO many people and I was able to grow my brand into what it is today. I feel like, you miss 100% of the chances that you don’t take. And as far as taking a risk with starting your weight loss journey, think about it like this: you know what it looks like when you give up so imagine what it looks like when you don’t. It’s ok if you’re scared, do it scared.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: P4healthandwellness
- Facebook: P4healthandwellness
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=LE9P8VNGFg4-JwV8Kuf3ag&utm_source=ishare
