Corie Mustoe: “When the guard comes down, that’s when change happens.”

For Coach Corie Mustoe, it’s not about the skinny jeans; it’s about being healthy, aging gracefully and happily growing older. That’s why this Leawood, Kansas, certified health and wellness coach and founder of coachcorie.com, has committed years to help people, primarily women, live more contented and balanced lives by learning to make habit changes and healthy lifestyle choices. She notes that kindness, compassion, mindfulness, inspiration, accountability, healthy aging and wellness are critical segments of a successful effort to change lifestyles.

“My coaching program focuses on three pillars: physical care or exercise—what’s your movement; mental and emotional; and then your social,” noted Coach Corie. “Socially, you’ve got to have people in your life that build you up, that are a true confidant that you can turn to in times of need. Who’s going to be with you as you become healthy and make transformations that are in your best interest. You’ve got to have your team in addition to your coach.”

Taking the First Step
Having the accountability of a coach is important. Bolstered by her International Coaching Federation certification, Coach Corie explains that she helps her clients take their first steps to living healthier while recognizing and appreciating where they are in life and where they want to be. She provides a caring, personal approach to health and wellness, employing a team approach with the client to set goals and the strategies needed for success. She combines that with her aromatherapist certification and Reiki levels one and two attunement.

“You can come to me for weekly motivation and support. I’m that person in your corner who’s there to help you be mindful as a safe place to express yourself. Kindness, compassion, goal setting, planning. But all along the way, it’s educating clients to make healthy choices,” noted Coach Corie. “This inspiration is good for the client and it’s good for me, too. It makes me thrive.”

Being Keen in the Kitchen
One key area of success that Coach Corie focuses on with clients will be a healthy diet, and it involves taking a deeper dive into an important kitchen appliance. “I work with clients on healthy refrigerators. You want the grab and go. We talk about meal prep. How do you bake chicken on a Sunday that gets you through Wednesday and you make a variety of amazing meals? What do you do when you walk in the door, whether it’s a soccer game or work, and you’ve got options that are healthy? I’m hugely into encouraging clients to enjoy nuts and seeds, blueberries, an apple with almond butter,” shared Corie. “We can get off track so quickly with our snacking. We look at ways that snacking doesn’t derail you, but yet fuels you so you have the energy you need.”

A critical part of her program at CoachCorie.com is assisting women as they navigate through the challenges life pitches their way. Many times, it’s a natural occurrence such as perimenopause or menopause or other health-related issues. Or it can be transitional such as facing the prospect of being an empty nester when children leave home for college or to start their own lives. Maybe a change has occurred at work or perhaps a job has been eliminated in a corporate downsizing. At the lowest point, women may be going through a divorce or have signed the paperwork to end a long-term marriage. These happenings in our lives, whether expected or not, can push women to question their self-worth, resulting in spirituality issues while seeking comfort in food or developing lifestyles that are conducive to sitting on the couch rather than exercising. According to Coach Corie, these new-found stages of our lives require that women seek purposeful change to feel more grounded while living a healthier, more purposeful life.

“Several of my clients are getting ready to send daughters off to college and that’s their baby. They’re at a loss. They’ve let themselves go. They zip through the drive-thru with their kids, not taking time for themselves and their agenda is their child’s agenda. So, when that baby finally goes off to college, they wake up one day and say, ‘Who am I? I don’t like how I look. I’m not feeling healthy. I’m feeling low energy.’ One client told me that the second her husband leaves for work she hops back in bed and pulls the covers over her head. ‘I can’t live like this because I don’t have an identity; my kids were my world for so many years,’” she noted. “There’s so much living to be done, and it’s so amazing to be healthy through this that I encourage them on this first step to health and wellness. The other side is so beautiful. There is so much goodness when we decide to be our optimal weight, decide to eat healthier foods and decide to live without our alcohol. I am passionate about health coaching, and it is so rewarding to see the progress they make with compassionate encouragement and guidance.”

The Power of Positivity
The setting of a positive mindset and a genuine desire to live a better life are key in achieving the wellness objectives you have in your life. As Coach Corie shares, you can’t crash diet for your goals; you need excellent, nutritious food. She can teach clients how to eat whole, healthy foods as she guides habit changes and promotes healthy lifestyle choices through sharing intuitive eating habits. She can even meet a client at the grocery store and help them shop and meal plan. Also, she’s keen on having women employ a basic strategy of simply moving. She notes the importance of walking, jogging and running outside to enjoy the scenery, which can be a huge boost to attitudes and emotions. Exposure to sunlight can boost low moods. In the home, she suggests using stretchy bands and weights to engage neglected muscles and improve bone density. In addition, she preaches the significance of hydration with water. Sometimes women think they’re hungry but really, it’s a need to quench their thirst with water.

Now that she’s built a successful health and wellness endeavor, which not only focuses on personal coaching but also programs designed for the workplace, Coach Corie offers her thoughts on points to follow for those wanting to start on their own or feel more inspired by what they’re currently doing.

“Follow that passion and believe in it. Listen to it in your quiet time. What are you hearing? What’s your next step? Trust that tap on the shoulder from the universe,” she remarked. “A lot of doors may open and close in your face, but trust that this is your path and follow the instinct that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. My gut has never steered me wrong.”

Empathy and Intuition
There are many certified health coaches in Kansas City metro, but Coach Corie points out that she has separated herself from the others through her experience and deep appreciation for helping others. “Bringing 20-plus years of experience of health and wellness knowledge and promotion with me from being in the healthcare arena is huge. I’ve worked in small medical centers. I’ve worked in outpatient centers. I’ve been a part of hospice. I have been a corporate health coach for a Fortune 500 organization. I’ve been in this arena my entire life, and the knowledge I have gained by being in that environment has fueled me to help people be healthier. There’s acceptance and no judgment,” she commented. “There’s meeting them where they are. There’s helping them sort out the ‘stuff.’ In addition to coaching, you have to be empathetic, intuitive and you have to look beyond the smokescreen they’re putting up. When the guard comes down, that’s when change happens.”

Just like so many other things in life, excellent results come from hard work and dedication, directed by a well-thought-out strategy with attainable goals. Now is the time to develop the plan you need to make a healthy difference in your life.

“If you’re feeling stuck, now’s the time to get unstuck. Don’t be okay with the status quo if you don’t feel you’re flourishing with your health and wellness and in life. Listen to that and then make changes. Your path to your most authentic self is not meant to be walked alone,” said Coach Corie. “Whether I’m helping clients lose weight, uncover their creativity, have self-love or love the curves of their body, all of this is what keeps me doing what I’m doing. It’s no secret that lasting change and a healthy lifestyle come from within you, but you need someone to guide you at times and that’s why coaching is so cool.” ■