Merina Van Roijen is the founder of The Wellness Cue, a Melbourne-based business that provides health & wellness coaching to busy women who feel past their “prime”. Merina is currently developing a new program to help those who have limited time & want a more autonomous approach to coaching which will allow clients to have coached at hand wherever they are whenever they want.
For more information on The Wellness Cue visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Merina, to learn a bit more about her journey as a female entrepreneur.
Q. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR?
Merina: I was unhappy in my role in the management and wanted change. I’ve always wanted to help people and after experiencing many difficulties in life that one encounters when working full time with children & studying at the same time I wanted to be able to share the “secrets” to sustainable change with people. I want people who feel they are living a half-life to feel whole again.
Q. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
Merina: I studied health and wellness coaching to ensure I was certified. Practice clients during the study filled me with so much joy I knew it was something I wanted to put my heart and soul into. I threw around business names and decided on The Wellness Cue as I wanted it to represent a call to action for people. I really focused on setting up an Instagram page where I could inspire people and share free content.
Q. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST STARTUP CHALLENGE? WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO OVERCOME IT? WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
Merina: I think when you don’t have the knowledge/someone to give you the reality so starting a business you fall into a trap that goes like this: name business, register business, get a logo made, develop a webpage, Instagram page, get business cards made only to wonder months down the track where are the clients? I invested in myself to overcome this challenge by doing a course that gave me a roadmap to success.
Q. WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE THING YOU’VE DONE SINCE YOU STARTED YOUR BUSINESS?
Merina: I coached a beautiful lady last year who wanted to have a better relationship with her father and spend more time with him before he moved away. To catch up with her every week hear how she has achieved the goals she put in place, hear the happiness in her voice was so rewarding. We achieved exactly what she had set out to achieve in her vision. Before she came on as a client she was skeptical however at the end of our program she truly understood the value of coaching. That’s very rewarding, knowing you are helping people make positive changes in their lives, impacting their happiness, and showing them that everything done within coaching works.
Q. WHAT IS ONE BOOK YOU RECOMMEND, AND WHY?
Merina: Atomic Habits by James Clear. Because coaching is all about forming powerful life-changing habits. If you can master creating habits then you can make any change you desire.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 FAVOURITE ONLINE APPS, TOOLS OR RESOURCES AND WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THEM?
- Canva – it makes creating posts so incredibly easy.
- Instagram – it really allows you to showcase yourself, your business, and your personality.
- Jotform – it allows you to create forms for your prospective clients to complete online quickly
Q. IN TERMS OF LEGACY, WHAT IS THE MARK YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE ON THE WORLD?
Merina: I want to be recognised as a leader in my field. I would like to have left a mark on every client I have had because I helped them to turn their lives around for the better. To be able to share knowledge to help others live happier healthier lives is all I can ask for.
Q. IN ONE SENTENCE, WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’D GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT ON THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY?
Merina: Please understand that it’s all about lead generation, starting conversations, & gaining trust; so join FB groups, and start conversations with people every single day!
To keep up to date with Merina and her journey, connect with her on Instagram.
