”The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step” – Exclusive Interview With Terrie Nathan
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 8, 2022
- 4 min read
Hi, my name is Terrie Nathan, I am an International Best-selling Author, Speaker, and Positive Psychology Executive/Life/Wellness Coach. I am the wife of a golf enthusiast, the mother of two amazing adult children, and the grandma of three always-growing awesome grandchildren and 6 grand-pups.
My husband and I live in Virginia and enjoy the outdoors, we love to travel and explore, and we savor spending time with family and friends and watching a good movie. I enjoy a great pizza and a nice glass of wine. Going for a walk, meditating, reading books and painting is at the top of the list of fun things I love to do!
My approach in life is to focus on what’s strong vs what’s wrong. Our mind is powerful, you get what you expect. Just like exercising your body, you must exercise your mind.
I’m proud to say my family and I all share a passion for people and an understanding of the importance of daily positive behaviors and practices in our lives.
Terrie Nathan. CEO/Founder/Coach/Author/Speaker
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
We are Strong Girl Enterprises…my practice is grounded in Positive Psychology, a research-based branch of psychology that studies what causes people to thrive and flourish in their lives and work, and how we can apply those findings in practical ways.
In this confidential zone, we support and partner with youth, individuals/teams, and businesses to help them clarify what they want out of their next stage of life, wellness, work, and or business. We will then use that clarity to map out a path, set concrete goals, utilize unrealized resources, and work on any internal and/or external obstacles standing in the way of progress.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
I draw my inspiration, strength, and energy from my husband, my family, my friends, and my clients. It is the everyday people I have the pleasure to meet, support, and partner with. It’s their stories of courage, resilience, and perseverance that continue to inspire me in my efforts. Everyone makes a difference and everyone has an impact on someone else, I take this very seriously and make a conscious effort to show up and remember that everyone matters. If we take the time to slow down, we never know who just might inspire us next.
What is your work inspired by?
They say superheroes don’t exist…but for me as a young girl growing up, I was blessed to have my Grandma Ruby as my SUPERHERO.
As a young girl, I was insecure, bullied, and lacked confidence in myself.
My Grandma somehow knew what was going on with me, she never said anything, but she instinctively knew my self-image was fading.
She would always call me her Strong Girl and she would fill my head with encouraging words and stories of strength. She taught me how to feel secure, build resilience, can act independently, and how experience and build a sense of self-worth.
She embodied Positive Psychology and the “Strong Girl Spirit” in the tough world I lived in. She was ahead of her time! She is why I feel called to coach, write, and speak today~ She is who inspired me to do this! My business is dedicated to her and the impact she made on not only myself but so many other people.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
I’m sure you have all heard the Chinese Proverb… ”The Journey of a Thousand miles begins with a single step”. My most recent journey lasted over a span of 18-plus years. Staring at an entry-level position and working my way up to a director position with a Fortune 200 company, I thought this is where I would retire. However, we never know where life’s journey is going to take us.
Four years ago I was given the news that I would have to relocate to another state. Being newly married and loving where I currently lived, I had to make a decision. For a few years, I had been feeling a nudge to do more and to impact differently. So I decided not to relocate, I guess you could call that retirement, from that role anyway.
While the decision was a tough one, I wondered if I had gotten complacent and a bit too comfortable with the mundane. Had I gotten comfortable inside my box?
I took a chance on myself and decided to embark on the climb of entrepreneurship, new terrain, new views, with many potential cliffs. Along my climb into new territory, Strong Girl Spirit was born, with the help of course, of my memories and encouragement of Grandma Ruby.
They say the best view always comes after the hardest climb, however, I have been on some tough climbs before and I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Having this mindset has kept me successful all my career, and knew it would be especially now. So pivot I did.
It was a time of uncertainty, loneliness, and fear, similar to what we ALL seem to be going through at this time in our journeys. Protecting my mental wellness was critical, especially in this time of change. Here’s the thing, no one can do it for you, you are in control of the success you so desire and the perspective you take along the way. I know my previous life/business experiences will be the rope I need to stay in the climb. The success we are seeing now is starting to pay off and flourish. Are there ups and downs, of course, but I do the things necessary to ensure I can stay on the climb?
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become”... ‒ Carl Jung
And this is where Strong Girl Spirit was realized. Stay on the climb, my friends.
