Role: Company Director
Company: We Slim Together
Track Record: Sonya McAllister’s background in nursing and the caring profession was the foundation to helping others through her role as a slimming coach.
HOW I BECAME A WEIGHT LOSS COACH
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I founded We Slim Together in April 2013 and we then formed a company in May 2013. Our first group began in Randalstown and by September 2013 demand led us to open groups in Ballymena and Glengormley.
In October 2014 I recruited two consultants on a sub contract basis to open groups in Antrim and Dundonald. To date we are now a franchisor with 14 franchisees and more due to franchise in 2017.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I absolutely loved Maths at school.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I became pregnant at 15 with my son Dylan and gave birth shortly after my sixteenth birthday. I stayed on at school to finish my GCSEs. I then went onto study a vocational business administration course and worked for an insurance company in an admin role until I was 19.
I then found myself working in the caring field as a nursing auxiliary in a local nursing home. I loved to help people and really enjoyed this job.
I went on to have two more children and felt a desire to be a nurse so I enrolled in the Queen’s access to university course and achieved a certificate in Social Sciences, then in 2011, I achieved a certificate in Health & Social Care. I carried on in my role as a nursing auxiliary until I made the decision to start We Slim Together.
How did you get into your area of work?
I was obese most of my life and in 2009 I decided to change my life and lose weight. I started researching foods, how they are broken down by the body and, most importantly to me, how they would keep me full up. This was really important as I always thought I would be starving with hunger if I had to’ diet’, but soon realised I didn’t have to.
I dropped from a size 26 to a size 14. I was supporting people through social media sharing my own journey and I was asked continually would I open my own group. I’m caring by nature, and felt that if I could help one person then my job was done. So I launched a Facebook event to say I would offer a weekly group in my local town to support people.
That night 65 people walked through the door and the rest is history.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
Caring for people yes, but I never dreamt I would be doing a job I loved so much. It happened by accident all because I wanted to help people. I truly never thought that the day I chose to change my own little life would lead me to changing so many others.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
My experience from working in mental health was vital as it helped me understand people’s moods and behaviours. This is really vital in helping support others to make big life changes.
A knowledge of nutrition is also important and I spent years studying and researching this.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
You need to be caring, understanding and above all non judgmental.
What does a typical day entail?
I wake up, get the kids out to school and then head straight to the office to prepare for doing actual groups myself.
Although I am running a company, I like to be hands on and support our members.
Most days I would hold a support group, then come back to the office and get some lunch before doing some admin work or attend meetings. In the afternoon I am still able to be flexible to collect the kids from school. This is important to me as I want to work but I also need to be there for the kids. I come home and prepare dinner and then three evenings a week I head back out to do more groups. When I am back home around 9pm I sort the kids out for school in the morning before doing more admin work. My day normally finishes around 11pm.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
It is truly fantastic watching people’s lives change before my eyes and the most challenging thing is finding time.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Don’t just think about it, do it.
It is the most rewarding job ever. Giving up my job with the NHS to pursue this was a major risk, I had debts and a roof to keep over my family’s head. But if I hadn’t done it I would always have been thinking ‘what if’. If your gut is telling you it’s the right thing to do then go for it!
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Stay positive and look for something that makes you excited and you can be passionate about.