Clarisse has a vivid way of describing her journey. “It’s growing,” she says. “Like a caterpillar building up a cocoon, and at the end, just emerging. I am still to fully become a butterfly, but I’m loving myself more and more and finding myself closer and closer.”
It’s a metaphor that captures something the numbers alone can’t. Because for Clarisse, a working mum from Brisbane, the changes she’s experienced are about far more than a number, they reflect meaningful improvements in her health, wellbeing, and confidence.
A lifetime of trying
Before finding My health for life, Clarisse had tried her share of approaches. Exercise was, in her own words, “a swear word.” She laughs recounting the moment that crystallised just how far things had gone. “I taught my then seven-year-old child to open the mailbox because walking to the mailbox was too far away.”
A co-worker recommended My health for life, and Clarisse joined with virtually no expectations. When Health Coach Megan explained the initiative, Clarisse wasn’t deterred – in fact, it felt reassuring.
“I had absolutely zero idea what would happen. It sounded like just chatting with a friend.”
The coach who asked the right questions
What Clarisse found was something she’d never encountered before, an approach that didn’t hand her a framework to follow but helped her build her own.
“She never suggested any solution,” Clarisse says. “She held my hand so that I could find the solution that works for me, by myself. And that is probably why it worked so well.”
Megan’s method was deceptively simple: questions. Thoughtful, unhurried, perfectly timed questions that opened up possibilities Clarisse hadn’t considered. “She offered challenges, but never too big a challenge. She’d ask, does this sound like something you’d like to tackle? How would you manage it? And it pushed me to think ahead.”
The pivotal test came when Clarisse had locked herself into a rigid daily calorie limit. Megan gently challenged the logic behind the number. “She never imposed anything, we decided together. But questioning that conviction was extremely challenging for me. It challenged my internal beliefs and certainties.”
The breakthrough came quietly, between sessions. “My brain did not fully forget the challenge, even when I did. And in the next session, I was able to call her and say, ‘Hey, you know what? I did it. And it works. I can’t believe it.’”
Finding solutions that work in real life
As a busy, working mum, Clarisse’s life didn’t leave room for perfect conditions. So, she focused on finding practical, sustainable solutions that fit her routine.
Faced with her first social event, a gathering with some French friends, she was worried about the food that would be served, so she arrived armed with raw vegetables, hummus, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt, sat alongside everyone, and socialised freely. When winter threatened her early morning walks, she didn’t abandon the habit. She bought a treadmill. “Me being healthy is worth way more than the cost,” she reasoned. “I would easily spend that eating out over three or four meals.”
For weights, she did it all from home. No gym membership, no commute, no audience.
“There is no roadblock you cannot move,” she says. “There is always a solution.”
A different relationship with food
Perhaps the most profound shift has been in how Clarisse thinks about eating itself.
“Initially, I was on a diet to lose weight,” she reflects. “Then I was on a diet for my health. And now I am watching what I eat because I like myself better.”
Her approach is now flexible, balanced, and free from guilt. She tracks her meals, follows flexible guidelines, and allows space for enjoyment.
“I’m having an ice cream bar now and then. It’s delicious, and there’s absolutely no guilt. The other day I was craving cheese. So, I planned a meal that was cheese only. And it did not impact my progress at all, because it was managed, guilt-free, and tracked.”
Ripples in every direction
When Clarisse’s parents visited recently, they barely recognised her. The change, she says, isn’t just physical. She feels calmer at work, more patient, and more collected.
“Even though we did not work on anxiety and stress together, I feel less anxious. More confident. More solid in my convictions.”
Her daughter, who has watched the entire journey unfold, is absorbing lessons that will outlast any program.
“She’s seen the hard work and the consistency. She’s seen that if you want to be healthy, there is an easier way if you start earlier. And she’s seen that you can eat chocolates and lollies, but you need to feed your body healthy food first.”
Now, Clarisse wakes before dawn for an hour-long walk, lifts weights four times a week, and stays connected to what helps her feel her best.
Still becoming
Clarisse is clear that Megan was central to all of it. “Without her, I would not have gone that far, I would not have gone that fast. She made me believe in myself, and she made me prove to myself that yes, I was able.”
And the butterfly? Still emerging. But Clarisse is at peace with that.
“One bad day. What is one bad day in your journey? It’s up to you what you want to make it. You’ve gone this far. Do you really want to let it ruin things, or do you just get back to routine? What was working before will be working after.”
She’d recommend My health for life to anyone. “It’s not a nutritionist or a dietitian, or a personal trainer, it’s someone who will let you grow the best version of yourself. And that will act on all of those aspects.”
For Clarisse, My health for life didn’t just change what she does. It changed who she is.
“There’s only one me and I’m doing my best,” she says.
If you would like the support of a free Health Coach like Clarisse, do the online Health Check today to see if health coaching is right for you.
My health for life is proudly funded by the Queensland Government through Health and Wellbeing Queensland, and delivered by Diabetes Australia.
